Sun Stuff

Back from Spring Break! How’d it go?  I hope that each one of you experienced ease and joy this Spring Break, whether you traveled to a sunny spot or stayed local.  And if your children experienced joy and ease at any point?  High-five yourself because I know that it doesn’t just happen. 

Obviously Southern Charm, The Americans and Girls all on my weekly TV roster has made the transition to real life more palatable.

If you’ve ever had little kids and decided to travel to a beach, you can relate to calling a “vacation” by it’s real name, “climate change with character building”.  The labor intensity, sleeplessness and general emotional and physical difficulty has brought many a parent to their knees.  I still have an emotionally charged relationship with sand.  Now that the kids are older, Florida actually seems like a vacation.  I still do laundry, but even that seems more fun because my standards are lower and I have a stomach full of fries, an ocean breeze, and I slept 10 hours the night before.

As someone who regularly gets basal cells burned or surgically removed from my face and body, vacations can seem like a dance with danger.  I am nothing if not heroically diligent with my sun safety strategies.  Here are some things I was psyched I had this vacation that also may be of interest to you as we get ready for summer:

Shiseido Glow Enhancing Primer SPF 15

Granted, an SPF of 15 just seems kind of sweet and cute in our world of SPF 100’s.  My approach is to layer sunscreen on top of sunscreen because, why not?  So after my Skinceuticals Physical Defence Sunscreen with SPF 50 that I talk about here, I would apply the Shiseido.  It gave a nice glow to the skin that wasn’t too greasy.  I would wear this alone if I was planning on a swim, or as an actual primer under a light foundation if we were going to dinner. 

Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 34 Sunscreen

I love my regular Shiseido eye cream that I talked about here.  Again, in the spirit of “why not?” I tried this eye cream with sun protection a few years ago and liked it.  I just feel like it helps out with keeping that delicate part protected when you’re going to be in the sun for a long time or will be exposed to intense sun. 

Giorgio Armani Maestro Glow Nourishing Fusion Makeup SPF 30

I have made my love of Giorgio Armani foundations abundantly clear.  I have tried and loved, each in their own way, every Armani foundation formulation.  I first recommended the Maestro foundation for those looking for light, matte coverage here.  I was so psyched when I saw they came out with a glow-y one because I am determined to light up my face up like a Christmas tree.  This is worth a try because it gives medium-full coverage, but it looks like your skin, only glow-y-er.  Don’t let the “oil” part freak you out, this will not break you out or look more shiny.  Stop by the Armani counter and get to the bottom of it for yourselves-you won’t be sorry!

**Side note**  Because my DNA restricts my ability to do anything but burn and freckle, I have to create my own vacation skin that others get easily from the sun.  I start out my vacation fake-tanned and bronzy but by the end I have tiger stripe tanner and french fry belly.  To keep my dignity, I wear light foundation and bronzers on my face.  If you tan, obviously skip the foundation!

Peter Thomas Roth Powder SPF

I mentioned this stuff in my sunscreen post.  Worth mentioning again.  And then again.  If you use chemical sunscreen you are supposed to reapply it every two hours.  This stuff feels so good on the skin, never looks to cake-y or powder-y even though I use it all day long over what I already have on.  If you’re serious about sunscreen, get this.  If not, still get this.  

Kevyn Aucoin Lipgloss in Lillium

Surprisingly (or not), I impulse bought this when I was at the store and really wanted a purse.  Seemed cheaper.  Figured I might return it.  Whoa.  I love this stuff!  This one has a kind of metallic-y look, but more sophisticated than the Silver City Pink days.  It feels so good on the lips.  I have been leaning towards lipsticks lately because I dislike the old “hair in the wind, stuck in the gloss” aspect of glosses and we all know the matte finish is popular right now.  I have 100,000 lip products I work down to a minimal 17 for vacations and I reached for this one every day on vacation.  If Kevyn Aucoin is a brand that is new to you, check it out.  They have a lot of products that are reaching “Cult” (ie. hard for me to resist) status in the beauty world.   The contour powder is a favorite and well as the Celestial Light. 

San Diego Hat Company CHL5 Floppy Sun Hat

Great hat.  Wide enough brim to block sun.  Great balance between floppy and manageable.  Packs really well (ie. you can squish it).  Stays on during windy, windy days.  Also, pretty cheap as hats go and better than anything Athleta ever showed me.

If we focus on summer, will it get warmer sooner?  Hope so!

Keely

Sunscreen recommendations

I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s when nothing said “summer” like a reflective mat and baby oil.  While most of my contemporaries spent their time “tanning”, I spent the majority of my teen years trying to “burn so bad I tanned”.  This goal traces back to an early conversation with my mom, riddled with bad data. 

“Mom, how come you tan and I just burn?”  I asked, peeling swatches of skin off of my blistered shoulders.  

“I burned as a kid, too, until Grampa Harper took us to Mexico and I burned so bad I started to tan.”  Hmmm.  “Burned so bad you tanned, huh?”  Burned so bad you tanned.  I liked what I was hearing. Staring down at my fiery red skin, I had the feeling it wouldn't be long.  I remember looking up at her bronzed skin thinking "yessssss, yesssssss..........here I come tan skin....." 

It’s important to mention that while my mom and I share DNA, my skin sided with my Dad’s Irish-German DNA.  In other words, my skin is so pale it could be referred to as “lavender” or “clear”.  With freckles.  My mom's side is rumored to have some Native American. 

I'll let you decide if my mom’s strategy was simply incorrect or lawsuit worthy.  I only mention it because there is a silver lining to a burnt childhood.  Somewhere in my 20's it became clear that this "burn so bad you tan" theory had holes.  I overcorrected with a sunscreen vigilance rivaled only by vampires.

There is A LOT of information about sunscreen out there.  Mostly conflicting.  Chemical sunscreens are great, except that they are bad.  Mineral sunscreens are the way to go, unless the particles are too small and then they are bad.  This one looks unnaturally white, that one makes your skin looks greasy.  You only need SPF15, but if you don’t have SPF50, it won’t work.  Oh, the options, the information, the studies!  

It all makes my head spin and I make a real effort to stay up to date.  The only agreed upon concept is that if you don't want to tackle melanoma in your lifetime or look 100 when you're 80, you have to wear sunscreen and that sunscreen has to block both the "UVA" and "UVB" rays, aka "broad spectrum".  I feel like I have tried them all and I've decided to share a few of my favorites. 

Important note:  Winter does not mean that you get to lay off the screen.  Wear it everyday.  EVERYday.  Face and neck.  All Year.  As a rule, I like an SPF of 30 or higher.  Why not?:  

Skinceuticals Physical Matte UV Defense SPF 50:  This is a new favorite that's showing quite a bit of promise as an all around solution to both the ghost-face, the greasy-face, and the sticky face problem that most sunscreen wearers encounter.  The texture is almost powdery after it's applied.   I don't use a foundation primer when I wear this.  If you have an oily t-zone, I would call this a "must try" for you.  Only one I've been wearing.

Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Broad Spectrum SPF 50:  This is like an old friend.  It’s liquid, so it’s good for my oily T-Zone.  It goes on white, but the white goes away quickly.  Doesn’t make my makeup look weird. My every day goto when I’m in a “chemicals are fine” phase and I'm out of my Skinceuticals. 

Cotz Face for Natural Skin Tones, SPF 40:  This one is great for super sunny days or as an everyday sunscreen with or without makeup afterward.  “Chemical free” sunblock and natural color so you don’t get the white cast. Silky feel.  When I’m in a “chemicals may shorten my life” phase.  Or in Florida.  Similar to the Skinceuticals one mentioned earlier.

Peter Thomas Roth Oily Problem Skin Instant Mineral Powder SPF 30:  I love this stuff SO much.  The experts say to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, to which I say: GROSS!  Especially if you have makeup on.  This is a powder that you can swipe on easily throughout the day over whatever you have on your face.  Never looks too “base face” or powdery.  Perfect product.  Get it.

What are your favorites?

Keely