California sunshine has its perks, but sunburn is not one of them. I pretty much spend my days hiding from the sun, which is quite difficult to master in sun-soaked Southern Cali.

The alternative to this exhausting game of hide and seek, however, is sunscreen.

To be perfectly honest, I am not a fan of the stuff. I don’t enjoy replacing my Philosophy Amazing Grace body lotion with a chalky white substance with a smell that evokes memories of crying children at a public pool.

Unfortunately, the inevitable sun exposure I constantly face has begun to take its toll on my porcelain skin.

So, I set out to find my perfect sunscreen. My requirements for sun protection are as follows:

I want sunscreen that protects and smells good. Just because I am desperate for sun protection that actually works to protect my pale, delicate skin, doesn’t mean I want to forgo any olfactory pleasures.

I want a sunblock that does not leave me chalky and whiter than I already am.

I need a sunscreen that actually delivers the SPF it advertises (many sunscreens deliver a much lower SPF than they claim)

I want to avoid carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals, whenever possible.

After a brief and unrelated detour at Dash–no, I did not see Khloe, Kim, or Kourtney–I took my hunt for the perfect sunscreen over to The Beauty Collection.

I spent 45 minutes of slathering every lotion imaginable onto my arms, decolletage, ears, and any other spot not covered by clothing.

As soon as I reached the Rilastil display, my search was over. Everything about their sun creme was right: The texture was not greasy, too thick or too thin; the scent is a light, delicate floral essence of something familiar to me that I can’t quite place; and the sun protection factor goes as high as SPF 50+ and are available in lotion or cream form.

Since I sensed that my full-body slathering of Rilastil with the beauty supply store’s tester was not fully appreciated, I decided to go online to do a little research on the Italian skincare line. As it turns out, Rilastil, which was created in 1930 at a pharmacy in Milan, has grown into one of the most popular product lines in Europe. Die-hard fans of this brand include Padma Lakshmi, the uberchic design duo Dolce and Gabbana…and now me.

I am officially lusting after the following Rilastil products:

Daily Care Make-up Removing Wipes

Intensive Face Regenerating Serum

Hydrotenseur Antiwrinkle Nourishing Cream

Dermosolare Very High Protection Cream SPF 50

Check out Rilastil’s suncare, skincare, and makeup products at a store near you or shop online at http://www.ganassiniusastore.net/.

-Melissa
BATF’s West Coast Blogger