Hi, I’m Maggie, and welcome to Tender Forms Off-Camera: a bi-weekly newsletter on all things slow: beauty, fashion, living. Links in this newsletter may include affiliate links or discount referrals. If you enjoy and would like to support this newsletter, click the button below or shop through my links! No pressure but thank you if you do.
Today’s is a long newsletter! I recommend viewing this in a browser (just click the title) or in the Substack app for a seamless experience. You can also zoom in on photos in the app!
It’s 9:04am on a Saturday, the day before you’re reading this. Fang is in a bundle by my feet as I take this rare opportunity to write in bed. Ironically, this morning is the first where it’s been cloudy and cool! We’ve had so many sunshine-filled days in the last few weeks as we step into a true PNW Summer. Naturally, there’s nothing on my mind more than sunscreen these days.
Editor’s Note: While I have favorites in the following, I’m currently out of one of my tried and trues: the SALT & STONE Lightweight Sheer Daily Sunscreen SPF 40 ($34, 2floz | 60ml).
It would have been a more complete roundup of swatches with this favorite in here, but such is a life of trying not to waste! You can find more product and texture details in Newsletter 064.
I’ve split the sunscreens into two categories I’m calling “Brand SPF” and “Custom SPF.” The Brand SPFs are sunscreens straight out of the bottle, tube, or jar (all broad spectrum SPF30 and up). The Custom SPFs are my own sunscreen mixes. *I am by no means an authority on sunscreen, so please conduct research, ask questions, and do what makes you comfortable!
Brand SPF
AKT Therapy Elemental Sun Balm* (gifted, $48, 1oz | 30ml)
AKT Therapy holds a special place in my heart as it was the first brand I ever received PR from back when I started Tender Forms a few years ago. It was my first full brand review on YouTube. Janus, the founder, remains such a kind-hearted soul with love for sunshine and formulas to protect our skin while providing nourishment and radiance.
As my skin has gone through some changes within the past year, I was so glad she reached out so I could have the chance to try AKT Therapy again!
The Elemental Sun Balm is the most well-known (and loved) for a good reason. This true sunscreen balm is a delight for all with dry and mature skin. With only six ingredients, the silky blend of oils and beeswax provide slip for easy application and ultra-moisturizing benefits. Its peachy hue cancels out any stark white of the zinc oxide, leaving no white cast.
Unfortunately, this same peachy hue also means it doesn’t work for all skin tones. Since there is a high percentage of zinc oxide (25%), I’m not sure how this would fare across deep skin tones either. Depending on how heavy a layer you’re applying, it might also not work for pale skin tones. On my neutral-olive skin tone, the peach stands out a lot. But it’s a miss for me mainly because it’s not my preferred finish. Though a wonderfully nourishing balm, it feels too heavy on my skin. Because it’s so emollient, it remains slick, and as the day goes on, my skin tends to feel a little itchy.
But I have several friends who love this. This would be a beautiful sunscreen option if you’re in a light to medium skin tone range with dry, mature skin. And I have to say the peachiness does cancel out dark circles quite well and doubles nicely as an under-eye balm!
AKT Therapy D-Luxe Daily SPF30 - Desert Mallow* (gifted, $29, 1oz | 30g)
This newly-released lighter shade made my heart soar! Meet Desert Mallow. It’s the same Vitamin D boosted formula as the D-Luxe Daily Bronzer, but in a lighter, neutral undertone and not a bronzer. The packaging you see in some of the photos today is temporary packaging. It will be repackaged in the same glass pump bottle as the D-Luxe Daily Bronzer!
While this shade is definitely better suited for me than the Elemental Sun Balm, it isn’t quite neutral enough. The yellow is very strong, with a slight undercurrent of orange. But I do think this shade would work for a broader range of skin tones.
I prefer the D-Luxe formula, but in this interim packaging, it’s very tough to shake, and this does require a good shake before application. However, once applied, it feels lighter than the Elemental Sun Balm but still has that very radiant, glowy finish. Though it’s not as slippery as Elemental, it does move slightly, so oily skin types might want to set it with a powder.
Take these hand swatches with a grain of salt. While they might look like they blend in nicely to my skin tone, it’s not always the case when blended on the face! For all swatches, I have the heavy swatch on the bottom, and a sheer layer blended out above.
AKT Therapy D-Luxe Daily Bronzer* (gifted, $29, 1oz | 30g)
Now let’s get into the good stuff! The original D-Luxe Daily Bronzer is still my favorite of the three. This is my first time using the newer glass pump bottle packaging, and it’s divine. There’s a nice weight to the bottle, and it feels sturdy. It also allows me to shake up the formula!
Editor’s Note: Apologies for these earlier shots and swatches. These were the first few pumps where it wasn’t incorporated as well. Once it pumps a few more times, the texture is like Desert Mallow; thicker, not as thin.
They really got this bronzing tone just right. It’s warm enough to impart a golden finish but still neutral enough that it would work for medium to medium-deep skin tones as a tinted SPF.
In its current state, I don’t use this as my all-over sunscreen. Instead, I use it as a bronzer around the perimeters of my face and a little on the cheeks for a bronzy glow that works with my skin tone! You can see from the swatch above that when sheered out, it’s not too red or orange, simply beautiful. If you’re pale and like to self-tan, this is an excellent daily option. It’s not a self-tanner, but it deepens and gorgeously adds warmth.
Ava Isa Sun-è-Serum Drops SPF 35 ($45, 1floz | 30ml)
This is my holy-grail Summer SPF. This announcement may feel like it’s coming out of nowhere, but behind the scenes, I’ve been using this sunscreen nonstop!
Special shoutout and thank you to my dear friend, Asti, for suggesting I try it. She always knows what I’ll like!
I first ordered a sample of it, and upon first use, I knew it could be the one. Then with all the points I saved up on The Detox Market, I purchased this puppy. To me, the price is as high as I would go for a facial sunscreen. It pains me how much I adore it because I’m not looking forward to when I will have to repurchase it. $45 for a facial sunscreen is steep, but to me, this one is worth it.
First, this has to be the lightest weight sunscreen I have ever used. It truly feels like nothing on the skin; impossibly lightweight and breathable—a godsend for my easily congested skin. Second, it gives a true demi-matte finish. It has a subtle luminosity, like an inner radiance rather than glazed, glowy, or dewy. Third, it has the least amount of white cast I’ve ever experienced in mineral sunscreen. Before this, the SALT & STONE was the least, but Ava Isa’s is far better in terms of the white cast! Depending on how much you apply, there will be an ever-so-slight white cast. I can see a lift in skin tone when I apply it. I don’t mind since my face is darker than the rest of my body, so this brings my face skin tone slightly closer. But not impeccably, which in all arbitrary measurements means there’s a very slight white cast.
I shake the bottle well. Since there are no thickeners in the formula, it needs a good shake, so everything gets reincorporated. Then I use 1–1.5 dropper fulls for the face and neck. It dispenses as a thin milky texture and spreads seamlessly across the skin. It’s strange because it feels so silky as if it were packed with silicones, but it’s the opposite as it’s silicone-free! I also love that it sinks in immediately. For once, there’s a sunscreen where I don’t need to spend minutes rubbing it in; it does the work for me.
There’s also one last peculiar factor that I love: the scent. Technically, this formula is unscented, with no added fragrance, so what I’m smelling and experiencing is (I’m guessing) from the coconut-derived ingredients. The Serum Drops smell like caramel. That’s right: caramel and not a synthetic one. Something about it feels like homemade caramel: warm, slightly spicy, and so intriguing. At least to my nose!
I don’t ever want to be without this sunscreen for the summer months. I’m curious to see how long this bottle will last me. I’ll keep you posted!
Custom SPF
Here’s where things get interesting. I can be a stickler for texture and shade matching, so I don’t mind going the extra mile to custom mix a sunscreen that’s better suited for my skin and preferences. For all of the following, I tend to make a week’s worth and store it in a small glass jar, then replenish it at the end of the week. However, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants, and I will mix one on the fly in the mornings.
The two things I’m trying to correct most are depth and finish (terms you’ll remember from Newsletter 083). Tinted sunscreens are usually too deep for my skin, so I want to lift the depth to a lighter and paler shade. Then you know how I despise feeling anything tacky on the skin, so I’m also looking to achieve a matte or dry satin-smooth finish.
There is only one product that has helped me achieve the above, no matter what it’s mixed with, and it is none other than the Earthwise Beauty Farizad’s Veil Sun Reflector ($44, 10.5g | .37oz)
While it’s not marketed as sunscreen, it is 94% non-nano uncoated zinc oxide. 94%! Zinc oxide is my preferred sunscreen and mineral sunscreen of choice. It doesn’t cause any disruption or breakouts to my skin, it’s a physical sunscreen and, most importantly, biodegradable and safe for home earth.
Farizad’s Veil consists of only zinc oxide, aloe leaf powder, and a custom blend of non-photosensitizing essential oils to counter the sometimes heavy mineral sunscreen scent. I have used this as my only sunscreen indoors and for short trips outdoors, and it’s worked wonderfully for me (no sunburns or irritation). But again, please do what makes you comfortable!
Because this formula is so high in zinc and comes in powder form, it mixes beautifully with any cream, balm, liquid, or oil and, above all, gives me that satin-to-matte finish I so longingly seek. This also means it lifts the sunscreen, turning it lightweight on the skin, making the concoctions perfect for Summertime.
The following mixtures all use Earthwise Beauty Farizad’s Veil in various amounts and ratios.
Earthwise Beauty Farizad’s Veil + AKT Therapy D-Luxe Daily Desert Mallow
Earthwise Beauty Farizad’s Veil + AKT Therapy D-Luxe Daily Bronzer
Earthwise Beauty Farizad’s Veil + Jordan Samuel Skin Moisture Recovery Cream
Earthwise Beauty Farizad’s Veil + Jordan Samuel Skin Moisture Recovery Cream + 1 drop of Earthwise Beauty Rosa
Bonus: Earthwise Beauty Farizad’s Veil mixed with literally anything you use on the body as a body sunscreen. In the Summer months, the office gets a lot of sunshine throughout the day, so I make sure to wear sunscreen on my hands, arms, and legs when needed. Farizad’s Veil is the only one that gives a smooth dry-to-the-touch finish, so I don’t get sunscreen all over my desk, keyboard, etc.
For those with the AKT Therapy D-Luxe formulas, these mixtures bring them closer to my skin tone. I tend to mix these by eye, so there are no accurate measurements, just whenever the shade gets close enough to mine. I tend to gravitate towards the D-Luxe Daily Bronzer mix. Again, something about it just works, and I imagine it’s the undertone. Sometimes when I add in even more of Farizad’s Veil, I can get a spot-on match for my complexion. Desert Mallow is tougher to blend to get just right.
But the ultimate Custom SPF prize goes to the latter two mixed with the Jordan Samuel Skin Moisture Recovery Cream ($34, 1.7floz | 50ml).
There’s currently a JSS sale through July 17: Get 25% off + free shipping with orders over $22! I just ordered a backup of this because as you can see, I’m almost out!
Farizad’s Veil mixed with the JSS Moisture Recovery Cream is a sunscreen made in heaven (in reality, made in my office or bathroom, ha). These two formulas are like star-crossed lovers. You would never think they work well together, but they were fated to be together. This mixture might even compete with Ava Isa as my number one sunscreen since I can use this both in the warm and cold months. I actually stumbled upon this mixture in the colder months of Spring and couldn’t believe my luck. The fact that this is a great year-round sunscreen makes it a formidable contender.
To really bring it on home, adding a single drop of Earthwise Beauty Rosa* to this will provide the ultimate transparent quality for my skin tone. The deep golden-red hue of Rosa counteracts any white cast, and the mixture blends in seamlessly with my skin. I know the mixture is separated in some of the photos, but I promise they mix well on the skin!
All in all, there are so many choices in this roundup! From truly transparent to bronzy radiance, I have my entire Summer covered with these options. Suppose you’re wondering about my absolute favorites. In that case, it’s got to be the Ava Isa Serum Drops as the one-and-done and Earthwise Beauty’s Farizad’s Veil for its endless multi-use possibilities. I use a custom mixture of it on my hands daily.
An Unintended Instagram Hiatus
I can’t recall precisely the day, but it’s been well over a week since I was last on Instagram. It started due to work as the team approached a deadline, and just seeing notifications soared my already high anxiety. So I turned them off, and while I’ve seen the little red number go up on the top right of the app icon, I’ve chosen to ignore it. Every time I wondered if I should finally “check in,” a massive part of me felt stressed by the daunting prospect.
And so, I kept those numbers unchecked, and continued to refrain. The longer I did, the better I felt.
I can’t say lately because it’s something that’s been ruminating in the back of my mind for a long time, but I’m at war with myself regarding Instagram. On the one hand, I love the community that’s welcomed me there and sharing photos, videos, and dialogues with you. On the other hand, it takes a lot of work with little reward, thanks to Instagram’s algorithm and reels push. If you’re here, you also know my love for long-form content, and Instagram is turning into the antithesis of that. When it was just photography, despite the scrolling nature, there was a stillness to it that I appreciated. But now, with videos galore, and short ones at that, it’s become too much to scroll and pay attention to. It’s one of the reasons I don’t particularly enjoy YouTube’s push of shorts and why I’m not on TikTok. It heightens my anxiety, hurts my eyes, and isn’t a place I want to find myself in.
This clash of content length is compelling. Films now average a total run time of at least 2 hours but there’s a surge and equal craving for short form, 15-second spurts.
Of course, there’s a time and place. When I’m not under pressure and anxiety-driven, shorts are great. But do I feel smarter after watching them? Is it a great use of my time?
And then there’s just the fact that my audience is widest on Instagram. It’s where even the smallest reach happens to be my furthest reach. It allows brands to find me, connect, and offer PR, allowing me to do all things Tender Forms. It’s a fact that’s hard to come to terms with. So I don’t think I’ll ever be entirely off Instagram, but even this week-or-so-long hiatus has felt like the breath of fresh air I needed. It’s added to the calm and peace I seek.
What do you think? Are you still enjoying Instagram? Do you enjoy short-form content?
P.S. If you’ve sent a message over on Instagram, I promise I’ll reply soon! I’m back on today having posted Stories for this newsletter so people might see and sign up. See what I mean? Double-edged sword.
Thanks so much for reading! I know today’s was an extra-long one. I’d love to know what your favorite SPFs are! You can always leave a comment or reply directly to this email to chat privately.
As always, I hope you have a great start to your week. See you July 17!
Maggie! I love this SPF round-up post and I am very happy that the Ava Isa sunscreen is a match for you too. There has been quite a few release of this serum-like texture in the mineral sunscreen section, I love that the Ava Isa one is not dehydrating at all and feels elegant on the skin. Perfect summer SPF indeed! I agree with you on the scent too! Caramel- yes!
Speaking on satin-matte sunscreen, have you ever tried Tower 28 SPF?
yes to SPF galore! I am obsessed with trying out different sunscreens, and even more so because you're introducing your readers (or at least, me) a bunch of brands I never heard of.
speaking of custom spf, I heard that DIY mixing different sunscreens is not recommended as it may compromise the sunscreen's capability. do you feel that side effect? just curious!
re: instagram – i still enjoy using it. i don't use it as much, neither do i post much. personally for me, i'll take and respect whatever decision you (or any other content creator that i followed) make when it comes to posting the ig content. i think it all comes back to the ig owner themselves. i, as the consumer, can only appreciate all the hard work the content creator has published.
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um, this is out of today's topic, but may i know the backdrop material used to take pictures of the product's texture? i'm a big fan of your photos, and i've been trying to find better ways to take photos for my own newsletter. i hope it's not offensive to ask this (since i know photographers have their own secrets). i'm just looking for a direction from actual pros on which background is usually recommended (i wonder if PVC is okay?)
anyway, thanks for this newsletter! i've loved your content ever since i stumbled upon tender forms, but anything about spf is definitely an auto-fave of mine <3