Summary
UVA vs UVB. With EU rulings on UVB/UVA sun protection in effect, beauty brands must comply to a standard of 3:1 which means that if a product has an SPF 30 to protect against UVB rays, it must have at a least a third of that number to protect against UVA. The product must also carry a number or logo indicating its level of UVA protection. Simple enough to follow, you would think, yet a survey carried out recently by La Roche-Posay found that 80 per cent of people didn't know the difference between UVA and UVB rays, and more than half were confused as to which sunscreen they should use. Forty- four per cent of the respondents suffered burnt shoulders last summer, 32 per cent had burnt their nose, yet 58 per cent didn't think they needed an SPF30 or above. If sunscreen confuses you, remember this simple motto: UV'B' protects against Burning, UV'A' protects against Ageing, and the ratio is 3:1 -- so the higher you go with the SPF number, the better protection you have from the sun's ageing effects.
EXPERT OPINION Make-up has the power to transform. Careful application can turn the ordinary into something quite special and, like any other skill, practice makes perfect. But we shouldn't see make-up as a torturous task -- it's far better to highlight a good feature than try to create a supermodel look and fail. Make-up guru Francois Nars of cult brand NARS offers his take on how make-up should look. He says, 'I've always believed in keeping make-up simple. Simple is for every woman who knows she can be both real and sexy at the same time. Find your own way, have an open spirit and believe in your own beauty.' And Francois dispels the notion that beauty means a cookie-cutter approach, that we must 'fit' an ideal of what is beautiful: 'In the natural pursuit of beauty, women change constantly -- great products inspire and guide this process. It's all about finding different ways to express individual beauty and personality.' Quite a refreshing approach from a man whose products consistently win awards, but, as he says, 'Why so serious? It's only make-up.' NARS Cosmetics are available exclusively at Brown Thomas, Dublin.See the full content of this document
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