Ladies and gentleman summer has arrived! The time to play outside, spend time in the pool, BBQ with friends and family, travel to the beach, boat on the lake, whatever your summer looks like we all face a similar issue.... the sun. Some of you may think the sun is your best friend, I use to, until I realized the sun didn't think I was it's best friend. I found out at 28 years old I had skin cancer on my arm and my days of baking were over. I'm 100% guilty of going in tanning beds when I was younger and baking in the sun for hours without sunscreen. I spent most my days on the beach as a teen and in my 20's. I'm also fair skin and light eyed, not the best combo for a sun lover. I'm even Italian! I just didn't get the brown skin like my mom and sister did. Either way, no one should be baking in the sun if they want to look good into their 30's, 40's 50,s and older. My grandmother is 90. You wouldn't know it from the looks of her skin. She never baked in the sun! My first word of advice is learn to put sunscreen on in the morning just like you learned to brush your teeth! Replace your daily moisturizer with one that has SPF. I love the Rodan+Fields body sunscreen. It smells nice and is lightweight and will keep your skin hydrated. You will be so thankful you did. Find a sunscreen that feels good on your skin and learn to love it. TIP: I have discovered iT Cosmetics makeup and I'm obsessed. It has SPF 50 and covers my skin like butter. It does the trick for me so I'm not needing any other sunscreen on my face but re-applying is very important so either keep an extra tube in the purse or a powder with SPF to keep your face safe all day. I LOVE all Jane Iredale Products. The Powder Me Dry Sunscreen in translucent or bronze if you want a little tan look are amazing to keep in the purse over the summer to keep applying SPF and it goes well over everything! The These are my top picks for sunscreens.
Now let's take a look at what's in my bag that I am leaning on every day for summer must haves. If you are living anywhere that is above 85 degrees a little pretty hand fan is a MUST. I am in love with the one I have by Fancy Hand Fans. If you use the code FANOFTHEFAN you will receive a 10% discount! I pull this bad boy out on the airplane, restaurants that clearly don't have proper air, or just sitting indoors when I am needing some more air. The fan I choose is so pretty and elegant I have no problem fanning myself down anywhere! Sunglasses are a MUST if you are spending a lot of time outside. If you haven't found your favorite pair yet I love my Warby Parkers. I have the Laurel in Oak Barrel and they are under $100. If you are looking for a little more color in your life, check out Diff Eye Wear! I love them too. Use my discount code EVIGAN25 and receive 25% off your order! I live in hats because sunscreen is not enough for my sensitive skin. I am in love with Lovely Bird Hats. Probably my favorite of all time! Something you probably have never thought of unless you are above the age of 35 and looking at your hands as a dead giveaway for age. The tops of our hands need sunscreen! We wash the sunscreen off when we use the bathroom so I love keeping this small sunscreen in my purse that literally goes on like deodorant so you don't get it on your palms of your hands! It's amazing! Age Shield Hand Balm SPF 30 by Rodan+Fields has the most handy one around in my opinion. If you need a little refreshing pick-me-up because you are melting I LOVE the Rosewater by Heritage Store. It's magical and beyond refreshing. I highly recommend it! I use the 4oz size so it's easy to travel with! If you are pregnant or nursing and your nipples are totally falling apart, I discovered a really nice all natural nipple balm by The Honest Co. It is very soothing and I find my nipples are not addicted to it if I stop using it. The iT CC cream and Rodan+Fields body sunscreen are what I am using right now and loving. See in above sunsreen reccomendations for direct links.
Why I spray tan? Because when I was 28 years old I got skin cancer on my arm. It hurt BAD. They cut in deep. I have this lovely scar to remind me any time I want to go sun-bake that this could have been on my face. I'm really lucky it is on my arm and not my face. Skin cancer is real and it will effect you or someone you know. The facts: Each year in the US alone over 5.4 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer are treated in more than 3.3 million people. Over the past three decades, more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. I could go on and on but friends this is scary and real. If you want more info read HERE. Don't bake, spray! Or find a tanning solution you like that you can do at home. The only one I have found that doesn't leave me orange and doesn't streak is the Foaming Sunless Tan by Rodan+Fields. I have tried them ALL. I like Jergen's Glow but I can get a little orange with that one over time.
Now that I'm living in Nashville, I have finally found a woman who I LOVE for my spray tan. She uses an all natural and organic formula and I look brown not orange. Her name is Joule and she comes to the house and sets up shop in 5 minutes, sprays you in about 7 and is finished and out all in about 15-20 minutes! Shes a magical unicorn. If you are in Nashville and looking for someone wonderful check her out here Beautiful By Joule. Her solution is also Eco-Certified and Parabean free, it also doesn't smell and I can smell EVERYTHING pregnant. I'm like a German Sheppard. If you are in the Los Angeles area, I highly recommend Chocolate Sun. All natural and organic as well!
Last thing I would like to share with you is melasma. It is not fun. This is the clinical term for all those wonderful dark marks you can get on your face and body after being in the sun. Some show up on woman as a mustache, or what looks like an actual face mask. It is not a pretty sight and very hard to combat. Especially in the summer. What worked best for me is a compound formula that my doctor ordered in for me with a combination of Reta .05% HYQ 8% and HCT 1%, This is very strong and can cause some skin sensitivity and you CAN NOT go in the sun when using this. Try it during the winter. You also can not use this pregnant or breastfeeding which is when melasma can get really bad. Talk to your doctor about this. If you are looking for something to work a little slower and not cause as much sensitivity using the entire Revers regimen by Rodan+Fields is wonderful as well. It will take longer but it is not as harsh and it brightens the skin and the outcome is beautiful. I used this as well at one point and loved it!! You can find it here at Rodan+Fields Reverse. Keep in mind you need to use the entire regimen to see the results you want.