My goodness does it feel great to be back in Newport!! Not much has changed since last year, it’s still perfect. Today we hit up the beach and it’s not an exaggeration when I say at any given time I have three sunblocks on me. One for my face, another for the body and then Neutrogena CoolDry Sport SPF 50 because it’s great for quick application and isn’t messy. Lately my body SPF of choice has been Moroccanoil Sun Lotion SPF 30 it feels so luxe (it’s more of a wet liquid consistency) and smells amazing. And La Prairie Cellular Swiss UV Protection SPF 50 for my face, since when in Newport, be fancy. It smells like their signature moisturizer and doubles as a primer that works to repair past sun damage while preventing any future damage. Beach Hat, sunnies, a book, water and headphones make up the rest of my beach bag staples (all listed above).
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.
I’m all about the Neutrogena CoolDry Sport Sunscreen Spray
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.
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:
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.
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.
Damage happens within the first two minutes of being outside. The ozone layer is depleting and our bodies need shielding from harmful rays.
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.
Foundations have got to be one of the toughest products to get right. If the formula is great, the shade is off, if the shade is right it then dries a different color within minutes of application (I could go on with my grievances forever). It’s rare to find a product that combines 24-hours of color-true makeup that recognizes the skin’s oil levels to control excess sebum without clogging pores. Correction: It’s nearly impossible…until now!
A few weeks back I gave some tips on how to be safe and stylish in the sun. One of which was sun protective clothing that contains UPF (the textile version of SPF). While it’s available in all different types of apparel, I’ve only owned protective scarves until Summer Skin came into my wardrobe.
My friends at HSN (Home Shopping Network) recently revamped their skin care page to help readers find a solution for their specific skin care concerns (check it out HERE) and asked me to share my best tips for being, Safe and Stylish in the Sun on my other blog, InHisClothes.com and I’m so all about sun protection (as I hope many of you are too!) that I wanted to share my tips here as well! So decked out in some of my new favorite from White House Black Market here it goes:
Trends may come and go, but one thing is for certain, healthy skin is always in! And the best way to keep it looking young and healthy (besides a great skincare routine, healthy diet, blah, blah, blah) is to wear an SPF! Seriously, that is every beauty experts #1 anti-aging beauty tip and it’s so easy!
They call it the “the road to healthy skin” for a reason. Sure, it sounds like a funny way to phrase it, but perfect skin isn’t something that happens overnight. Hopefully you’ve been following my #HealthySkin series and instagram posts with Aveeno and the Glam Network. If not, a lot of the key points can be summed up by this quote by fellow AVEENO Ambassador and actress, Jennifer Aniston,“I’m always saying it – drink plenty of water. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate – both inside and out, and this includes using AVEENO® Daily Moisturizing Lotion. It hydrates my skin and makes it feel so soft. Get plenty of sleep of course. Also, exercise and eat healthy, well-balanced meals while still indulging and allowing yourself to have a treat. And, always, always wear sun protection.”
That’s the overview; a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle and skincare regimin will do wonders for your skin. However, most of us don’t know what we’re looking for; so here are some common signs that your skin needs rescuing:
Uneven skin tone and general dullness – You know when people talk about their skin glowing? Or rather if you don’t because your skin looks tired. If so, opt for a moisture-rich cleanser, like AVEENO Positively Radiant Cleanser that can
While you should never literally soak up the sun (at least not without a wide-brimmed hat and a minimum of SPF30), I can certainly understand wanting to spend every free minute at the beach. Personally, you can’t keep me away. Between the Hamptons, Rockaways and my upcoming trip to Costa Rica, I live for the weekends and my time by the water. When packing for the beach we start with the obvious: swimsuit, cover-up and wide-brim hat, flip-flops, towel(s) and/or something to lie on, beach bag, broad-spectrum sunscreen (with UVA/UVB protection), and of course sunnies.
Then comes the reading materials and music list, or beach games if you’re feeling especially sporty. If the humidity is getting to you here are some tips to help keep you looking fresh and refreshed throughout the day:
Ask me my #1 beauty, skincare, or anti-aging tip and it will always be wear SPF. But all sunscreens are not created equal and with all the confusing information out there, Birchbox has busted through some common SPF myths with the help of SPF expert and founder of Supergoop!® Holly Thaggard. Hear what she has to say
