Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Our Review of Vacation Brand’s Classic Whip Sunscreen and More
Sun protection has always been a part of my life. I was born with auburn hair, fair skin and freckles so when I wasn’t slathered up with lots of Zinka Zinc Oxide to completely block out the sun (at least it came in pretty colors and I had to slather it all over my body), I was wearing a tee shirt to protect my skin.
My character, Cassidy, loves to protect her lips from the sun too!
Thankfully sunscreen has come a long way since the 1980’s. I get to enjoy the sunny days without being fully covered up with a tee! I wear sunscreen daily and the new ones out there really help keep my skin burn free.
In looking for an affordable sunscreen that checked all our boxes (cruelty free, eco-friendly, doesn’t break us out, etc), we discovered Vacation brand’s sunscreen products and their fun, nostalgic marketing in 2022, decided to try it and it now lives in our daily lives.
Read on to get our review (with some photographs I took of me and my husband’s summer vibes characters, Chaz and Cassidy) of the Vacation brands, or Vacation Inc. products.
A collection of my Vacation products
After moving to southwest Florida in 2020, we got a big lesson on truly how strong the sun is. Before living in Florida, we lived in Kentucky and just our summers were in need of full-on sunscreen. Since my 30’s, I’ve worn a sunscreen on my face due to it being in my makeup, but now I have to be more conscientious of wearing it on my body daily, especially in the Florida summers. Even with having an SPF 50 in my makeup (I love it Cosmetics CC Cream), I still wear a separate face sunscreen under it.
Cassidy know sun protection is beneficial to her overall health!
Many people often forget to wear sunscreen and it’s something all genders need to be better at. Seeing the tan line from my watch band on my arm is a daily reminder of how strong the sun is. Since moving to Florida, that line has stayed no matter how much sunscreen I use, but it’s getting not as prominent since adding sunscreen to my daily body moisturizing routine.
Watch my character, Cassidy, and her 7 second commercial for Classic Whip on our YouTube channel. The silly song was written, performed and recorded by me, Carolyn J. Braden.
Great daily sunscreens are from Vacation brand
Even if you don’t live in a sunny state, you need to think about adding more sunscreen to your getting ready routine. I had a friend once who simply stood out in the sun for a while during her child’s sporting event (in April in Kentucky) and she got burned. Once the sun starts getting stronger, you should start using a sunscreen daily. If you are going to lots of sporting events, consider wearing a hat or getting a portable sun protection umbrella like this on one Amazon.
Classic Whip sunscreen
While I’m not a doctor, I do a lot of research on sun protection. I also talk to my dermatologist and recommend you do the same. Our last dermatologist appointment had them cutting nothing off of us (we go every year for a full body review, especially if something new or weird pops up), so we know we are doing something right.
The John Hopkins Medicine website recommends you wear at least an SPF 30 for day to day use. Read their article here to learn more about sunscreens.
My husband’s character is Chaz
After testing lots of sunscreen brands, we settled on Vacation brand because it’s effective, it’s cruelty free, and it smells really good. It also doesn’t break my skin out. Oh, how those little pimples that form on my back after using other sunscreen brands hurt!
I’ve not had one breakout after using Vacation. My skin likes it and I do too. Here are some of our favorite Vacation products that we’ve tried so far. As we try more (they have a lot of products!), we’ll update this article.
Classic Whip sprays out beautifully like whip cream
Vacation Classic Whip SPF 30
For daily use, we like Vacation Classic Whip. It smells divine (it truly is the world’s best smelling sunscreen, like they claim, in my opinion) and is very moisturizing. It sprays out like a can of whip cream but please don’t eat it! It blends in completely and leaves no white cast. It has a light and airy texture, very similar to whip cream.
Here’s our fun 1-minute “commercial” for Classic Whip below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Don’t eat the sunscreen!
Having an SPF of 30, it’s great for daily use. My husband also said it didn’t run into his eyes when using it on his face, and that’s awesome!
These Vacation products work!
Vacation Classic Spray SPF 50
We use their Classic Spray SPF 50 whenever we head to the beach, lake or pool. It is a level that protects our skin really well. It smells like vacation in a bottle (so, so good…think coconut, banana, pool water and more), doesn’t run into my husband’s eyes (that’s always his test), blends in well, isn’t sticky, cruelty free (like all their products) Hawaii coral reef compliant, is eco-friendly (it’s in a non-aerosol spray can) and actually works.
Now, we do follow sun safety rules and reapply on the hour, especially after swimming, and you should too to get the best results from all sunscreens.
Orange Gelee is nostalgic and effective
Vacation Orange Gelee SPF 30
When Vacation came out with Orange Gelee, I was among some of the first people to buy it. I followed their story on their socials and from their emails about its recreation from the original Orange Gelee that was discontinued.
I use it daily on my arms and chest area. It smells very light, is very moisturizing and protects my skin during daily errand runs and more. My only complaint is that its oils ooze out the cap a bit, so I store it upside down to help with this. Those oils definitely keep it very moisturizing though! It is currently always selling out, so grab it on the Vacation website here.
Vacation Brand’s Chardonnay Lip Oil
Vacation Chardonnay Lip Oil SPF 30
Don’t forget about your lips as they can burn too! I have struggled to find a lip SPF that doesn’t make me gag from tasting like sunscreen. Vacation asked if I’d like to try some of their Chardonnay Lip Oil to test and of course, I said yes. It smells like vanilla cake to me, is light and smooth and definitely protects my lips.
My character, Cassidy, loves her lip oil
The gloss does have hyaluronic acid in it which actually works to slightly plump your lips. Lips love hydration! You’d think a shiny gloss would actually cause your lips to burn, buy while I was doing my photo shoot for the product, I was outside a long while and my lips did not burn at all! The sunscreen factor works!
My character, Cassidy and her 7 second commercial for Chardonnay Lip Oil. Watch below or via our YouTube channel:
The marketing for Vacation inspired my character Cassidy
I paired it with a simple nude lip liner and it was gorgeous. Very simple, yet beautiful. You could probably even slick it on over your favorite gloss or lipstick too.
Here’s my character, Cassidy, and her review of the Chardonnay Lip Oil via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
It does have a light sunscreen taste, but it doesn’t make my stomach turn, so I now always throw in my beach and pool bag. Grab it on their website here. They sell an accompanying Chardonnay Oil SPF 30 for your body too. Get it on Amazon here.
The browning lotion has an SPF in it too!
Vacation Browning Lotion SPF 30
We wrote a full article about their browning lotion, as I love how it made my fair legs look so TAN! It also has an SPF in it. Get that full review on my website by clicking here.
See our one-minute tutorial for using the browning lotion below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
If you loved this article, we know you’ll love this one too: Add These Makeup Primer Sunscreens to Your Daily Routine
Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.