If you have read my blog before, you know I am serious about my sunscreen.

Not just because I am a redhead, but because I think it is the number one thing you can do to keep your skin healthy and looking good.

I hate a lot of products on my face and don’t really like the greasy look of many sunscreens.

I have combination skin, with enlarged pores and a tendency towards shininess on my forehead, nose and chin. I also have redness around my nose and mouth.

I don’t want to use a separate sunscreen, primer (to cover my pores) and foundation (to address the redness). Add a powder to cut down the shininess and it is way to much!

That is why I love the Australian Gold sunscreen.  This lightly tinted sunscreen is the one that I wear in the middle of my face; my forehead, nose and chin. It seems to completely smooth my pores like a primer, cover the redness and it dries to a matte finish that stays put all day.  It is a mineral sunscreen which is known to be less irritating than a chemical filter and it has a broad spectrum SPF of 50. It even comes in a few different shades now!

I am really dry on my cheeks and around my eyes so I use another tinted sunscreen in those areas. I love the Pur mineral tinted moisturizer (SPF of 20) but it is little bit on the expensive  side. Lately I have been using the Andulou tinted sunscreen (SPF 30) which is very moisturizing and about half the price of the PUR.

So while I use two different products, those are all I need – no extra powder, moisturizer or foundation and it looks much more natural.

The second product I love is for the eyebrows. I think the eyebrows are “the frame of the face’ as they say. A natural defined brow can really add structure to the face in my opinion. Especially if you are wearing a mask, the eyes are so important!

My brows are very light and virtually disappear, especially on zoom!  I like a thicker brow but not that ‘drawn on’ look of a pencil. I had been using the YSL couture brow and I did love it but it is not cheap. I have been trying to cut back on my spending and I found the ELF wow brow gel and it works really well! It tames unruly brows, adds color, a bit of thickness and it looks super natural. All for $5.

Finally, my lips can get so dry in this climate and if i wear lip color, they need to be scrubbed a bit in the morning. This revlon exfoliating balm is the perfect thing to put on first thing in the morning to plump and smooth the lips. There is no color and the sugar scrub kind of melts away in a few minutes. Also under $10.

So there you have my favorite things this month! Let me know in the comments if you have any cosmetics  or skincare that are really affordable you love.