One of my best friends during adolescence was a Swedish guy who听had a tanning addiction. He was traumatized by the dark Nordic winters of his childhood and would overcompensate by doing all the things that听dermatologists tell听you not to do.听He actively avoided the shade. Sometimes, when riding in the backseat of a car, he would roll down the window, close his eyes, and angle his face into the light like a turtle, risking decapitation for a quick blast of UV exposure. I must have been impressed by his dedication, because, alas, I also picked up some of his tanning听enthusiasm. I鈥檝e always hated sunscreen听and was willing to let my friend convince me that the stuff was secretly bad for me. But while he had the advantage of a swarthy complexion, I鈥檓 at the mercy of my Irish genes. When we鈥檇 hit the town after a day of languid roasting, we鈥檇 roll up as Charles Bronson and Lobsterman.
Two decades later, I鈥檓 pleased to say that I鈥檝e outgrown such folly. These days, I鈥檓 fairly good about lathering up when听outside for an extended period of time. I guess the skincare die hards听have finally gotten to me with their about how excessive sunlight can damage my hide in ways that are undetectable early on but will come back to haunt me later in life. Or maybe it鈥檚 just that I鈥檓 more aware of听the fact that, despite what the skeptics say, sunscreen is a valuable form of melanoma prevention. And after听recently discovering听, I now听hate wearing it听a little bit less.
The big selling point with , which was launched in New Zealand in 2010, is that you do not need very much of it.听The product is, in essence, sunblock in concentrated form: the company claims that a mere 鈥減ea-sized blob鈥 is sufficient to protect your face, neck, and ears. (I usually go with a marble-sized dollop; after my misspent youth,听I鈥檓 hedging my bets.) Unlike your traditional SPF lotions, which tend to be white and runny, Skinnies has a firmer, paste-like consistency and goes on clear. Most of the time, I鈥檒l have a few days鈥 worth of beard stubble, which acts like Velcro听when I鈥檓 trying to schmear on regular sunblock. Part of my longstanding antipathy towards the stuff comes from the fact that, even after several minutes of diligently massaging it into my face, I鈥檒l still have white streaks. Skinnies is virtually invisible.听In addition to its discreet application, it dries very quickly, so you don鈥檛 have to spend half an hour languishing in the shade while your friends prance around in their vitamin A-infused ecstasy.
Skinnies comes in an 听(water-resistant for up to 40 minutes), as well as an (reef safe, water-resistant for up to four hours).听It鈥檚 on the pricier side:听the SPF 30 version retails for $32 for 3.4 ounces, while the same size tube of the SPF 50 product goes for $49.95. That might seem exorbitant, but because you really only need a tiny amount, those 3.4 ounces can go a long way.听While it can obviously be used for full-body protection, I would recommend saving Skinnies for your face and neck and bringing an additional (cheaper) product along when hitting up your local nude beach.
(I also wouldn鈥檛 get too hung up on the labeling. I know it sounds radical, but you actually don鈥檛 need the sport-edition sunscreen to do sports. I鈥檝e used the SPF 30 version for several sweaty outdoor workouts and haven鈥檛 had any issues with stinging eyes or accidental burning.)
In case you鈥檙e wondering, my Scandinavian friend was eventually cured of his habit after another sun-worshipping zealot gave him a salve that was supposed to accelerate the tanning process, but which ended up temporarily turning him into a raisin. Thanks to听Skinnies, I hope I can avoid a similar fate.