Edition #9: Bring on the Sun
Sunscreens for Melanin-Rich Skin ☼ Wish You Were Here - Revisiting The Diplomat Beach Resort
The Scholl + Issimo Pescura Sandals I wrote about in Edition #3 are finally on sale! And they still have my size. Happy Birthday to me! Fitting since my birthday was yesterday.
Last issue, I asked for Bleisure fashion hacks in the comments. I did not receive any online comments. I did get asked by one of my sisters “What’s Bleisure?”, and one of my colleagues giggled as she pointed out that the dress code clearly states “No flip-flops.”
I had also promised to let you in on what I had packed for this trip in this edition. Unfortunately, due to a forecast of a 60-70% chance of rain over the days of the trip, I decided not to pack any beachwear, apart from one swimsuit. To my surprise, it turned out to be gloriously sunny with temperatures reaching 88+ degrees Fahrenheit each day.
Lamenting about this to a colleague, she said that I’d read the forecast all wrong. That in Florida, a 60-70% chance of rain, means a 60-70% chance of rain for 15 minutes. So now we know!
🛍️ THIS WEEK’S PICKS
For years I did not wear sunscreen to the beach, relying on my built-in SPF 13 melanin. But when I started to notice pre-mature wrinkles in my early 30s, I realized I had to wear it, even though it made me look like the muse for Scream. Oil-based, water-based, it didn’t matter, they all left a ghastly white cast. Tomorrow’s children of color will never know what we went through! Finally, brands have started to look into what melanin-rich people need in sunscreen, and now there are so many choices that I got overwhelmed shopping for one.
I ended up purchasing a tiny (1 oz) bottle of Mele’s No Shade Sunscreen Oil online at Target. I had hoped to review it after my trip. Unfortunately, what arrived was a 5 oz bottle of Mele’s Refresh Toner. So, I ended up using my Aveeno SPF 30 Protect + Hydrate Sunscreen on my trip. It leaves a cast, but it’s less obvious if you cover it with makeup.
🏖️ WISH YOU WERE HERE
Last week, I went to the Diplomat Resort for a Bleisure trip. Three days of business, two days of leisure. It ended up being only one day of leisure because I missed my outbound flight and ended up losing a day.
I could not wait to return to the Diplomat after spending three blissful days there in June of 2021.
