It's summer. Yay. Finally some sun. I'm happy for you guys — it's the rainy season over here.

You have been preparing for this season since the year started. Shopped for it, been on a diet, and hit the gym 5 days a week to get that banging summer bod. You've earned it

Welcome to the season you are allowed to wear the skimpiest of skimpy clothes. Season of freedom. The only season you are allowed to walk around in bikinis without judgy eyes pouncing on you.

Imagine having to wear heavy clothing all other seasons and then comes one opening from June to September where you can wear little to no clothing and nothing will bother you.

Well, just the sun. but thank God for sunscreens.  They are a miracle invention. If not, our skin will turn barbecued chicken with no one to enjoy it, not even the eye.

This information about enjoying summer is however not for my African brethren, especially Nigerians. If you decide to follow social media to do hot girl summer in Nigeria by this time of the year. Then accept my condolences now. Instead of getting tanned, you are going to get drenched. 

Ever seen a rat that mistakenly fell into the water? That's the sight of the wet girl summer you will be getting. And that's if the flood didn't sweep you away from your feet.

So if you are in Africa, sit this one out. But you can take the part where I talk about sunscreens.

It has become a norm in the beauty industry to wear sunscreen before applying your makeup. There are even SPF foundations. Which is amazing by the way. I love the fact that almost everyone has adopted the use of sunscreen and it's non-negotiable in our beauty process.

But what happens 2 to 3 hours later after we apply our makeup? It's a known fact that sunscreens should be reapplied every 2 hours if you are not directly under the sun and every 30 minutes if you are under the sun like enjoying yourself on the beach. Because it wears off within a short period of time.

Reapplying your sunscreens over your makeup could ruin your perfect glam. It can smudge your perfectly blended makeup. 

To be fair, going from looking like a homeless person to Beyonce on the stage with thousands of people screaming her name is nothing short of a miracle. It is a work of art and no Da Vinci wants to ruin their work. Even if that which could cause ruin also has a huge potential of slowing aging and cancer. It's beauty over long life when you put it like that.

What is this sunscreen?

Sunscreen has the ability to protect your skin against a specific version of ultraviolet rays(UV) called UVB. UVB is responsible for sunburns, premature aging, and skin cancer. Applying sunscreen once a day isn't enough to keep you protected against the damages the sun could cause. so. you need to reapply it multiple times a day as it has a short life span. Use at  least broad spectrum SPF30 (Sun protection factor).

Now you know that using sunscreen is not an aesthetic but it saves lives.

But I also know that we human beings have coconut heads (stubborn). It wouldn't make sense to anyone to apply lotion sunscreen over their perfectly beat face just because it prevents premature aging and skin cancer. That's hours of work down the drain.

To convince people to apply sunscreen over their makeup, you have to come up with another form of sunscreen that will do what it's supposed to do without smudging the makeup and can also add an extra advantage. And it's been done.

There are other forms of sunscreen that will help you look your best with makeup while also protecting your skin from potential sun damage.

Use A Powdered Sunscreen

Wearing makeup shouldn’t stop you from Reapplying your sunscreen after a few minutes or hours because sunscreens degrade very fast. Apply a powdered sunscreen that has at least SPF 30. Use your blending sponge to take up very light powder and gently apply it over your makeup and blend it till it's perfect.

This powdered sunscreen is a must-have for people with oily skin as it means having a matte finish for the rest of the day.

Use A Sunscreen Setting Spray

Instead of buying just a setting spray to help your makeup to last longer, why not buy an SPF one? 

An SPF setting spray will not just help you achieve a longer-lasting makeup but also help you achieve a longer-lasting youthful glow by preventing premature aging and skin cancer that comes from exposure to the sun. Just spray generously when you need to reapply your sunscreen or set your makeup.

Nothing feels good like knowing you are not endangering yourself just to look good.