Sun Smart

What weird weather we’ve been having here in Toronto. 7 °C and raining in the dead of winter?! I miss the snow. In the five years that I have had my doggy, rain has never been a friend — it gets muddy and messy and just “blech” all over. With snow, you just brush it off :( . Ah, it is what it is.

Oh, and I got a call from my bank alerting me of a fraudulent purchase attempted outside of the province. $2000 on sports equipment?! What, are they buying an army of soccer kids sports gear? In as little as one year, I have had a hefty amount of cash taken out of my chequing account, another fraudulent withdrawal attempted some odd later (from the same account, no less), and this. The bank does replace any money lost as a result of fraud, but I still hate the feeling that some creep or a network of creeps out there still get away with it. Sorry, end of rant!

So, feeling a slight shade of blue (due to aforementioned incident compounded with the gray skies outside), I thought why not make myself feel “sunnier” and what better way to feel sunnier than with a fake tan, right? This is where Benefit’s Talk to the Tan comes in.

Talk to the Tan is a gel-based bronze facial tint that gives you the instant gratification of having a (safe) tan without having to worry about waking up the next morning looking like an Oompa Loompa (doompadee dah! Sorry I just had to :P ). Besides, why bake it if you can fake it? OHhH!

What I really love about this product is its smell — there is none of the usual weird or chemical stench that most gradual tanners have — and easy removal. If I do make a mistake, I can just easily cleanse it off (Cetaphil does a fine job). I can also control the depth of my shade either by mixing it with my moisturizer or sunblock (to dilute the pigmentation) or by applying a second layer (for a deeper tan-look).

Above is a shot of my inner wrist before applying Talk to the Tan. And, ermmm, I know what it looks like, THANKYOUVERYMUCH. Now, I would not normally apply that much; let’s just say I momentarily got a little carried away. Below is after just one layer (note, the depth of color is a result of excess product):

I only have one grip with the product (as with most bronzers) and it’s that the product easily rubs off on your clothes. It can stain easily and NEVER workout with bronzer or any type of tinted moisturizer unless you want to look like your face is melting. Also, don’t forget to wash your hands unless you want the dreaded tan palms!

‘Til next time,

Mary

Sun Smart

Ahhh, summer is finally upon us. I’m definitely loving the warmer weather, cool breeze, longer days; and it’s just so much sunnier! But, before you head out the door, you may want to read on first…

Did you know that

  • the damage we get from exposure to the sun rays account for approximately 90% of the visible aging on our skin?
  • exposure to harmful UVA and UVB leads to free radicals in the skin? These free radicals cause much damage leading to wrinkles.
  • one single day under the sun without protection can have life-long implications?
  • that sexy tan you just got is actually sun damage? Over exposure to the sun causes an increase in the skin’s production of melanin — they are the dark pigments that give our skin that golden glow.
  • even unexposed areas of our skin are not safe from the sun? Sun rays are able to penetrate through even our clothing?!
  • we are exposed to harmful UVA and UVB rays even in the dead of winter?

While it’s not possible to shun the sun forever, we can be a little more careful and dilligent in taking care of our skin when we do step out. It’s never too early or too late to take care of our skin to ensure that we lessen our chances of getting skin cancer and those pesky premature wrinkles.

Prevention really is the key. I believe it’s better to prevent while you’re young insteaed of correcting when the damage is done. It’s just a lot more economical and healthy! Honestly, I’m a fan of the tan, but I won’t bake it if I can fake it (LOL).

SPF decoded

So, what really is the difference between SPF 15, 25, 30, 55, etc??
Well, the Sun Protection Factor indicates how long we can stay out in the sun for before we get sunburn. So, if you have olive skin, then you would burn after 15 minutes without any protection. Wearing sunscreen with an SPF factor of 30 will increase it to 450 mins. or 7.5 hours. HOWEVER, wearing sunscreen does not make it alright to go and bake under the sun.

What to ingredients to look for.

  • Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are great physical blockers of UV rays. Think of a tennis ball hitting a racket, well, the same concept applies to these two great sunscreen ingredients. They bounce the UV rays back, preventing them from penetrating the skin.
  • Parsol 1789 aka. Avobenzone is a great broad spectrum ingredient. It is not as great a physical blocker as Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide are, but this ingredient is definitely beneficial in warding off those long spectrum** UVA rays.

As for myself, I like to try out different brands of sunscreen, but I just LOVE LOVE LOVE:
Expand Post…