Last week I attended an event hosted by Dermalogica and Gert-Johan Coetzee. I always love Dermalogica events I always learn something new from the skin guru Sonette every time.

So the theme was summer so Sonette educated us more about sunscreen.
She summarized the relationship of UV rays and the skin into:

A:Anti aging
Leads to premature aging of the skin that can be evidenced by pigmentation and wrinkles

B:Burning
This is the redness and is painful and destroys skin. Sunburn cooks the proteins in your skin, collagen and elastin. Very similar to putting your arm on a frying pan (And I’m sure we wouldn’t try that at home)

C:Cancer

D:Vitamin D
This may sound great but I would rather supplement this in my diet rather than from the sun.We need 10-15 minutes a day of sunlight which will allow us with sufficient vitamin D production. Older people need a little bit more.

Now how exactly do you know which SPF factor to use? The answer is you can use any the different factors just mean length of time in the sun before reapplication is different. Here is a simple example: SPF (15) x time (10 minutes) it would normally take to burn = length of time in the sun before re-applying sunblock (150 minutes).

There are 2 types of sun protection chemical and physical (the more popular one that is found in day creams, foundations and many leading sun screen brands)

Chemical vs. physical sun protection

Chemical protection:
*Absorbers
*Interact with the skin’s top layer to absorb rays
*Converts rays to energy
*Avobenzone, Oxybenzone, Octocrylene
*Normally use a combination to protect against UVA and UVB

Physical protection:
*Blockers
*Sit on the skin and reflect or scatter UV rays. Therefore best suited for sensitive skin types.
* White cast on skin reflect the rays. Not ideal for photographs as you will get white flash back.
*Zinc Oxide & Titanium Dioxide (Micronized versions contain nanoparticles and appear more clear on the skin)
*Zinc Oxide protects against UVA and UVB, whereas Titanium Dioxide protects against UVB mainly but does protect against UVA too

I’m really loving the Protection 50 Sport SPF50 is a broad-spectrum sunscreen which utilises lipid-rich Oleosome microspheres that boost sun protection (SPF50!) and antioxidants to help defend the skin.
-UV Smart Booster Technology: an encapsulated complex of antioxidant vitamins C and E; scavenges UV-induced free radicals while enhancing photoprotection.
-Oleosome Technology: a Safflower-derived, sunscreen-filled capsule that provides enhanced moisturization while boosting SPF.
-Grape Seed and Green Tea: soothing botanical extracts that provide anti-enzyme and antioxidant protection.
-Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (vitamin C) and Tocopherol (vitamin E): antioxidants that improve skin smoothness and softness, and help control damage caused by free radicals.

The formula includes a blend of essential oils to soothe irritation from UV exposure, while Hyaluronic Acid binds moisture to the skin without greasiness. It really isn’t greasy at all as it doesn’t sit on top of the skin since it is chemical protection. Due to the Hyaluronic Acid which has the property of locking in moisture it gave my skin a gorgeous sheen all day without any heavy feeling on my skin at all I couldn’t feel anything on my skin actually. I’m using it in place of a body moisturiser because it feels like skin!

Then Gert-Johan Coetzee gave us 5 tips to get our wardrobe summer ready:

1.Unpack your closet
2.Keepers: 3 categories 
*no-things you don’t like, donate these to charity
*yes-items you love
*maybe-I will lose weight,, it’s in ok condition, one day… He referred to a 1 year rule where he turns hanger around if items have been worn.
3.Box it: All the items in the “No” category
4.Colour code your wardrobe-he recommends dark to light
5.Shopping tip: keep a list in your purse of items you need or create a mood board

Summer trends:

*Tropical prints
*Beach cover ups-perfect if your body is not yet summer ready for that bikini.
*All white swim wear
*Floral maxi skirt
*Metallic highlight
*Frills

His final words: “Know what you have and plan”, “Nude is a different for everybody it is not a physical colour it is there to elongate you eg. Shoes must be 1 shade darker than your skin tone. You wore a beige shoe not nude!”