Punkee Tries: A Sunscreen That Says It Can Replace Your Foundation

Standing at the shelves or staring at your screen with absolute decision paralysis as a bazillion beauty products gawk back at you? SAME. Which is why we started our Punkee Tries series – where real humans get real up close and personal with the beauty bits and bobs you’ve been eyeing up so they can give you their honest verdict. 

This week, Katie (she/her), Punkee’s Editor who defines her skin as shockingly pale and rather oily, reviews a CC cream jam-packed with SPF. 

I have been falling out of love with my foundation. 

My hunch is that COVID was the beginning of the end of my committed relationship with foundation. Two years stuck inside and socialising (at best) through a screen, meant that I really wasn’t giving much face for a large chunk of time.

I was anticipating the great return of my face once lockdowns were lifted, but in reality, once we were all out and about again, I had zero desire to wear heavy makeup. Partly because I had really worked hard on my skincare game during COVID and I was practically zit-free (hallelujah), but also because I didn’t want to be weighed down with cakey makeup.

The only issue with my new approach to my, err, face, is that sometimes I do need a bit of coverage but I haven’t been able to find a decent product that gives me coverage but still lets my skin breathe.

Which is why when a handy little tube of Cancer Council’s Face Day Wear CC Cream SPF50 rolled across my desk, I was very keen to find out if this was the missing goo in my life. 

And, because I’m a ~professional~ I wanted to test this thoroughly so you can know if it’s right for you too!

What does it claim to do?

This pint-sized tube is a bit of an overachiever. It claims to be a three-in-one moisturiser, high protection SPF and colour-correcting mineral sunscreen. Okay, resumé.

The CC cream in light jail at the Punkee office. Image credit: Supplied

The idea is that the non-greasy formula can be used as a primer under makeup, or as your total coverage if you (like me) are seeking lightweight, sheer-ish coverage. Also as it’s rammed with aloe vera and vitamin E, it does Nice Things™ to your skin at the same time. 

Already, I’m ready to slap this on my face. 

My first impressions…

I have to confess, I am not going into this Punkee Tries blindly with this brand as I’ve been a hardcore Cancer Council fan for a fair while. I just love that it’s a sunscreen brand that’s donating profits to super important cancer research. And while I’ve bought lots of their sunscreens and their lip balms (they are so fucking good – particularly the raspberry one), I’ve never tried a tinted lad from their range.

And there’s a good reason for that: every tinted sunscreen I’ve tried has made me look like I’ve shoved my face in a bowl of Nacho Cheese Doritos. You know what I mean, right? That nasty bright orange cast that loves to pool around your jaw so you look like you have radioactive sideburns.

So I’m anticipating that all over again with this CC cream. Even though I’ve picked it up in its lightest shade possible, ‘Light Tint’. 

But when I squeeze the first dollop onto the back of my hand, it actually looks like it doesn’t have an orange tang. I swipe the CC cream onto my cheek and, guys, it’s just blending into my skin really nicely. There’s no funny colouring, it’s just evening out my skin tone and giving me a pleasant I-just-applied-SPF-glow. 

The ol’ hand swatch method. Image credit: Supplied

This can’t be right. Surely there’s got to be a catch. 

In the thick of the roadtest…

I cautiously ventured out the first time wearing the Face Day Wear CC Cream, opting for a short coastal stroll rather than a big day out to see how it would fare, and it definitely held up. I didn’t end up with dodgy sideburns and I felt like my face was protected and hydrated while I was out in the sunshine. 

So the next time I rubbed in a solid layer of the CC cream for a day at the office. Brave, because I have the brilliant type of colleagues who would bluntly point out if something looked weird about my face. But I received crickets. No questions, no criticisms. 

This must be because my skin just looked like my skin but with a little less redness around my nose and not as scarily dark bags under my eyes. I looked like me when I’ve slept for 10 hours overnight and started my day with an everything shower. 

Me on the bus wearing only the CC cream and a squidge of lip balm. Image credit: Supplied

The verdict…

I am genuinely impressed by this little tube. 

It feels like I’ve finally found the minimal, dewy coverage that I’ve been seeking in my post-foundation era. And it’s giving me a damn good base for my daily SPF – though reapplication is needed every two hours (like you have to with every sunscreen) as a reminder! 

This is, without a doubt, a firm staple in my makeup bag now. Sorry foundation, I don’t think we’re ever getting back together ?

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Image credit: Supplied + Punkee

ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS FOR USE. Apply 20 minutes before sun exposure. Sunscreen is only one part of sun protection so wear protective clothing and seek shade. Avoid prolonged sun exposure. Reapply every 2 hours and after swimming, towelling and perspiring in accordance with directions.