Sunscreen Review: Supergoop Setting Mist with Rosemary, SPF 50

If you're like me, you're religious about applying sunscreen in the morning but loath to reapply on top of your makeup. What to do? Finally, the beauty product industry has developed a broad spectrum sunscreen that can be applied on top of your foundation and face powder. Two new SPF-infused setting mists became available this spring from sunscreen brands Supergoop and Coola. Sephora stocks a mini bottle of the Supergoop version, so I decided to give it a try before committing to a full-sized bottle of either. 

The basics: $12 for 1 oz. or $28 for 3.4 oz. at supergoop.com, sephora.com, etc.

Pros: I've taken the purse-sized bottle with me to work every day and given my skin a quick spray before heading outside for lunch or leaving my office for the day. It's lightweight and easy to apply. Smells a bit like sunscreen, but also a bit like rosemary, so the sunscreen scent isn't unbearable. It doesn't make my face shiny or do anything weird to my makeup, so it's perfect for mid-day touchups.

Cons: As with any spray-on sunscreen, it's hard to know if you've applied enough or missed a spot. It can also make the hair around your face sticky if you're not careful, so spray with caution or cover your hairline before spraying.

The verdict: I'm absolutely planning to purchase more of this when I run out. It's the perfect size to keep in my purse, and I've used it almost daily since I bought it. Some reviewers on Sephora.com have complained about stickiness or stinging, but I haven't had any real issues with it. Will keep you posted as I continue using it!

Have you tried any of the new facial sunscreen mists yet?

Tips for staying safe and stylish in the sun

Summerskin Dolman top in kiwi / Banana Republic Zoe hat / Supergoop Everday Sunscreen SPF 30 / Ray-Ban Clubmaster sunglasses / Bare Minerals Ready Foundation SPF 20 / Clinique Glosswear SPF 15 / Summerskin Endless Summer scarf in Grey

We're in the midst of a 90-degrees-until-the-end-of-time heat wave here, so when I'm not locked up in my air-conditioned office, I like to spend as much time as I can outdoors. Delightful as it can be, too much sun exposure leads to premature aging and ups risk for skin cancer. HSN recently launched a campaign to encourage bloggers to share their tips for staying both safe an stylish in the summertime. As both a beauty and sun safety devotee, here are a few that I swear by:

• Indulge in an SPF you love: One of the easiest ways to protect your skin from UV rays is to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that's SPF 30 or higher. I used to look at $20 tubes of sunscreen and run the other way, but now I think of it as an investment in my health and beauty. Like any beauty product, if you buy a sunscreen with a cute bottle or a fun fragrance, you're 10x more likely to reach for it at the beach. (Looking for a new SPF? Check out these picks from HSN.)
• Look for clothing with SPF built in: Once upon a time, cute sun protective clothing was an oxymoron. Now, more and more brands (hello, J.Crew) are making clothes and swimwear with sun protection built in. I recently purchased one of these versatile scarves from SummerSkin and I love it.
• Seek the shade: Sometimes, sitting in the sun is inevitable, but if I'm lounging by the pool, I always try to snag a spot next to an umbrella. Not only do you avoid the sun, but you can keep your cool (i.e. sweat less) under an umbrella. You can also create your own shade with a cute floppy hat.
• Enjoy happy hour: The sun's rays are strongest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so I like to hit the pool between 4 and 6 p.m. Bonus: The pool is less crowded after 4 p.m., which means you don't have to fight for a lounge chair with an umbrella.

How do you stay sun safe and without sacrificing your style?

Is there such a thing as cute UV-protective clothing?

I'll be the first person to admit, even with my history of skin cancer, I'd rather wear a teensy weensy bikini to the beach than dress like this:

Cute on the kiddos. Less so on me. (Image credit)

I know that sunscreen is not perfect, but it's hard to cover up when everyone else is flaunting it.

When SummerSkin, a Portland-based sun protective clothing company, became a sponsor of the AIM walk I'm organizing later this month, I promised I'd give it another shot.

Since then, I've been introduced to Summer Kramer, the creator of SummerSkin. Like me, she's a patient-turned-advocate who is doing great things both locally and nationally to raise awareness about melanoma.

I am very excited to share that Summer and her team have just launched an Indiegogo campaign where you can test out items from SummerSkin's clothing and accessories line at a fraction of the normal retail price. Plus, 10% of proceeds go to OHSU Knight Cancer Institute melanoma research program.

Here's a sampling of what she's offering:

I don't usually plug brands on my blog, but this is a company and a cause that I am 100% supporting. Please help spread the word on Facebook and Twitter: #SPFyRevolution

And, of course, get shopping!

Where did April go?

When life gets tough, I just need to remind myself: I climbed this!

I can't believe it's almost May. This month has been a blur. It probably seems like I've gone MIA, but I've just been really, really busy with melanoma-related activities. Earlier this month, I traveled to Utah for a meeting with SolSurvivors, a patient advocacy organization based in Salt Lake City. (This is the group I'm working with on the PCORI-funded project.) Then today, I had a chance to meet with this guy in Seattle. Everyone I've met since I began working on this project has been incredibly receptive to the idea of involving patients in the design of cancer research and outreach projects. There's still lots of details up in the air and lots to figure out, but I'm feeling very confident about being able to engage more laypeople in the melanoma research process going forward--and that's incredibly, incredibly exciting to me.

Meanwhile, it's crunch time as we prepare for the Northwest Melanoma Walk on May 31. I've connected with several new partners for the the walk this year, so it'll be interesting to see how the event evolves from last year.

Protecting my skin from the hot Cabo sun.

On a slightly unrelated note, this month I also accomplished something I never thought would be possible: I turned off my iPhone for five full days while I was in Mexico.

Coming from someone who checks her email at least 50 times a day and practically cuddles her phone when she goes to sleep, I was expecting to go through withdrawals. But, surprisingly, the company I kept while I was vacationing was enough to distract me from that constant nagging feeling that I needed to check my email. I suppose the margaritas and shrimp tacos didn't hurt either.

Disconnecting during an incredibly busy time--both at work and for my patient advocacy activities--was oddly liberating. I embraced relaxation to the point where I barely felt like myself anymore. I danced until 4 a.m. and climbed a huge mountain of rocks (see photo above), even though I'm ordinarily scared of heights. I heard people talk about their tans and sunburns, and I barely batted an eye.

My amigas!

I think one of my strengths as a human being is my ability to be empathetic and compassionate to others. But let's be real: caring is exhausting. It was nice to know that I could almost "turn it off" for a few days, just so that I could get a little down time.

Coming back to work on Monday was a bit of a rude wake up call. My inbox was full and I had several major deadlines to meet. Regardless, Cabo '14 will go down as one of the best trips ever. Crazy adventures with great friends--and I was finally able to chill out enough to enjoy it. Definitely just what I needed to get me through my busy season.

Sunscreen reviews: L'Oreal Sublime Sun Oil Spray SPF 50 and Advanced Sunscreen Lotion

The last time I used a suntan oil, I was about 17 year old, laying out in my parents' yard, using some "dark tanning oil" with SPF 4. When L'Oreal introduced a new sunscreen oil earlier this year with SPF 50, I was somewhat of a skeptic. Wouldn't oil magnify the effects of the sun, not block out harmful rays? Product junkie that I am, I was also a little intrigued. Last week, I was stocking up on sunscreen for my Labor Day Napa trip and I noticed that all L'Oreal sunscreens were 50 percent off. So I bought a couple to test. Here's the lowdown:

L'Oreal Sublime Sun Sunscreen Oil Spray SPF 50
If you're not a fan of thick, white sunscreen - you've got to try this. Blended with vitamin E, argan and other oils, it doesn't look, feel, or smell like a traditional sunscreen. Using the spray bottle, you can spritz onto skin and blend all over easily. One downside is that the bottle says it's not greasy, but that's kind of a lie. If you've used a body oil before, that's basically what this stuff feels like. Unless you apply extremely sparingly, it doesn't absorb totally. Perk: It gave my chest and shoulders a really pretty glow. Caveat: When I put my legs up on a leather chair and it left a huge grease mark. Whoops!
Rating: 3/5. I would never give up my normal sunscreens and use this exclusively, but it was fun to try something new. I think this would be nice to have when lounging by the pool. It makes sunscreen application feel more "sexy," and less of a chore, but it's a little greasy for everyday use.

L'Oreal Sublime Sun Advanced Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50
There's not much about this formula that distinguishes it from so many other drugstore-brand sunscreens, other than the fact that it's made with antioxidants, which are super important for repairing damaged skin cells. It applies super easily and the scent isn't offensive like some, but if I'm using a lotion, I think I'd rather use one that has a physical (not chemical) sunscreen in it like zinc oxide.
Rating: 3/5. Didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. In the future, I'd probably buy Supergoop's Antioxidant-Infused SPF 40, which uses zinc oxide as it's active ingredient.

Little miss sunscreen

Happy Friday everyone! First and foremost, I'm excited to share an article I wrote for a new, local magazine called Womyncentric. You can view a PDF version of my article, "Here comes the sun(screen)" on their website. Please share!

Now, what the article doesn't address: As I wrote (on a Greyhound bus), I was so preoccupied by all the benefits of wearing sunscreen (um, hello, have you seen this picture??) that I failed to address the negatives. My editor responded with some very valid questions: Because many sunscreens use chemicals to protect us from UV radiation, could using sunscreen be doing more harm than good?

I didn't know the answer, so I turned to melanoma expert Dr. Sancy Leachman from the University of Utah. Dr. Leachman helped put my mind--and my editor's--to ease by providing the following insights:

Tons and tons and TONS of studies (cellular, molecular, animal, human, epidemiological) all indicate that sunscreen is effective in preventing non-melanoma skin cancers. She believes UVA/UVB sunscreen is also effective in preventing melanoma, there's just less data out there to support it. Conversely, studies that show sunscreen is bad are still very limited.

If you have concerns about using products with artificial chemicals, she recommends using sunscreens that contain only physical blockers, like zinc oxide: "Zinc oxide has been used for generations on baby's bottoms for diaper rash and is even an additive in some of our packaged foods. I think any major problem with use of zinc oxide would have been discovered by now, so I am putting zinc oxide on my kids to prevent sunburn!"

But what if all you've got is a bottle of Neutrogena? Dr. Leachman said, "If the choice is to use a chemical sunscreen or burn, then I still think the benefit of the sunscreen outweighs the risk."

Somewhat serendipitously, only days after this conversation, I started chatting with Kourtney from SamvidBeauty.com. Kourtney just published an eBook about making the switch from products with harsh chemicals to more natural alternative ones. I felt like it must be a sign from the universe that I should not only be wearing sunscreen, but thinking more about the type of sunscreen that I'm putting on my body. I highly recommend checking out Kourtney's blog (and her eBook!) We may even get together before the end of the summer and make our own batch of zinc oxide-based sunscreen. I'll be keeping you all in the loop. In the meantime, I'd love to know if you have any favorite sun protection products. Please share with me below!

How much can change in four years?

Embracing my inner tourist outside the Met in NYC.

What a crazy couple of weeks it's been! Last Monday, I flew to Alexandria, Virginia for work. While I was on the East coast, I figured I'd stay and visit with friends from college, which took me from DC to Philly, Philly to NYC, NYC to Westhampton, and then finally back to Portland from DC. My two cents on that: Thank goodness for free Wi-Fi on Greyhound buses and thank goodness for Christian Grey.

For those of you that don't know me personally, I've been a bit of a homebody since I graduated from college in 2008. By that I mean, I've traveled around the Pacific Northwest quite a bit, but I've only been on an airplane three times in the past four years. This is a huge lifestyle change for someone who picked a school almost 3,000 miles away from home. Ironically, my work/vacation coincided with the four year anniversary of my college graduation. I'm still in semi-disbelief that I've been out of college for as long as I was in it.

For the first couple of years after school, financial constraints and a sporadic work schedule made it impossible to travel. Now, four years later, because I felt like so much has changed since college, I was honestly a little bit nervous to go back and "face the past." For example, the last time any of my friends from college had seen me, I was still using tanning beds. Would seeing the same places and people from before challenge my new lifestyle choices?

Reunited with my friend Leanne from college.

Yes and no. A few days before I flew out of PDX, my friend mentioned that we might be going to a pool party while I was out visiting. Almost as instinctively as breathing, I thought to myself, Oh crap, I'm going to have to get a spray tan. Then my normal brain caught up with my subconscious: Katie, you are much more comfortable in your own skin than you were four years ago. You just rocked an orange mini-dress at a party--totally sans tan--you know you don't need to be tan to be beautiful.

Was my mind just playing tricks on me because talking to an old friend evoked feelings of that old version of me?

At the end of the day, my anxieties were for naught. I had an absolutely amazing time on my trip. Seeing my old girlfriends, part of my felt like no time had passed at all. We were able to pick up conversations right where they left off four years ago. In a way, it was kind of like the best of both worlds: new me meets old me. Not unexpectedly, I did feel a little "homesick" for parts of my old life on the East coast. When I left Portland for Pennsylvania in 2004, I never thought I would be coming back. But here I am. Such is life. Apparently you can't always predict how things will turn out.

On a lighter note, you may have noticed in the picture above that I finally found a big, floppy hat!!! It's made by this company called San Diego Hat Co, specially designed to provide protection from both UVA & UVB. I absolutely love it!

Time to start planning my next vacation...

I want a big, floppy hat

May is Melanoma Awareness Month. Please help spread the word by sharing this post with your friends and family. 

Image: Jcrewing.tumblr.com via Pinterest

I have been pinning over large, floppy hats as of late. And it's not just because of the Kentucky Derby last weekend.

When it comes to sun protection, my scalp has always been my Achilles' heel. No matter how many SPF creams, gels, or sprays I try, I always end up with at least one or two nasty sunburns every year along my part. This is bad because: 1) a flaky scalp is never sexy, and 2) because sunburns mean skin cancer! I loathe the idea of ruining a cute summer outfit with an ugly hat (I'm really not a hat person to begin with), but oh, how glamorous ladies some look in a wide-brimmed straw hat! I've tried a few so far, and unfortunately, they all looked awful. Too big, too small, too pink. My boyfriend caught me trying some on the other day, and he laughed at me. BUT, I will not rest until I find the perfect summer hat. I know it has to be out there somewhere.

I would also love to know if anyone has found a non-greasy spray sunscreen that they've used to protect their hairline. Sometimes a girl just needs to go for a swim... so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled. Let me know if you find one first!