I live at the beach and spend a lot of time in the sun. I read about this on a well respected beauty magazine site, so I figured if its good enough for their editors then its good enough for me! I loooove this stuff. I always put spf lotion on underneath as primer/base and then add this to the "hot" spots that tend to cook quickly, nose especially! It provides good coverage, but doesn't look like a mask. It has kept me from burning in the desert heat and on the beach! I haven't worn it in the water yet so we'll see how that goes. Its also great for travel or throwing in your purse because it won't leak and has a mirror.