Beauty And The Blog: STILA SUMMER GIVEAWAY! Over $400 worth of product.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

STILA SUMMER GIVEAWAY! Over $400 worth of product.

When the rain finally stopped here in New York, I had a sudden sunstruck flashback! About 12 years ago, my BFF (I won’t name any names, you know who you are!) and I were on a beachy vacation in Miami, Florida, celebrating her graduating college. Once we hit the sand, my friend decided to go sans sunblock to speed up her tanning process. Although I was young and did love the look of tanned skin, I knew my pale complexion needed to be protected. The result? My BFF got a major burn. Sadly, the humiliation didn’t end there. As we walked along the strip, random people barked comments at her like: “Hey, Red Lobster” and “Mrs. Tomato Head”. Poor girl! Not only did she wind up getting a fever that night and couldn’t party, but unwanted sun spots also showed up just weeks later.

When the girls at Stila heard that story, they said, “You must share this story with your readers, and warn them of sun damage. We can give away a bunch of sun protecting products and save someone else’s BFF—before it’s too late!” Thank you, Stila, for coming to the rescue with a summer protection basket filled with over $400 of Stila products.

How can you win? Share your most horrifying sun mishap (not that we wish this on anyone) from your past, and let us know why you should score this basket full of beauty booty.

Don’t forget to include your e-mail address.

Basket includes:
Stila Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, $34
Stila Sheer Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 Oil Free, $36
Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, $32
Stila Bronzing Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15, $32
Stila Illuminating Powder Foundation, $28
Stila Stila Sun SPF 15 Bronzing Powder, $26
Stila Lip Glaze, $22 (in 5 shades)
Stila SPF 20 Shine Lip Color, $22 each (in 5 shades)

206 comments:

«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 206 Newer› Newest»

Kaity said...: Once I was at a friend's party at her lake house. I did my own sunscreen (even the back) although apparently I didn't do a very good job. I'm usually a sun protection freak, almost irrationally afraid of getting sun damage, but it seemed I missed a patch on my back. Later in the day when my back started to hurt, I realized that I had indeed been burned there and no where else. While my whole body was it's usual nice pale color, my back was bright red. The best part? I had a huge white handprint in the middle of my red back where I thought I had put my sunscreened hand. Luckily I was just with the girls but it was still kind of embarrassing! I had to cover my back until the burn faded haha! I would love to play with the Stila stuff to punch up my summer look without unfortunate tan lines and skin damage :D

sisteroflilly@sbcglobal.net; July 2, 2009 11:08 AM
Laurie said...: Sadly, I have a story. When I was a freshman in college, the ripe age of 18, I went to LA with some girlfriends. During our trip we went to Big Bear to go snowboarding. Stupidly, I didn't put on sunscreen and the sun hit me from the snow and the sky. My face was red and crispy but my nose bore the brunt - blisters and everything. I'm now 27 and to this day all I have to do is stand in front a light bulb and my noise turns bright red! I live and die by my SPF now. The higher the better, especially for my poor nose.

I would love to win this Stila prize - I am a HUGE fan of Stila and would give these products a warm and loving home:)

(email: lleopold07@yahoo.com); July 2, 2009 11:09 AM
Nessa said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 2, 2009 11:11 AM
Nessa said...: went to the Indiana Dunes in like 8th grade, I think, with a friend's family. I really wanted to get a nice tan so I used probably an SPF 15 and didn't reapply all day. My chest got so burnt I swear even a year later I was slothing off dead skin in the shower!

contestandsuch@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:14 AM
Lara said...: Most definitely the time I was on a cruise with my best girlfriends our senior year in college and I got SUN POISONING in the Dominican Republic. I spent a day in the ship infirmary whilst they enjoyed icy cocktails on the Ledo deck. Tragic!; July 2, 2009 11:16 AM
A-Diddy said...: I went to college in MN, and after my first winter (I had never seen snow until then!), I was so excited to finally see some sun. The first warm day, everyone was out on the quad soaking up the sun! Since I have rather brown skin, I figured that my skin could use all the sun it could get, and skipped out on the sunscreen. I have never EVER been burned in my life, and I guess all it took was 4 months of no sunlight and then 3 hours of sitting in the sun. I even had a terrible sunglasses tan! It was awful!; July 2, 2009 11:32 AM
Nina said...: I remember this one time we went to a water park and of course we brought along some sunscreen and applied it generously. But after a whole afternoon under the scorching sun we ended up like peeling lobsters! We were at fault because we didn't reapply the sunscreen even though its SPF value was fairly high. We had to buy some aloe vera gel to soothe the burn and we still had to endure a few days of pain and peeling. I'd love to win this amazing Stila gift pack because most of it has SPF and honestly I don't wear enough of it for my own good!

irina.sagarbarria at gmail dot com; July 2, 2009 11:38 AM
Freeze said...: A few years ago, I fell asleep on the beach lying on my front. I'm a true English rose and usually have to wear factor 50 but I mistakenly wore a factor 20 on this occasion. When I woke up, I couldn't move my legs or my shoulders without crying out in pain. My cousin ended up having to half-carry me back to her house because I could barely move myself! But the worst part was still to come.. after a week or so, the skin started to peel, but it wasn't just normal sunburn peel, it was CRACKING off in big lumps from my shoulders and the backs of my legs, like a lizard's scales. It was absolutely horrific and I still have a few scars over my shoulders. :( At least I've learnt my lesson!

I'd love to win the Stila prize 'cause I'm a UK girl and I haven't found anywhere that actually sells Stila but I've been drying to try it! Hopefully this giveaway is open to UK residents, anyway!

whatever.sweetheart@live.co.uk; July 2, 2009 11:40 AM
martha said...: Went to the Indy 500 a few years ago.....I guess I put sunscreen on my face/arms but forgot my lips. I ended up with puffy/sunburned/painful lips that seriously looked like Angelina Jolie's! People commented that they looked good and I didn't even have to get surgery or lip-pumping products....but it was still not a good experience! Now I always make sure to put sunscreen on my lips too!

MarthaRB@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:49 AM
Amanda said...: I went on a cruise with my BFF and only brought SPF 8 tanning oil thinking it was enough to protect my pale, freckly skin. A couple hours in the hot Caribbean sun and I was a full-on lobster! But for some reason my neck didn't get any color...I guess because of the way I was laying. So, instead of lobster, I was nicknamed Candy Cane for the rest of the trip. The blistering and peeling was so bad! I have used SPF 50 (waterproof!) from then on and don't care that my girlfriends make fun of me.; July 2, 2009 11:50 AM
Mer said...: I fell asleep in the sun once w/ out lotion on...and had horrible burn marks when I had to attend a wedding the next day in a strapless dress!

I would LOVE to win some NEW products to try out this summer to make it look like I have been out in the sun with out trying!

meredith.targarona@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:51 AM
nonabloch said...: The worst was the summer I worked as a camp counselor. My legs got so much sun that at the end of the summer, I had white spots on my legs. Like freckles but no color! It was freaky!; July 2, 2009 11:51 AM
katy ryan said...: My mom took my brother and I on a vacation to Florida when I was 10. She designated one day at Cocoa Beach, and despite slathering up with sunscreen, I left with a horrible sunburn on my back. We were scheduled to fly home the next day, and I was incredibly uncomfortable in my T-shirt. My mom applied aloe vera over the burned area, and without thinking, I slipped my T-shirt on soon after. Once we arrived at the airport, I stopped in the bathroom and discovered my T-shirt was stuck to the burned skin on my back. I peeled it off, inch by inch, crying the whole time. Sadly, that's one of my most poignant memories of a vacation that included Disney World, Epcot, MGM and the whole Orlando she-bang. Perhaps winning the Stila gift basket will help the pain of that horrible memory fade away :)

katyaryan@gmail.com

Happy Fourth of July weekend!; July 2, 2009 11:51 AM
Kristen said...: When I was 14, I was on some acne meds that made my already sensitive skin really super sensitive to the sun. I was told to always have lots of sun protection on but I decided to ignore that advice, and spent my vacation in San Diego at the beach, sans any kind of sun screen-oh did I pay for that! I was burned so bad, I still have a little discoloration on my nose from it, and that was 13 years ago!

It’s really crazy how much the sun can damage your skin. Now, I wear an spf everyday and use bronzers to get that sun-kissed glow.; July 2, 2009 11:51 AM
LaDonna said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 2, 2009 11:52 AM
AshLaf said...: Right before graduation we took a class trip to Six Flags. I made sure I kept plenty of sunscreen on the entire day. I thought I was doing so well taking care of my skin! The only problem was I didn't put any on my hands, I mean who does that? My hands got extremely sunburnt and even blistered. At graduation, when handed my diploma they tried to shake my hand and I immediately backed away and shook my head while saying please don't shake my hand. The president saw my poor lobster hands and asked for a high five instead. It was embarassing and completely awesome at the same time. Now I always make sure I put sunblock on my hands too!!

-Ashley
ashlaf@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:53 AM
LaDonna said...: I went to Nantucket with a friend for the first time. I'd never been a burner before so I didn't put any sunblock on. We spent the day in the water (me mostly on my stomach looking under the water) and I got the worst burn of my life on the backs of my thighs. Suffice to say... I spent the rest of my vacation lying on my stomach and not being able to sit down.

e-mail latinaflavah@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:53 AM
Dori said...: Oh my gosh! This is the giveaway for me because just last month I went Tiki Tubing. It's a place that you just Ride in a tube for 4 hours... I've done it a lot this summer and didn't think anything of it. I've worn sunscreen every time i went but this last time it just slipped my mind! (must have been the drink) well i was riding alone annnnd got sunburnt really bad. not only did i get burnt all over my body BUT i got burnt on my breasts. Not ONLY burnt!!! but i got 3rd degree burns on my breasts. i had to go to the hospital and get all kinds of shots and they had to scrape my skin. It was HORRIBLE. I will never ever be in the sun again without sunscreen (the highest number). In fact i have 2 tubes in my car, one in my room, one at my office, and one in my best friends car. I will never ever burn like that again. Just to let you know i'm scarred on my breasts forever now and there's really nothing i can do about it. So girlssss we need to protect our boobies in every way including sunscreen!!!!; July 2, 2009 11:54 AM
kristaholloway said...: One summer, my sisters and I decided to cover ourselves in baby oil and lay out on the ROOF OF OUR HOME!!! The roof that happened to be shingled with black shingles! Needless to say, we were covered in blisters and all very feverish and sick for days and it was the last time I EVER spent time outside without sunscreen!; July 2, 2009 11:54 AM
Rebecca said...: Ont the second day of my honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, my new husband ignored my advice to wear sunscreen "because it was cloudy" while we played volleyball in the pool all afternoon. He got a horrible sunburn - bright red all over with huge yellow blisters on his shoulders. Needless to say, the rest of the trip was less than romantic since his whole upper half was throbbing and he couldn't stand to be touched - we couldn't even share a bed in case I touched him accidentally!
I love Stila and I promise to SHARE the sunscreen if I win!

rpg5393@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:54 AM
Anonymous said...: My older brothers convinced me to go snowboarding with them. The catch? They insisted we all go with shorts on. Being a girly girl, I wore the only shorts I had: extremely short girl shorts. With no sunscreen in our possession, we hit the slopes. After five hours of roasting my poor legs in the sun, with the snow reflecting some serious rays as well, I ended up with lobster legs and a matching lobster face. Ice packs, medication and a lifetime supply of aloe did little to soothe the pain, and nothing for my embarrassment when i returned to school the following Monday. Yikes.

msdahl@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:54 AM
Food, she thought. said...: Spending time with a friend in Lake Tahoe, I rolled over and fell asleep on my tummy and didn't wake up before I had a nasty sunburn. I couldn't drive myself home that night to go to work in the morning because I couldn't sit in my car.

foodshethought@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:55 AM
Snowbunny said...: Last May I took my daughter to the pool club. After I finished applying her sunblock, she made a mad dash for the pool and I ran after her (she was only 1.5 so she doesn't know how to swim). I swept her up and started talking to some of the other moms. Well when 3:00 rolled around I remembered that I didn't use any sunblock. I ended up a second degree burn. This year my doctor discovered I had skin cancer from that burn. So now I always remember to wear sunblock and I apply it before going to our destination.

jenn.elwood@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:55 AM
Meredith said...: I was working on a mission trip a few years ago- I was wearing sunscreen, but happened to be repairing a roof for a family who couldn't afford to do it themselves. Unfortunately, my spf 30 was not enough to protect me from the glare off of the roofing tiles- I had the most horrible blisters, and could hardly move for days! Yeeeouch.; July 2, 2009 11:56 AM
rachel said...: my grandfather has really terrible skin cancer. he has to go to the doctor monthly to get spots cut off of him. i don't want that problem, so i generally avoid the sun. it would be nice to have products that can allow me to not be afraid to go out and enjoy the sun.

rachel.quiroz@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:56 AM
Monica said...: When I was 19, I was heavily into tanning beds. Well everytime I went, I would work my way up in the time I spent in one. (Like, the first time in a few mos, it would be like ten mins..then 15. Etc) I think the max you were allowed at the time was like 25mins. Anyways, i'd been going for abt 18-20 mins and thought it was time to 'up' my time. So my roommate and I headed in to the salon, and the girl told me that they had some new beds in-ultra ruva or something. So I take my happy self into the room and set the time for 25 mins. Yep. So dumb. At the time it was no big deal. I couldn't feel a difference. The next day however, my whole body hurt. I couldn't even stand clothes on my skin. I missed work for 3 days because it hurt to walk or even bend my arms or legs. I suddenly knew what it felt like to be a piece of fried chicken!

Email: mayollie@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:56 AM
Datura Rose said...: One summer I got sunburned on my feet and I had a weird sandal pattern burnt there. It's always those odd places that I forget to put on sunscreen - feet, ears, hair part; July 2, 2009 11:56 AM
Sammy said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 2, 2009 11:56 AM
Sammy said...: This past Memorial Day I was at New Symrna Beach surfing with some friends. I normally don't wear much sunscreen at all, just do the mist kind that is basically just tanner with spf 15. Well we were out on the boards sitting in the water all day, for about 4 hours without coming in. As we came back in for lunch I thought about reapplying but I just put it on my face. That night as we got home I realized I was bright red, blistering and in so much pain. This wasn't just one area of burns but my arms, legs, stomach, back and face we're all burnt. I had never been burnt before and had no idea what the effects would be. I now have sun spots, some skin damage and my skin isn't quite the same as it was. Now that this has happened always wear sunscreen with at least spf 30 and Stila giveaway would be perfect!

email: sasisammy@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:57 AM
Denise said...: I am hispanic and have darker skin, and as we all know the darker the skin is the rarer the rate of sunburn... in my case there was one time where it went truly horrible. Because i thought that i wouldn't get sunburnt i decided not to wear any sunblock, why don't ask me i was 13 haha. I was at the beach just laying and basking under the sun... eventually i feel asleep. I woke up 2 hours later... i didn't feel the pain right away, but the next day it was horrible. I slept on my stomach so my back and shoulders felt like i was completely on fire... and i blistered! ): to top it off i had hideous tan lines... it was horrible, and since then i've never fallen asleep at the beach or gone without sunscreen.

I love Stila, and would love to play with more of their products, i've heard a great deal of positive feedback in regards to their face products... and since i love having a fresh, glowy face i'm all for trying :)

martinezdee@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:57 AM
Just Another Hofeling said...: I went to Cancun Mexico a couple of years ago with my husband and his company and decided that it would be nice to lay out and get a little tan (you know to help cover some of my *ahem* stretchmarks) to add some color to my pale pale skin. I burnt so bad that his boss and the people who had planned the trip kept offering me t-shirts and other items to keep covered so I wouldn't burn anymore than I already had. I had put on sunscreen but it was SPF 15 and really wasn't the wisest route to go. I would love to win the Stila products so I could look good but still be protected from the sun.

autum22@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 11:59 AM
Heather (Kiraling) said...: Down here in New Orleans, Mardi Gras is usually notorious for bad weather -- it'll either be raining when you're trying to party, or the wind will turn cold by the river parades and whip you to shreds. On the very morning of Mardi Gras itself, the weather was beautiful, a rare treat this year!. Thinking I wouldn't possibly need sunscreen and that it would probably end up cooling down, I proceeded to leave the house without sunscreen. For reference, I am typically the lightest shade in any foundation -- including any at Sephora. Regardless of my stupidity now that I look back, I trudged forward and went to the parades from 10:30am to around 4pm. About halfway through the day, I couldn't believe how intense the heat and sun had gotten. By the way we were camped out, the sun was positioned exactly to the left of me. A long story short, several hours later not only was I lobster red, but I was red only on the left side of my body and face!. The only portion of my body that didn't get it as much as my neck -- because it had a few pounds worth of Mardi Gras beads as protection!. Though I laugh at it now, several months later today, I still see the tan lines. The pain was terrible and so was the fever, but I'll always have a constant reminder to never forget sunscreen again!. Judging by the remnant tan line on my arm, literally. :)

thekiraling@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:01 PM
Eva said...: It was a few days before my senior prom in high school and I already had this gorgeous, strapless, turquoise dress ready for the big day. However, a few days before, a bunch of friends and I decided to play some soccer outside since it was such a nice day.

Silly me thought I didn't need to put sunscreen on because it was later on in the day. However, I was really burnt and really red. The redness faded a bit by the time prom day came but I was starting to get itchy and I started to peel. I was a bit horrified to have peeling skin all over and tan lines in a strapless dress.

I learned my lesson and make sure I put on suncreen before I go out and use bronzer when I want to get a sun-kissed glow.

eva.chan@case.edu; July 2, 2009 12:01 PM
MightyCasey said...: Water-proof, sweat-proof SPF 45 saved my a**. Literally. During a drought year, I went tubing on the river. What was supposed to be a two-hour float turned into a six-hour Bataan Death March down the river, burning our butts off on rocks and our skins off in the frying pan that was the river that day.

Except for me. I slathered up before we pushed off, and only missed a 1-inch spot on my right knee - which made me triply grateful for slathering up at the start! Everyone else was fried beyond recognition.

casey [at] mightycasey [dot] com; July 2, 2009 12:01 PM
Estefa said...: last march, i went to miami, did not use ANY sunscreen, needless to say... i goy a major sunburn, fever, had to sleep in a sitting position and got a lot of brown spots all over mi face... not nice.
but i won't do it again! i promise :D; July 2, 2009 12:01 PM
Kristin @ bridal buzz said...: Sun burns are no fun any way you look at it... but this story involves sunburns in peculiar patterns!

My family and I are from Michigan, where we don't see sun like the rest of you down south... Well, we took a vacation to Mexico and couldn't get enough of the sun and sand. I was definitely guilty of passing on the sunscreen, my reasoning being "we only have a week down here and it's still snowing back home". So I laid out that day in my new J. Crew bathing suit, which happened to have a laser cut design around the entire border of my string bikini top.

After a few hours in the sun, I was obviously burnt to a crisp, and had a crazy pattern covering my chest to prove it. The days following, as I wore tank and tube tops around town, people gave me the weirdest looks... I knew I was sunburned, but the pattern just gave me away even more. Typical tourist right?!

Aside from the short lived embarrassment, my chest has never been the same, and is very sensitive to sunlight and warm temps. It's something I never knew I would have to deal with down the line. I now wear sunscreen all the time, to try and prevent things from getting worse!; July 2, 2009 12:01 PM
Datura Rose said...: Forgot my email address resenn (at) gmail (dot) com; July 2, 2009 12:01 PM
Anna said...: I've had a couple burns when I was younger, so since then I never leave the house without minimum of SPF 45 on.

While vacationing in Hawaii with mom last year(both of us are what you can say ghostly pale, and are unable to tan) she one day decided to skip her usual application in the morning but at the time I was unaware of her risky behavior. She had been complaining that it was way too sticky with the humidity.

By early evening when we met up at our hotel, she was all red in the chest/collarbone area. All I can say is good thing she wore her hat! A month ago she told me it took her over 6 months to fully heal and now she's got a splatter of freckles in that area as a reminder to never defy sun protection ever again.

annayuen@gmail.com

It'd be great to win a bunch of stila sun products I can share so friends and family can look and feel good.; July 2, 2009 12:02 PM
Lesley said...: My worst sunburn by far was when I was an exchange student in Vietnam. I went to Vung Tau Beach with some of my friends from the university. Once I was there I changed into my swimsuit and put SPF 45 sunscreen on. The heat and humidity is so bad there, that as soon as you step outside you're sweating buckets, and my sunscreen had trouble sticking to my skin. I ended up burning in swirl patterns all over my arms, shoulders, chest and legs, where the sweat had mixed with my sunscreen when I tried to apply it. Not only did I look like a freakish walking peppermint candy, it hurt like the devil! I will NEVER forget that sunburn. I would love to get the Stila sun goodies, because with super fair skin and my Vietnam experience I never leave the house without it. Plus I'm a huge fan of the Stila Shine Lip Color too, those are the most wonderful feeling lipsticks ever, and they look awesome too!; July 2, 2009 12:02 PM
Amanda said...: Oh yes. I am a natural redhead, with the pasty (and proud!) skin to go with it. The summer after senior year of high school I went on a trip to Florida with my dance class and of course we had to spend a day at the beach. I came armed with my SPF 50, which I dutifully applied. Then reapplied after being in the water. Then I started burning anyway. Reapplying became torture as I was basically rubbing sandpaper on my sunburn, but I stuck with it. My dance teacher's daughter was in LOVE with the beach (and could get a beautiful golden tan without even trying), and wanted to stay as long as possible. She even got a little angry with me and the other girl who was burning (right through her sunblock) because she didn't want to have to leave because of us. Until later back at the hotel when she saw just how burnt and miserable we were (and through all that SPF even!!!!), then she apologized, but that was definitely the most painful sunburn EVER. Every inch of me was burnt (there was no place to get any shade!!), I got sick from it, and the next day I had to put on my dance shoes and endure 8 hours of intense classes (jazz, tap, ballet, etc)!!! Painful and depressing given my faithful application and reapplication througout the day. Also, I LOVE Stila. Love. It. :-)

Email me at: tallredamanda@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:03 PM
Heidi said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 2, 2009 12:02 PM
Kelsey said...: So one of my best-friends was having their wedding in the beautiful Mayan Riviera in Mexico. A whole gang of friends flew out for this trip. Our group of friends arrived a day early and decided to benefit of this time to spend the on the beach & work on my tan for the wedding. Well stupid me decided to go sans-sunblock & I burnt to a crisp. It was so bad that my entire body was purple & swollen. I was in so much agonizing pain that I was forced to sit in my dark hotel room during the day & only really ventured out at night. Oh & the wedding? I ended up having to wear a giant hat, long sleeves and pants. What a disaster, I will NEVER go without sunscreen again.

kelsey.yates@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:04 PM
Chrissy Reese said...: My BFF and I are super-pale girls and always have been (hooray Irish/European heritage!). During high school, we were both members of the marching band. Dorky, yes, but we loved it. The only thing we didn't love was the mandatory band camp on scorching hot mid-summer days, often during days deemed "O-zone action days" by the weather people. So, on the days that people were told to stay inside and not go out, my BFF and I were marching around on a football field carrying a clarinet and a tuba, exposing our alabaster skin to the harsh sun.

While she was just a general shade of red during band camp, my skin tends to tan a little bit more than hers. I still used my regular SPF 35 sunscreen and often re-applied with another friend's SPF 80. But when you're sweating non-stop for 8 hours and not allowed to stop for breaks, sunscreen slides off. Thus my horror story: parts of my skin started to BUBBLE. Yes, I had those horrible sun/sweat blisters. More than once.

The things I do for the love of music...

BFF and I are 24 now and have since moved from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, but we still occasionally recount those evil days of band camp. And I have premature lines on my forehead (the place that seemed to get the most sun exposure, since I sweat a lot from my face) -- and I totally blame that on my band camp experiences.

BFF is a Stila fantatic, and I myself am a makeup fanatic in general. She's also been trying out lots of bronzing/self-tanning solutions this summer, so I think we'd have a blast with this gift basket. Thanks for reading our story! :)

nuclear.cupcake@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:04 PM
Edith said...: Back when I was 13 I was at the beach with my family and friends. We were all playing Volleyball and had forgotten to put on sunscreen. The very next day my whole body was aching in pain. I could not move because even the slightest movement made me feel the burning pain. I would love to try out some Stila products and I can better protect myself.

juni_pirate13@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 12:05 PM
Brittany K said...: I think the worst I've ever got burnt was about 3 or 4 summers ago. I went to an all day music festival. It was in early May and it wasn't that warm out yet, so I put on some light sunblock - like spf 35 and set out for the day. By that night I was ridiculously burnt. My arms, my face, and my chest were all bright red. The worst part of the entire burn was my scalp. I burnt the top of my head SO badly. It peeled for days, was itchy, and it hurt.

I now use a higher spf and get something to protect my hair and scalp or wear a hat.; July 2, 2009 12:05 PM
The Bird Fam said...: I had just gotten married. My husband and I agreed to go camping (which I don't usually do) with another couple @ a beach in So Cal. The beach was about a 1 mile hike from the camp site. I had forgotten my sunscreen so we decided to not hang out too long even though I have a very olive complexion.

We were only there from about an hour and when I realized I was starting to burn, so we decided to start hiking back. What I didn't count on was the sun BLAZING onto the back half of my body as we hiked back. I burned and blistered on only the BACK half of my body. I ended up so sick for the next 3 days. Fever, unable to bend my knees from the blisters, and upset stomach. I also got a great tan line down the side of my body. Like I had been fondued.

I learned my lesson!!; July 2, 2009 12:06 PM
Heidi said...: I just recently graduated from college, and as a treat my parents surprised me with a beach getaway. On the last few days of my trip I decided to cash in on the ample sunshine so I baked (or should I say broiled in the sun). I was so relaxed while reading a great new book with my huge sunglasses on that I lost track of time, and the fact that I had a big interview the following week with a firm that I had been trying to interview with for months. Needless to say, by the time I got home my racoon sunglass tan was nowhere NEAR gone, and even the most industrial strength foundation and concealer couldn't fix this faux pas. As you can imagine I didn't look or feel my best at my interview, nor did I get a follow up interview. Alas, you can find a silver lining in every situation in this case it happens to be that taking care of my skin can indirectly take care of my unemployment!

hja1320@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:07 PM
Alisa Wing said...: I fell asleep at the beach the day before my sister's wedding. You can only imagine how I looked in those photos wearing my STRAPLESS bridesmaid dress!

If I'd had the Stila products, my face would have looked so gorgeous, no one would have noticed the awful tan lines!

alisa@poppysmum.com; July 2, 2009 12:07 PM
Michaela said...: Last summer after spring semester ended, I went home to San Diego for a quick visit before summer school started. My family and I got together with some friends of ours and spent the entire day at Sea World. Their whole family tans in the tanning beds religiously, so they're all super tan. My family, on the other hand, is as fair as can be and has a history of skin cancer. Needless to say, we were sporting our pasty selves. I decided I would wear a cute sundress with a deep V neck. Since we arrived early, I decided sunscreen wasn't necessary until around noon. Boy was I wrong. We got home that evening around 8pm to notice my nice lobster burn. Two days later I had to fly back to school in Texas wearing a flimsy tank top and no bra with aloe slathered all over my chest and arms. TSA security made a scene because I was trying to bring through 2 bottles of aloe and lotion that were over 3 oz, but they later cleared them as "medical necessities". For two weeks I has to sit in my summer school class with the skimpiest tops I owned and slathered in Aloe. I had second degree burns on my chest and my skin looked disgusting. I had hundreds of little blisters all over and was peeling in patches. It was the most horrible thing I've ever gone through and I was so embarrassed to have to go to class with that all exposed. I was in so much pain that cold showers hurt, let alone just wearing a T-shirt over my chest. I was left no option but to just sit in class in my hoochie tops with globs of aloe and burn cream all over me. How's that for a sexy summer glow? Needless to say, SPF is now my BFF!

Spankys_chick75@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:07 PM
Alyson said...: I don't even have to think about this one. I definitely have a sunburn story. :( It was 4th of July here in sunny so-cal and my BFF and I went to the community lake/pool to swim, eat bbq, and watch fireworks. I was probably about 14. Now, I *did* wear sunscreen initially, but failed to re-apply. I am very fair skinned and should have paid more attention. While my friend acquired a golden tan, I morphed into a creepy looking lobster thing. My back, shoulders, and chest all got severely sunburned. The burns on my back and shoulders were 2nd degree burns that blistered painfully and peeled like crazy for several weeks. I couldn't even sleep since I was burned on all sides and just lying down was painful. I used up an entire family-sized bottle of aloe vera with lidocaine. The damage to my skin was clear: the tan lines on my back remained for years afterwards! Ever since then I have been religious about sun protection. I am totally a stila girl, and love stila's products. I'd love to win this gift basket and continue my committment to protecting my skin!

alyson.onthe.job@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:07 PM
Ash Boogie said...: I went to a football game in the beginning of spring. It was a little chilly, but it was really sunny. At that time, I wore a pair of angular glasses. Well after watching the football game festivities, I got back to my room and took off my glasses. I looked in the mirror and saw that my face was entirely red, except for where my glasses were on my face! I looked like the reverse hamburglar! It was embarrassing, especially when my reddened skin turned brown, My entire face was brown, except for around my eyes and near my temples. I tried to wear my glasses to hide it, but this was an EPIC FAIL. People stared and my friends poked fun at me. (I am African American with very light skin, so my friends were in partial denial b/c they didn't think that black people could get sunburn like I did.) Not only was the discoloration on my face bad, the peeling was ten times worse! I went from looking like the hamburglar to a 2nd degree burn victim. All of this on my face! This lasted for about 2 - 3 weeks! During that time. I lived liek a recluse: I didn't leave my room, only to go to class and eat. I got my food to go so I wouldn't have to leave my room. But from now on, I've learned to put on sun block regardless of the temperature. The sun can be brutal even when it's cool outside!

clarkash3@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:07 PM
Beth said...: When I was about 10 or 11 I went to summer camp, and they took us to a nearby water park for a day. I have ridiculously ridiculously pale skin, so I made sure to put on sunscreen like my momma told me (:D) and then proceeded to stay in the water all day, never reapplying more sunscreen. Baaad idea.

By the time I got home I was bright, bright red - a tomato had nothing on me - peeling already, and had a fever of 102. My parents had to put me in a bath of ice water to get the fever down and the blisters to stop forming, which is not a pleasant experience, to be sure! I had to sit in there for hours, and was crimson for about two weeks afterwards, and peeling all over the place; it was not at all attractive.

I would love to win the Stila basket so I can get a tanned look without having to get an icebath afterwards :)

likeaglass@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:07 PM
Kim said...: I used to lay in the tanning bed to prep for prom. Every year, I ended up looking like a lobster for prom because I was impatient on waiting for the tan to happen.
One year, I decided to use accelerator! My skin was burning before I ever got in the tanning bed. I was laying there for 5 minutes when my ears started ringing and my heart sped up. I had slathered that stuff everywhere!

When I got out, I went in to my friends house. My ears were ringing so bad, I couldn't hear what she was saying to me. She finally got close enough, I could hear, "Cold shower, soap, now!" I looked in the mirror and turned to look at her and say, "Look how red my face is!" When I looked back, I was white as a sheet and then I passed out.

I was only out for a second or two, but it scared me so badly (as it did my friend, too) that I haven't laid in the tanning bed since, and I where SPF 50 or greater when I'm outdoors! That was a wakeup call!

k.g.bamburg@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:07 PM
Evidence of an Artistic Life said...: I went to a track meet to see some Olympic contenders compete. Even with sunscreen, the all day event took its toll and I ended up in the ER that night with sun poisoning followed by very painful blistering. I am a SPF addict now!
goddess.di.arte@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:08 PM
Virginia said...: I was about 22 yrs old. After a LOOOONG (and very fun) night out with a friend, we decided, at 7am, to go to the beach. So we went to a nice quiet neach in Milford and proceeded to fall asleep. As I woke up (a few hours later I'm guessing)first I had to remember where I was as it looked as if I was in the desert. Once I realized I was infact at the beach I remembered when I first got there and then thought OMG how long was I in the sun? Needless to say my back was extremely RED!!! Burnt and painful to the touch. The front of me however was as white as white could be. I looked like Bizarro "Me". As if the sun burn was not enough, I guess I had a bit of a "wedgie" when Ifell alseep so my butt was worst of all. I had that tan line for QUITE some time. Never again. Damn you "All nighters" and your dumb ideas.; July 2, 2009 12:09 PM
Aimee said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 2, 2009 12:09 PM
kassie said...: In high school I went to FL with a friends family. I normally tan, and this was the 80s, so I skipped the suncreen and fell asleep on the beach face down. The backs of my legs were so sunburned that I couldn't bend my knees to walk. It was awful. It hurt so bad I felt sick. I still remember the pain of having get myself into the car to go out to dinner with the family. OUCH. I'm sure I did permanent damage.

kwilner@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:09 PM
Aimee said...: When I was 16, I went to the lake with my family and friend Jennifer. I decided it would be a nice day to tan, so I sprayed tanning oil with SPF 5. Thinking that SPF 5 would protect me throughout the day, that is all I applied. By the end of the day I could not wear clothes, sit down, lay down, or stop whining. I looked like a lobster.

aimeeriot@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:09 PM
kiwis1824 said...: My freshman year of high school I went boating with my dance team at the delta. I got tired from tubing and fell asleep on the back of the boat. While I DID apply sunscreen, once, after being in the delta for hours it must have worn off. I ended up with very sunburned thighs making sitting in the car for 3 hours on the way home not much fun. My ears also got so burnt that they immediately blistered, along with a nice lobster hue on half of my face. It was a really great look to start high school with, let me tell ya.

I also ended my freshman year with a bang! I had a big barbeque at an elementary school for our R.E.A.C.H. group. The day of the barbeque was also the first day of dance team auditions for the following year's team. I ended up lobster red all over, and then had to go straight back to my school for the 4 hour audition practice. You'd think I'd learn...

Email: Shawnarlene@me.com; July 2, 2009 12:09 PM
Amanda said...: So, I went to Miami this passed May for one of my friend's weddings. I had bought the perfect dress and couldn't wait to get some freckles, as I'm a fair skinned redhead, to look great with my violet dress! I decided I would just wear 85SPF once I got to Miami instead of fake baking. I did my own sunscreen on my legs, chest, arms, and face. My husband did my sunscreen on my back. I decided to layout by the pool during the morning, then on the beach in the afternoon. Needless to say, not only did I have more freckles, but WHITE hand prints all over my stomach, chest, back, arms, and legs. I ended up in the hotel room all night shivering with sun poisoning. But I still had a good time at the wedding the next day, and got lots of comments about my lovely tan lines....:)

ama9284@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 12:10 PM
marjolyn said...: when i was about 15, we went to my aunt's nursing school reunion at the park and i decided to stay "cool" and
wear this cute backless top. Not realizing i was baking in the sun while playing around, i got home that evening
to find that my back was completely burnt (and later, turned 10 shades darker) than my front and literally had a
a line on each side of me where the top covered and didn't cover, making me look like someone had stuck another
(darker) body on the half of me! My cousins started calling me a "skin robot" because i looked like i was made up
of 3 different skin colours "put together".

I learned my lesson.

marjolyn@mjfromaroundtheway.com; July 2, 2009 12:11 PM
Bubbles said...: When I was in high school, I layed out all weekend by the pool with my older sister and best friend. Neither girl put on sunscreen, so I assumed I didn't need to either.
WRONG.
I woke up the next morning and my chest was itchy and red. It drove me nuts so I scratched at it while driving to work out. After my work, out and a shower, I looked down and the skin on my chest was bubbled up and red and oozing. It was the most disgusting thing EVER! It took forever to heal, I coulnd't be out in the sun for a good month and I still have scars.
Needless to say,I am obsessed with sunscreen now.
I'd love the Stila products! Thanks! Have a great day!

marykathrynflanagan@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:12 PM
sarah said...: When I was 15 my family attended a friend's graduation from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. Up until then, I had been a very lucky girl and my medium toned Asian skin had never been burned. In fact, I never wore anything over spf 4 (I know, what was the point, right?). Well that day I sat for 9 hours in the sweltering Colorado sun in a little sundress. I was burned beyond a crisp. Every inch of exposed skin broiled to a deep maroon color, including my scalp. My Mom just about died when she saw me- she's a very fair redhead who always slathers on the sunscreen like it's going out of style- and went straight out to buy me some aloe. Unfortunately, at that point, aloe didn't do much good other than create a slimy film over my crispy epidermis. And to throw salt on my wounds, I had a 9 hour car ride back home.

Needless to say, it only took once for me to learn my lesson. In the several years since then I have always made sure to cover myself from head to toe in sun-fighting goodness!

ssh_81684 at yahoo dot com; July 2, 2009 12:14 PM
Marta said...: A couple years ago, I went to the beach with my family and friends. The 1st real time that summer. Now, I am fairly pale so I always protect when exposed, especially at the beach. I decided that I could still lay out as long as I was protecting myself. I was attending my boss' wedding in a couple weeks, outdoors, wearing a strapless dress, so I wanted some color. I was wearing a halter bikini at the beach. Needless to say, the breeze that day decieved me and I did not feel myself getting roasted. Realized when we were leaving that I may have gotten more "color", ie burned, than I intended. My "color" turned out to be a pretty bad burn over certain areas of my body that I would not look at (too freaked out) as I would apply and re-apply aloe and lotion every day. I also had to changed dresses for the wedding from a strapless to a halter to help conceal major tan lines. I now think I've probably done permanent damage to my collar bone/chest area. Let this be a lesson kiddies! Always wear and re-apply sunscreen (and try to grab some shade time, too).

I LOVE Stila, so I'm glad your giving us the opportunity to win stuff! Thanks and have a happy 4th!

Aramisette@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:14 PM
Bean said...: My husband and I went on vacation to Colorado. One day we went to a Rockies baseball game. While sitting there waiting for the game to start, one of the ushers warned us to wear our sunscreen. We both just kind of said thanks and ignored him. It was the beginning of April! Who needs sunscreen then?! We were still in pants for heaven's sake! Yeah.....needless to say, by the 5th inning, I was almost in tears because my arms, forehead and nose were sizzling. We both got tiny little blisters on our faces. The rest of the vacation in all our pictures, we look like Rudolph!

mabeyiwill@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:15 PM
Maggie said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 2, 2009 12:15 PM
Maggie said...: I have a similar story! I was down in Florida at spring training for my city's baseball team and wanted to look tan - to attract the cute players, obviously. So laying out at the beach, I only put on about SPF 5, despite the fact that I'm VERY Irish. I got so burnt, particularly on my chest and my nose, that it blistered! Awful, awful. Even today, my chest is incredibly sensitive to the sun and I have to slather it in sunscreen. Winning this would be amazing :)

maggietyson.2011@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:16 PM
Laura said...: I got sunburned on my face around the age of 13, and ended up with blisters on my upper lip. Now 13 is a terrible age to begin with as far as being comfortable with one's appearance, but to have blisters all across your upper lip?! AAAAGGGHHH!

steve.laura@verizon.net; July 2, 2009 12:17 PM
Heather said...: I was visiting my grandfather (PawPaw R.I.P.) at his home near the beach. His Step daughter at the time talked me into laying out in the sun. I was young and impressionable. I think I was probably in the 9th or 10th grade. Well she acted like she knew what she was doing so I just did whatever she did and turned over when she did. Well I'm pale and burn easily. Needless to say I got burnt. When we finally came inside, I went to plop my butt down on this weirdly textured chair my grandfather had. It hurt my legs so bad I practically levitated out of the chair. I had to be extra careful about where and how I sat down for days after that. I even had to put a towel under me to make it more comfortable. I will never forget that experience.

I'd love to win the Stila gift basket. I've never tried Stila products and would love to try something new especially because they have spf in them. I've heard good things about Stila and really want to see for myself.; July 2, 2009 12:17 PM
BallerinaToes said...: When we were kids we spent all day every day all summer at the pool. I remember my skin being so sun soaked that when you pushed on it, it felt like a sponge. Eee gads. As an adult, finally figured out the whole sunscreen thing and wore it faithfully except ONE day! A day when I was outside all afternoon. My face was burned to a crisp. And I cried.; July 2, 2009 12:18 PM
crystalstheman said...: Senior year in high school and a day at fort lauderdale beach not only gave me a fabulous sun burn but the after affects were what was the worst. A peeling face for senior pictures!!; July 2, 2009 12:18 PM
Glamorouxx said...: My bad experience is also with desire to get fast tan and so I skipped sunscreen. I had hurting blisters on my nose and shoulders. And after that I wear my sunscreen always, it is just like the habit I do automatically. Like brushing my teeth or something like this. So every person must learn from its mistakes. I did! But it is better when people learn from the others mistakes, then there is no damaging sunburn.

I really would like to win this prize, because first I am huge makeup sucker and addict and the second, I love to beauty blog about new things and my thoughts about it.

glamorouxx@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:20 PM
Heather said...: I forgot to put my email address on the above comment.

eeyore420@live.com; July 2, 2009 12:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Went to Cancun one summer and decided to go snorkeling. Put dark tanning lotion with a low SPF thinking i'll get a tan while snorkeling. Bye the end of the day my back was on fire! i could wear a bra for several day or sleep on my back. I had to buy aloe vera cooling gel for it. It took months with all the peeling until it finally got better. I never forget sunscreen even if i'm only going out for a few minutes. I would love to be picked as the winner.

thanks
liliput74@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:21 PM
MeganO said...: My worst sunburn occurred in San Diego. Not used to such beautiful warm water and massive sunshine, I was in the ocean throughout the day. Later that evening my skin was so red and hot to the touch. I ended up with flu-like symptoms from the burn and eventually it peeled - went from bright red to peeling like an onion without the tan! That is when I religiously began using sunscreen daily!; July 2, 2009 12:21 PM
marlat said...: ...We were young...in high school (no, I'm not going to tell you how long ago that was, but it was a long time ago!), 5 of us got into my Chevy Impala convertible and headed to Oak Street Beach on a glorious Saturday morning, (we wanted to get there early to get a"good" spot), all of us in our cute little bikinis...we used bottles of baby oil that day, and at 5pm, heading back to the car, we all looked at each other and knew we were all gonna be in alot of hurtin' for days to come. Well, I burned, peeled, and found burn underneath and peeled again.
I never did that again!, yes I have been exposed to the sun on occassions, but I refuse to become a broiled lobster again! Thank God for SPF 70!; July 2, 2009 12:21 PM
BlondeGinger said...: The weekend before I started my junior year of high school I got THE WORST sunburn of my life. I was participating in the Bike for MS, which is a 150-mile charity bike ride from Berea, OH to Cedar Point (in Sandusky, OH), with all proceeds going to the National MS Society. The day of the even I thought the weather was perfect-- mostly overcast, and fairly cool. I definitely didn't think I needed sunscreen of any sort. Boy was I wrong! At the end of the day the entire side of my face (yes, just one side) was sunburned so badly it was blistering, and the tops of my thighs were pretty scorched as well. So, lesson learned. You CAN get a burn even when it isn't directly sunny. Now if only I'd had some Stila SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer for future sunny days...

cbaumgarten@elon.edu; July 2, 2009 12:24 PM
DoDe said...: When I was a teenager i feel asleep in the sun at Manhattan beach in Brooklyn. Oddly enough my arm pits got burned. I was walking around with arms ballerina folded arms for weeks. It was painful. ha ha ha; July 2, 2009 12:24 PM
skaro964 said...: I went camping at the beach with a friend and her family, this was the mid 70's when everyone I knew used baby oil to help get a good tan. I had never done this before so my friend said to give it a try. Well on the first day I was a little red and as the week went on I started blistering and peeling. My friends mom said that it just happens to some people and the tan will show up soon...Well needless to say by the time I got home after a week of camping, I was cover with blisters and if you touched my skin it would peel off on your hand. It was not a pretty sight. It took about 2 weeks to heal and the kicker was that I did not get tanned at all. All that pain for "nothing". Now I wear sun screen year round and long sleves and hats. no sun for me :(

skro964@comcast.net; July 2, 2009 12:28 PM
Threemoons said...: When I was 16, the family went up to Lake Saratoga in upstate NY. Now, it was sort of a chilly day for July, so I skimped on the sunscreen. Now, I'm very fair, and my Mom and the rest of her family is dark, and my Mom had gone light on it so I thought that since it was a tad overcast and coolish I'd be OK.

Well, a few hours later I got full on sunstroke. Complete with high fever, vomiting, dizziness, and all that fun stuff.

On top of that I was burned to all hell and had to wear an old nightie donated by my aunt as a beach coverup for the rest of the trip. Not only was this old thing beyond uncool looking (ratty old cotton and stained beyond recognition--my aunt has 3 kids all of whom were really young at the time), but said nightie was as hot as hell. It felt even hotter on my skin considering that the full-on sunburn that I had blew out into a blistering, weeping heat rash--I looked like a little spotted lizard or something.

The real kicker is that despite all of the obvious skin damage, my blonde hair did not get one iota lighter from all of that exposure.

In the years to come, I'd continue getting the occasional peely nose and/or bathing suit lines burns, but I hope that I never, ever have to deal with that kind of sunstroke again.

Me=Sephora Insider, email is threemoons at usa dot net.; July 2, 2009 12:29 PM
Taylor said...: My story is a pretty recent one. I'm super, super pale (even though no one in my family is...it sucks!) So basically, I can never ever ever tan outside because I completely burn. I'm usually careful about sunscreen. However, I recently went with my friend to the beach for Memorial Day weekend, and I was wearing the cutest cut-out bathing suit. For some reason I didn't put sunblock on the cut-outs of the suit. BIG MISTAKE. I've read some bad stories of girls getting weird tan lines from these bathing suits, but I literally was beet red and peeling on all these weird parts of my stomach and hips. It was an absolute disaster and I felt like such an idiot for not putting sunscreen on (and now that I think of it, for wearing such a ridiculous bathing suit!).

I want to win the Stila basket because it's my favorite brand EVER and I'm dying to try out the Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer.

My e-mail is taylor21588@yahoo.com

Thanks girls:); July 2, 2009 12:39 PM
lizzakeys said...: Just recently I decided to paddle out up in
Malibu. I brought my spring suit, and my short board I was ready to go.
I remember putting sunblock on my face; grabbed my gear and ran towards the water.
I was out in the water for about 45 minutes and deicded to go back ashore to hang with my boyfriend.
He was helping me remove my wetsuit, as I was having a difficult time. As soon as my arms were free, my boyfriend shreeked with laughter.
From my bicep area and down my skin was as dark as night (I'm filipino- and tan very easy) and my shoulders stayed the same skin color that I am.
I was laughing too,just to join my boyfriend But feeling really disappointed inside. My boyfriend was calling me "Ray Allen" bc he wears two shooting sleeves when he plays basketball, and that's what my arms look like still!
It didn't end there. As the suit was coming down, my mid thigh and down too turned "dark as night," and I couldn't believe my eyes.
Having learned my lesson a little too late, here I am spending my summer with two sun set in shooting sleeves, and stockings that won't go away just yet.

Lizzanicole@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 12:39 PM
Ualla said...: Back in April my husband and I went down to Ft. Lauderdale for a vacation with another couple friend of ours. Being South American but having a fairly light skin tone I always feel a lot of pressure to be tan like the rest of my relatives. My friend and I decided to head to the beach at around 1:00 pm while our husbands went off to do something else. The problem was, I had already been in the sun since 10 AM. I reapplied my SPF 8 tanning oil and laid out while my much smarter friend decided to stay under the umbrella. It was a bright, clear day with a great breeze that disguised the 88 degree temperatures. I realized things were probably not going to end well when I started to get itchy. I carelessly ignored this warning sign, applied more "sun protection" and layed out for another hour and half.
I've, unfortunately, had many sunburns in my life but can't really remember one this bad. My skin hurt for three days after which most of my hard work was wasted because every inch of me peeled. I did not know that the skin on your hands could peel....
I hate the smell and feeling of most sunscreen which is I why I rarely put any on. I think that if I won this awesome basket I would take pride in putting on sun protection.
upbisb at gmail dot com; July 2, 2009 12:52 PM
Christine Connallon said...: Being young and foolish, I didn't put sunblock on as it was an overcast day at the beach - even a little breezy. Yeah, those rays come right through a little cloud cover. Came home with sunburn, sunstroke and passed out that night from dehydration (as I was walking up a small flight of stairs, to boot!). I absolutely learned my lesson!

productiongirl@hotmail.com
Christine; July 2, 2009 12:55 PM
danxi said...: I was always proud of my naturally tan skin, and the darker, the better. I never had a sunburn in my life. Then one day in 7th grade I was at the beach and neglected to wear sunscreen in the 80+ weather at the beach for around 6 hours. I went home and was horrified to find my whole entire back was peeling and red. I didn't know what was happening at first. Needless to say, I now wear sunscreen all the time (tho I'd love to try some stila products, even if my skin can take a beating.; July 2, 2009 12:57 PM
themakeup101 said...: I am the one of the lucky girls that never really burns in the sun, i just tan. So one year on a family vacation in Hawaii my dad & I decided to go snorkeling and he was saying that i better put suntan lotion on since were going to be in the water for a long time. well i didn't listen because "i never burn". Turns out I can burn. Because after a couple hours of snorkeling my entire back looked like a lobster, as well as the bottom of my feet. Ouch! Definitely makes it hard to walk. I've learned my leasson!

email: themakeup101@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 1:01 PM
Kerri said...: A few years ago for 4th of July, my friends and I went down to Pacific Beach in San Diego. I reeeally wanted to use that day to work on getting a nice tan, so I applied SPF 15 in the morning and left the sunscreen at home. Of course, being the 4th of July, I wanted to make sure that I was wearing my cutest swimsuit and had a cute hairdo to go along with it. The next day, my "suntan" fully developed into a full blown, full-body sun BURN. Not only did I look like a lobster freshly plucked out of boiling water, but because of my side-swiped banged hairdo, I had a gnarly bang tan line on the side of my face. It was so bad, makeup wouldn't even cover it up. I had to endure several sunburn and tan line jokes for the next couple weeks.

Not only am I a huge fan of Sephora, I am also a HUUUUGE fan of Stila! It's my favorite makeup line. I have really sensitive skin, and it's the only cosmetic line that keeps my skin clear and fresh. I would love love LOVE to win the Stila package!

kerriewing@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 1:03 PM
Sam said...: Last summer, I went to Warped Tour. If anyone knows anything about Warped Tour, it's a huge open concert outside all day in the sun. I had no sunscreen, and instead of buying some, I decided that while I was enjoying bands all day, I could catch some sun and tan as well. Needless to say, that was a BAD IDEA. I was outside in the New York summer humid heat with open sun (I'd say it was around 80-90 degrees) for more than 12 hours. We were there from 8 in the morning to around 10 at night. The only thing that saved my face was my sunglasses. It was not so forgiving to my nose, which at the end of the day was so embarrasingly red, even my concealer or cover up wouldn't cover it. It took weeks for the redness to go down, and the whole time I was dubbed Rudolf.

email: icyblues10@aim.com; July 2, 2009 1:03 PM
Hannah said...: Sorry about your friend!

For me, its not the worst because I don't really sunburn. I am kind of lucky. But since I thought that I don't sunburn, I went to the beach and said that I put on sunblock, when I really didn't because I felt that I didn't need it. Well how wrong I was. So I went into the water and it was all fun, then I went back to where some of my family was to rest. I laid down a mat to sit down on. Stupid me, didn't even put the mat inside the tent thing we had. So I sat under the sun and eneded up falling asleep for about 15 minutes. I woke up, not knowing I had sunburns, ( I have no idea how i didn't notice) so i went back into the water. I went with my cousin and we were going having fun. My cousin had a boogie board so she boogie boarded. Not knowing she was coming, she ran into me and hit me with the boogie board right where I got a sunburn. I yelled so loud, and of course, 194548783 gallons of salt water went in my mouth. That day I got scolded for not wearing sunblock and have always wore sunblock since then. :)

hannahelau@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 1:04 PM
Boosh said...: It was my first time meeting my boyfriend's parents, we went to their house and they had a pool. I was relaxing on a floaty in the pool and I was laying on my stomach, when I fell asleep. I woke up and was totally burnt, but it was one of those burns that you don't realize is a burn until later.

So we went to his aunt and uncle's house for dinner and I was wearing pollyester pants, all of a sudden my legs got really itchy, so I went to the bathroom and my legs were BRIGHT RED! The pants were so uncomfortable I couldn't wear them anymore, so his aunt tried to help me but she didn't have anything that fit me execpt for a scarf that I had to wrap around my butt like a skirt. When we got back to his parents house, his mom decided to help me by putting aloe on the back of my legs and butt. His dad had been outside with a flashlight and came in to see me bent over the couch getting aloe rubbed on me, flashed the flashlight on my butt and said "what's going on here?" in a joking manner. I wanted to die, I was so embarrassed!!; July 2, 2009 1:07 PM
Melissa said...: I have a very fair complexion and I was lucky enough to be taught at a very young age how to make sure to protect my skin everytime I am in the sun. If you really want an "embarrassing story" or whatever, let's just say that growing up I was always a little embarrassed because my mom would make me wear a t-shirt in the pool over my swimsuit! At least I never got burnt to a crisp! I would really like to receive the Stila basket because I try really hard to embrace the complexion I was born with and do the best I can not to damage it! It's all about being comfortable in the skin you're in, even if you are swimming in a pool with a white tee on :); July 2, 2009 1:07 PM
Rachel said...: The year was 1997. I was sixteen and relegated to yet another beach vacation with mom & dad. I quickly fell in love with a teeny plaid bikini while shopping with my mom and was immediately put under strict orders not to purchase it. Well, of course I snuck back to the store later and bought it anyway, and promptly took my smashing self to beach to show off. Mom doesn't know it to this day, but she had the last laugh because it wasn't too long before I was double-burned: not only did I apply my sunscreen improperly leading to a blotchy burn, but the whole beach got to see it up close & personal when a huge wave crashed down on me, taking my top down along with it. The worst part is I was too busy sputtering salt water to notice that the cute little bra top was majorly askew until I saw some nearby 10-year-old boys pointing & snickering. Classic. I would love a basket full of Stila surprises because not only can I prevent summer redness, but I can be prepared for summer SNAFUs in style (hey, everything's less humiliating when you're glossed & bronzed)! Love the blog, by the way! Shamefully sunny, Rachel lily06 (at) aol.com; July 2, 2009 1:11 PM
Mai said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 2, 2009 1:16 PM
Beauty Maintenance said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 2, 2009 1:16 PM
Mai said...: When I was on the swim team in freshman year of high school, we had practice during spring break. Well I wore sunscreen, but apparently not enough because I darkened so much, and had an awful tan line from my swimsuit, it looked like a y going down my back. It lasted a long time too.

stefani_ly@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 1:17 PM
Beauty Maintenance said...: I think I was about 14 and my friends and I went to see our facorite local band in a nearby city. It was during the late Summer and it was HOT. I was wearing a somewhat off the shoulder top (it was the 80s!) and although I had put sunscreen on my face I forgot the other exposed parts. We were in the front of the stage and it was an outdoor concert and the sun was beating down on us for hours. Once I got home and changed I realized that I I was a BRIGHT shade of red and it was in the shape of the off the shoulder top. But I was not all red, you see the sun was stronger on one side so not only did I burn but I burned unevenly. My shoulder was peeling for weeks and no matter how much I exloilated and lotioned I looked like I had a skin disease. Oh and my head got sun burt too. I was a mess! For weeks anytime I wore a tak I looked diseased.

(email: gypsydancermacaholic @ gmail.com); July 2, 2009 1:17 PM
Cassie J. said...: My friend and I spent all day at the water park without sunscreen. She got a sunburn so bad on her stomach it was bright red! She ended up getting sun poisoning and spent the whole night vomiting :( She still has this permanent red line across her stomach to this day from that sun burn.

psychobabbles at gmail dot com; July 2, 2009 1:33 PM
regina.reed said...: I went to Lake Tahoe the summer before my senior year of high school with some family friends. We had an entire day to do nothing but lay out by the lake, and unfortunately no one warned me how stong the sunshine is down there. This was in my younger days when I was a complete sun worshiper and rarely wore sunscreen (I know, scary!). After 8 hours in the sunshine with NOTHING on (sunscreen wise!), I was absolutely fried by the end of the day. I woke up in the morning with water blisters ALL OVER my chest, shoulders, and upper arms. It was so disgusting I could barely look at myself, let alone move. This was only day 3 of my 8 day vacation too! Once the blisters popped, they proceeded to peel off leaving patches of tan skin and patches of fresh, new, white as snow skin. It took about a month for my skin to finally even out. This was the LAST time I ever dared to go out in the sun without sunscreen!; July 2, 2009 1:33 PM
CoyoteLaughing said...: When I was younger I thought I was a total tomboy and thought I was cool for not using any makeup or mom-approved sun-safety. As a result I got burned once or twice. Now I am 20 and I wear sunscreen on my face and decollette every day! :); July 2, 2009 1:37 PM
Avery said...: First of all, I'm pale pale pale pale. With red hair. Which means I'm even paler than pale. I let my little sister do my sunscreen lotion, thinking that she would do fine. We were in the house, and she just grabbed a bottle. I thought she had done a great job, because I had felt her putting on tons of lotion all over. Unfortunately, I found out later that night, that she put on the moisturizing lotion-not my usual SPF 60. An hour in the hot sun left me bright red-- and I had my Debutant Ball two days later. EWW!

crauh@comcast.net; July 2, 2009 1:43 PM
Anonymous said...: So about a year ago I was in California with a travel group. We were at a YMCA where we were having some workshops and then a swim party later on that afternoon. Well after lunch we were gearing up for the party and just as I was about to put on my sun screen, one of the guys who was attempting to throw in all the girls picked me as his next target. He managed to pick me up and toss me in the pool and the party started and I just totally forgot all about the sun screen. The next day I had sun burn all over my chest and back and my arms and shoulders. I looked like a tomato! And the worst part was that I was supposed to perform in a show that night with like three quick changes! It was quite painfull and the costumes I had to wear were not helping. Needless to say, now I never forget the sun screen. :-)
The only good thing about it was that after all the groseness of pealing and the pain about a week or so later, I ended up with a really good tan. But was it worth it? HECK NO! :D
Email: Secret_disaster@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 1:47 PM
Maggie said...: Me and my BFF went to the beach last summer, just to have a quick cooling dip and then a lovely picknick lunch... before doing anything we helped eachother out putting on sunblock, sen laid down on our towels and chatting... and eventually falling asleep in the sun! When we woke up, we were both so red and sun burned that none of us could wear any clothes without great pain for a week. And we looked fabulous in our half red half white bodies, haha!; July 2, 2009 1:51 PM
Tess said...: I spent years and years as a competitive swimmer & lifeguard during blistering desert summers, and by and large I did a decent job of protecting myself from the sun. Part of the reason I was so careful stemmed from an incident that happened during my very first lifeguard shift when I was 15. Getting ready for the first open swim session of the summer, I asked one of my lifeguard buddies to help me put sunscreen on my back. We were all in a rush, but she seemed to apply it pretty thoroughly, and I thought I was protected.

Later that afternoon, I kept feeling sharp pains on my back when I would twist this way or that way, or etc. I lifted up my shirt to see what was going on, and I saw a thin stripe of burn outlining where my swimsuit straps had been. My friend had covered all of my back, but hadn't lifted up my straps to get the sunscreen under the edges of the fabric to account for the skin that would be uncovered during motion, etc. I wound up with blisters & after those healed, a "tan" in the shape of my suit straps for the next 9 months. It was awful.

As a result of all my sun exposure, I am now very VERY compulsive about covering up with products that include SPF - because of this, I'd love to win the fabulous Stila basket that includes both products with SPF and some color, to help me fake that sun-kissed glow without the damage.

email - snitty.trigger@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 1:56 PM
Courtney said...: When I was in my late teens/early 20s, I used to lay out in the sun without sunscreen all the time. One summer day, I went to the beach with a friend... was only an hour away, so we did this often. We unfolded our chairs, put in a CD, and both laid down to tan - no sunscreen, no sunglasses. Well, we both fell asleep. (Guess we'd stayed up too late the night before!) I woke up, not realizing how long I'd been asleep... several hours... on my back. I'd fallen asleep before my friend and she'd rolled over before dozing off. I could tell that it was bad as we were driving home. The next day, I woke up to find that my entire face was not only bright red but swollen - including my eyelids, which were almost swollen shut. I went to the doctor immediately and got a steroid shot to help reduce swelling/inflammation; was given some info on home remedies, but the doc basically said I was going to have to ride it out. The swelling soon turned into blisters, which eventually turned into some really unattractive peeling. My face didn't look normal for at least 2 weeks, so I spent those 2 weeks hiding out at home, afraid to let anyone see me. Not exactly how I wanted to spend 2 weeks of my summer break during college! Fortunately, there was no scarring or discoloration as a result.

I learned my lesson! I never go out in the sun without sunscreen anymore - especially on my face. I think I should win this Stila basket because my poor face has been through enough! These fantastic products would help ensure that I never experience a sunburn like that again.

enquirer_36@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 1:58 PM
Alice said...: My story goes back to my junior year of high school 1966.I was a redheaded Irish girl in a town of mostly Italian girls. I wanted a tan too. I spent the afternoon on the beach lyning in the sun propped on one elbow gossiping with friends how about how I had finally landed a date with the man of my dreams. When I got out of the shower I was HORRIFIED to see that exactly half of my face and one side of my body was terribly sunburned. It was too late to cancel and it turned out to be our only date.
Now that I am retired and live in Southern Georgia where I do water aerobics four mornings a week, I promise you that I would use my basket faithfully. Thanks for the consideration. Alice; July 2, 2009 2:00 PM
Tara said...: My sad summer scorching came when I was a Freshman in college. My friends and I went down to Orlando for some fun and sun. I decided it would be a good time to try tanning oil for the first time. The un-protective oil turned my chest into a magnifying glass for the sun, and I burnt almost imediately. It was so bad, I had blisters that made me look like the skin of a bagel that was boiled. Yuck!
taramoncheck@aol.com; July 2, 2009 2:00 PM
tkrosener said...: Recently I scored two tickets to a Roxy parking lot sale in Huntington Beach. I was so excited, so I called my sister and told her to meet me at my house. I had told myself, while out running errands that I would stop off at home before we left to put sunscreen on. Well, when I arrived home from my errands my sis was standing outside waiting for me -- so I quickly said, Jump in and we'll go. We left for the sale without thinking. For the next 4 hours we stood in line and then shopped our butts off (in my spaghetti strapped tank top)! I was soo happy when I got home with three bags full of sale items. UNTIL, my husband said, try them on, I want to see. I went into the room and as soon as I tried taking off my shirt my arms and torso burned in pain. I thought, what the heck happened? I looked in the mirror and I was eggplant red/purple, burnt to a crisp! I spent the next week in pain. Ouch! I guess shopping hurts! :-); July 2, 2009 2:01 PM
JetSet Diva said...: The worst was in middle school -- a friend and I went to a water park and decided to ride the lazy river in black inner tubes. The slow circulating water was so relaxing that we both fell asleep. What must have been hours later, we both woke up to horrible bright red front tans and extremely hot inner tubes that burned to get off. Worst thing is that we were staying in the water park for the next 2 days and had to stay inside and watch all the fun covered in aloe and and watching bad daytime TV inside. Wish we would have remembered one thing that morning ... sunblock ... all over!

miller118@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 2:03 PM
Meadow said...: My worst summer mishap was when I was gardening in Florida with my mother in law. I spent the entire time bent over. I received a serious burn on my back that hurt like the dickens and peeled and peeled for weeks. I couldn't lean back in a chair and every movement hurt. Get someone to do your back for you with sunscreen people!; July 2, 2009 2:06 PM
april_leah said...: About two years ago I went to camp like I do every year. Camp is something I love and enjoy except when I forget to apply sunscreen. Well, that year I did just that one day. Not to mention I was wearing a racer back, spaghetti tank top (imagine those sunburn lines kids!). My back, shoulders and neck were so sickeningly red! A friend of mine hadn't realized how sunburned I was (I won't mention her name due to her embarrassment). So, she walked up towards me and slapped me on the back (her usual way of saying hi). I'd thought someone had drug me across asphalt and dipped me into hydrogen peroxide. The burning caused me mascara tears. And that was just phase one of the pain! When I went to take a shower that night and wash my hair, I found another surprise of sunburn. My scalp was sunburned! Not only was it sunburned but it had blisters! Turning that shower on was the dumbest thing I'd ever done. The pressure of water felt like six bees stinging my scalp. So why do I deserve $400 worth of Stila? I'm a very pale girl. People, even my 78 year old grandmother make fun of how pale I am! I don't want to lay out in the sun and get burned (I honestly don't tan, just burn). Or get sun spots. I love Stila and would highly appreciate getting free products from them because I just don't have the money to make my skin glowing with their lovely stuff.

roxy6578@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 2:08 PM
Elaine's Semi-Homemade Life said...: Oh, let me count the sun stories... I can't even believe I have a recent one, but last year, my husband and I left our daughter with family so we could go to Puerto Rico by ourselves. I was 7 months pregnant. After days of not getting much sun, I got braver on the last day and went without sunscreen for a bit. Ended up with a burn so bad... that flight back to TX was miserable! It'll never happen again. Esp if I'm the winner! :)
oursemihomemadelife@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 2:16 PM
Elle, Okay? said...: For someone who lives in Arizona in the "Valley of the Sun", I don't get out in the sun much! I went golfing with my father and sister the Saturday before Father's Day. I went makeup-less knowing that I would sweat it off within 10 minutes, but put on SPF 45 before heading out the door. I thought I had done a thorough job in applying, but when we went to lunch after finishing up nine holes, my nose really started to hurt! I went to the bathroom to see what was up, and I looked like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! My nose was throbbing red, while the rest of my face had a sunkissed flush. Guess I wasn't that thorough! The worst part about this was the week that followed... As much moisture as I tried to impart on my nose, I peeled after three days, and had to deal with horrible flakes! It's super hard to exfoliate peeling skin when there is another layer of burnt skin underneath!

elleokay@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 2:16 PM
Remaining Anonymous said...: I went to Brazil a couple of years ago for Carnival. The experience was amazing. Although during my trip i had some trouble while trying to get a brazilian glowing tan. Im super PALE and although i had some sunscreen (nothing above 15) I got the worse sun burn behind my knees and blisters on my chest and NOSE. and to make matters worse it was in the beginning of the trip. I used aloe and cocoa butter to soothe the pain and it worked a little. needless to say the blister on my nose popped and now i have a scar for the rest of my life! the ones on my chest weren't so bad those went away after the first day. anyway...I'd love to win this basket of goodies from Stila and I'd make good use of them. I learned the lesson the hard way to keep my skin protected and I'd love to do it fabulously with those products ;-)

chuly413@aol.com; July 2, 2009 2:20 PM
chikeetanut said...: When I was 19 I won a trip to the Bahamas. It was a fab trip for 7 days/6 nights on Paradise Island. I am from the Bronx and can tell you I had never seen water so beautiful! I was in awe - I immediately changed into my bikini and laid in the sun - i think with just baby oil on for several hours - remembering to turn over occasionally but think i feel asleep face up. Hours later I went back to the room to shower and change. I jumped in the shower and had to jump back out the minute the water touched my body. I got in again and again had the same results. So I asked my boyfriend if the water hurt him since he had just taken a shower. I couldn't figure out why this water was hurting me. It took me a while to realize that I was sunburnt. I didn't realize african americans could burn too!; July 2, 2009 2:22 PM
PK said...: When I was younger, my family and I took a trip to Vietnam. While there, I went on a day-long trip around the city. In Vietnam, everyone rides on motorcycles. I was still young then, only 11, so I thought I didn't need sunscreen. A week after my trip around the city, my whole upper body where skin was exposed that day peeled and turned bright red. To this day, I still have a dime size sun spot on my shoulder, a scar I can never get rid of because of that unfortunate day. I would really love to win these products because now, I apply sunscreen everywhere day in and day out.

pkhuu@trinity.edu; July 2, 2009 2:27 PM
Meredith said...: My junior year of high school, I fell asleep in the bleachers at a track meet. Not only did I end up with a horrendous t-shirt burn, my eyelids got burnt so it looked like I had bright red eye shadow smeared all over my eyes. The worst part? This was 2 days before prom!

hankins3022(at)gmail.com; July 2, 2009 2:28 PM
Catherine said...: Before last spring, I'd never burned before. I'm Asian with a medium skin-tone, and never really spent all that much time outdoors. Even during cross-country, I'd get a tad red, around the neck sometimes, but realistically, you're out there for less than an hour and so my skin never hurt or peeled. Last year, I got serious about protecting my face since my mom has pretty bad age spots. One of my high school friends came to visit me in San Diego around late May. He got to my apartment a little early, just as I was finishing getting dressed, so I just slapped on some sunscreen on my face, neck and shoulders, but I wasn't too careful about it. We ended up walking to campus, to the beach, and back to the apartment, some ~5 hours on a hot sunny day. By the end, my haphazard sunscreen application had my entire body varying 5-15 shades darker than I used to be and I had a HORRIBLE burn on my back and fabulous tan lines where my racerback and bra straps had been. It took a few days to peel, but it took 6 months for me to even out in color again. Since then I've been totally devoted to sun care. The fact that I'm allergic to chem SSs makes it rather hard though. =/; July 2, 2009 2:34 PM
Danielle said...: I used to play a lot of soccer as a kid, and didn't always put on sunblock. One time, I got burnt really badly on my nose, and being an impatient and curious little kid, I scratched off all the peeling skin! Now I have a bright red nose that is both dry and oily, and the skin is smooth and shiny, like scar tissue. It's absolutely horrifying, because no amount of makeup can cover it and make it look natural. If I put any makeup on, it sinks into my pores and then my skin starts flaking off, so I just have a bunch of clogged pores with make-up-covered skin flakes that are half on. If anything brushes my nose, the makeup will come off, except on the semi-loose skin and the clogged pores. No amount of exfoliating has helped. It's awful.

danielle . m . leong @ gmail . com; July 2, 2009 2:34 PM
kellzy said...: Im the designated super fair skinned friend. Im always jealous of my italian BFF, who can go out in the sun for 5 mins and turn golden. So this summer we decided to tan together. since it was so hot and we were just tanning in her backyard we decided to turn the sprinkler on and sit in it so we could cool off everytime it came around. Me, wanting to get rid of my pastey-ness decided to just apply SPF15 once all day. we sat in her backyard from 11am-3pm. once we came in, i noticed i finally had some color and was super happy but it wasnt until later that night that i realized the color starting to turn more and more red and painful. I couldnt move for the next 3 days or let alone wear much clothing without it feeling like sandpaper rubbing on my skin! Ive given up my dream of being tan for awhile now but winning all these great Stila SPF products would be awesome and would keep me motivated to stay protected!

k_lynch29@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 2:34 PM
selah said...: I never (literally, never) wore sunscreen as a child and never once burned. Well, I continued this route into college, but surprise, after one particularly long day on the river, I got a terrible sunburn. My face was bright red. However, the worst part was when it started peeling a few days later. I tried to cover it with makeup, but that just made it worse. You've never seen something so disgusting...peeling skin all over my face. Needless to say, at that point I tried to hide in my room as much as possible until it all peeled off. Unfortunately, though, I still had to go to class! Needless to say, I could definitely use the Stila products to prevent this from ever happening again!; July 2, 2009 2:41 PM
lola5375 said...: When I was a kid my sisters and I would get at least one major sunburn every summer. These burns were so bad that we couldn't wear clothes and my mom had to make us "sunburn dresses" that were basically little cotton muumuus that tied loosely around the neck. Fortunately, I haven't needed one of those for 20 years or so!!; July 2, 2009 2:59 PM
Eva said...: In high school I went on a family trip to the beach. Although now I am a bit of a zealot when it comes to sun protection, my foolish 16-year-old self just wanted to look like Malibu Barbie, regardless of the consequences. So of course I was not wearing sunscreen.

My attempt at the bronze goddess look was stymied, however, when my dad jokingly reached across the towels and kind of lightly hit me on the stomach. I didn't realize it at the time but he must have just put on sunscreen, so his hand still had some on it.

To my shock, I realized the next day that I had developed a phenomenal tan - with the exception of a huge white handprint right in the middle of my stomach. Not to mention it stayed there for the rest of our trip! Not hot!; July 2, 2009 3:06 PM
Amy said...: In high school (yes, a loong time ago), my friends and I went to the beach. It was actually a cool day so we didn't get in the water, but we just stayed on our towels talking. I was on my stomach for a long time, and when I finally got up, the backs of my legs were fried. I couldn't even walk the next day. And it just got worse. I have never done anything like that again and never will.

If I win, I'd spread the joy among my friends. I've got lots of great SPF products and I stay protected.

asa3409@sbcglobal.net; July 2, 2009 3:06 PM
jkim said...: Spent the day out in the sun. Thought I was completely covered; even had a bottle of SPF 50 right next to me for vigilant application. Who knew one's scalp was also prone to sunburn? Once the peeling set in, I spent the next couple of weeks looking like I had an extremely bad case of dandruff. Not very attractive.; July 2, 2009 3:07 PM
LKG said...: I went to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break my freshman year of college. I got the worst sunburn of my life, eyes swollen shut, skin peeling, high grade fever etc. I had to go to the emergency room and get a cortisone shot and keep my skin moist with salve while the burns healed over. I almost had to delay my flight home because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to sit in the seat. lkgspamaddress@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 3:08 PM
tswei chen said...: I live in texas and I went swimming without applying any sunscreen. I ended up all burnt with my shoulders and chest getting most of it. it was horrible! I couldn't even put on a bra! I sprayed bactine and anything else I could get my hands on. I ended up peeling like a snake! my chest and shoulders have HUGE freckles on them from the sun damage. I'm asian, so I should not have freckles on my skin at all!!! when I plan on going outside for a long period of time, I always put on sunscreen. if I don't I always regret it...

mthsia@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 3:29 PM
tracey said...: I'm a brown girl, so I thought when I was much less sun savvy that I was immune to the sun. NOT! Apparently somewhere along the away I developed a sensitivity to the sun that makes me break out in a horrific rash. Well, I had a special event and wanted to look nice and even toned. So I decided to get a "tan" (I'm on the light end of brown). I laid in the sun at high sun and could just FEEL THE BURN. I just knew I was boing to be all that and a bag of chips. Uhhh, no. A few hours later I was broken out all over my arms and chest with the ugliest rash. It was raised and red and ithced like holy heck. So my deep plunge dress served no useful purpose but to expose my alien skin. Lesson learned -- even skins with a high dose of melanin need SPF! I don't leave home without it.!; July 2, 2009 3:34 PM
tracey said...: I'm a brown girl, so I thought when I was much less sun savvy that I was immune to the sun. NOT! Apparently somewhere along the away I developed a sensitivity to the sun that makes me break out in a horrific rash. Well, I had a special event and wanted to look nice and even toned. So I decided to get a "tan" (I'm on the light end of brown). I laid in the sun at high sun and could just FEEL THE BURN. I just knew I was boing to be all that and a bag of chips. Uhhh, no. A few hours later I was broken out all over my arms and chest with the ugliest rash. It was raised and red and ithced like holy heck. So my deep plunge dress served no useful purpose but to expose my alien skin. Lesson learned -- even skins with a high dose of melanin need SPF! I don't leave home without it.!; July 2, 2009 3:34 PM
Anonymous said...: I hate to admit that I'm 22 years old and just NOW learning my lessons about sun damage!

I recently went to Panama City Beach in Florida for vacation, sporting my usual vampire-ish skin. For the first two days, I applied my 50 SPF in all the right places and everything was fine. Well on the third day I woke up, disappointed with my tanning progress..so I decided to head to the local store and pick up some tanning oil, BIG MISTAKE! When glancing at the bottle I saw that it had SPF..so I figured hey, it has SPF so this will count as my SPF protection AND improve my tan. I lubed up all over my body and continued on with my normal beach activities.

Fast forward to that night..yikes. I was in P-A-I-N. Burnt to crisp, as red as a lobster. The next morning I woke up with blisters practically all over my body. Let's just say it ruined my vacation. While glancing at the bottle a second time..my SPF protection for the ENTIRE day was SPF 4. Ouch.

Lesson learned! Two weeks later, I'm still showing some damage and sun spots..and now I *really* know the importance of sunscreen. No more tanning oil for me..you better believe I'll be sporting the 70 SPF for now on and applying it liberally!

Thank you for this great opportunity!

Amanda (ARStewart8aol.com); July 2, 2009 3:41 PM
Anonymous said...: Ahh sorry, I typed my email address incorrectly (I'm the story right above ^^^)

It is:

ARStewart87@aol.com

Thanks!!

Amanda; July 2, 2009 3:43 PM
Amanda said...: Once I was on a beach with friends and family, and my mom told me to get out of the water and put more sunscreen on. Well, I didn't. I was so busy having fun. I didn't think that I would get sunburned because I rarely ever do. Hours later, I noticed my back was red and so was my nose. After a day it hurt when I moved or someone even touched my back. Same went for my nose. My skin was peeling all over, and It was gross. I also had a really weird tanline from wearing a monokini. Every since that incident, I NEVER forget to wear sunscreen.

I would love to win the Stila prize because I LOVE Stila!; July 2, 2009 3:46 PM
gnomees said...: I was in costume, wearing a beautiful teal, blue, green, and gold sari. I wanted to do some henna, since it's fun, it's like a temporary tattoo, and it went with the costume.

I swear to God, I put on sunblock. SPF 50. Everywhere. And I still ended up with the worst sunburn of my life--and I'm pale and Irish and freckle disturbingly easily.

My shoulders were raw. I had blisters on my back and arms. I couldn't wear clothing for a week afterward--which did mean I got to miss work, so there's some good to be had.

Best part, though, was that when the burn finally faded into freckles--I don't tan, at all--I had wonderful blank spots where the henna was. I looked like I was in pain, and I was, but I still managed to look like a beauty champion. Way to turn a bad situation into a good one! Those reverse tattoos lasted for about three months!

gnomees@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 4:03 PM
Kristina anon_mous@cox.net said...: My worst was when I was 10, so it wasn't even my fault. My babysitter didn't have sunscreen and let me and her daughter out to play on the slip-n-slide (remember those?!) all afternoon. I got a blistering burn that sent my mother up to the ER with me. Now when I read how just one blistering burn increases the risk of skin cancer I want to strangle that sitter.; July 2, 2009 4:05 PM
Emma said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 2, 2009 4:04 PM
Emma said...: My worst sun mishap was back when I was in college several years ago, and a friend of mine invited me to go out on her father's boat with a bunch of other friends and her family members. I thought I did a decent sunscreen application, but I did not (and it was only SPF 15, if I recall). I had the complete imprint of my sunglasses on my poor red face for days afterwards. I looked ridiculous. Nowadays, I use SPF 70 and constantly reapply!

I believe I deserve to win this amazing prize because it seems like it would make my summer beauty routine a cinch. I have an 11-month-old daughter, and I don't have a whole lot of time to devote to the getting-beautiful process. I already wear sunscreen, but the tinted moisturizer with SPF in it would be an awesome addition. Plus, I'm pretty much lily white, so any bronzer you could throw my way would be much appreciated.

Thanks for the chance!!

oceangirl621(at)gmail(dot)com; July 2, 2009 4:07 PM
Serah said...: Once I went camping with my cousins in the middle of the summer. On the first day we got there, we decided to go rafting down this river. Well I have red hair and therefor very pale skin so I knew I needed to put on sunscreen. I didn't know my cousins very well so I just decided I would put the sunscreen on my back by myself. So we went rafting and then the next day I wore a halter top and my aunt and cousin started busting out laughing. I guess I hadn't gotten my whole back with the sunblock, instead I had left a huge area undone and so I had a mountain shaped sunburn on my back.

Serah
coolerthanu21@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 4:08 PM
Anonymous said...: Not only did I foolishly forgo sunscreen once, I also lathered up with some spf 0 Panama Jack oil, what I like to call "the devil's lube" after my experience. You can pretty much predict what will happen, here, but on my first day of vacation as a tender 14 year old, my cousin and I decided to lie in the middle of this field without a tree or sliver of shade in sight. I figured I would be okay since my dark skinned Italian dad used the aforementioned "devil's lube" all the time. Well, despite his genes, the freckles all over my face should have told me what was okay for him was not necessarily so for me. Not only did I lay out there an hour in the burning sun, ignoring the pain, which of course resulted in a searing, purple-ish burn, but my entire face looked like one big freckle. I had so many you could barely tell where the face began and the freckles ended. Save me from such a fate again, Stila! :)
jdlong79(at)yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 4:19 PM
sparklingpinkgorilla said...: Last year on vacation I had the idea I would only put on spf 10 since I wanted to get a little color and I didn't think I'd be on the beach that long anyways. Well several drinks later I had been out longer than expected and was getting a little red, by that night my redness had developed into burnt to a crisp. I was in so much pain, so while everyone else went out that night-I was stuck in the bed miserable. I was stuck in the bed for the rest of the trip, not getting to enjoy anything other than the comfortable mattress. On the last day I decided to do this fishing trip we'd planned. As hot as it was on the beach, it was freezing on the water. I had only wore a skirt and tank, not thinking my cold chills would set in so bad. We finally left and I got to sit in a cramped backseat for seven hours. I was so burned that my legs swelled like a pregnant ladies and pus pockets formed. It took 2 weeks for the burns to start to clear up. I still have the pictures. Sugar@sparklingpinkgorilla.com; July 2, 2009 4:20 PM
ebonynbleaux said...: The day before leaving for a business trip, I decided to lay out near the pool to practice a presentation for a few minutes. I clearly remember closing my eyes at one point, but it was never my intention to fall asleep for over 2 hours. I woke up because I felt intense pain and burning around my collar bone. I raised up and realized that I wore reading glasses outside. Before I fell asleep, I laid the glasses near my neck and the hot Houston sun hit the lens, which caused my skin to burn. I spent the evening in an urgent care center because of the severity of the burn. Needless to say, I also did not make the business trip.; July 2, 2009 4:25 PM
Anonymous said...: This is more of a funny fake tan story.... as a teen (oh so many years ago) fake tan was a pretty new thing and I didn't quite have the technique down like I do now. After my shower and putting on my new bikini for going to the beach with friends I was thinking I was looking pretty good. Upon arrival at the beach (with a large group of boys & girls) I strip off to my bikini to "streaks" of laughter. It appeared that I had large "brown" hand prints on my back- it seemed my application wasn't as great as I had thought. Good thing I am able to laugh about it now and thanfully now there is Spray Tan that I can have applied professionally so my tan is always perfect & "fake" - they only way it should be these days. I hope you like my story.

sherylbingham@bigpond.com; July 2, 2009 5:14 PM
jeweloree said...: When I moved to Arizona for college, much of my studying was done poolside.I'm half Filipino, so its near impossible for me to get a sunburn. That being so, I thought I was invincible and didn't wear sunscreen. Oh how wrong I was. Maybe it was the fact that the Arizona sun is about a million times hotter than the non-existent Seattle sun... but my skin has never recovered. Now I make sure all of my family wears lots of SPF!; July 2, 2009 5:24 PM
Erin B said...: Sunburned feet...forgot to put sunscreen on them. :(

erinb@runbox.com
http://erinbassett.typepad.com; July 2, 2009 5:25 PM
liz said...: My fair skin has led to countless jokes and cracks; I don't think it's even possible for me to get a tan. That being said, it is obvious that I go from white to red in about 5 minutes if there is a hint of sun outside.

I tend to get sunburn more on vacation when I spend more time at the beach. I have two top moments:

1. On vacation in Hawaii, 20 minutes in the sun led to a blistering red burn. While walking around a street market that evening and radiating heat, a vendor saw me and expressed his concern for my burn. He then proceeded to walk to a plant and pick a huge leaf. He explained it was an aloe leaf, and he split it in half for me to rub the liquidy goo oozing from it onto my burn. It was only polite to thank him but I was skeptical that he really knew what he was doing.

2. After an afternoon walking along the beach in Barcelona on an overcast day, I managed to get a burn on my chest where my v-neck sweater left an exposed part. That night at dinner, the bus boy was clearning my plate and saw me. He gestured to his chest and said "roja." Evidently sunburns transcend language barriers.

I love Stila products and go through SPF like no other! I could definitely put this to use :); July 2, 2009 5:32 PM
Anonymous said...: I'm very pale, so I am particularly vigilant about sun protection. However, when I was on holiday in Thailand with my parents, I forgot to top up the sunscreen often enough. I ended up with the worst sunburn I've ever had on my shoulders and upper back and was in pain for the entire 13 hour flight back to New Zealand. NEVER AGAIN!
KerryW.Makeup@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 5:34 PM
A said...: I was a young girl (about 17 at the time) and went to the beach with a friend of mine who had just turned 19. Both being young, naive, pasty, Eastern European descended girls, we wanted to look our best for the cute boys so we avoided sunscreen and slathered on tanning oil on our legs, necks, and arms only. Needless to say, we left an hour later and painfully drove to her grandmother's house looking like lobsters! We could barely sit on Grandma's vinyl lawn chairs and it was only getting hotter as the day wore on! What's even worse is that I had huge white marks from my sunglasses, bathing suit, and headphones cord! I looked horrible! And to top it off, I had to take my senior pictures the next day! I was a mess! Fortunately, with a lot of cover-up and airbrushing, I didn't look like a total wreck in the pictures, but I did spend the next month sleeping at a 90 degree angle at the kitchen table with cut-up, damp sheets on me!; July 2, 2009 5:58 PM
Karen said...: I went to the beach with a couple of friends, and was slathering sunscreen on my face, but thinking I wanted cool tan lines, I didn't care to think of the rest of my body. I had some left over sunscreen that I applied to my face and just slapped my hand on my back to get rid of the excess. I went into the ocean and laid out for the rest of the afternoon. When my friends and I were packing up, I had an awful tan on my back. It was the outline of my hand on my shoulder. HOW embarrassing! Ha!
The younger, foolish years. Now I wear sunscreen whenever I'm exposed to the sun! =)

Love Stila's moisturizer plus sunscreen! =); July 2, 2009 6:31 PM
marce said...: I have very pale skin, so I have a lot of sunburn stories, sadly. I have one story that when people speak of sunburns, is the one that comes to mind. I was about 4 years old, and I don't remember the time that much, however my parents do, and always tell that story... and the pictures also speak for themselves.
We had just moved to Houston in the summer and on the first weekend in the city, my parents took me to a park with a lake and spent all day there. I remember that park and having a great time, but by the time I got home, I had a horrible sunburn. My mom says that I didn't even feel it at first, and you could tell, as I am smiling in the pictures. Well, I hope that kid in the pictures was me, because I look so red from the sunburn, I have a hard time recognizing that little girl! Anyway, my parents tell me that they got so scared that I had a really bad sunburn, that they put a lot of moisturizers and creams, but the sunburn lasted about a week. They also say I cried a lot that night :(
After that time, however, my parents say that whenever we went out, even for just a while, they put a lot of sunscreen on me :)

marcelamca10@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 6:31 PM
Karleigh D. said...: I used to live in a small town in AL, which was on a lake. I was in high school and my boyfriend and I decided to go out and ride our wave runner. Ok, bikinis and teenage boys do not mix. Long story short, the next day I woke up with this horrible sun burn and the only non burnt places were in the shape of my boyfriend's on my butt. Not an easy one to explain to my mom.
Now I live in TX, the land of perpetual sunlight and I've gotten sunburned more times in the past six months than in my entire life, and I don't burn easy.
PICK ME! starfire0097@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 6:45 PM
Amy said...: In the summer of 1993 after graduating from high school, I traveled out of state to my college of choice with my friend. As part of the trip, we stopped to spend a couple days at the lake. On our first day, we discovered we had no sunblock, all we had was some Olay SPF 15 facial moisturizer. We slathered it all over ourselves and mentally prayed for deliverance from the sun's damaging rays and promptly forgot about our dilemma as we enjoyed ourselves in the sand and water (and, no, we didn't reapply. I don't think it would've mattered under the sad circumstances). One of the things we were looking forward to during our time at the lake was the beach dance. However, hours later, as we got ready to go, we realized we got a "little" sun. I was red from my back down to my legs, calves and feet from lying on my stomach on a towel. Despite our discomfort, we went to the dance anyway. But we were in so much agony, the whole thing was a bust. Our ride back to our cabin never materialized so we were forced to literally hobble a mile or more in unfamiliar mountain territory, in pitch black darkness, with second degree sun burns, back to our cabin. Oh, and we were also chased by a badger up the trail. I was in so much pain I couldn't bend my knees due to the sunburn on the back of them and I had permanent lines in the outline of my swimsuit for years afterward. Sadly, that is not my only sunburn story (I suffered another second degree burn on the tops of my knees the next year while river rafting) but now I am religious about wearing at least SPF 30 on my face, rain or shine, and wear body lotion with an SPF as well. Luckily for me, Sephora carries a dizzying array of SPF products, from foundation to powders, moisturizers, bronzers, primers, lipglosses, etc, for every skin type so there is no excuse not to wear it everyday. Stila, has many innovative products which contain SPF so you never have to wonder if you're protected. I would love to win so I can show my young daughter that staying sun safe and looking good while doing it are no longer mutually exclusive and that taking care of your skin needs to start early.

amy.barrett@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 6:56 PM
Anonymous said...: You know those lovely sheer shirts from the 80's, that were kind of sheer or crochet with lots of small holes? Well, thinking it would be the perfect cover-up to my bikini, since it's still totally sheer but enough of a cover, I wore one to the beach. When I took the shirt off, after a few hours of playing volleyball and running around, I was sun burned with tiny spots all over me!! Not only did I get the stupidest tan in history, people actually thought I had a skin disease and wouldn't go near me for weeks.

Slayer1_1@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 7:15 PM
jwil said...: One particularly gnarly sunburn of mine has been immortalized. I was a pool manager at the time, and had been asked to be the maid of honor at my best friend's wedding. She and the other bridesmaids all have beautiful, unblemished, lily-white skin. Somewhat notorious for my sun-extreme ways, my BFF kindly asked if I would refrain from any deliberate "skin color alteration" before the wedding. Fair enough. Unfortunately, a flu outbreak at my pool left me desperately short-staffed for swim lessons a week before the ceremonies. I reluctantly decided to teach a few lessons, maniacally reapplying sunscreen at every opportunity. I was doing great, until Friday, a day before the wedding. Running late and with several pool events slated for the day, I forgot the sunscreen and spent a solid, 10-hour day in my swim lesson uniform: a one-piece swim suit. Normally, this amount of exposure would have given me the tan of a surfer, but having worked for three months to remain pale, I woke up the next morning, deeply and painfully "lobster" red. The bride, to her credit, only panicked a little. The photographer stared in alarm - what would this look like on camera?! Sure enough, I stuck out like sore, red thumb (with horrific tan-lines). My friend now laughs and says I added a bit of "color" to her wedding.

I am now, proudly, about a year clean of my skin-punishing habits. I still love the look of a golden tan, but I am learning that it is always better to fake it (with Stila products, preferably!).

jirenewilson@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 7:42 PM
Katie said...: Last year my girl scout troop took a week-long trip to the beach before school started. The trip happened to fall on my birthday so I was extra excited-it was, like, my DREAM birthday party!
So on our first day there we decided to be cute and put a ton of sunscreen on our noses so we'd look like lifegaurds. A couple of hours later we returned to the hotel room to find that the sun screen on or faces had worn off long ago leaving our faces bright red and noses pasty white! So all my birthday pictures and all the other pictures we took (trust me, moms with cameras-lots of extra pictures) feature us with the most embarssing sun burn ever. If that's not enough, the burn hadn't faded by the first day of school, so we all had to start freshman year ( in highschool!) with pink faces and white noses!! If I did win this awesome stila set I would always have a nice EVEN glow, and would be able to start out sophomore year looking hot...but not burned.

email- katie.katastrophe@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 7:58 PM
Elisabeth said...: While visiting a boyfriend at school in Guadalajara, Mexico, another girl and I decided to "when in Rome, do as..." and sunned all day topless. Needless to say, the evening hours found both of us as miserable as we could be, unable to tolerate the touch of a sheet or shirt, not to mention BRA. After several embarrassing days of discomfort (just how does a person explain "that" type of sunburn?), we ventured back to the pool but with tops secured and sun screen lathered from top to toe (dare I say "to tit?"); July 2, 2009 8:23 PM
Elisabeth said...: EMAIL: ezsbookpal@comcast.net; July 2, 2009 8:25 PM
Sam p said...: one time i went to north carolina with my family... I must have not applied enough sunscreen (i still havent quite figured out how it happened to the this day) and sat on the beach and tanned. I got home and had AMAZING color!!! It was amazing. I soon felt my face getting a little dry and itchy but i just left it alone. I went to look in the mirror and my tan was peeling off!!!! all on my face!!!!!!! i looked like i had a disease. i was mortified walking around the house in front of my HUGE family. i couldnt get the peeling to stop!!! what a nightmare. Any lotion i put on burned it because i also had sunburn. I had to use baby lotion for a week for my skin to peel completely and for the color to semi even out! I learned my lesson for sure. I would love to use these Stila products your giving away because it would help this situation NEVER happen again ahahahah . IT WAS THE MOST MORTIFING THING EVER.... and to think i walked around a town looking like that ohhhhmyyyyy
my email is svp526@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 8:32 PM
Deborah said...: Several years ago I got pretty sick in the late spring, and my doctor prescribed antibiotics. My son was little and I was sitting outside on the chaise with some of the other mothers, who were helping me watch him.

I fell asleep. The other mothers let me sleep and the sun moved across the sky until it was shining on me.

I got sun poisioning to go with my sickness. I laugh now but it was terrible then.

I'd like to score the Stila basket since I live in a pretty rural area now and I'm outside a lot, so I could use some stylish protection.

asthenight at gmail dot com; July 2, 2009 8:38 PM
misstrishdelish said...: Back in 1999 I had just moved back home to Hawaii from Washington State with some family. Naturally wanting to soak up the sun we went to the beach for days well one days we finally went to Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. Well if you've went there before you KNOW that you should get the highest SPF and apply it religiously before, during, and after. HA wish someone would have told us that before we went.

We ended up getting I think the 35 spf and we applied like a few times before we got there and during a couple of times thinking that was enough. WRONG! I swear to you before we even left I was as red as a crab from head to toe. Surprisingly I wasn't sore until a few days later but sadly I was still pretty red a week later when I had to take my Driver's License test! LOL needless to say my driving instructor was amused and well I was probably the most if not only burnt person to get their license.

Before peeling like a mad person I did have a very short lived DARK tan haha!

bebetrish@hotmail.com; July 2, 2009 8:40 PM
auroragyps said...: One year, my huusband & I, plus a few friends, went to the renaissance fair in Sterling, NY on a very sunny Summer day. We sat on this hill that over looked the jousting field, me leaning against my husband, linking arms. Well, I had my long hair in a pony tail, so by the time we left the fair, the ear I didn't have snuggled up against his shoulder was so burnt I had a couple of big blisters on the top of it. It felt so hot and itched really bad, not to mention it killed when I washed my hair in the shower or got any hair products with alcohol on it. It was so annoying, I was counting the days until it healed up.

auroragyps@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 8:46 PM
Elizabeth said...: I went on a business trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and ate something I shouldn't have. I got sick and ended up taking Cipro. After 48 hours of sleeping, I finally felt better and decided that it would feel good to go outside for a little while. I forgot two important things: 1) the Cipro has a warning label on it that says you should avoid prolonged sun exposure and 2) Nairobi is very close to the equator and therefore closer to the sun than my hometown in the US. I was only outside for 20 minutes, but I burned, lobster-red. The worst part was having to fly home - 24 hours on planes, with a nasty sunburn and the last remnants of the stomach illness.

I love Stila products, and would love to try their products with SPF, because I'm walking to and from work a lot these days and need the extra protection!

elizfitch AT yahoo DOT com; July 2, 2009 9:10 PM
Pittles said...: Went to Hawaii last summer...thinking that I desperately needed a tan and needed it quick, I spent a whole day snorkeling and laying out in the sun. Needless to say, by the end of the day, I was red as a lobster and it was painful to walk around. Didn't want to seem like I was stupid (but I was) so I had to act like everything was ok. That's not the end of the story though...I was still feeling the effects weeks later in that I was molting literally like a snake. From head to toe. My poor bf (what a sweetheart) was peeling my dead skin off of me for weeks. I now put on sunblock everytime I'm in the sun.

ivyc.pan@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 9:28 PM
Kristy said...: Two years ago on July 4 we headed down to a beach in La Jolla. We were there since 4:30 that morning and it was cold and cloudy most the morning, and I didn't even think of using sunblock. I'm extremely fair skinned, red hair, blue eyes, freckles, the whole thing. By noon the sun finally showed itself and we were there well into the night to see the fireworks. That next day I was burned so badly I had blisters on face! It was the most painful sunburn of my life, and I've had lots! Now whenever I go out, I remember to wear sunscreen!

thanksforthejava@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 9:45 PM
manda said...: Four years ago, I went to study abroad in Japan. One of our welcoming optional field trips was to Kyoto. In those days, I didn't wear moisturizer and foundation with SPF, and took the train to Kyoto in a tank top and jeans with a bunch of classmates. I'm very fair skinned - what I like to call "albino" - but while walking out on Midwestern sidewalks I never seemed to get burnt, so didn't worry about sunscreen either. The temple we on the trip ended up walking to was at the top of a hill lined with shops and almost no shade. It was a beautiful, hot day - the sun was making its intense presence known overhead.

One day later, I realized that the sun hits Japan a little bit harder than in the Midwest. My shoulders and face were an angry red that lasted for days, and peeled off in little white patches of skin afterward.

Japanese girls who I had only met kept cautiously asking me, "Have you been to the beach?" - a roundabout way of commenting on my mishap.

This August first I'm heading to Japan again to teach English, and trying to stock up on all the items I need that will be more expensive or nonexistant. Sephora doesn't have locations in Japan, so I'm unsure what my options will be there. Having excellent quality cosmetics with SPF, like what you're offering, will prevent my students and coworkers from asking me "Have you been to the beach?" and me from having to explain the effect of island sun on my pale skin.

email - hahnamanda at gmail dot com; July 2, 2009 10:36 PM
Vee said...: Growing up, in high school, in college, I always thought going au naturel was the way to go, not wearing make-up or sunscreen, not even moisturizer! Even when I got huge welts of blistering on my shoulders, I thought I could just lather on some aloe and that was enough. I thought I never needed those things when I was outdoors.

To my dismay, I found myself with some light brown spottings on my left cheek as I got older. Why just the left side? Was it from stress or a reaction from something? I never realized what that was from until it dawned on me that all those years of not wearing any sunscreen left me with sun spots--just from driving! Even indirect sunlight in this California summer had left me with sunspots. I now utilize moisturizers and even primers with at least SPF15 in them. SPF have become a daily must for me, even when I plan to be indoors all day.

snowboard_r@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 10:47 PM
Joanna said...: I brought sunblock with me when I visited Barcelona a month ago. However, it didn't help if I DIDN'T PUT IT ON. I did a lot of walking under the scorching sun, and on the second day, my arms started to itch really badly. At first I thought it's some kind of allergy; and then it started to change color. It changed from redness to neon pink! I realized it's not allergy, and confirmed that I actually got badly burnt when the pink patches started to turn into wrinkly bubbles. By then it was too late to apply sunblock. I looked like a burn victim: neon pink flesh patches with bubbled skin. Not only it was embarrassing, it's really bad because I'm hurting myself for being lazy not putting sun protection on.

koalajoe@gmail.com; July 2, 2009 10:56 PM
rasilla said...: I couldn't help but laugh at the story, not because it was funny perse, but because I could relate.
It was the first week of September of 2006, and we decided to hit the beach just outside of Toronto. It took us AGES to find a perfect spot. We settled down, and I had a GENIUS idea...the sun didn't look too strong, so I figured I would just tan my back as it gets the least day to day exposure.
1.5 hours later...BURN! lol It make travelling back home a nightmare, as I couldn't lean against anything, and it continued to sting along the way...Luckily it was on my back, and people couldn't see, cause I would be mortified had others called me Red Lobster :T

rasill012 at gmail dot com; July 2, 2009 11:15 PM
Stephanie Reed said...: When I was twenty, I traveled with friends to Myrtle Beach, SC, where I saw the ocean for the first time. The next day was completely overcast, and this naive Midwesterner slapped sunscreen on shoulders and nose--only. By that evening, I was so scorched (except for the nose and shoulders) that a trip to the Pavilion and a ride on the roller coaster was excruciating. Every time we were pressed back against the seat, OW. Later in the week, I blistered, which meant I had second degree burns. Not only that, I felt sick and my skin fit me tight as a drum. To top it all off, for the next few years I got a sun poisoning rash any time I went into the sun. :-(; July 2, 2009 11:24 PM
Kimberly said...: I've always had fairly dark complexion so I never really bothered to use sunscreen. Now in my thirties I don't get out in the sun the way I used to & my skin tone is not as dark & what is used to be. A couple of summers ago, a few friends & myself got the bright idea to take up sunbathing again. Don't ask me what I was thinking, because you guessed it, I went out with no sunscreen whatsoever. Wrong move, I wound up burning so bad I had blisters on my face, my lips were even peeling! I wound up with sun poisoning, & staying inside for a little over a week & half before I even resembled anything close to human again.; July 2, 2009 11:28 PM
Kimberly said...: I've always had fairly dark complexion so I never really bothered to use sunscreen. Now in my thirties I don't get out in the sun the way I used to & my skin tone is not as dark & what is used to be. A couple of summers ago, a few friends & myself got the bright idea to take up sunbathing again. Don't ask me what I was thinking, because you guessed it, I went out with no sunscreen whatsoever. Wrong move, I wound up burning so bad I had blisters on my face, my lips were even peeling! I wound up with sun poisoning, & staying inside for a little over a week & half before I even resembled anything close to human again.
iowagirl301@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 11:28 PM
Halifax said...: My daughter loves to play in the pool. One time I forgot to reapply sunscreen on her, and she ended up with sun-burnt shoulders and cheeks, quite bad. I make sure I got good suncreen and after-sun balm this summer for her. I'm hoping to be able to spend some good time at the beach, so this basket would be perfect.; July 2, 2009 11:42 PM
Cass_m said...: I was on holiday in the British Virgin Islands and had been warned about sunburns and especially burning the tops of feet. We were going snorkeling so I made sure to put sunscreen on my neck and wore a t-shirt. Unfortunately my mask fitted so my ears really stuck out. They burnt so badly that I had to sleep face down with my nose in the dip between the pillow and the mattress so I could breath and my ears wouldn't hurt. I am extra careful applying sunscreen to my ears now:)

cass_m@yahoo.com; July 2, 2009 11:58 PM
Stephanie said...: Years ago, when I was in high school, I went to the beach with some friends. I always put sunscreen on, but somehow forgot the backs of my knees this time. OUCH! I could barely walk, it was so painful to bend! It took several days for the bright hot red to subside.... I'll never forget the backs of my knees again!

I am a huge Stila fan, but there are some products here I have never tried - would love the chance to test drive them

stefandru at yahoo dot com; July 3, 2009 12:26 AM
Amy said...: I was wearing a necklace that my best friend gave me and the pendant was the letter "A" (first letter of my first name). I was roaming around one sunny day and only had sunscreen on my arms. I didn't put sunscreen on my neck or body, and I was wearing a tank top. After about six hours outside, my neck started feeling very itchy. I looked at a mirror and to my horror, my neck was all red and sunburnt. When I took off my necklace that night, I saw that my whole neck was sunburnt except for a white "A" area! I had my best friend's token of friendship branded right onto my neck for 2 years before it completely faded away lol!

I would love to win the Stila products because I've always loved Stila eyeshadows and would love to try their face products.

angeldream3@gmail.com; July 3, 2009 12:50 AM
Ms Meghan said...: I went to a white sand beach in florida w/ my cousin. I put on sunscreen but didn't thoroughly apply it, and had a bunch of very sunburned spots. This then led to sun poisoning which led to the worst sinus infection of my life, ruining the rest of my trip.

Have you ever flown with sinus pressure so bad your teeth hurt? I don't recommend it.

Not to mention that when I got back I was sick for another week, a week which included my birthday. It sucked hardcore.; July 3, 2009 1:02 AM
sisters in black frocks said...: don't ever sunbathe on the roof of your friends house in santa monica in the dead of summer. most especially if u are a eastern european fair skinned gal like myself. i kick myself for being sunblock free at 14. now i love my pale skin.; July 3, 2009 1:05 AM
Tammy said...: Way back when I was in middle school, my friends and I were spending the day at the beach. We all slathered on our sunscreen, until I got to my back and decided to ignore that area. "I never burn," I told my friends. We hung out in the sun all day. When I got home I felt my back burning. I took one look in the mirror and saw that my entire upper back had been burned. I mean, it was bright, lobster red. It seriously burned and peeled for weeks. Dark skinned people can burn after all. I still have spots on my back from that burn 'till this day. It was my first, and last, sunburn ever. I'm now quite OCD about wearing sunscreen to keep myself from burning and stave off wrinkles. I'd love to try the Stila products because I've never tried any before. This would be a great way to be introduced to the brand and try some makeup with sunscreen already built into it.

tammo85(at)hotmail.com; July 3, 2009 1:10 AM
izumi said...: i had planned a lunch for my brother and my cousins and i before i headed off to college. my middle cousin (out of 3) showed up, OBVIOUSLY not wearing a bra and she explained as soon as she walked in the restaurant-- she had FINALLY gotten a chance to hit up the beach, except for she was DEAD tired and fell asleep for a good 4-5 hours! she was SO burned she couldn't stand to put on clothes, much less a bra!

xkhaotik@gmail.com; July 3, 2009 1:29 AM
lois said...: Last year, I went on a 13-mile hike down Grand Canyon and up. On the way down, it had just rained so I didn't have to worry about sunburns but I forgot to put on sunscreen the next day on the hike up. My shoulders, normally very pale, became lobster red and I had a tank top tan with brown shoulders and a white neck. It peeled and the worst thing was, I went to a summer retreat after and needless to say, I had to explain many times what happened. I love Stila and since I have so many of their products already, I would give it out to my friends and warn them of the unattractive and unhealthy benefits of sun damage.

loisleex@gmail.com; July 3, 2009 1:30 AM
Anonymous said...: once i was at the beach sun-tanning. i never got a sunburn before so i didn't apply any sunscreen. As I fell asleep on the chair, my friends played a trick on me and put a play boy cut-out on my upper chest- right under my neck. when i woke up and removed the cut-out i got a sunburn on my and it had the playboy stenciled in! it was so embarrassing walking around the beach! people just looked and laugh. what was worse was that when i went to work and all my coworkers saw it
propozz@gmail.com; July 3, 2009 2:32 AM
stylt said...: This post has been removed by the author.; July 3, 2009 2:34 AM
stylt said...: well i was in thailand not too long ago and having the best time of my life, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, volley ball-ing and all the fun stuff. of course, then, i've never actually been sunburnt before so i naturally thought that i was 'exempted' from this sunburn thing and didn't really pay much attention to the amount of sunblock i was applying (which wasn't a lot).

then, on the plane back, i started feeling the tell-tale 'pains' of a sunburn where it hurts to have anything touch your shoulders, back, nose and all the sunburn-able parts of the body. after a day or two, IT began...

i was peeling everywhere (nose, forehead, shoulders, back etc) and it was probably the most disgusting thing i've ever seen on myself. it was like having little islands on me...eurgh. the worst part was, i had to go out the next day and it was one of those uncancellable girls' night out (thankfully, not a wedding or anything). it was pretty embarrassing going out all peely and i thought i'd go poof onto the floor :P

but thankfully, my girlfriends understood my pain and we cut the fun short even so, that was an experience to last a lifetime.

then again, the only good thing i got out of it was a fairly impressive tan :) but that was after all the peeling and grossness. don't think i'll ever risk that again...but with some awesome stila products i'll never need to risk that again!

miscellaneous.psyche@gmail.com; July 3, 2009 2:37 AM
Jessica said...: I am a VERY pale girl. We're talking MUFE Panstick in WHITE.

Once when I was away on a summer exchange program, our professor decided to take us to the beach. We had quite the late night the night before, and stupid me went out sans sunblock. Of course, I immediately fell asleep.

An hour later, I woke up RED as a lobster on my front, WHITE as a ghost on my back.

After my legs swelled up to twice their normal size, my best friend took me to the hospital, and I got COVERED in nasty bandages.

To make matters worse, we were graduating the next day, and I had to walk and get my diploman with my big swollen legs wrapped up like a mummy in my gorgeous dress, the front of me all red, and the back of me stark white!

Needless to say, I've learned my lesson.

jesee9191@hotmail.com; July 3, 2009 3:31 AM
Andrew said...: I remember when I was a young reckless kid, about 8 years old. I went to a park near my home bringing my innocent little brother to be burned. Boy that day was incredibly hot and sunny. Sad part was that I did not have any knowledge about sunburns and how harmful the sun's ray can be. My brother and I happily played at the park without any sun protection until it was dinner. We did not feel any pain that day until the next day. We woke up next morning all red and with our skin peeling off. At first it was very interesting to me so I touched my brother's skin and he was screaming with immense pain. With a confused look I touched myself and felt that awful pain. My parents came to see what was all commotion and told us all about sunburns. Rest of that week we just sat home peeling each other skins... for fun I suppose. It was really hilarious, even our relatives who visited us frequently peeled some of our peeling skins. But I felt terrible for my little brother. My skin color came back to normal after few days, but my little brother got tanned. Lesson learned in a harsh way... but it was good memories. As I grew up, I learned that its very important to protect children from the exposure of strong sun light. It has an higher risk of getting skin cancer at younger age. I advised my parents and my brother to put on sun tan lotion every 30 minutes when exposed to strong sunlight such places as in beaches and pools. Since the summer has kicked in we will be using the lotion very frequently. You guys should too.

jynam87@gmail.com; July 3, 2009 3:32 AM
throuthehaze said...: when I was 17 I went to an outdoor concert festival. I had on a 3/4 length shirt and long shorts to protect my skin...apparently it wasnt enough because every inch of exposed skin was a bright lobster red by the end. Even my fingers and toes were burnt. It looked like I had lobster claws and I was in agony. I learned my lesson and wear sunscreen all the time.I could definitely use these products because i have very fair skin so I need to use products daily with SPF

throuthehaze at gmail dot com; July 3, 2009 3:44 AM
elaine l. said...: i've only started using sunscreen a month ago, and i realised that my complexion is getting better. i have never known much about skincare up till recently when i have been reading about them. i realized that the main culprit of damage to my skin is UVA and UVB from the sun. i love outdoor activities, swimming, hiking etc. but as i dont have proper care, my face is always reddish, very sensitive. i never suspect that it's due to the sun as i thought they were acne scars that doesnt want to seem to fade away. demoralised by how i look, i read up on the basics of skincare, in which application of sunscreen is one main factor. second is hydration. i'm glad that i've found the root to my problem and that hope gals out there will also understand the importance of applying sunscreen. prevention is always better than cure!

email: autumn086@yahoo.co.uk; July 3, 2009 4:22 AM
Gel said...: I am quite fair-skinned. When I was still a kid, I was so excited we were at a nice beach so I spent the whole day basking in the sun without any sun protection. I ended up having severe sun burn. I couldn't even open my eyes because even my lids were burnt! I also had a fever and spent the next few days of our vacation in bed with the A/C running.; July 3, 2009 6:32 AM
Colette said...: I have been blessed (cursed?) with pasty white skin. In the 70's I tried the baby oil - disaster. I would be told be older cousins that burns turn to tan and I would look great - um, no. My skin only accepts shades of pink/red post skin exposure. One of my worst experience was when I was about 15 and went camping with a friend's family. I slathered on the sunscreen (thick and greasy) and hit the beach. I camped out under the umbrella as an extra layer of protection. Then I fell asleep on my stomach while reading a book. I awoke to find that the sun had moved and my lower half was exposed to the sun. At first I thought nothing of it since I applied sunscreen. Well, I missed the backs of my knees and bottoms of my feet. OUCH! Try walking across hot sand with burnt feet. NO EASY TASK. The misery - I can't explain the misery. It hurt to do everything. Why should I get the Stila? I am a huge fan of the spf products and I share this passion with everyone I know. I also share my products!! It is hard to know what products you are most compatible with until you try them out. I maintain several spf items in my arsenal, because I like to be sure that no matter what happens I have an spf for EVERY occasion. P.S. Ever since this incident I always place a towel over my feet or bury them in the sand at the beach. :) artemisia813@yahoo.com; July 3, 2009 7:34 AM
Rachael Williams said...: Way back in the day when I was a teenager, it was cool to get that lovely burnt orange color from tanning beds. At the tender age of 15, I was a tanning bed whore. I went several days in a row, ignored the warning redness and ended up SEVERLY burning my boobs! So bad that I couldn't wear a bra and was in so much pain and misery that I ended up in the school nurses office. She wanted to see how bad the puppies were burnt so I had to show them to her in all their burnt, blistery glory. She looked horrified and proceeded to send me home immediately with orders to go to the doctor.
Ahhh the good old days when I got to flash the school nurse, priceless!
Rachael W.
naughtygirlrlw@msn.com; July 3, 2009 7:42 AM
Lovely said...: In HS I thought it would be "cool" to put my hair in a bunch of braided pig-tails since we were going to go hang out after the beach and I would have a "cool" wavy do. Of Course i had a red, tender flaking scalp for days after. It was the 70's what did we know? I would love a basket of Stila goodies since I'm such a SPF fiend now : ); July 3, 2009 9:14 AM
Dani said...: On a family vacation to Vegas my very fair cousin decided to lay out in the sun with her hands behind her head. What resulted was a severe burn under her arms. Poor thing couldn't put her arms down for days!

DaniNYC12677@gmail.com; July 3, 2009 9:33 AM
Cali Breezy said...: I helped a woman with her baby who was turing very red on a beach and crying when I was a younger woman on my first vacation to the Gulf of Mexico. I had just got out the water. All I knew to do was toss her my beach towel and drinking water in a thermos and run buy some aloe vera from a nearby vendor. Thankfully, so many passersby began to tell her to pack up her beach trip and maybe go to an ER. I cried the whole time too like the baby. Take care, Sincerely, me.; July 3, 2009 10:46 AM
Nelsby said...: Horrifying story...it still haunts me. I grew up in Northeastern PA -- where it is a tradition to spend a week at the Ocean City, MD beach after graduation. Of course, many parties occur at the beach. One particular night I indulged a bit too much. Regardless, all of us girls woke up every day to go to the beach and get the best tan possible. Keep in mind that we were young and dumb...not concerned with skin cancer or burns. Well, I fell asleep on the beach...and woke up 4 hours later...red as a lobster. I didn't want to miss that night's party. So I went...red as a beet and in excruciating pain. Here's the doozy...I was talking to a cute guy -- and threw up very suddenly and very violently! Turns out I had sun poisoning :o(

sierranelsby (at) gmail (dot) com; July 3, 2009 11:34 AM
*kate* said...: When I was younger, i was so excited when my parents told me we were going on a family vacation to Florida to visit family friends. I spent my days in pools and on the beach. Since i have a porcelian complexion my mother would be crazy about reapplying sunscreen every hour. The one day at the beach my mom was calling me back from the water to put some spf on.. i didn't want to stop playing so i told her i'd be there in a little while. she kept asking and i kept pushing it back. Finally i came in and i was horribly red and ended up getting sun poisoning. the next day we were going home and i ended up getting 3 huge blisters that covered my whole back. i had to sit on the plane with my head leaning on the seat in front of me so i wouldnt hit my back on the seat. i was throwing up on the plane too from the sun poisoning. it was horrible. finally we got back to buffalo's airport and we couldnt get off of the plane because of some backup on the runway. we were stuck on for another 2 hours. it was horrible and very uncomfortable. when i got home i had to go to the hospital and they had to peel the blisters and wrap me in gauze. now i make sure i always have spf with me and reapply as much as possible. i would love to win this because i am always looking for a new, good smelling and good working sunscreen and spf products!! hope i win! especially since i had to relive the painful memories :)

kfly835@aol.com; July 3, 2009 11:51 AM
Joanna said...: I grew up in Southwest Florida, ten minutes from the Gulf. Most people would consider this an ideal childhood--like being on vacation all year round. However, I'm a natural redhead and constant "fun in the sun" was torture. I got sunburned just driving in the car or sitting outside during gym class. My absolute worst sunburn was in middle school. I had spent the entire day at the beach with my friend's family who weren't as contentious as my mother about reminding me to reapply my sunscreen. We rode a raft in the hard surf for hours and by the time we left I was lobster red. That night my bed felt like the crashing waves and I woke up with blisters on my face from the severe burn. It was an eye-opening experience. My habits completely changed and I've accepted my fate--I wear lotion with sunscreen everyday and I'm the fully clothed weirdo at the beach. But I'm never putting myself through that kind of pain again, that's for sure.

joalario@gmail.com; July 3, 2009 12:01 PM
Anastasia said...: I was 15 and in Hawaii on a family vacation and so into tanning. Silly me put my own suntan lotion / sunscreen on my back, naturally missing the bra-line area.

Not only did I get the sunburn of a lifetime and ruin a good portion of the trip... but you could actually see finger marks where my hands stopped the application. I also couldn't wear a bra for 2 months!

I'm lucky that I had no long term effects, but I never leave the house without SPF50 on anymore.

Anastasia.; July 3, 2009 12:57 PM
unmbrat said...: After moving to NM from the east coast after graduating high school. I was tanning at the pool in my new apartment complex. I had tanned by my pool at my home in Pennsylvania my whole life and never burned, just a nice tan. I fell asleep and wow, when I woke up a gave red a new meaning. I was so burned, I religiously use sunscreen now. The altitude makes a big difference in the suns intensity.; July 3, 2009 1:09 PM
C.J. said...: Several years ago, my friend and I were innocently strolling one of Florida's sandy beaches with not a care in the world...and not an ounce of sunscreen. My friend has a medium complexion, while I could easily be mistaken as Edward Cullen's sister (yes, I used a Twilight reference :). So after several hours of strolling in the sun, later that night I noticed the hideous freakish red that was now my skin, while my friend turned into a bronze goddess. After slathering on endless amounts of aloe, and soreness from lying on my burn, I noticed one big sun spot. Since that day, I now treat my fair skin with respect and always try to slather on the sunscreen. But that brown spot still reminds me to never go out into the sun without spf. Now thanks to the popularity of Twilight my fair skin has now become vogue :)

scotland81@bellsouth.net; July 3, 2009 1:34 PM
fancy said...: I was 5, and the summer temps were high. The extended family and myself were swimming in the bay at my grandmother's house, and I was under the "care" of a relative, as my own sun-concious parents were out of town...
This paticular relative, however, was not only oblivious to the Sun's harmful rays, but intent on 'not wasting' sunscreen. That's right, not wasting it, (as if there was a better purpose for SPF than protecting my fragile, sensative irish-french skin.

Needless to say, I burned to a crisp after our long swim, and was so burned I not only blistered everywhere, but had to sit in front of a fan for days, drenched in aloe, because I couldn't even open my mouth. My skin-cancer-surviving father was furious.

It's not clear yet, at the ripe age of 24, what that particular burn did in the long run. I'm an avid SPF user, and still pale as a ghost. But i wouldn't trade my fair looks for any kind of bronze - i mean, would Audrey or Grace Kelly look good all fried and leathery? i think not. I'll keep the pale :)

xo, stila girls!

Blair

blairtay16@aol.com; July 3, 2009 1:48 PM
Lisa said...: When I graduated from high school, I was fortunate enough to go on our Senior Cruise to the Bahamas. We had a blast, doing everything from riding mini bikes, trying our luck at the casino's and naturally, sun bathing on Paradise Island!

Me and my friends got there early to get a good spot and wasted no time trying to get a glorious tan. We made sure to cover ourselves really well, as we knew that being that close to the equator we had to be really careful. I layed out at 10am, my body covered in sunscreen and apparently fell asleep before too long. My friends must have found something else to do because they left me there! It was after 2:30 before I woke up. I was left to bake in the sun which is exactly what happened.

When I got back to my cabin, I was able to see just how bad it was. My friends called for the ship doctor to try and help relieve some of the pain. Thats when I found out that I had sun poisoning. He then told me that I should stay in bed for the remainder of the cruise.

I was so miserable, but determined to try and have fun later that night on the ship. I'll never forget that night, it was a special event they had planned for our graduating class where we got to wear our absolute finest. I got all dressed up with the beautiful dress my mom had bought for me, just to have for the cruise. When I left my cabin, I felt miserable. I had to keep my legs from touching as the pain was so terrible. I looked like a zombie trying to walk and everyone was staring at me. Needless to say, I didnt last very long and had to go back to my cabin. Thats how I spent the next two nights of the cruise. After we got home, it eventually started feeling better, after using lots of aloe lotion. But the funniest thing happened, my skin had turned purple on my feet and hands!

I will never forget my senior cruise and will never let that happen again!

beatlenut0264@yahoo.com; July 3, 2009 2:44 PM
Lisa said...: This past April a few friends and I ventured away from Buffalo and went to Mexico for a relaxing vacation. I have pretty fair skin and burn easiliy. Day one was beautiful, we were on the beach, the sun was shining, tropical drinks, chick-lit, and I was wearing sunscreen! There was no need to reapply since I was under an umbrella and only ventured out to take short walks on the beach and to walk to the ladies room. Result: super sun burned feet (I guess my SPF wasn't water proof...it washed off in the ocean!) and you guessed it...my hands got it bad too! (always remember to wash your hands after using the bathroom ladies!) How embarrassing to look like that on day one of the vacation...i had to spend the rest of the week under the umbrella with my feet covered. When we got home everyone wanted to know why only my hands and feet were peeling... I guess it could have been worse, thank goodness none of us came home with the flu.
I have a few of the stila products and love them! I'm looking for products to use that have SPF in them so I'd love to give these a try! :)

Raspberryplum19@yahoo.com; July 3, 2009 3:19 PM
Tanya said...: My story is a little different. In my family of strong Irish roots, skin cancer runs rampant. (I speak mainly of my Mother, Grandfather & Nana) Because of this, I try to avoid the suns harmful rays at all cost. Therefore, me & my freckled skin is left pretty darn pale year round, so I self tan quite often. However, last Spring I was using "peel pads" & exfoliating daily trying to get a "natural glow" going. After a few months of exfoliating to no avail, I applied my usual amount of self tanner that I used prior to my "peel pad" phase & went to bed. However, when I woke the next morning & looked the mirror, I almost dropped to the ground. I was an "oopma loompa" shade of orange. Which, btw, was just barely an exceptable appearance in the early 90's, when companies didn't yet really quite know how to make it & people didn't really know how to use it. Therefore, for me to walk around with an orange face "today", I just felt ridiculous. Not only did it not fade in the least bit with intense scrubbing, but I had to take my 4 year old to her dance class that morning, bring her to school, walk her into her class & pick her up everyday that week. Therefore, there's no hiding this face. I just feel bad for my daughter &, especially, my 18 month who has to be carried around everywhere by Giant Orangesicle Mommy. =D That day I learned to NOT use too much self tanner on your face after exfoliating! Lesson Learned! BTW, I LOVE Sephora & Stila! Super Yummy!!; July 3, 2009 3:30 PM