It's almost July and I'm still white as a ghost. And you know what? I'm actually fine with it. When I was younger, I got tanned very easily. So much so, I sometimes looked like a person of colour. Partially because I didn't yet live in England, where summer doesn't necessarily equal lots of sun, as I have learned, and partially because applying sunscreen on a daily basis wasn't my thing. When you're 13 years old, skin damage is the last thing on your mind, unfortunately, but now I know better. 

I don't remember the last time I got a proper tan and it's not something I even wish for anymore. I am white and I embrace it. But the problem is that most pale-skinned women don't. Bronzed skin has been considered a summer must-have since before I was born, and I can't not notice that the media is constantly persuading women into getting a tan under any circumstances, just to get 'beach body ready'. By the way, that phrase alone makes me want to vomit.

Last year, I witnessed a craze going on back in my home country about this product called Marmelada. It's a product you're supposed to apply before you go sunbathing, and supposedly, it helps you get an intense tan very quickly. It doesn't contain any SPF, and it's not a self-tanning product. The fact that such a product even exists is a bit worrying to me, as it promotes unsafe exposure to the sun, but what is even more worrying is the fact that the product got so popular it was constantly sold out. You can only imagine how many women went for it and sacrificed their health for a summer tan!

It's very obvious to me that a great deal of Slovenian women are not informed enough about the dangers of sun exposure or simply ignore the scary facts, which is even sadder. There's another summer ahead of us, and if you've recognized yourself in the sentences I wrote above, I truly hope you'll reconsider your actions and protect your skin this year. Please do wear SPF. Sunscreens these days are not what they used to be. You know, those white, thick, almost impossible to spread consistencies that never quite sinked in? These days they are actually quite lovely. If you need some guidance, I personally use SPF30 Anthelios XL Comfort Nutritive Oil for my body and Anthelios SPF50+ XL Fluid for my face. Both are from La Roche-Posay, my favourite skincare brand.

Please ignore everyone who says that you NEED to be tanned to look 'healthy'. It's bullshit. Do you want to know what's truly healthy? Cancer-free skin. That's what's healthy. And besides, who decided pale skin can't be beautiful? It is, just like any other, so embrace it or at least use one of those fabulous products that help you fake the tan while still keeping you safe. There's plenty out there, from self-tanners and bronzers to dry oils with golden shimmer. Use them all if you want to, but do apply sunscreen before you go out in any case, okay? And please don't use that stupid marmelade. 

Take women of London as an example. There's a lot of us pale girls over here. Most are even paler than me thanks to their British genes, but from what I've seen, they are pretty aware of the dangers of the sun, being more prone to getting sunburns. I don't really see them baking in the sun. They seem to be happy to either slather on sunscreen and embrace their paleness or reach after self-tanners, which are flying off the shelves here in the UK. Despite not being a fan of them myself (I'm just too lazy to use them), they are without a doubt a much better alternative. 

To continue the debate, I would love to hear what your sunbathing habits are and which products you use to keep your skin protected and/or tanned.

P.S.  This post is a part of the collab I did with my fellow (pale) Slovenian bloggers, so make sure to check out their posts as well. We decided to join forces to help raise awareness of the dangers of the sun and hopefully convince you to start using sun protection if you aren't yet. Here's what they have to say on the topic...

Ana (Šoštanj) from Mad About Red: ''Tanned skin may look healthier to some people, but it actually isn't, it's damaged. The fact that your skin even gets a tan is the reaction of your body's defence mechanism.'' - Read her full post over here.

Karina (Kranj) from Karinartistic: ''You shouldn't have to say things like 'My legs are so pasty. I'm in need of a tan ASAP.' every time summer comes along, and instead embrace your healthy skin as it is.'' - Read her full post over here.

Mateja (Novo Mesto) from Mateja's Beauty Blog: ''Although I cannot speak on behalf of everyone, where I live, in Dolenjska, sun protection is seen as something you wear on the beach or at the pool and not every day, but whether people sun bathe or not, it depends on the person.'' - Read her full post over here.

Nika (Ljubljana) from Beautyfullblog: ''Due to the fine lines and hyperpigmentation I get by the end of the summer, I learned the healthy shade of skin is the shade of skin I was born with. Every tan I get is only a fastpast to premature ageing.'' - Read her full post over here.

Tamara (Koper) from Cherry Colors: ''Growing up at the seaside wasn't always easy. Thanks to my pale skin, I was constantly called names or got told I would look much better with a tan.'' - Read her full post over here.

You can find even more thoughts on sunbathing and product recommendations over here. If you're a blogger youself, I invite you to join in on the discussion, write your own post and link it up. :)

It seems ages since I last wrote a beauty review, so let's hope I still know how to do it, because today, I'll be introducing you to my loyal beach companion - La Roche-Posay Nutritive Oil. If you haven't figured it out yet, it's a sunblock with SPF 30 in an oil form. The oil is transparent, dries rather quickly, smells divine and gives a nice shine to your arms and legs. It comes out through a pump, not a spray, and is very easy to distribute. I love how my skin feels moisturizied and silky smooth after I use this product. It's just perfect for my dry skin! On the official website, it says that it is for the face and body, but I personally wouldn't put it anywhere near my face, as it's a little bit greasy. I prefer the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Fluid (review here) for that. Who else is obsessed with recent La Roche-Posay additions? I think it's now safe to say that La Roche-Posay is my favourite skincare brand. Not one product of theirs I've tried so far has disappointed me. 

In the light of the Melanoma Awareness Week that is currently going on in my country (more information about it here), I'll be talking about sunscreen today. I have to admit, I didn't always do the best job at protecting my skin from the sun. When I was younger, my skin turned very dark every summer and never got sunburnt, so sunscreen was the least of my worries. As I got older, though, my skin became more prone to burning, and sunscreen and I have taken our relationship to the next level. During the summer, I'm wearing it everywhere, all the time, but during the colder months, when my skin rarely sees daylight, I tend to leave it have its winter rest until our Val Thorens spring break skiing trip. This is when the sunscreen becomes my best friend. If you don't have it by your side 24/7, on the altitude ranging from 2300 to 3200 meters while you're having fun on the snow, you're basically screwed. You wouldn't believe what the combination of sun and snow can do to your face on such a high altitude. I see people walking around with literally burnt faces every single year. And I'm not even talking about the horrendous lobster effect. They look even worse! So, the moral of the story is, wear sunscreen! 

The one that I've been wearing this year is La Roche-Posay's Anthelios XL Ultra-light Fluid sunscreen with SPF50+ that arrived in my mailbox just in time for my trip to France. I can definitely say this is the best face sunscreen I've used so far. Not only did my skin stay free of burns, but the product also felt very comfortable to wear. The cream is very liquidy, so it is very easy to apply, sinks in fast, and the best thing about it is that it doesn't leave a white residue or a tacky feeling, which makes it perfect to wear under makeup. Nobody can tell you're wearing sunscreen! It is also water resistant and suitable for sensitive skin, because it contains soothing thermal water, and is free of perfume and parabens. As it doesn't contain perfume, the scent is quite weird, I have to admit. I don't know how to describe it, but it doesn't smell pleasant to me. Having said that, I wouldn't say it smells particularly bad either, so it's not something I can't live with. And now lastly, the packaging. I love it! It doesn't come in a tube but in a small-ish plastic container with a lid that doesn't leak out any product. It is certainly very handy, about the size of my hand (no pun intended). I could easily fit it into my ski jacket pocket. Bingo! As you can tell, I'm head over heels with this face cream and I would definitely recommend you to get one for yourself. I can certainly see a repurchase on the horizon...

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