Throwing shade at the sun and other summer pledges

If you wrote a breakup-letter with the sun, what would it look like? Here’s mine.

“Dear Sun,
I love your warmth, your cheer and your charm, but I am on to you, you hot temptress. I am thankful for your generosity in sharing all your Vitamin D with me, and for your contribution to my bountiful garden, but girl… you’ re hurting us and it’s time to stop! I have moved on from my golden-goddess goals and looking for other (safer) ways to feel fab around you. In the meantime, I’m rounding up a new #SummerSquad to get over you.
I hope we can still be friends though… I just need a bit of space.
Your old bestie,
XOX Chantsy”

I have to admit, I love the sun and I love tanning my skin… even though I know it’s extremely dangerous for me. But lately, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to be more careful and protect my skin, if I want to stay youthful, healthy and … alive. Skin cancer is real, and real scary. These statistics from the Canadian Cancer Society prove it.

It is estimated that in 2016:

  • 6,800 Canadians will be diagnosed with melanoma.
  • 1,200 Canadians will die from melanoma.
  • 3,700 men will be diagnosed with melanoma and 770 will die from it.
  • 3,100 women will be diagnosed with melanoma and 440 will die from it.

But it is not all doom and gloom over here on Mode XLusive! I connected with the lovely folks at Cyberderm, an Ottawa-based sunscreen company, who sent me some products to get acquainted with. These are Zinc-based sunscreens that are filled with more natural ingredients, lighter in texture and promise to offer an SPF experience that your skin will actually enjoy!

Natural vs Chemical Sunscreen

Health Canada has strict guidelines for Sunscreens, specifically, if they are classified as natural health products (NHPs). There are only 3 medicinal ingredients that can qualify (and avoid a DIN number) and they must be available in specific amounts. Some of these medicinal ingredients are Titanium Oxide and Zinc Oxide. These are also commonly called mineral sunscreens and are often associated with more natural beauty products, and are generally safer for children and babies. I certainly only buy mineral sunscreen for my son.

Note that if products have a blend of NHP and drug medicinal ingredients, they must have a DIN number (Drug Identification Number).

SPF in Makeup

There have been a lot of issues lately with SPF found in makeup, because its safety was misleading to users. Users were not adhering to the SPF guidelines (i.e. reapply every 20 minutes) and getting damaged skin because of it. So you may notice that Canadian products will have their SPF claims removed or covered up. In Canada, an official sunscreen should be labeled specifically as an SPF product, or DIN number.  Because brands don’t want to apply for a DIN number, they can no longer claim the SPF in their product.

The intent of this message is for you to be more informed about the products you use and do your won research. Please do not use these words against me!

Every Morning Sun Whip (SPF 25)- $38

Great news, the Sun Whip is not “technically” all natural because it does contain a combination of Zinc Oxide and Octinoxate, but you will find a DIN number on it!

I used this sun whip a few times this summer, on my face and entire body. I really loved the formula. It was not very oily and it absorbed and spread quite nicely all over the skin. I loved the finish and odorless formula.

I believe the combination of medicinal products in this sunscreen, give it an optimal texture that is not too think, given that it still contains a lot of Zinc.


Simply Zinc Sun Whip (SPF 30)- $38

The Simply Zinc is officially an all-natural sunscreen and only contains 22% of Zinc as its active ingredient. This formula is obviously a tad thicker and requires a bit more effort to apply evenly. I guess it’s the price you pay for all-natural products.  I used this on my 4-year-old son and really liked the finish.

I also test-drove this with some of my gal-pals poolside, and although they enjoyed the product, they felt the dispenser needed improvement. The product is quite thick and would be better suited in a squeeze tube.

This summer my 9 #SummerSquad essentials include:

  1. A fun wide-brimmed hat or fedora (this is a Chapel Hat I bought in Hawaii)
  2. Stylish and large protective eyewear (Dior sunglasses from Merivale Vision Care)
  3. Sunscreen (of course from Cyberderm only!)
  4. Lipbalm with SPF (I like Sun Bum SPF 30)
  5. A colourful Round Towel to sit on in the shade
  6. A chrome S’Well water bottle to stay hydrated
  7. These white Fenty Puma Bow slides to be cool, cute and cozy
  8. An embroidered kimono to keep me covered up
  9. A killer bronzing powder for a golden-goddess look that won’t kill me!

 

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