I'm all about makeup and beauty products -- I never got over the thrill of playing dress-up! -- but my absolute number one summer beauty secret doesn't have anything to do with an amazing lipstick, super chic nail polish, or even an incredible wrinkle-disappearing magic potion in a bottle. (Actually if you find the latter, can you let me know?!)
So what is it, then, you ask?
A big hat!
Oh no -- are you disappointed?! Wait, wait, now before you start scoffing, hear me out. I spend a lot of time at the town pool and at the beach in the summer. As much as I possibly can, in fact, because I consider it the big payoff for suffering through the wretchedly long, horrible, awful, no-good East Coast winters. I love, love, LOVE to sit in the sun and just SOAK IT UP ... bliss! But, of course, though it feels so good, it's so bad, both health- and beauty-wise. Sun exposure causes skin cancer, plain and simple. And if that's not scary enough, it causes ... dun dun dun ... wrinkles. (Ahhhhhhhh!)
Sunscreen is a must, but cute hats are so great -- not just because they provide lots of extra protection and hide your crazy pool hair, but because they look fab! You look so much more put together in a glam, floppy hat. I cannot tell you how many compliments I have gotten over the past few summers about my hats. These remarks always actually kind of surprise me, because I think of my hat more as a functional, rather than a fashion, choice. But just the other day, for my first venture to the pool this season (to help supervise a town-wide Girl Scout pool party -- now that's an adventure!), I busted out one of my sun hats. Nothing fancy, just plopped it on my head on the way out the door, laden as I was with about 800 pounds of sliced watermelon.
I got so many comments! Most of them along the lines of: "I love your hat!" "Cute hat!" "You look so great in your hat!" And one person who said I looked "fancy" which I thought was pretty funny, but what the heck, I'll take it. ARE YOU CONVINCED YET?
A great, floppy sun hat can be had for not a lot of money. I get them at places like TJ Maxx and Kohls; in fact I own the exact Apt 9 "Pyramid" Packable floppy hat shown here, which is on sale right now for $22.88 at Kohls. Give my "secret" a try: you'll look great and your skin will thank you for it.
Do you wear hats at the pool?