The Right Way to Wear Sunscreen

On Sunday, we took a leisurely ride on NYC's Water Taxi on a round about trip to Governor's Island (There are surely speedier ways to get there, but none that are more fun!). We felt pangs of worry for a fellow passenger—an adorable, 20-something who was wearing a straw fedora and safari-style shorts and was white as the driven snow. She blithely sprayed sunblock across her chest, laughing without a care. She didn't rub it in and she didn't put anything on her legs. We cringed inwardly at her ineffective use of SPF but chose not to say anything for fear as coming across as some weirdo from the SPF police.

But, dear reader, please know that a quick spritz of sunblock once you're already under the blazing sun is not the right way to prevent a sunburn. Put your sunblock on before you head outdoors—at least 30 minutes before—so it has time to absorb. If we're going to the beach, we do this step naked so we don't get those burn lines around our bikini (a step that never fails to entertain our friend on our girls' trips).

Don't forget those odd spots like the tops of your feet, your inner thighs or your neck. If it's exposed, it will get burned.

Our favorite sunblocks at the moment are Prescriptives All-Weather Friend for our face. It absorbs SO quickly, like a light moisturizer, especially impressive for a SPF 40 and ideal on a daily basis. For beach days or days when we'll be in the sun a lot, it's La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 15 (available at CVS stores). It prevents against UVA as well as UVB rays and American women used to smuggle this in from Europe before it was available in the states a few years back.

We're proud to say it has been years since we've had a tan line, though we know how to fake them well!