Style your kids Sun Smart

Out and About

Whether you are down at the park, heading to the cafe by scooter or going to a friends house for a play date, it’s still vitally important to make sure your kids skin is protected from the sun. The skin begins to burn after fifteen minutes, so before you walk out the door, remember to apply sunscreen or dress your kids in sun protective clothing (including a hat).

Creating a ritual is habit forming…. for some.

Creating little rituals can set up great habits for later in life. My nephew, for instance, believes there are three steps to going to play in the backyard: Shoes, sunscreen and hat. He has just turned five and (with a little help) puts on his own sunscreen from the pump bottle sitting next to the shoe rack in the entrance hall.

The only problem is my three-year-old niece, she has no interest and just wants to run straight outside; no shoes, no hat and definitely no sunscreen.

For Christmas, she is receiving a Handstand Undertop in Aquamarine and the Mr Wolf Jumpsuit in Chambray (she hates pink and her favourite item of clothing is a green camouflage jacket).

I can’t do much about the shoe problem, but this way at least my sister-in-law doesn’t have to chase her around with the sunscreen bottle and use fruit pouches as bargaining chips.

 

 At the beach

When I take my daughter to the beach, I see a plethora of rash vests with matching bucket hats running around building sandcastles and chasing seagulls.

I’m lucky enough that my daughter gets really cold at the beach and she spends most of summer in a full length wetsuit. When she’s not impersonating a seal in her black neoprene, I chase her around with the sunscreen, which eventually gets dropped in the sand and is followed by a flat refusal to put it on because it now has sand all through it. If my daughter was a couple of years younger (she’s thirteen and I have lost all control of her wardrobe ), I would have gone with the outfit below:

The Hide and Seek Hoodie because it’s comfortable, breezy and has a hood to cover the neck, back and ears. I would have slipped the hoodie straight over my daughter’s bathers (once she had toweled herself off). A couple of squirts of sunscreen on the arms, her favourite hat and she would have been ready to build her sandcastle and walk along the beach collecting shells.

To see the full range of Sha-de for Girls clothing, click here.

It’s Friday and my husband and I are off the Wilson’s Prom for the weekend. Hopefully the weather will be beautiful and I will be able to share some great photo’s on instagram with you (if you’re not following us, you can check out our profile @sha_de_sun or our kids profile @sha_de_sun_kids).

Have a great weekend!

Sonia xx

 

Bangkok- Part 1

Ahhh! Finally on our honey moon.

The first part of our two week relaxation is a few days in Bangkok to wind down and get into the holiday mood. We have booked in at The Metropolitan. The rooms are spacious and combine the tropics and the city with elegance. The pool is big and stylish and you wake up to the most amazing, fresh, organic breakfasts (Glow). Their restaurant, Nahm, is in the top 50 restaurants in the world.

Nahm also happens to be conveniently positioned next to Banyan Tree hotel which boasts the most amazing rooftop bars; Vertigo and Moon Bar on the 61st floor. It is so surreal to be above the noise of Bangkok. Nahm and Vertigo combined to make for the best date night ever!

Moon Bar – Banyan Tree Bangkok

Vertigo- Banyan Tree Bangkok

I personally don’t think that you wedding day should be the only day you wear a white dress and to get the most mileage out of my perfect fake tan and pre-wedding diet. I have planned to pull out a favourite white and silver dress and combine it with an Indigo Bilgola Kimono to keep the chill off at 61 floors up.

Sha-de Bilgola Kimono, my favourite white and silver dress, burnt orange leather clutch, an array of gold bangles (to match my necklace) and beaded sandals (perfect for the humid conditions here).

I have also packed my wedding shoes; a pair of Blue strappy Jimmy Choo’s that I LOVE! My clear, beaded flats will also work perfectly with this outfit, which I have styled with a super-luxe beaded necklace I picked up at Zara in Dubai last year. I wear this necklace whenever I get the chance because it is so amazing.

Ready for a great night out !

Enjoying a pre-dinner cocktail 61 floors above Bangkok!

I can’t wait to share the next part of my honeymoon with you. If you have just joined us now, click here to catch-up on our previous posts.

Until next time!

Julia xx

5 Handbag Mush Have’s for Summer Holidays

It is almost that time of year, as we all sit at our desks on a Monday afternoon, counting down the days left to work and dreaming about what we are going to do during our holidays.

If you are like me, it will involve eating too much, relaxing and some serious time spent outdoors (hopefully at the beach!). So, as you prepare for your holiday break, here are our top five items to carry in your handbag this festive season:

1. Sunglasses

Stop squinting this Christmas and wear sunnies when you are outdoors. This will not only allow you to carry food and beverages, instead of reserving one arm for the hand visor; but will help protect your eyes from macular degeneration.

2. Sunscreen

A small tube will do the trick; leave the pump pack at home.

3. Water bottle

A dry mouth is the first sign of dehydration – remember to keep up your water intake when you are outdoors.

4. A great summer read

Grab a novel that you have been dying to read and just haven’t gotten around to starting (or finishing). My choice this Christmas is a re-read of Breath by Tim Winton, it reminds my of how much I love the ocean and is an enthralling coming of age story about a boy and his love of surfing, set in a sleepy coastal town in Western Australia.

5. Your Sha-de

I have been saved on a few occasions by having a Sha-de in my handbag. This is a picture of my handbag on my last trip to Sydney, I grabbed two on my way out the door; one to carry with me and one that matched a dress I was wearing to my niece’s second birthday party.

So pack a few essentials in your handbag this summer and enjoy the sunshine!

How old is too old?

It is time to blow the dust off your sunscreen, ready for another warm spring. So find your sunscreen, whether it is in the medicine cupboard, under the front seat of the car, hiding in a beach bag or hibernating in your handbag, turn it over and check the expiry. If it is still within the expiration date, you are good to go. However, if your trusty sunscreen has expired, it is time to replace it with a newer model.

According to Dr Karen Burke, Dematologist, sunscreen is good for three years after purchase. Manufacturers test the shelf life of sunscreen by storing it at 40°C with 75 percent humidity; then at 40°C with 25 percent humidity; and then testing it at 0, 1, 2, and 3 months. If the sunscreen remains stable for three months in these laboratory conditions, it is the equivalent to three years in your medicine cabinet. If the sunscreen is any older than that, the molecules can start to clump or degrade and this will not give you the protection you need.

So, what can we do to ensure our sunscreen is up to scratch? Dr. Burke suggests writing the date of purchase on the tube with a permanent marker, this will serve as a reminder to replace it after three years. Keeping the sunscreen in a cool place also helps safeguard the composition of the liquid, ensuring it maintains its structure over this time. So find your sunscreen, check the date, replace if you need to and enjoy the sunshine!