5 Beauty Products That Were Total Game Changers In The Coachella Desert

What is white cast?

White cast is the annoying grayish, white color that some sunscreens leave behind after you've applied them. And sometimes no matter how much you rub them in or blend them, it simply will not go away. Tosin Eyikogbe, MSN and skin expert gave us the full explanation on this. She says, "The active ingredients in mineral sunscreen, zinc and titanium oxide, are large rough, white particles. Because of this, when applied to the skin, traditional mineral sunscreen tend to leave an unwanted, ashy, white or grayish appearance."

Dr. Praveen Guntipalli also weighed in on this topic by saying, "These ingredients are effective at blocking UV radiation but can leave a visible white residue on the skin, especially if the particles are not finely milled or if the formulation lacks certain tinting additives that help the product blend into various skin tones." So, essentially, these sunscreens are working, but they end up leaving particles behind on the skin, ultimately causing a white cast to appear.

How can I avoid white cast?

There are a few ways to avoid this problem. You can try a different formula, stay away from certain ingredients, or just try to blend it in as much as possible. A different formula or type of sunscreen will definitely help with this, as mineral sunscreens are more likely to cause the white cast, whereas chemical sunscreens don't. Eyikogbe says, "Chemical sunscreens, which contain organic compounds that are absorbed by the skin then convert UV rays to heat that is released, are offered in a variety of formats and are often paired with moisturizers to increase a light weight feel."

We love the sound of that! She adds, "These formulas typically don’t leave a white cast, however chemical sunscreens aren’t ideal for all skin types, as they can clog pores and irritate the skin, and compounds including oxybezone and octinoxate are harmful to marine animals and can damage fragile coral reef ecosystems."

What ingredients should you look for in your sunscreen to avoid white cast?

If you have sensitive skin like me, then you know you always have to double check labels and look into ingredients lists before buying products; especially when it comes to sun care. I'm very sensitive to certain ingredients and perfumes so I have to look carefully. We asked skincare experts what their thoughts were on what ingredients to keep an eye out for and this is what they had to say!

Eyikogbe says,"Mineral sunscreens, which typically contain inorganic compounds, titanium or zinc dioxide, can traditionally leave the notorious 'white cast' due to the reflection of the metal oxides on the skin. But there are newer formulas that have eradicated the old-school white cast and provide excellent mineral protection without a white cast."

Board certified dermatoligst Dr. Divya Sachdev says, "I highly recommend tinted zinc oxide-based pure mineral sunscreens with an SPF of 30 or higher. These sunscreens are not only effective at protecting against UV rays but also include antioxidants like vitamin C, green tea, and raspberry seed oil that help combat free radicals from oxidative damage caused by sunlight."

What are some helpful tips for sunscreen?

If you're looking for something that will blend in seamlessly into your skin, and easily go into your daily routine then I'd really recommend tinted moisturizer with SPF or a CC cream. One of my favorites is the Tatcha SPF which really blends into the skin for a nice glow. I'd recommend using this daily!

Dr. Sachdev says, "Remember, it’s crucial to reapply sunscreen every 2-3 hours when spending time in the sun, wear sun-protective clothing such as wide-brim hats and sunglasses, and maintain a diet rich in antioxidants to enhance your skin's defense against sun damage." Duly noted, doctor!

Best Sunscreens Without White Cast To Shop Right Now

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen

The Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen gives your skin the nicest glow, and it's the perfect base for your makeup. It's definitely a crowd favorite for good reason!

Blendability: 5/5 Doesn't pill and blends so nicely!

Underneath Makeup: 5/5 It's glowy perfection!

Protection: 4/5 It's lower in SPF, but still does the job!

EltaMD UV Elements

Dr. Divya Sachdev, "Favorites of mine include EltaMD UV Elements and Suntegrity 5-in-1 Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen, which avoid any white cast. These tinted formulations also contain iron oxides that provide additional protection against UV damage and blue light exposure." I'm a big fan of the EltaMd sunscreen, and feel like it always makes my skin feel light and not too heavy with products!

Blendability: 5/5 I love how creamy it is!

Underneath Makeup: 5/5 Feels like a moisturizer!

Protection: 4/5 A higher SPF is always better, but this is still great!

Summer Fridays SPF Milk Sunscreen

Another sunscreen that I looove is the Summer Fridays SPF Milk Sunscreen. Every time I let one of my friends use it, I never get it back because it is that good. Genuinely is so milky and smooth, and it looks amazing underneath makeup or other skincare products!

Blendability: 5/5 Blends beautifully!

Underneath Makeup: 5/5 Doesn't feel and works as a primer!

Protection: 3/5 It isn't as high in SPF as I would like, but it works nonetheless!

Innisfree Daily SPF Broad Specturm SPF 36

My personal favorite is the Innisfree Daily SPF, which blends in like moisturizer! It's genuinely so thin and creamy!

Blendability: 5/5 Blends into your skin within seconds.

Underneath Makeup: 5/5 Genuinely could be a primer for how well it sits.

Protection: 3/5 Wish it was higher SPF, but it's so thin, so it makes sense!

ColorScience Sunforgetabble Face Shield

We asked Tosin Eyikogbe, and she says, "My personal favorite at the moment is ColorScience Sunforgettable Face Shield Flex SPF 50, which contains all mineral active ingredients and comes in four shades that cover a wide range of skin tones. It has a light weight feel and provides a luminous and even skin tone. A lot of patients have told me it has replaced their need for foundation!"

Blendability: 5/5 Melts into the skin!

Underneath Makeup: 5/5 Blends in with your foundation and base great!

Protection: 5/5 It's high in SPF so definitely a winner!

What is "sunset blush"?

Sunset blush is a trend going viral on the internet for its multi-blush, gradient technique. It's when you take multiple shades of blush, and highlighter in a light-to-dark order with a touch of highlighter. Thus, making you look like a summer sunset on a Hawaii tropical night. This look is perfect for the daytime or nighttime, and we will definitely be trying it all summer long!

How do you achieve this look?

Malvika Sheth gave us her expert advice on how to achieve this trend. She says, "In my opinion, the best way to achieve the trend is to use 2-3 different shades of cream based blush products in addition to a dewy highlighter. For blush, I'd opt for an orange, pink, and (optionally) a plum shade as well." She adds, "The goal is to get a gradient, so be careful not to blend all the colors into one big mass of a single shade, and rather focus on blending one section, then the other, then the other, and finally adding any finishing touches to connect and blend each section into the next. I wouldn't use powder blushes to create this trend since those tend to be a bit tougher to blend into one another, and generally aren't as easily buildable. Creating this trend is almost like a painting technique, so using products that mimic paint is your best bet!" We love these helpful tips!

Stephanie G-M says, "Apply 2 colors, a peach color and a more red color on the outside creating an ombre effect with the color. The highlight/shimmer goes on the top of the cheek bone. It's a great way to spice up a neutral summer look." Palettes also make it super easy to touch up your look throughout the day!

What products should you use?

There are so many different products you can use to achieve this look! One thing to remember is that it's all about color, so in order to sticking with sunset colors, you want to use pinks, oranges, and highlght. Malvika Shethsays, "To create this trend on myself, I used Gen See's Clean Sheen Cheek + Lip Color in Apricot 02, Apple 01, and Plum 03 in addition to a metallic product that is meant for the eyes as highlighter, and blended from light to dark — near the bottom of the cheek to the top of the cheekbone, letting the highlighter blend slightly into each section."

Stephanie G-M adds, "A palette like this [RMS Flirtation of Color] is a great way to achieve the sunset blush look." What I love about palettes, is that they make it super easy to touch up your look throughout the day! So don't worry about the look fading by night — you can simply touch up!

What I love about both of these recommendations is that there's a lot of room to play beyond one specific product. So here are some of my fave finds for trying out the sunset blush trend yourself!

Shop Sunset Blush Products Here!

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Blush Stick

This blush stick is perfect to achieve a dewy, sunset blush glow! Layer this with another blush in your regime to give some additional color and gradient aspect!

Benefit Blush Palette

Like we said before, a palette is ideal when going for the sunset, sun kissed look because it will have all that you need! With this one, you have a blush and highlighter in one to help you with the radiance and shine!

Charlotte Tilbury Palette

Charlotte Tilbury is the QUEEN of blush, so anytime I need a blush product I run straight to her products, and tutorials for help. Her looks are ideal for sunset blush so I would really recommend any of her products!

Smashbox Blush Palette

This is the perfect compact to throw in your purse and take with you on the go. It even is organized to the order you can use it in! I will be adding this to my cart immediately...

Kaja Bento Palette

I am obsessed with these bento palettes because, not only are they compact, they are also so fun to use! You simply pull out the side that you need, and voila! You have a whole base for your face in one product!

Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Stick

I love using stick products because you're able to blend them into the skin with the warmth of your hand. This technique helps to create a much more natural look. Plus, this bright pink shade is so good for the look we're trying to achieve.

Anastasia Blush Trio

For a darker sunset blush look, then I would recommend this one because it would look amazing on darker skin tones. I love the magenta mixed with the coral colors.

Iconic London Full Palette

This is one of my favorite brands because of how long-lasting they are! They are also pretty affordable for how much product you end up getting! Definitley recommend this one!

Ciate Highlight Blush Palette

Sunset blush but with only highlight? Sounds fabulous to me! I love this idea, just make sure use a lighter hand. It's also under $30, which is an amazing price for so many shades.

Chubby Stick™ Cheek Colour Balm

This chubby stick is a great option for a glowy, dewy base and we love that it's an affordable option to gain this look. We'd recommend shades Roly Poly Rosy and Robust Rhubarb for this sunset, sun-kissed look with bright pinks.

Watch Me Review The New Drinks

Watch Me Review The New Food Items

Iced Vanilla Frosted Donut Signature Latte

First up, the Vanilla Frosted Donut Signature Latte. This one is so sweet. But so addicting! It may not be the prime choice for those who don’t like sweet drinks, though. I *do* like my coffees fairly sweet, so I didn’t think it was overwhelming when I tried it.

More than anything, this latte simply delivered joy once I got it in my hands. It’s topped with a good amount of whipped cream and a healthy dose of rainbow sprinkles, which fix just about any bad day as far as I’m concerned.

Blueberry Donut Coffee

I go wild for blueberry cake donuts, and I expected the new Blueberry Donut Coffee to taste just like one. I was a bit disappointed when it didn't! I got more of a donut flavor rather than a blueberry one when I sipped down the iced version of this bev.

All things considered, I still loved my first impression of the new Blueberry Donut Coffee. I got it iced (duh), and with cream, it came out to the perfect, most beautiful coffee color. It had maybe 75% of the Vanilla Frosted Donut Signature Latte’s sweetness, which meant it was still sweet enough for my liking.

This could be a great go-to order when you don’t quite want espresso, but are still looking for a nice caffeinated sipper.

Kiwi Watermelon Refresher

The first thing I wrote down in my tasting notes about the brand-new Kiwi Watermelon Refresher was: “MMMMMM SO GOOD.” And I stand by that!

Upon first sip, I got a refreshing (ha, get it?) swig of kiwi flavor and watermelon flavor, which was very nice and evenly balanced. I could see myself gulping this one down at the park or on a road trip this summer! It honestly tasted like candy, which I am not mad about a single bit.

That being said, most of the Dunkin’ Refreshers are really sweet, so if you like milder drinks, you may not fully like this newcomer.

I also got to try the Kiwi Watermelon Refresher with lemonade – a new thing for Dunkin’. I really loved it! With the lemonade, I still got the full effect from the kiwi and watermelon. It was never overpowered, unlike other fruity lemonade beverages from similar coffee chains.

Watermelon Burst Donut

I was really hesitant to try this new menu item because I normally don’t associate watermelon with donuts. One thing about the new Watermelon Burst Donut is that she’s messy… This sweet treat is coated in tons of pink, watermelon-flavored sprinkles and filled to the brim with watermelon jelly.

The first bite I took was just of the donut dough itself – and it wasn’t half bad! My only complaint at that point was the fact that the pink sprinkles got all over the place. They made my lips and mouth messy, and fell off into my lap and around my car. Yikes!

The second bite, of course, included some of the watermelon jelly. This is when I decided that the Watermelon Burst Donut just isn't for me. The bready part was good, but the jelly was super sour – just not what I'd prefer from a donut as a chocolate girlie. I wouldn’t order it on my own accord.

Chocolate Chunk Cookie

Chocolate chunk cookies are classic – you can’t deny that! You also can’t mess it up, IMO. Dunkin’ hit the nail right on the head with this new packaged snack. First of all, I adore the size of the Chocolate Chunk Cookie. It’s huge and packed with big chocolate chunks – as it should be!

There’s a nice variety with texture in this cookie, too. I found that the chocolate chunks were creamy and sweet, while the rest of the cookie was crunchy and downright cookie-like. It made eating it fun!

The pre-packaged-ness of it all is also super nice for snacking on-the-go, or even saving for later (midnight snack, anyone?).

Green Goddess Wrap

Seemingly a direct competitor for Starbucks’ popular Spinach Feta Wrap, the new Green Goddess Wrap from Dunkin’ thoroughly impressed me. Unlike its counterpart, the Green Goddess Wrap is delivered with a very nice texture. I find that other options typically get soggy (after being warmed and put in a bag) and fall apart, but this one didn’t get that way at all.

I loved that the outside of the wrap got a little bit crispy, while the inside stayed gooey and warm. While the texture is quite enjoyable, I was left wishing for more flavor from the wrap’s contents.

Even if it was lacking a bit in flavor, you could easily doctor it up with spices, salt, or hot sauce. More than anything, I appreciate that the Green Goddess Wrap provides a substantial option for breakfast, brunch, or lunch via drive-thru.