By Lynda Castonguay
EXTRASHADE
Photo courtesy of Extrashade
Back to back days of clear skies and plus 20 degree weather could not have made for a more perfect environment to test out a sun protective product.
Extrashade is a sunscreen specifically created for rich and multicultural complexions, and further formulated to help against acne, wrinkles, fine lines, and inflammations. Unbeknownst to many of us, people with these complexions are equipped with extra melanin which, as a blessing, provides them with a natural protective layer, but as a curse, makes their skin much more sensitive and much more reactive to products and their harsh components.
I’m multicultural in the sense that I am a blend of English, French, Irish, and Metis, and I have a complexion rich in, not extra melanin, but rich in freckles. To sum it up: not quite their target market. So why am I testing out a sunscreen made for individuals unlike myself? Well, I figured that a cream with an ingredient list as legible as white ginger, passion flower, vitamins C & E, soap bark, coconut, plantain extract, pomegranate, kiwis, and hyaluronic acid (the token ingredient too difficult for anyone to pronounce), is a cream worthy of all complexions, even my pale Caucasian one.
Photo courtesy of Extrashade
I applied Extrashade first beneath my makeup- so to not drown out the appearance of what little make up I do apply - and on body parts typically exposed in summer attire (think shoulders, arms, upper chest, my pale first-time-in-shorts legs). Extrashade was easy to apply. The texture is smoothe, thin, and much less viscous than typical sun creams. This type of efficient application will likely make my 120ml bottle last a healthy bit. It doesn’t come without its drawbacks however. Learn from my mishaps dear readers and squeeze with caution. The cream requires little to no force to come out of the bottle.
Happily, Extrashade does not leave that pesky chalky residue and it glides on smoothly, transparently, and blends really well with the skin. It did initially leave a glimmer, albeit subtle, but at least it didn’t feel like the heavy layer some other creams leave you with.
So I stepped out into a weekend of sunshine with my water resistant, PABA, fragrance, oil, and dye free armour and spent hours at the park and hours by the lake and I came out of it unscathed, unburned, and quite surprisingly, with a fresh glow to my freckles. I would say that’s a win, wouldn’t you ?
To read up on the product and to purchase, visit their website: www.extrashade.com
Photo courtesy of Extrashade
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