Yesterday, Jamie King and NEUTROGENA hosted the Long Live Skin event, helping to raise awareness around the importance of skin health among occasional SPF users and encourage daily sunscreen use. You all know how seriously I take this subject. At all times I have a SPF in my makeup case, a full stock in my bathroom and by the door for when I take Charlie out in the mornings (he even has his own special dog SPF). Regardless of the season, weather, or where you are in the world, any part of your skin that is exposed to the sun should have a minimum on an SPF 25 on it. Applying sunscreen is the number one way to prevent wrinkles, dark spots and oh yeah, skin cancer! There’s a reason it’s every beauty experts #1 anti-aging tip, because nothing will age your skin faster than exposing it to harmful rays. Scroll to the bottom for the Q&A with Jaime King, but first I need to drill in a few points and recent findings!

Owning an SPF and wearing an SPF are not the same thing. Nor does it count if you only wear it when you’re at the beach. Yes, you get brownie points for that but you’re missing the point on how much this needs to be a part of your daily routine. Unless of course you’re in your house all day, not sitting by the window or in a car where the UV rays can reflect through the window. In which case you can take a day off. In all seriousness though when I talk to most people about sun protection the two biggest reasons why they don’t commit is they don’t like how it feels (somehow they’ve missed the memo that not all sunscreens are greasy) or they just forget, which is why I recommend putting them all over the house, like I do. As for the texture, one of my absolute favorite things about NEUTROGENA is the variety of products and finishes they offer to help you find your perfect SPF. Long live NEUTROGENA Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock, which soaks up oil and is waterproof — this is what you recommend for the person who fears a greasy sunscreen. Then there is a whole line of Stick sunscreens, which are the only products I can get my boyfriend to use. And Sprays which I use when I’m running out the door for a quick walk with Charlie and am too lazy to put on a cream. I’m also pretty obsessed with the whole COOLDRY Sport collection (which includes a stick and spray in the line!) since I’m always out running around with Charlie and an outdoor runner. It’s lightweight and sweatproof.

They also have loads of other options as well as products for babies and kids, to keep the whole family covered. Minus puts which I would be elated if they developed a line for!

Some staggering statistics our friends at NEUTROGENA informed me:

• On average, more than 350 Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer every hour ­­- even though skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers
• According to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD), consumers often do not get the UV protection stated on the sunscreen label because they grossly under-apply, using less than half the recommended amount
• Just 1-2 severe sunburns can increase the risk of melanoma by 40%
• Only 40% of US households purchase sunscreen (only 37% women and 16% men use sunscreen regularly)

Someone who’s an authority on skin health is Jaimie King. I remember my ultimate fan girl moment in seeing her in the music video, ‘Take a Picture‘ by Filter where she just glows the whole time. Major skin envy, and two decades later, she’s had a thriving career, kids and somehow hasn’t aged at all! During the Long Live Skin event, Jaime was on hand to talk sun protection and take pictures with guests. Here’s her SPF 411:

Why is sun safety important to you?

Sun safety was always engrained in me. My mother was ahead of the game in sun protection and making us wear sunscreen at a time when there really wasn’t the awareness there is today. If we were in the sun, we were always protected. Skin cancer runs in my family, my father has it, so for me it’s something that is very important to me especially since it’s the most preventable form of cancer. Also, sunscreen also prevents fine lines, wrinkles and brown spots and keeps your skin looking great.

How do you fit sunscreen into your beauty routine?

People always ask me what my top beauty tips are and I always say sunscreen and water, so it’s easy to fit sunscreen into my beauty routine. Also, all of my makeup has sunscreen in it, but I always do double duty! You need to apply a sunscreen first and then apply your makeup with SPF.

Do you wear sunscreen every day?

I apply sunscreen every day. People think if it’s cloudy out you don’t have to apply sunscreen, but that is just not true and when the biggest mistakes happen. I also apply it to my kids every day. The minute they get up before they put their clothes on, we put on sunscreen. It’s a routine, just like brushing their teeth. I also think it’s important to lead by example. Not only do they see me applying it on them, but they see me applying it to myself.

Which NEUTROGENA® products would you recommend for a mom 

NEUTROGENA® Ultra Sheer® Dry-Touch Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 100+ is perfect! When you’re a mom, you are running around with your head cut off half the time. The product is so easy and weightless, so you won’t look crazy with white streaks running down your face and you’ll stay protected. It’s one less thing to worry about.