Sunscreen--How Much Do You Know?

With the hot weather comes thoughts of sunscreen. Worried about wrinkles (aargh) and the big C, many of us use it year round. Because my desk borders on a huge window, I make sure it is a makeup staple. Here is the Sunscreen Guide published by the Environmental Working Group.

This year's guide rates over 1,800 sunscreens (for both adults and kids), lip balms, and moisturizers and cosmetics with SPF. The leading cause of skin cancer is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and, according to the National Cancer Institute, over one million people are diagnosed a year.



Often people grab whatever sunscreen is labeled with the highest SPF and assume it's the best. The EWG guide warns shoppers that choosing a safe product isn't just about the numbers. Their research spotlights potential health hazards:

Dangerous ingredients. Retinyl palmitate (Vitamin A) may cause tumors and lesions to develop more quickly when skin is exposed to the sun. Nneka Leiba, Senior Research Analyst and the guide's lead author, tells Shine, "The FDA and National Toxicology both say it may heighten risk of skin damage and cancer." Oxybenzone is linked to hormone disruption and can cause allergic reactions. EWG recommends choosing products with one of these ingredients instead: zinc, titanium dioxide, avobenzone, or Mexoryl S.

Sprays or powders. These formulations can fill the air with tiny particles that EWG says are dangerous to inhale. They can cause lung inflammation and may be carcinogenic.

SPF values above 50+. The FDA says these labels are misleading and may encourage people to stay out in the sun for too long. Since SPF is based only on UVB protection (which prevents sunburn but does not guard against premature aging and deeper tissue damage), users of super high SPF products often have a false sense of security.

EWG's list of worst sunscreens

The EWG recommends avoiding these sunscreens because they are spays or powders, have SPF values above 50+, and contain retinyl palmitate and/or oxybenzone.

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock, SPF 70

Banana Boat Sport Performance Active MAX Protect Continuous Spray Sunscreen, SPF 110

Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock Spray Active, SPF 70

Wegmans Sheer Sunscreen Body Mist, SPF 55

Rite Aid Extreme Sport Continuous Spray, SPF 70+

CVS Sheer Mist Sunscreen, SPF 70

Walgreens Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Spray, SPF 70

Coppertone Sport Clear Continuous Spray Sunscreen, SPF 90

Best affordable sunscreens

Based on its analysis of over 800 beach and sport sunscreens, the EWG provided Yahoo! Shine with its 15 most affordable, recommended products:

Coppertone Kids Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50

BabyGanics Cover Up Baby Sunscreen for Face & Body, Fragrance Free, SPF 50+

Sunbow Dora the Explorer Sunscreen, Pink, SPF 30

Purple Prairie Botanicals SunStuff Mineral Lotion, SPF 30

Nature's Gate Aqua Block Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50

Solbar Shield Sunscreen, SPF 40

Caribbean Solutions Sol Kid Kare Biodegradable Sunscreen, SPF 25

Tropical Sands Broad Spectrum Sunscreen, SPF 30

KidsUV Natural Sunscreen, Blue, SPF 30

Color Me Pink Baby UV/ Kids UV 100% Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30

Alba Botanica Natural Very Emollient Sunblock, Kids Mineral Protection, SPF 30

Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, Face, SPF 30+

Healing-Scents Live Long Mineral-Based Sunscreen, SPF 25

Hara Body Care Hara Sport Sunscreen, SPF 30

Vanicream Sport Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 35

All of the above meet the following criteria:

• Good, stable sun protection

• Fewest ingredients with toxicity concerns. Do not contain the worst offenders: retinyl palmitate and oxybenzone.

• No sprays or powders

• No SPF values above 50+

Applying sunscreen correctly

It is important to be aware that sunscreen isn't going provide you with proper protection if you don't apply it correctly, and only about one in five people actually do so on a daily basis.

"Adults need to apply a palmful [an ounce] of sunscreen every two hours," Leiba tells Shine. "Don't slather it on once and stay out all day." Leiba also recommends that you avoid the sun completely from 10AM to 2PM and use a hat, clothing, and sunglasses as your primary protection.

shine.yahoo.com

Friday, June 1st Free Donut Day

Buy any size beverage at Dunkin Donuts June lst and get a free donut!!

Happy Memorial Day

Check out all the deals from the comfort of your home!!

Shop It To Me and ABC New share some of the best deals for the weekend!! Enjoy :)

Ann Taylor

Extra 40 percent off women's clothing styles during Ann Taylor's Summer Kick-off Sale. Ends Monday.

Bloomingdale's

Take an extra 20 percent off select sale and clearance items with code SALE20 online at department store Bloomingdale's Big Brown Bag Sale. Exclusions apply, see site for details. Ends Monday.

Club Monaco

Free shipping over $175 on all online orders for men and women. Ends Tuesday.

Dealery.com

Deals site Dealery.com features Memorial Day weekend deals, including $59 for four pounds of large shrimp, including taxes and shipping from Nature's Prime Organics, normally $145. The site also features a $25 deal for two AMC movie tickets plus a $50 Restaurant.com gift card, a $50 value.

Endless by Amazon

Get up to 50 percent off select styles, including Frye, Sperry Top-Sider, Seychelles and other brands at Endless, Amazon's independent shoes and accessories online store which launched in 2007. Ends Monday.

Gap

Shop the Memorial Day Sale at Gap.com and save up to 40 percent off select styles. Ends Monday.

Histoire.com

Get 30 percent off and free shipping with code WEEKEND at Histoire, an online retailer of socially conscious goods, which means "story" in French. Sale items include hand-woven Linen Square Pillows for 65 percent off, an antique glass candle stick for $9.80 and a T-light holder for $6.30. Ends Tuesday.

Home Depot

Home improvement retailer, Home Depot, launched its Memorial Day weekend sale on Thursday. Its national advertisement features sales on everything from paint ($5 off a gallon and $20 off five gallons), barbecue grills ($199 for a $399 Nexgrill gas grill), briquettes ($5.88 for Kingsford 2-pack ), drill kits ($99 Ryobi One+ Lithium-Ion) and more.

JCPenney

Retailer JCPenney begins offering its best prices on the first and third Friday each month until they are sold out. Its best-priced items offered on Friday include $17 dresses, normally $35 to $40, and $12 for men's Arizona jeans. JCPenney.com offers free shipping over $50 and free shipping to stores with no minimum. Code: JCPSHIP.

J.Crew

Get an extra 30 percent off spring sale items with code LOVEIT at JCrew.com for men, women and children. Ends Monday.

LOFT (Ann Taylor)

Ann Taylor's LOFT is featuring an "Everything under the sun $29 and under" event for women. Ends Monday.

Lucky

Lucky brand is offering an extra 30 percent off sale jeans, no code needed. Ends Monday.

Macy's

Retailer Macy's is offering buy one get one free pillows, dresses for 25 to 50 percent off, men's suits for 50 percent off and more. Online shoppers can use MEMDAY for further discounts. Macy's Memorial Day sale kicked off Thursday and ends Monday in store and online.

Madewell

Get an extra 20 percent off sale, plus free shipping on all orders with code WEEKENDER. Some exclusions apply. Ends Monday.

Maidenform

Get 25 percent off site wide at the women's intimates retailer's online store. Discount applied at checkout. Ends Monday.

Nordstrom

Nordstrom's biggest sale of the season, its Half-Yearly Sale for women and kids, is online and in stores. Ends Sunday.

Ralph Lauren

Enjoy 25 percent off select men's & women's styles, plus free shipping with code MAYFS12. Ends Tuesday.

Rugby by Ralph Lauren

Get 25 percent off polos, shorts and swimwear, plus an extra 25 percent off already-reduced styles, no code needed. Ends Tuesday.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Receive $50 off your $250 sunglasses purchase with code SUN2012 (valid for all women's sunglasses). Ends Saturday.

Steve Madden

Spend $75 and get 20 percent off with code STOCK20. Spend $100 and get 25 percent off with code STOCK25. Ends Tuesday.

Target

The Shops at Target includes five design partnerships for men, women and girls which launched May 6. The collections aren't having Memorial Day sales but shoppers can snag deals like on the clothing boutique collection by The Webster. Actress Jessica Alba's daughter, Honor, was spotted on Thursday wearing The Webster at Target girl's tie smocked dress in palm print which is $16.99.

Fun Friday--Blog to Book

What a cool idea. Use your blog to write, get feedback and then turn it into a book.

Blog2Print from SharedBook turns your blog into a soft cover or hard cover book. You pick the cover, add an optional dedication, then preview and you're done. Prices start at $14.95

Check out 6 successful authors!!!

Feeling Lucky Thursday

Win a $250 shopping spree--check out Beso.com



Play for your chance to win a trip for two
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Whether you're a seasoned traveler or an agent on the run, you know how important it is to pack appropriately for any destination. Show us your packing skills, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a trip to attend the U.S. Premiere of The Bourne Legacy or a bag packed with travel essentials, including a $500 American Airlines Gift Card. After you register,
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Perfect At Any Age??--Tattoos for the Over 50 Set

I have a friend whose style I always admire, so I was fascinated one day when she visited and said she had been thinking of having a tattoo for many years and finally took the plunge. It definitely completes her style and was done with a sense of taste and charm. What do you think? Comment with your thoughts!!


For those of you toying with the idea here are some things to consider from http://www.vibrantnation.com/




Avoid fly-by-night tattoo operations.
Jancee Dunn Jancee: I didn’t want my mother to get a tattoo at some fly-by-night, unsafe place, of which there are many. I had also seen some very crude designs out there, and I was afraid of what she might end up with. If you’re concerned about safety, consider mall-based tattoo parlors. There’s one called Tattoo Nation. It’s in a mall in New Jersey, and it’s for people who are a bit older and don’t necessarily want to go to, say, Avenue D in New York City.

Do your homework.
Jancee Dunn Jancee: I highly recommend spending as many hours as you’re able on researching the right tattoo artist. Or, if you’re fortunate enough to have someone you trust, let her do your due diligence for you. My mother really put herself in my hands. I made calls to tattoo artists throughout the city and found the best one–but he happened to charge thousands of dollars and had a six-month waiting list. My mom didn’t want to be on a waiting list, so I kept looking. I searched the Internet for days and eventually found Chris.

Interview the tattoo artist beforehand.
Judy Dunn Judy: Even though Jancee had scoured the Internet for days to find the best possible tattoo artist, it was still important to meet Chris personally and make sure that he that we were comfortable with him. In fact, Chris himself insisted that we do an interview with him before he would do my tattoo. When I asked why, Chris said, “I just want to be sure that this is really what you want to do, because having it removed is quite a job. I just want to be sure you know what you’re doing.” I thought that was very clever.

My husband and I both went in for the interview. Chris had quite a number of tattoos, but they were all well done, and Chris himself was charming and kind. We loved him, and he did a really great job on my tattoo.

Review the tattoo artist’s portfolio.
Judy Dunn Judy: When interviewing a prospective tattoo artist, have him show you a number of things that he’s done. You really have to know who you’re dealing with, and this will give you a better sense of that, and a better sense of what his work is like.
Personalize your design.
Judy Dunn Judy: A tattoo artist can provide you with a catalog of designs to choose from, but I researched my own. I went on the Internet, found a number of flying raven images I liked, and printed them out. Then Chris and I both picked one together. When I came in for the actual tattoo, Chris had done the drawing, and it was perfect. It was just perfect.
Be prepared to wait to discover your tattoo’s symbolic meaning.
Judy Dunn Judy: I knew a raven was the right tattoo for me, but I admitted to Chris that I didn’t really know why that image called to me. Chris said he thought that, at some point, I would start to find meaning in it. Jancee thinks it was a really good observation and very profound, to think that my tattoo’s meaning may come to me later.

Do you have a tattoo? Share your own tips

Feeling Lucky? Happy Mother's Day Ladies

Enter to win a hand picked accessory from The Budget Babe and Starbucks.
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Or leave a comment and your email to enter to win this crinkly hot pink scarf for
Mother's Day.

Here are some other Freebies for Mom on Mother's Day!
1. Take Mom for breakfast at McDonald’s: Participating McDonald’s restaurants will be offering a free Breakfast Extra Value Meal for Moms on Mother’s Day Make sure the McDonald’s in your area is participating by giving them a call ahead of time
2. Get a full plate at IKEA Restaurants: IKEA is inviting Momsfor a free breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and a cup of coffee—good until 11a, one per family.
3. Go out for yogurt at TCBY: Again, participating locations only, so check in your local area, but those locations that do participate will be giving Mom a free 5-oz. serving of The Country’s Best Yogurt.
4. Get a free cookbook at Ruby Tuesday: Well, no free food at Ruby Tuesday's, but they will give Mom a free Ruby Tuesday Simply Fresh cookbook if you bring her by on Mother’s Day.
5. Send Mom a card and a movie: Redbox is offering a free card and movie promo code for “everyone who is a mom or has a mom.” Just check out their Facebook page for details.
6. Free Bath & Body Works goodies: Send a Mother’s Day card through the Bath & Body Works Facebook page, and not only will she get a free travel size Signature Collection item, you’ll get one, too, for participating.
7. It’s National Public Gardens Day!: Well, okay, actually you’ll have to take Mom to this one on Friday, May 11, but it’s still a great one. Sign up on the Better Homes and Gardens website to get free admission to a garden near you.
8. Beardsley Zoo, Bridgeport, Ct. Free Admission for Mom's at Beardsley Zoo
When: Sunday, May 13th
9. Mom’s Ride Free Mom's Ride Free at Danbury Railway Museum
Danbury Railway Museum, Danbury, CT
When: Sunday, May 13th
10. Not Free but Fun: Strawberry Bliss!
Where: Haight-Brown Vineyard, Litchfield, CT
When: Sunday, May 13th, 11am