a week of summer essentials. sunscreen.

sunscreen is an integral part of my daily routine, even more so during summer months when we are outdoors more often. year after year, it's easy to get lazy and sloppy about our application, so here are a few simple reminders and myth-busters.

how much SPF should you wear?

a sunscreen with at least 15-30 SPF is recommended.

higher SPFs offer little additional benefits. they may create a false sense of security - making you think that since you aren't red or burning, you are not damaging your skin, or that it's ok to stay in the sun longer.

when should you use sunscreen?
always. sunny, rainy, or cloudy, you should always wear sunscreen.
the sun is there, doing its damage, even if you can't see or feel it.

how much sunscreen is enough?

nickel size each for face and neck. don't forget your ears!

one ounce (shot glass) for your body, more or less depending on your size.

most people apply only 1/4 of what is needed and aren't getting the full SPF protection stated on the label. if you use the same tube for the entire summer, chances are you aren't using enough! if you have left over after summer, chances are you didn't use enough!

here's an example for the products i'm currently using:


how often should you apply sunscreen?
apply sunscreen 30 minutes before exposure, then generally reapply every two hours.
reapply more often with excessive sweating or swimming.

does layering products increase SPF?
no. the product with the highest SPF is what you would get - in this case, 55.
however, it's likely you're not using enough foundation or powder to get its full SPF, so don't count on them solely.



order of products: ideally, your sunscreen should go on last. if you are wearing makeup, moisturize first, apply sunscreen second, and makeup last. give each layer ample time to soak in (3-5 mins).
mixing products: adding moisturizer (with no SPF) to a foundation with SPF 17 will dilute the foundation, and you may not get the full SPF 17 protection. make sure each product has a minimum of SPF 15 to maintain their effectiveness.

what research is showing...
sunscreen does not provide 100% protection. harmful infrared radiation can penetrate UV filters (our typical UVA/UVB sunscreens) and cause damage to the skin. try layering an antioxidant serum under your sunscreen for greater protection.

try these:

it happens.

even with our best intentions, we sometimes forget to reapply sunscreen or miss a spot and end up with a nasty burn. take cool showers and apply an after-sun care product with aloe to cool and prevent peeling.

my favorite:

do you have any sunscreen application tips?

twinkle toes + top sunscreens.

tgif.

i'm ecstatic about these longer days...the idea of having an extra hour of daylight just excites me. i'm hoping that the weather holds up as we plan to head out to waimea valley tomorrow to stroll through their botanical gardens and take the short hike to the waterfall. i haven't been there in ages, so i'm looking forward to it. and while i'm on the north shore, i'm hoping to make a stop at ted's bakery for bread pudding and maybe the general store for shave ice. my mouth is watering already.

since we use a lot of sunscreen, i browsed EWG's list of best sunscreens for ones that had high ratings for uva protection, uva/uvb balance, and sunscreen stability and low health concerns (least amount of harmful chemicals). out of the 184 that made their list, here's a few i want to try:

eco logical skin care body all natural sunscreen, spf 30

thinksport livestrong sunscreen, spf 50

la roche-posay anthelios 15 sunscreen cream

thinkbaby sunscreen, spf 50

green babies zinc oxide sunscreen

what's on your agenda this weekend?

(JustFab New Orleans in nude c/o)

who doesn't love a little bling on their feet?

i've nicknamed these twinkle toes.

hooked on these granola bars...all of them were good.

(ON shirt; guess shorts; ray-bay arista sunglasses)

shop the look:

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enter the coach bag giveaway here

an [oomph.] review. conju princess soap.

my mom gave me this conju princess soap for christmas. i'd never heard of it before, but my she raved about it saying that her skin felt great after using it...so i was excited to try it.

the conju soap is based on the beauty secrets thought to give asian princesses their clear complexion. in addition to using natural coconut oil as its base, the company combines 11 types of natural korean plants to cleanse and brighten your skin tone.

here are the 11 korean herbs used.

lather soap in hand. step #2 takes some practice; i can't seem to get my foam as big as in the brochure illustration.

rub hands together to create foam, scoop foam and gather in your palm, repeat until you have a good amount of

marshmallow-like foam.

(mini-she)

gently apply foam onto face and massage for one minute.

i tend to overdo things and thought that massaging longer would make my face cleaner, but one minute is enough! any longer and you risk drying your skin. your sensitive eyelids only need to be traced three times. the soap stings your eyes, so be careful.

rinse with lukewarm water. 

my thoughts?

after washing my face in the mornings, my skin feels nice and clean, and it actually appears brighter. i do feel some tightness after using the soap, but i start with an SPF moisturizer (anyways) under my makeup, so that helps. the soap is unscented to me, although some have mentioned a slight herbal smell.

one bar of soap is $20, but it will last a while. after two weeks of using it, my bar is practically the same size (since you are not actually running the water on the soap, just wetting your hands before lathering).

my mom also gave me the uv sunblock. the consistency is on the thicker side, but doesn't feel uncomfortable on. i like the

SPF 50, and this also does not have a strong smell.

overall, i like that the soap is simple and easy to use in the mornings when time is of essence. i will continue to use the

soap + sunblock and look forward to the results after finishing this bar. you can find out more about the soap and other products here.

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