Facial Moisturizer And Sunscreen: Neutrogena Healthy Defense

It's almost Memorial Day Weekend - and hopefully you have hours of sunny activities lined up including BBQ'ing, the pool, the beach, or maybe just sitting in your yard with a good book. Whatever you are doing, don't forget to apply sunscreen! I am religious about applying sunscreen to my face and have been doing so every single day since I was 18. It all started when Johnson & Johnson was handing out samples on campus of their Purpose line of products. I picked up a sample of their moisturizer with sunscreen and I was hooked. Unfortunately, when I got older and started traveling more, the bottles that Purpose came in gave me headaches because they were oddly shaped and the top would often break during travel. Additionally, it was hard to get the last bit of moisturizer out of the bottle and a lot of energy would be exerted as I banged it upside down (painfully) against my hand or a counter several times. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, a lot of moisturizer would be left behind -- inevitably (and sadly) ending up in the trash.

Then I discovered Neutrogena Healthy Defense (I sound like a cheesy commercial here, but it's seriously a great product). Yes, it's great moisturizer and makes your skin feel silky smooth without being oily. Yes, it's great sunscreen - I usually use SPF 45, applying it every single morning after I get out of the shower. For some reason my face never gets burned, even when I fail to reapply, far outlasting and out-performing any sunscreen I have used on the rest of my body (even after spending a whole day on the beach). But, best of all, the bottle is just perfect for travel. It is flat and holds just 1.7 oz, so it fits great in pretty much any space (especially in your 1 quart clear plastic bag for air travel), thereby allowing you to easily pack your requisite lip glosses and shampoo around it; also the cap stays on very well and will not break off. Plus, the bottle is more like a slightly rigid flat tube, so you can squeeze every last drop out of it. It's a win-win situation. You can pick it up at most drugstores and supermarkets, though sometimes they don't carry it. I just order a supply from Drugstore.com and keep it on hand at all times.

For those of you who may be interested, they have a lightly tinted version which is nice, especially if you need to even your skin tone out a little bit but don't want that foundation look. It's fragrance free, hypo-allergenic, and protects against both UVA and UVB so it is an all-around great moisturizer and great sunscreen. One tube runs $11 to $14 (depending on specials that may be running) and will last about three months with everyday application. A small price to pay to keep that skin lifted and glowing.