lucilleduquette:

apparently, may is skin cancer awareness month. i had no idea until the folks at hat attack asked if i’d like to style one of their hats to help with the cause, and i gladly agreed. 

though i’m fortunate to have never had personal experience with skin cancer, i’ve had numerous scares resulting in uncomfortable biopsies, followed by days of anxiously awaiting the results. my tests have always been benign, but the experience, combined with my pasty pale, quick-to-burn skin has made me very cautious.

i’ve become a bit obsessed with sun protection over the years, and figured this is as good a time as any to share the top 10 things i’ve learned through my dermatologist, as well as through extensive interweb research. 

1. you should wear sunscreen every day, year round. even if you don’t think you’re going to be in the sun, consider all the short exposures like walking to the subway, or sitting next to a window at work- all of that adds up in the long run.

2. if you get any amount of tan, that’s sun damage, and your sunscreen isn’t working well enough.

3. wearing a foundation with spf is usually not anywhere near enough protection to avoid sun damage (there are some exceptions- shiseido makes a foundation with a decent amount of protection).

4. some combinations of sunscreen ingredients work against each other, so it is easiest to use only 1 product with spf to avoid any issues. for instance, avobenzone (aka parsol) should not be combined with octinoxate (aka octyl methoxycinnamate). some US sunscreens combine them, so learning to read ingredients is a helpful skill.

5. the US isn’t very stringent about coming up with spf ratings. in the US, testers apply a thick glob of sunscreen to skin, and hold it under a UV light, whereas in other countries like Australia or France, the sunscreen is spread lightly over the skin; thus, the ratings are more realistic to how the sunscreen will be worn. for this reason (and a few others) i end up ordering non-US sunscreens online.

6. you should use about 1/4 teaspoon of sunscreen for your face, and another 1/4 tsp for your neck- a lot of people don’t apply that much, meaning they’re getting less protection than the product states.

7. people apply less sunscreen than they should because, let’s be honest, a lot of sunscreens look and feel gross! i’ve tried a LOT of different products (i have annoying rashy skin with many allergies, so desperation has driven me to lots of trial and error). 

there are 2 main types of sunscreen ingredients: chemical and physical. 

8. chemical blockers, like avobenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, tinsorb, and meroxyl, sink into your skin and absorb light, or reflect it away. chemical blockers, in my opinion, have a few benefits over physical ones. they can give you much higher sun protection, can have a nicer consistency, and are often better for people prone to breakouts.

9. physical blockers include titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which block the sun by sitting on top of your skin, forming a physical barrier. i have to use all-physical sunscreens due to allergy issues (though lately i’m experimenting with a few physical/chemical mixes)- some people find they’re generally better for sensitive skin, but i think it all depends on what you’re sensitive to. physical sunscreens are often guilty of leaving a white cast on your face. with my pale skin this isn’t an issue, but if it is for you, i recommend a few to try: sofina white protect, biore UV perfect face milk, and clarins UV 40. you can find a few cheaper all-physical sunscreens at the drugstore (neutrogena and eucerin make them), but the thick texture, in my opinion, makes them too much for everyday wear. i end up ordering mine on ebay since the sunscreens i like best are from japan- they are WAY more obsessed with sun protection than we are in the US, so their formulations are amazing, and the products aren’t expensive.

10. if you think your sunscreen is making you break out, don’t give up just yet- consider that you might not be sufficiently removing it. sunscreens are made to withstand a day of sweating at the beach, so they can be pretty tenacious about clinging to your skin. the best way i’ve found to remove them is using an oil.

you can buy a pre-made cleansing oil, like lumene (at the drugstore), shu uemura (causes allergies for me but has a great smell and texture), or fancl (this is what i order online when i want to be fancy). you rub a little bit of the oil mixture onto dry skin, then splash it with water- it’ll emulsify and wash off easily.

or, if you want to keep things simple, you can rub any old oil into your skin to loosen up the sunscreen, then follow it up with your regular face wash. this method, using mineral oil, works best for me, due to my allergy issues. 

so there you have it: my sunscreen obsession. in case it doesn’t go without saying, i’m not a dermatologist, and this information is all apprehended from my doctor or various websites, so feel free to check my facts or add your own info. 

i also want to add that there are days when i don’t wear sunscreen. if my face is covered in an itchy red rash, i’m hesitant to slap on the chemicals, so on those days, i go out in sunglasses and a hat. i’m so thankful to hat attack for this cute floppy number—

thanks to them i can avoid ordering a sun visor for my upcoming trip to florida.

i’m obsessed with sun protection… but not that obsessed.

ann taylor loft jacket (c/o), uniqlo shirt dress, old navy scarf, marni sandals, vintage chanel belt, miu miu tie dye bag, various vintage bracelets, turquoise necklace from etsy, hat attach hat (c/o)

i will try to keep this post quick today (which is hard for me!) as noel and i are scrambling at work right now. i know i said that last week i’d be showing you some other ways that i’ve been wearing my brook & lyn surrounded body necklace- so today i have photos of just one of the ways i’ve been wearing it, and will show one more on friday.

as you can see, this little beauty makes an excellent belt. though my pattern-phobic self was a little unsure about this outfit, i felt the necklace tied together the polka dots and the paisley, and made a nice focal point.

i’ve been feeling bored with my wardrobe lately, so have been digging in the back of the closet, pulling out things i don’t usually favor, and trying to see them in a new way. this blouse and skirt were two such items, and i love them so much more together than apart.

the blouse is from jcrew, and the skirt is diane von furstenberg- two brands which i like, but typically find too preppy for my taste. but when i mixed the patterns, i thought it gave off a sort of dries van noten vibe.

with the addition of some large vintage earrings (from my mom!), and a handful of jewels, i felt safely non-prepster.

to really go all-out with my patterned outfit, i wore these anthropologie sandals. i got them a year or two ago, and don’t wear them often- they have a stacked wood heel, which i am not a fan of. but i’ve been realizing they’re insanely comfortable, so they’ve been getting more wear. and i like the way their pink tone compliments my OPI shrek nail polish.

well, this was… kinda short?? i don’t know why i always write so much- i find it much easier to get a point across by writing than by talking. are the rest of you bloggers the same way? anyway, back to work for me!

brook and lyn surrounded body necklace, jcrew blouse, diane von furstenberg sample skirt, anthropologie sandals, banana republic bracelet, vintage faux-turquoise bracelet, ysl arty ovale ring, vintage rings, vintage earrings, miu miu bag

for awhile i’ve been trying to come up with a piece of clothing that could be worn under a blazer or cardigan, to add some texture and visual interest to an outfit without creating a lot of bulk when tucked in.

inspired by some rejected white tee shirts (shrunken, too see through, etc.) that have been taking up space in my sad fabric supply because i refuse to throw them away, i came up with the idea of making this… bib? vest? (noel wants to call it a ‘dickie’ but i refuse).

it’s the simplest DIY project imaginable, but since my abilities do not extend much beyond the simplest projects, i made some instructions so it would seem more complicated. read on!

here are the main supplies. i took a tee shirt and cut out the back, keeping the neckline in tact, then cut out the sides to the width i wanted. i left the side pieces on the bottom of the shirt in tact too- these will be used to tie the vest around your back when it’s finished.

here’s what was in the big bag o trim. i felt kind sad using it because it was so pretty sitting on my desk in a fluffy pile. i bought some of it at m&j trimming especially for the project, and also mixed in random scraps i had laying around.

so step one is to start at the bottom of the vest/bib/shirt (so that each successive layer will cover the seam of the last) and pin on your first trim. then, sew it in place.

once you have the first layer on, add the second so that it’s covering your seam. i only had one beige colored thread to use on the whole vest, and it didn’t quite match ANY of my trim- that’s why i wanted to keep the seems pretty well covered. note to self: buy some white thread.

so you keep repeating the first two steps until the whole shirt is covered. basically you’re just sewing straight lines until you get to the trim of the neckline. for that, i only covered about half of the neckline- enough to go around the front of my neck, leaving room in the back to be able to tie the tee shirt off. and i made sure to choose a beige trim for the neckline to match my thread, since the seam would be visible.

the last step (if you want) is to snip the neckline of the tee shirt in the back so that it’s two pieces you can tie together. i did this only because my neckline was too stretched out.

SO. this is super duper complicated, i know. you’re probably all out of breath and sweaty at this point, just trying to follow along. a prolific seamstress like myself sometimes has a hard time simplifying her methods for the masses, you know? but if you’ve made it this far, great! because now it’s time to see the finished project.

voila! i’m so happy with it. it fits perfectly under my lovely target blazer, and does not have to be tucked in because you can tie it right above the waistline of whatever you’re wearing. i hatehateHATE when i tuck something into a pencil skirt, and think i’m looking all sleek and professional, only to look in the mirror later and see a lot of rumpled, lumpy business beneath the skirt around my mid-section. i do NOT need more bulk around my stomach, thankyouverymuch.

here’s a closer look at the finished product. for now i’ll be wearing it with blouses, sweaters and jackets, but i think it will also be cute in the summer over a tank top.

oh, and that crochet thing at the top of my skirt is not part of the skirt OR the vest. it’s a table runner that i bought in a junk shop pinned around my waist.

the reason? i nabbed my white skirt from a thrift store back in Ohio- i was excited that it was my favorite clothing color, and fit perfectly, and was $1. so i overlooked the fact that it’s made of 1. linen and 2. silk. UGH. i sit in this thing for 5 minutes and it’s a crinkley mess. so the table runner is meant to detract from the wrinkles. i think it worked pretty well.

diy vest/bib/thing, target blazer, thrifted vintage skirt, jcrew blouse, chloe shoes, miu miu bag