Going to the beach this weekend or anytime soon? Don't forget to bring sun protection that will not only keep your skin protected from the harsh UV Rays, but will keep your skin looking young too!

I have always liked Belo's skin care products. I think they work and they smell really good. Their fragrance don't smell cheap and most importantly, are totally not sticky at all! You know that their products are made for our hot and humid climate!

Belo Sun Expert Sun Protection Line (L-R)

A lot of us women spend so much money on anti-aging products, when the problem is staring us right in the face: the sun. The sun can cause photoaging which is a medical term which refers to a person's aging prematurely secondary to sun exposure. It is characterized by fine lines, crepe-like skin (eeew!), some brownish mottling, and waxy skin that is rough to the touch.

I have long given up on tanning. It's useless with my skin type because just three days after I tan, my skin goes back to being fair. So, might as well embrace the natural color of my skin I was blessed with by keeping it protected from the sun to prevent premature formation of wrinkles, and the appearance of sunspots and freckles.

For the past 4 years, Boracay has been my friends' and family's annual summer destination. In the first 2 of those years, I always came home with a very bad sunburn, and during the 3rd year, I came home looking like lobster. I had to sleep sitting up, naked, and in excruciating pain for almost a week!

I was always afraid that if I applied sunblock, I will not get the tan that I want (to show off that you've been to the beach...) so i would apply a sunblock once a day, and pile on tanning oils like, NO AD's DARK TANNING OIL, or TAN AMPLIFIER, MAUI BABE's BROWNING LOTION, and even BODY SHOP'S BODY OLIVE OIL! I would start the day by applying a thin layer of SPF 30 and I would religiously apply tanning products the whole day, specially after I swim.

In those 3 years of sunburns, my boyfriend would always come home with a nice natural tan even though he wouldn't apply any tanning products. He would just apply SPF 50 the whole day and stayed under the shade. So on the 4th year, I vowed to myself that I would apply SPF and protect myself from sun exposure, and that I won't feel bad if I came home with a not-so obvious, un-burned skin.

A few days before leaving for the beach, I asked my boyfriend to buy a huge tube of VMV's Armada Sunblock SPF 70 when he was shopping for beach stuff. Actually, SPF 30 would do the trick but I wanted to get the maximum protection and more, +more. I wasn't going to go home with a sunburn this year!

This SPF is amazing. I loved how it's not sticky and so very easy to apply. It can be for both the face and body so you do not have to bring a whole lot of bottles with you. I would reapply this each time I would come from the water (water droplets can magnify UV Light so cut your normal swim time to 50%) , and didn't bask in the sun like I would in the past. I would stay under an umbrella the whole day. After 6 days, I came home with a fabulous looking tan without the pain!

The whole point of my post is to let you readers know that I have learned my lesson. I would always post entries about SPF, UV rays and other safe tanning tips, and I would personally ignore most of them. It is only this year that I followed the tips and the steps I would post, and I came home happy and pain free!

Grab a tube of VMV's ARMADA SUNBLOCK SPF 70 today before hitting the beach! I absolutely give it 2 thumbs up!!



PHOTO CREDITS
Photographed by Sabs Hernandez
Model: Cristalle Acosta

Planning a beach trip this summer? It's not just about remembering to put sunblock! Keep in mind these summer essentials for you to bring for your trip! This summer season, certain products really fly off the shelves. It’s called, seasonal demand. Unlike Christmas where almost every product in the market ( since everything can be considered gifts ) are almost sold out, selected items only apply this summer season - the relevant products to protect us from the sun, and at the same time, help us make the most out of the wonderful gorgeous sunny season.

Here are my must-haves for summer to be able to stay beautiful, and impossibly gorgeous, under the sun!
SPF
I don't know how I can stress this out more. Nothing beats SPF. It protects our precious skin from the harmful rays of the sun. It’s totally cool to be tanned, but never cool to get burned. Remember, the ozone layer’s in grave danger right now, and we might want to live longer by staying away from the number one possible cause of skin cancer. Live long, because you’re gorgeous!


COOLING FACE WASH
I’m a huge fan of minty things. With the icky days right now, when all you can feel is your skin sticking just, everywhere, your skin deserves to relax, and feel some freshness, and relief, by a truly cooling facial wash. I never fail to bring this with me when I go on shoots, specially when I know we'll be outdoors. There's nothing more refreshing that washing the dirt, oil, and sweat off your face whenever that cold drink just won't do!
LIP BALM WITH SPF Lip Balm is not only for the cold, use lip balm with SPF to protect your lips from the wind and the sun. Having burned lips is no joke! So keep your lips protected as well :)

CONDITIONERS
The sun does not only damage your skin, but think about what it does to your hair too. When you stay under the sun too long, it dries up your hair and makes it brittle. I love conditioners, specially when I go to the beach. After sucking up all that sun and sea-air, half the beach is practically stuck in my hair! On the way back to the hotel, I apply lots of conditioner on my hair and tie it in a tight bun. I leave it on until I take a shower at night! When I wash it off, my hair is soft and repaired!


STAY AWAY FROM ALCOHOL-BASED TONERS. They will definitely burn your skin, do you want to become a barbeque stick? Tender on the inside (yes, inner skin hurts too ) , but definitely charcoaley-burnt on the outside ( looking this way definitely HURTS TOO! ).
Remember what happens when alcohol reacts with anything really warm? It ignites fire! The same will happen to your skin if you try to do that. I had a bad experience with that during my ignorant years - I was in bora last year, and after swimming, I wanted to get rid of all the dirt from my face from the ocean, so I used an alcohol based toner since I believed alcohol really cleans. Ouch, the effect was horrible. My skin reddened, peeled, and felt awful. So don’t ever do this.
LOTION - Keep your skin hydrated this summer season! Although it feels icky when you apply this in the morning, try to apply it in the evening, to nourish your skin! Since you'll be sleeping with the air conditioner on, apply a load of lotion and wear long pyjamas like I do! This helps keep in the moisture over night.
SPF - Body-SPFs are great , because they help you sport a tan, and protects you from the bad effects of staying long under the sun. But you know what? There are also cool self-tanners out there that you can pull off this really sexy tanned looked without trying too hard to get a tan from the sun. The sun isn’t the only source of beautiful tans, y’know. Science, is just, wonderful. Look for one that won't give you a George Hamilton looking tan!

SUN RELIEF SPRAYS
Soothe your skin with the best products in the market that gives comfort to your burned skin, if damage has been done.

BRONZERS
Get that fabulous glow on the beach, or just walk around like a sun goddess. The bronzer, is the “it” makeup piece this season! Yummy!!