All Things Fabulous: The sun & your skin

Hello Lovelies!!

It's extremely hot in Malta (as always)!! My biggest love right now is the airconditioner. How can you NOT love it?!? In summer , the UV rays are more high, causing a lot of skin problems.
Ultraviolet (UV) rays in sunshine are your skin's biggest enemies, causing it to thin, wrinkle and age prematurely - and they can cause cancer!

You should know that the sun is made up of different ultraviolet rays - UVA, UVB and UVC. The ozone layer blocks UVC rays, but let through UVA and UVC rays.
UVA rays don't cause sunburn, but so penetrate your skin cells deeply, causing aging and increasing the risk of malignant malenoma, the most serious type of skin cancer.- Uh oh
UVB rays cause sunburn and two other types of skin cancer - basal cell carcinoma and squamos cell carcinoma.

Take note of this girls - products with SPF's only protect your skin from UVB rays, so for UVA protection, look for an SPF lotion with UV star rating (4 stars is best) and the words 'broad spectrum' on the label.

SPF INFO : Almost all sunscreen lotions now carry SPF rating. These rate how long a lotion will protect you for before your skin starts going red - so if your uncovered skin ususally reddens in 10 minutes, with SPF 15, it will take 15 minutes longer. Bert you didn't know that!
Ratings start at 2 and can go up to 60. The higher the SPF, the longer it protects against burning.

SPFs in your skincare

Dermatologists and doctors are now reccomending wearing a sunscreen all year round, as UV rays can reach your skin even when it's overcast, and in the winter. So don't you just put on sunscreen just cos it's sunny!!. The easiest way to do this is to wear a moisturiser with an SPF 15 to 30 under your make-up. Apply first thing in the morning and don't forget to top up!. Also, opt for lip balms and hand creams with SPF and UV-rated filters.

I'm currently alternating between these two.

SPFs in your make-up

Nowadays, you can get foundations, concealers, blushers and eye colours with SPFs. These aren't worth paying extra for if you already wear an SPF moisturiser. However, they're handy if you can't fins an SPF moisturiser to suit you, or if you don't want to layer moisture over make-up when topping up during the day. Lip colours with SPFs are an exeption, as the sensitive skin on your lips needs extra protection!

I'm currently using this foundation

SPFs in your sunscreen

If you're exposing more than your face or of you're not wearing an SPF moisturiser or SPF make-up, you need a sunscreen that's SPF 15 or higher preferably, with a UV rating of 4. Apply it on top to toe 20 minutes before you go out and re-apply frequently, especially if you're swimming or perspire a lot. It's important to use a generous amount and don't rub it in too hard or you'll resude its SPF value - bet you didn't know that !! let any sunscreen sink in fully before applying make-up.