Friends don’t let friend’s get sunburned was a funny caption I put on a photo during Coachella, when two of my blogger babes got burned while camping in the desert. While I can make light of it in a post, truth be told this is something I take very seriously. It’s easy to miss an application but at least they know better. Especially with the SPF police breathing down their neck — I had my Aveeno sunblock in my bag (another in the car), I preach but out of love! The fear is real. Next year, I’m asking for samples and going to start throwing them at people. For them it was a mistake, they do know better and it’s not a habit. You just can’t get away with forgetting in the dessert the way you can on your way to work. For so many it’s not a habit, it’s not even something they packed! By the third day of Coachella I was shocked by the amount of sunburns I saw.

Like this insane ones this girl has, who I totally creeped up on to take a back shot. Apparently some people were missing my daily public service announcement on snapchat to wear SPF! It’s Melanoma Monday and with music festival season fully in bloom and summer around the corner, now more than ever (although everyday) you really do need to consider SPF in your routine. Here’s why:

1. Skin aging is often due to sun damage. It slows down the development of wrinkles and premature aging. Literally every beauty expert will tell you their #1 anti-aging tip is to wear sunscreen.
2. The sun is strong even when it’s not sunny out. UV light penetrates windows, clouds… so over cast will not protect you. Neither will your office window or car window if the sun is shinning.
3. Damage happens within the first two minutes of being outside. The ozone layer is depleting and our bodies need shielding from harmful rays.
4. Because the risks of skin cancer are real people and sunscreen has been proven to decrease the development. One of my friends who I was with at Coachella had Melanoma, and now stays out of the sun or bathes in sunblock if she is going to be exposed. Fortunately, she’s has been cured but it is important to have your moles looked at. Early detection is almost always curable. But so many don’t get checked and the reality is Melanoma kills an estimated 10,130 people in the US annually. Scary stuff!

I obviously care about my skin and love skincare but at a very basic level everyone should wear SPF. Three of my must-have products for Coachella and what I recommend for anyone hitting the music festivals this season is of course Aveeno’s Protect+Hydrate Broad Spectrum SPF 50 for Face (which I often used on my body if I’m only packing one sunblock for the day, I also had the body version). It’s affordable and effective, I burned through two bottles in a week with all the applying and sharing it with James and friends (sharing is caring people when it comes to SPF). Also the Aveeno Ultra Calming Makeup Removing Wipes, which are gentle and refreshing. I would use throughout the day to cool my body down and at the end of the day to wipe all of the sand, dirt and makeup off my face before cleansing. I like that it has a plastic closer on the packaging to keep the towelettes from drying out. Sometimes when it’s just a seal I find the adhesive weakens and air gets in.

Lastly my latest Aveeno discovery, the Positively Radiant Daily Cleansing Pads. These gently exfoliate everything off (I used them on my face and feet — sandals are not your best friend at Coachella), and the skin revealed is so soft and glowing! And the pad size is generous! Whatever was missed by the makeup wipe is coming off with this and then some. It is important to get the dead skin cells off, it will make every product you use after that much more effective since that layer of skin is no longer an obstacle of the product penetrating.