SPF Tips: 3 Unexpected Sun Care Steps To Keep Your Skin Healthy

I need to be more diligent about sun care.

Yes, I know that SPF is just as important in the winter as it is in summer. And I know that you should apply sunscreen even when indoors, especially if you're sitting by a window and exposed to natural lighting.

But the truth is, I am simply not exposed to as much UV in the winter since my home office doesn't have windows, and the sun sets too early to accompany me on my post-work walks. 

A vital part of smart sun care is user behavior: We know that using SPF correctly plays just as much of a role as does the product. Sure, you may have a moisturizer with an SPF of 50, but that number quickly dwindles if you're not using enough. As board-certified dermatologist Angelo Landriscina, M.D., notes over TikTok, "The SPF of any product is based on using 2 milligrams per centimeter-squared on your skin, which is about half a teaspoon for the entire face." 

Here's a classic beauty tip that's worth repeating: If you're heading out on a sunny day (even in colder months), grab your shades. Not only do they protect your eyes from harsh sunlight, but they also keep you from doing one very specific thing: squinting.

I'm going to be honest with you: One of my personal biggest obstacles to reapplying sunscreen is I don't know how to do it over makeup. Sure, you can reach for powders to pat on midday (and they are a good fix, if I do say so), but sometimes I'm looking for that soft, dewy look that loose minerals tend to blot and mattify away. 

Well, as beauty writer Hannah English shared in a recent Instagram post, you can actually achieve that soft-focus filter look with an SPF and a microfiber beauty sponge. In the video, she takes a makeup blender and applies her SPF of choice directly onto a dry sponge (dry is key, she notes, as a wet one will dilute the potency).

Then she gently pats and presses the formula into the skin, over the makeup. Remember: SPF's purpose is to sit on the skin, protecting cells from UV damage, so it doesn't matter that it's sitting over makeup.