Sunday, June 20, 2010

SmartShield Sunscreen: A Review & GIVEAWAY!

I burn. Easily. Badly. Blisters, peeling, the whole nine yards.  This comes from the very Irish side of my lineage, courtesy of my father and his ancestors.

My oldest has inherited this particular trait from me, especially in a couple of under-pigmented areas on the back of his neck. Our kicker there? His skin is super-sensitive, and he’s allergic to a number of different sunscreens, most recently the one we were able to use successfully all summer last year.

When I received an opportunity to review a sunscreen, I was pretty interested. When I explored their website, I got flat excited. I emailed the company back to let them know I was willing to give it a shot, and got a bit antsy when just a few days later, I had to take J to the pediatrician after he broke out in a horrid, itchy rash after using our “regular” sunscreen.

4oz-SPF30 Allow me to introduce SmartShield. Oil-free. PABA-free. Hypoallergenic. And frankly, awesome.

After my review bottle arrived, I threw it in my purse and took it to the ballpark with me. Some on the back of my neck, some on my arms, some funny looks from other parents as I sniffed myself and ran my fingers along my skin a few times. One of the first things I noticed was that this didn’t have that overpowering sunscreen smell. While I love the smell of coconut, sometimes I need sun protection that doesn’t smell like the beach. As a working professional, I attend a number of conventions in warm, sunny climates. I need sunscreen, and want to smell like my chosen fragrance!

The next thing I noticed was that I wasn’t greasy. I have oily skin, and suffer from breakouts, so I’m pretty careful about what I put on my skin, especially my face. After this first application, I noticed my arms weren’t greasy. The product was completely absorbed, it wasn’t sitting in some film on top of my skin.

Finally, when I got home, I wasn’t burnt. That scored points for me as well, since I usually have to reapply after an hour or so, and didn’t this time.

But, that was only one trial. Next up- water use! After a busy day of errand running, another baseball game, and some housekeeping, I decided I had earned an hour floating in the pool with a book. I applied my SmartShield sunscreen, grabbed my sunglasses, some water, and a book, and I was off. As I lay in my float, I realized I wasn’t creating that oil slick that I usually see – you know the one. That rainbow sheen on the surface of the water, right next to your arm or leg.  Yeah, it wasn’t there. I spent a full hour in the water, and stayed protected.

So protected that when the kids and I went to a local festival a little bit later, and I threw on a tank top, but not more SmartShield, I swiftly found the part of my back that was not protected. So, even after that hour in the water, a wardrobe change, and another hour or so of just life, the SmartShield held up and kept me sunburn free.

My final test was my face. I almost never put straight sunscreen on my face, relying instead on face products with sun protection in them. Even at that, many of them cause increased breakouts for me. Most moisturizers with sun protection feel heavy and greasy on my already oily face. I was willing to give this a try, though. I’m not sorry. My skin was not irritated by the product at all!

My final thoughts – SmartShield provided me noticeable sun protection that lasted through extended water exposure and a toweling off. The feel of the product on my skin was great, even better than several of my moisturizing lotions. I was not overpowered by fragrance, and it did not irritate my breakout prone skin or my son’s sensitive skin. I am officially a fan.

SmartShield wants one of YOU to get to try out their sunscreen as well! From now until 11:59 pm (EST)  on Sunday, June 27th, you may enter to win one (1) 4.5oz bottle of SmartShield spf 30 sunscreen. Here’s how to enter:

4oz-SUNSPRAY 1. Visit SmartShield’s website and leave me a comment with the name of the product you think would best fit your lifestyle! (The product line includes bug-repellent/sun protection combos, self tanner, and after sun care.) This comment counts as one entry.

2. Become a follower of All A Bunch of Momsense and leave me a comment letting me know! Already a follower? That comment counts too!

3. Tweet the following: Serious Sun Protection #giveaway  from @TaxMegan & @SmartShield at http://tinyurl.com/282mj3s You can tweet this for an additional entry each day, but each tweet does require a separate comment here!

4. Follow All A Bunch of Momsense on Facebook! Either click the link in my left sidebar, or here. Again, be sure to leave me a comment!

And now, the fine print: I was not monetarily compensated by SmartShield for this review. I was provided, at no cost to me, a bottle of SmartShield sunscreen to review. Additionally, SmartShield has offered a bottle of sunscreen to the winner of this giveaway. All opinions in this review are my own. If you have any additional questions in regards to this, or any other reviews or giveaways hosted here, please feel free to email me at allabunchofmomsense@gmail.com

Good luck!

Momsense Signature

12 comments:

  1. I think I would like the SPF 30 Sunscreen Spray - the spray type seems easier to get even coverage on my kids. Thanks!

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  2. I'd like to have the insect repellent combo.

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  3. I tweeted! http://twitter.com/Eligabiff/status/16711799172

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  4. And.. I already follow you on facebook.

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  5. It's a toss up between the spray sunscreen for the kids and the self tanner for the Mama.

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  6. Since we don't have bugs here...I'll go for the SPF30 Sunscreen!

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