Meet Sophia Pafitis. A Melbourne based MUA with over 11 years of experience under her belt in editorial, commercial fashion/beauty and bridal; working with the likes of Frank Body, Soda Shades, Adore Beauty and Nike. Sophia’s philosophy is that makeup exists to enhance natural structure and compliment features, not to mask it. Skin that looks like skin, with a healthy, dewy glow, facial symmetry and blended contours & colour.
With all this in mind, Vi wanted to grill Soph on her beauty tips, SPF hacks and basically just force her to say nice stuff about her SKINSCREENSTM.
What is the best face sunscreen for under makeup in the UK?
It depends on your skin type and the kind of finish you’re trying to achieve. All of Ultra Violette’s skinscreens work really well under makeup and won’t split. Here’s what I recommend depending on the finish you’re going for:
Queen: Ultra dew, ultra glow.Supreme: Your skin but brighter.
Lean: Mattifing and especially great when you don’t want added shine to your complexion – I gave this to my BF, brilliant for no-shine bald head protection!
Clean: Natural finish with a lux lightweight gel texture.
Extreme: Glowy with a subtle sheen and smells fkn delish.
What’s the best face sunscreen for sensitive skin under makeup?
If I’ve got a client with sensitive skin or someone prone to redness, then I’m immediately going to opt for a fragrance free and gentle SPF. For anyone with sensitive skin that’s also prone to oiliness, I call in Lean Screen immediately. Everyone else gets good old Clean Screen. These two superheros are undoubtedly the best mineral sunscreens for face under makeup!
How do the SKINSCREENSTM fit in when working with clients?
Sunscreen and a long-wearing make up look haven't often been mutually exclusive concepts… until UV. Born from two of the most experienced women in the beauty/skin care industry, the SKINSCREENTM were created for every day use (and importantly how they sat under make up) in mind. Supreme Screen SPF50+ is my go to for my clients or my shoots, it’s allows me to achieve the complexion I’m after without adding too much of a shine or matte finish to the base.
Do you have any great SPF hacks?
Buy back-ups. OR buy the minis so you have a skin screen in your bag or your car at all times. I have a mini in my bumbag when I go on long walks, one in my vanity, one in my car, and one in my daily bag. Too many?
Now obvi the main job of the SKINSCREENSTM is to future-proof your face & bod, but talk us though their other benefits on set.
I like using Extreme & Queen as natural sheens/highlights for a glow that you can’t achieve with a traditional highlighter. It’s the dewiness and the faint illumination that makes skin look… juicy.
Lean is brilliant for matte protection, which is actually crucial for a lot of shoots/looks – its matte finish won’t interfere with photos or a dewy foundation you may be layering on top. If you’re oily or concerned about shine, this one’s for you!
How do you make sure you always ace your base?
Remove dead skin with a chemical exfoliate so the skins surface is clean, polished, fresh & bright – then HYDRATE!
Best beauty tip you’ve ever heard—go.
Sleep on a silk pillowcase (DO IT!!)
Check out Sophia’s fave SKINSCREENSTM HERE and you have to follow her on the gram HERE!
