Screen That Sun

Baz Luhrmann, the award-winning director, once said: 'If I could offer you only one (beauty) tip for the future, sunscreen would be it!' Not enough emphasis can be laid on the importance of sunscreen in your skin regime. For starters, don't step out of your house without sun protection - whether or not the sun is out in its full glory. Even on a cloudy day, you stand the risk of sunburn from the UVA and UVB rays, and once it happens, it takes an average of four years to undo it! Remember, a regular summer cotton dress gives you less than SPF 10 protection from the sun. So, to re-emphasise - there is no substitute for sun protection. Love yourself, love your sunscreen. Fact file 1: Sunblock and sunscreen are different. Sunblock sits on your skin, literally "blocking" the sun rays from reaching your skin. You don't need to apply it 20-30 minutes before stepping out of your house. Which you need to do in case of sunscreens, as they need to be absorbed into your skin to form a protective layer from within. Fact file 2: Makeup is never 100 percent water-proof. If it says "waterproof", it is going to resist being washed away by water, sweat and body oils for a while, but in time, it will go. Re-apply your sunscreen, water-proof or not, every 2-3 hours, specially when you are outdoors. Fact file 3: Mumbai-based cosmetologist Dr Rohini Wadhwani, a visiting expert at the recent Lakmé Good Housekeeping Weekend in Delhi, says, 'During the day, do not wear a lot of makeup as it gets difficult to re-apply the sunscreen. 'Keep makeup minimal, and try to buy cosmetics with SPF - this helps to increase the protection from the sun.' Fact file 4: Avoid the sun from 11am to 4pm. 5Include after-sun products in your beauty regime.

The Dark Side Of Fairness

Adding to the storm of debate around the issue of fairness creams, undertones of racism and an obsession that spans the globe, two recent incidents have stoked the fires again. An ad by a global brand in personal care, owned by Unilever, has sparked debate on whether the brand is implying that darker skin is less desirable. And Naomi Campbell's outrage at being compared to a chocolate bar has led to talk of Cadbury's Bliss ad campaign being racist. While Jake believes it stems from the psychology of Gori, another user believes it is the ads that define for society, what beauty means. In lighter vein, one user disagrees - fairness creams try to kick away racism just by making everyone fair. Something to think about? Some great contributions tracing racism and prejudice back to society, family, slave-trade and colonialism.