This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with NEUTROGENA and Latina Bloggers Connect.
The summer usually means one thing to me, burned skin. I remember when I was about 16 years old, I was SO concerned with how pasty white I was going to look at my school dances and went to a tanning salon to sign up. Now, before you can tan, they give you a questionnaire to fill out to find out if it is “safe” for you.
Tanning beds aren’t safe, but anyway… the only reason I was deemed eligible, is because I was able to check the little box that said Hispanic. It gave me enough “points” to become a member. Yay, right? Nah. I may be latina, but my skin is still fair.
My skin burns so easily. Ever since I was a child, I’ve experienced horrible sun burns. I never really understood why my skin was so opposed to the sun, but I was surrounded by so many skin health myths, I didn’t learn how to protect myself until a much later age.
I remember believing that getting a tan, meant getting a sun burn and letting it fade. Um, no. Although my skin was always slightly darker after a serious sunburn, I quickly realized that “tanning” and “burning” are NOT the same thing. My skin was being damaged every time that I exposed it to the sun without some serious SPF.
Hispanics and African Americans can’t get burned. Not. While the kids father and I were still in a relationship, I remember having TONS of arguments with him about putting sunscreen on the babies. He figures because they are mixed, or because they are half black that they don’t need sunscreen. No matter how dark your skin, you NEED to protect it from the sun’s super harmful rays. Even if you don’t “burn”, your skin is still being damaged.
I’m all about protecting my kid’s skin, and I love the Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen for them. They tend to have extra sensitive skin in the summer and I’ve never had any issues when using Pure & Free.
If you’re pale, you can’t ever go in the sun. I lived by this little myth for a long time. After having my skin covered in blisters year after year after year… I gave up on the sun. I hid away every summer and dreaded going outside. Then I discovered Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Lightweight Sunscreen and everything changed.
I remember walking into a drugstore on the way to a Chicago Cubs game in the middle of a hot and sticky Chicago summer about 8 years ago, and seeing it for the first time. I grabbed it because I’m a big Neutrogena fan and the SPF was super high (I normally wear between 70-100SPF). It was freaking amazing. I rubbed down with it, and hung out in the sun for the entire day. The Cubs lost (shocker, I know) but I totally won that day.
You might be reading this and thinking that I’m just amping up these products because it’s a sponsored post. I assure you, I’m not. Finding sunscreen that actually protects my super fair skin, was life changing. For someone with skin as fair as mine, the sun can be an enemy. I live by Neutrogena Sunscreen. I don’t avoid the sun. I buy it in every single form. I have the kind you rub on, the one you spray on, and I’m loving the new Ultra Sheer® Face + Body Stick Sunscreen Broad Spectrum.
I recently did a swimwear photo shoot where I laid out in the sun for over 5 hours. It was over 100 degrees. I had little clothing on, and I didn’t burn. More than just that, my skin was totally protected. I used the mess free stick to put sunscreen all over my face and body before I applied my spray on tanner. Hey, a girl still needs a little color! My makeup went on perfectly with the sunscreen as a base and it kept me protected the entire time. It’s also water and sweat resistant, which was vital because I totally ended up in the pool. 😉
I’m posting the swimsuit photo shoot tomorrow, but for now here’s a sneak peek. You’ll notice my skin isn’t burned at all and this is after about 4 hours of shooting. #Winner
