THEWALL STREET JOURNAL. * * * * Saturday/Sunday, July 20 - 21, 2019 | D3

STYLE & FASHION

UNPROTECTED SUN expo-sure is the number-onecause of two things mostof us would rather avoid:skin cancer and premature

aging. And yet, the people who neglectdaily sunscreen are swift to offer upjustifications, chief among them: “I justdon’t like the way it feels.” Dermatolo-gist Dr. Whitney Bowe in New Yorkconfirmed that the heavy, tacky sensa-tion associated with sunscreen is whatturns her patients off. Equally repel-lent, added New York-based dermatolo-gist Dr. Ellen Marmur, is the way sun-screens often leave a white residue andcause breakouts. “Another reason is la-ziness,” she added.

Widespread sunscreen aversion hasled many brands to bridge the sun-screen and skin care categories,creating lightweight everyday facialformulas that incorporate antiagingand antioxidant ingredients, boast amore appealing texture (sheer! weight-less!), and provide imperfection-blur-ring technology. But with hundredsto choose from, how do you find onethat inspires devotion? My solution:Test 50 top formulas.

I set some parameters. First, thesunscreens I tried would need to bemarked “broad spectrum,” meaningthey protect against UVA and UVB rays(the former penetrate deeper, affecting

collagen and accelerating skin aging;the latter cause burns; both can lead toskin cancer). They should have an SPFfactor of at least 30—the minimum youneed “if you’re going to be outside atall,” said Dr. Bowe.

As for my personal issues with sun-screen engagement: I have a fair com-plexion, ergo, my skin burns easily; I’mprone to breakouts and hyper-pigmenta-tion; I’ve been known to experience mildrosacea. A facial sunscreen that doesn’tupset my sensitive skin’s fine balance canseem like a unicorn. I prefer moisturizingformulas with dewier results; matte fin-ishes tend to magnify fine lines, I’vefound. I want a sunscreen that neitherfeels heavy on my face nor is detectableby anyone else. My ideal formula mustalso play well with any makeup I use: I’velearned, for instance, that the white castof classic zinc formulas plus blush canleave me looking very mime-y. And last,but certainly not least, it must be fra-grance-free or at least scented to a barelydiscernible degree. Fragrance can be asneaky skin irritant, and I would rathermy face didn’t smell like cloying coconutsor shampoo.

I dutifully tested a massive pile of sun-screens of every creed with all the afore-mentioned criteria in mind. It’s true thatyou won’t like using sunscreen until youfind sunscreen you like using. Here are12 to consider.

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EFrequently, anddeservedlyname-checkedby dermatolo-gists (Dr. Mar-mur is a fan),this SPF-46 for-mulation goeson clear, is fullof niacinamide(an anti-inflam-matory vitamin

B3 derivative), and crucially, itwon’t give you zits. “I love itbecause it’s sensitive enoughto use if you have acne, dry-ness or rosacea but also isn’tgreasy for those with oilyskin,” said Dr. Marmur. $35,lovelyskin.comRunner-up First Aid BeautyUltra Repair Pure MineralSunscreen With colloidal oat-meal as an ingredient, itsoothes easily reactive skin.$30, firstaidbeauty.com

A basic sun-screen is nota bad thing.This onefeels not un-like your fa-vorite pared-down,lightweightbody mois-turizer: hy-drating with-

out leaving any residue. It’sequally suitable for face andbody which saves you thetrouble of having to buy asecond sunscreen. $39, skin-ceuticals.comRunner-up NeutrogenaHydro Boost The light, cool-ing texture of this water gel-lotion hybrid feels refreshingand gets bonus points for wa-ter resistance. Now if only itwas unscented….$10.99, amazon.com

Though called aserum, it’s moreakin to a mois-turizer—a silky,featherweightmoisturizer atthat. Upon appli-cation, it sinksright into theskin, has asmooth finishand won’t com-

pete with any makeup youtop it with. It makes for avery easy swap for the morn-ing moisturizer currently inyour skin care routine. $42,supergoop.comRunner-up Drunk ElephantUmbra Tinte The cult-favoritebrand’s sunscreen comes in asheer version, but the tintediteration gives your skin asubtle glow without feelingthe least bit makeup-y. $36,drunkelephant.com

The best compli-ment that youcan pay to asunscreen isthat it doesn’tseem like a sun-screen. And thisfacial formula—the first skin-care productfrom swimwearbrand Solid &

Striped—feels nothing like asunscreen and everything likea lightweight serum. This ap-pealing quality made remem-bering to use it very easy.That it looks a bit moist anddewy on the skin also helps.$28, solidandstriped.comRunner-up Glossier InvisibleShield In a blind test I’d guessthis translucent gel was a hy-aluronic serum, and it feelsjust as thin and easy on theskin. $25, glossier.com

Formulating min-eral sunscreensso that they A)aren’t so densethey become un-wieldy; and B)don’t leave aghostly veil onyour face, can bea tricky business.The mineral sun-screens I tested

rarely felt weightless, but thisone proved to be a true ex-ception. It has the added ben-efit of protecting against in-frared and HEV (aka, the bluelight emanating from all yourvarious devices). $42,sephora.comRunner-up Clinique BroadSpectrum Mineral SunscreenLightweight with a sheer fin-ish, it’s also gentle enough touse around the eyes (un-usual). $28.50, ulta.com

The zinc-based for-mula is richand im-mensely hy-drating (it’sfull of arganoil), like asolid nightcream. Onthe skin thatlushness

reads as a subtle glow, pre-cluding the need for high-lighter (if that’s your thing).For the moisture-starvedamong us, this natural sun-screen will feel like a revela-tion. $55, vivesana.comRunner-up Origins A PerfectWorld Age-Defense Thismoisturizer with broad spec-trum SPF protection has avelvety texture and quenchesparched skin without leavinga greasy trail. $46, origins.com

BEST FOR SENSITIVE SKINEltaMD UV Clear

BEST FOR NO-FRILLS FOLKSSkinCeuticals Light Moisture

BEST FOR MAKEUP WEARERSSupergoop City Serum

BEST FOR SERUM-LOVERSSolid & Striped Sunscreen

BEST FOR DRY SKINVive Sana Daily Protezione

BEST FOR THE CHEMICAL-SHYCoola Mineral Sun Silk Crème

ONE MIGHT DISMISS the phrase“elegant flip-flop” as an oxymoron,insisting that the scanty sandalsbelong only on frat boys and thesartorially oblivious. And yet, thissummer, some truly tasteful thongsandals have entered the fashionfray, from purveyors like avant-garde, Switzerland-based label Ve-tements and Swedish brandTotême, the latter reflecting thesensibility of its stylish founder,the social-media-savvy Elin Kling.These aren’t the utilitarian showershoes that reigned in the ’90s. Thenew elevated flip-flop is alwayspolished and sometimes evenheeled. Why now?

For one, they contrast well withfashion’s current bent for formal-ity. “When there’s such an empha-sis on suiting, like there has beenthe last two years, it’s logical thatflip-flops and other sport shoes arebecoming more important,” ex-plained Tibi founder and creativedirector Amy Smilovic, who de-signed a neat blue leather version(shown). “For suiting to be inter-esting and relevant it also has to bequite chill.” A flip-flop, she added,can help take more formal lookslike suits “down a few notches.”

Ramona Sidlo, a director of

marketing for a concert promoter,is a recent convert. “I was a NewYork City girl; in the summer Iwore sneakers or flats. I felt like itwas not chic to wear flip-flops inManhattan. It was kind of grossand weird,” Ms. Sidlo, 39, recalled.But after she relocated to Hono-lulu, the local climate and cultureled her to reconsider the humblethong sandal, though the all-black,leather Prada pair she favors ishardly ordinary.

It’s important to draw a distinc-tion between these elegant slides—rendered in luxe leather, potentiallybraided, like Loeffler Randall’spair—and more traditional versions,like Havaianas. While the rubberBrazilian sandals saw some actionon the streets of recent fashionweeks, they’re probably still bestsuited to the beach or pool, not ashoe that most of us can get awaywith wearing to the office. A cutelittle high-heeled Manolo flip-flop inleather, however, paired with crisptrousers, is a workplace win.

And as for the question ofwhether it’s inappropriate to showso much, well, foot? Ms. Smilovicdelivered her verdict: “You justhave to get over it.”

—Christine Whitney

The Blue-Chip Flip-FlopThongs—once cherished only by swim-team kids andthe underdressed—slip back into vogue

NOTES ON ASANDAL From left:

Flip-flops, $50,tkees.com; Heels,

$655, Manolo Blahnik,212-582-3007; Flip-flops, $370, toteme-studio.com; Flip-flops,

$195, tibi.com

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Not a Myth:Sheer SPF

City­friendly facial blocks make daily sunscreenuse more palatable, but excuses still abound.

Fiorella Valdesolo tried 50 goops to find the best

SCREEN GEMS / SIX WINNERS AND SIX RUNNERS-UP THAT MADE OUR TESTER ACTUALLY WANT TO APPLY SUNSCREEN EVERY DAY

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