I hate sunscreen. No, I don’t really, but I – like many – hate the way it feels on my skin. It feels sticky. It smells. It clogs my pores. It’s a common rhetoric which has plagued SPF for years now, and in terms of texture and overall touch and feel, it’s carried some pretty greasy, sleazy connotations. Who could forget that thick, gorgeous layer of white goop smeared across our faces as children? (That never, ever penetrated despite being dunked by the Australian surf over and over again). Of course, brands have since savvied up to the bemoaning mass who want full protection from the sun but want to feel like they’re wearing nothing at all, but this sense of sunscreen nakedness has been seemingly difficult to tap for many.

Not Ultra Violette. This new skinscreen (and all round best gal pal) has the feels. Like, really really good feels. Skinscreen? Yes, thats not a typo. She’s a whole new category unto herself; a snazzy hybrid of skincare and sun care rolled into one very poppy, kitschy bottle (and a few tubes).

The half-brainchild behind Ultra Violette is Sydney-born, Melbourne-based beauty, Ava Matthews, and basically, Matthews knows what’s up when it comes to sun protection. Firstly, she is a fair-skinned beauty – blonde and beautifully freckly – she knows the sun isn’t her best mate. Secondly, she’s been in the (beauty) biz for some time now, flexing her business biceps at beauty giants Mecca and Rationale to great success. Loud, proud and like a beacon of beauty knowledge, Matthews knows all-too well the importance of SPF in your skincare regime. “Of all the anti-ageing products available on the market, sunscreen Is the single most important one,” she tells us emphatically. “It’s about future-proofing your face from the daily toll of UV rays, and having a suite of products that can be adapted for all occasions.”

And that’s exactly what Ultra Violette skinscreen does, designed to slot right into your daily morning ritual. Post-moisturiser, pre-foundation; they won’t pill, ball or shine. Plus they come with bonus boost of native Australian antioxidants that protect against free radical damage. Oh, and Vi – what she likes to be called for short – gave that nasty, reef-killing oxybenzone the boot, so you won’t find it in any Ultra Violette products. So what does she really feel like?

Queen Screen, the SPF 50+ Lightweight Skinscreen, is the matriarch. She smells like summer, feels like a dream, acts like a boss; and by all means lives up to her queenly title. Silky to the touch, she feels more like a serum than a sunscreen (hooray!), melting straight into your skin like a Calippo on a hot day. You’re left positively sheeny (but not disco shiny), like you’ve just spent a joy-filled day by the water’s edge. The rest of the girl gang are equally as impressive. There’s the Supreme Scream SPF 50+ Hydrating Facial Skinscreen, a hydrating double act that might send your favourite moisturiser and primer packing. Then there’s the Clean Screen SPF 30 Mattifying Mineral Skinscreen, for those sensitive types who don’t need any further grease lightning. And the Sheen Screen SPF 30 Hydrating Lip Balm in Peach and Nude, because while neon is huge, lime green Zinc lips are not.

Made to always stand by you (and in Australia), say it to your face, and protect from the whole solar spectrum of environmental damage including UVA + UVB, infrared, blue, visible light, and pollution, Ultra Violette is the girl gang you’ve been waiting for.

Didn’t think sunscreen could be sexy? Think again. Welcome to the beauty cupboard, Vi, you sexy skinscreen, you.

ultra violette Queen Screen SPF 50+ Lightweight Skinscreen, $47. shop now