In this day in age, there is no such thing as a one size fits all skincare routine. However, there are universal truths to conserving and protecting the collagen, elasticity, and health of your skin. If you want to maintain a youthful glow for as long as possible, it is vital that you take into account the importance of sun protection. UV rays are powerful and can really damage the skin in ways that can be irreversible. Before you get to that point, cultivating a routine that incorporates a quality sun protection regime is highly recommended. When you actually take the time to care for your skin, you will experience a huge shift in your skin overall. 

4 Ways to Protect Your Skin in the Sun

1 | Regular Use of Sunscreen

The most obvious yet most powerful way to protect your skin from the sun is by using sunscreen. Most people don't even know when exactly they should reapply the product in a day. This answer all varies on the level of SPF in your sun-protecting lotion has but usually, every 2 hours shall suffice. The more SPF sunscreen has doesn't necessarily mean you don't have to reapply as often, as those rules still apply. It's also vital that you apply the sunscreen at least 30 minutes before sun exposure and not just right before you step outside. 



It takes a good half hour for the product to melt into the skin and for it to be absorbed properly. The reapplying process is just as important as the initial application if not more important. The amount you apply doesn't have to be so heavy, just enough to cover your whole face, neck, and ears. These areas have skin that is more sensitive in comparison to other parts of the body. That is why the formula for facial sunscreen and body sunscreen are completely different.

2 | Use Sun Protecting Makeup Products

Along with the importance of regular application of sunscreen, it's also very important that you use the right brand of sunscreen for your personal needs. Not all sunscreen works the same and are good for all skin types. Like any other product you use for your face, the same rules will apply for your sunscreen as well. If you have oily and sensitive skin, be sure to check if the sunscreen you're using is not oil based and is also non-comedogenic. If you have dry skin, check to see if the product offers moisturizing properties. 

These little details in your sunscreen you probably never even thought twice before to take into account. However, optimal sun protection can only happen when you're using the best possible products for your skin type. Never use the first one that you can find or the one that is the most affordable, because this is the only skin product you will be using more than your moisturizer. Do the necessary research before your purchase and also swatch a sample on your neck to see if you will have any irritations from the ingredients. 

3 | Accessorize with a Hat and Glasses

Accessorizing with a hat and glasses are wonderful ways to optimize sun protection if you have to be out in the sun for a long period of time. Although using a quality sunscreen can be effective, actually shading yourself can do wonders. If you ever notice in Asian cultures, locals use umbrellas when they're out in the sun, and the reason for this is that they know the sun can be very harmful when in direct contact. The sun gives out the most powerful UV rays during 10am-3pm, and so along with your nifty sunscreen, consider accessorizing as well. 



If you have the option to use a hat, glasses, or umbrella to protect yourself from the sun, do not be shy to do so. You will surely see a difference in your skin when you don't give it too much sun. Though vitamin D from the sun is necessary, you already get what you need from the vitamin within 30 minutes of exposure. That is all you really need, and the lighter your skin is, the less sun exposure is necessary. 

4 | Monitor your Sun Exposure Time

Lastly, be sure to monitor your sun exposure every day. As silly as it may sound, sometimes it can be hard to know how long you're out in the sun. It's relaxing a lot of the time to just bathe for hours. However, doing so can be detrimental to your health especially if you don't have any protection. 



Overall, sun protection should be a part of your daily routine that you never forget. Without sunscreen, you will be more susceptible to dark spots, wrinkles, and skin cancer. Little actions can really go a long way when it comes to your skin, and adding sunscreen is definitely one of them.

Essential DIY home remedies for maintaining a healthy and glowing skin

Let's start this year right shall we? Productivity Alert! Here are the top 8 tips that have helped me have a productive day during the semester!

Honestly, sometimes you just don't feel like doing work and that's completely okay! If you really don't feel like it, maybe these tips won't work (but maybe they will - just depends on you!).

However, if you are ready to conquer your school year/your daily life then keep on reading!

Productivity is very important to me. My mood is always better when I have a productive day and when I get work done I'm the happiest. Sometimes, I will admit, I do need a break and just a whole day of binge-watching an entire season of my at-the-moment favorite TV Show but if that one day turns into two or more, I notice I do get a little (= a lot) grumpy.


This semester in college I'm taking 16 credits, I work over 20 hours per week, and have an internship thrice a week at a Preventative Health Clinic for animals/pets. As you can see, my semester is very busy - in fact on 3 out of the 5 weekdays, my day starts at 8 am and ends at 7 pm! Crazy, right? Therefore, I cannot do without having more productive days than unproductive days in a week or I risk affecting my academics.


I've been very successful at having long productive days on the weekend or doing tasks in between classes (whatever it takes to remain sane during this insanely busy semester) and I've noted down a few things that help me boost my productivity and will to be productive.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means that I get a commission if you choose to purchase after clicking a link. This doesn’t cost you anything, and I only recommend products I love! Thank you for supporting the work I put into this site!


Want to skip the article? See the video below!

1 | Set the environment

To me, if my room is messy, I just cannot concentrate on studying or getting work done. I need at least my desk to be clean and organized if I don't have time to clean my entire room or I won't get work done. I like to have only papers/books that I need, my laptop (if necessary), and pens/pencils. Everything else either gets pushed to the other side or simply just stays off my desk. My optimum environment is when I'm not distracted by messes in my room/when everything around me is clean.

Of course, everyone has a different environment they prefer - you could set up candles if that helps you relax (especially if you have an overwhelming amount of work to do), you may want music (I suggest music with no lyrics so you can focus on the important stuff rather than getting distracted), you may want it to be dimly-lit or brightly-lit - it just depends on you.

2 | Be prepared

You want to make sure you have everything you need at an arm's distance where you are planning to work. Make sure you have the devices you will need, chargers, books, handouts, files open on your computer, food, water, and so on.

If you get up a million times from your workplace to get things you forgot to bring with you in the first place, it's going to be really hard to get in the "zone" because you will be constantly distracted.
So be prepared and have everything close by so you can have a nice flow of uninterrupted productivity.

3 | Eat and drink enough water

Being hungry or your stomach growling while you're trying to get work done, again, is very distracting. Either have some brain food so you can begin working right or have some (preferably healthy) snacks around in case you aren't hungry at the moment (you never know when you might get hungry!). My go-to snack or breakfast food for a productive day is a smoothie bowl! Coming soon:  The 3 easiest smoothie bowls I make all the time!
Also, stay hydrated! Drink water or fill a water bottle and keep it on your desk so you can stay hydrated while you're checking tasks off for the day! It's important not to forget about your bodily needs and coming from someone who only has one kidney - it's very important to not forget to drink water often! Also, having a reusable eco-friendly water bottle is great to have to reduce plastic waste! I recommend getting a steel or glass one like this one: Bamboo Lid Glass Water Bottle

4 | Get external inspiration

Sometimes, you need to watch someone else be productive or get inspiration from the world wide web (you speeder......okay I'm sorry please don't leave).
I usually go on YouTube and search something like "Study With Me with Music" or "Study Inspiration" or "Note Taking/Study Session" depending on what I'm in the mood for on a particular day. Now, you have to be cautious with this because YouTube will try to throw a random video in your face...or rather at the side of the screen that says "Suggested for You". Maybe the title is clickbait-y enough (lol just kidding) to spark your curiosity and at that moment, you will be distracted! My advice would be, only do this if you think you have enough self-control. Maybe allow only 5 or 10 minutes to watch a study-inspiration or productivity-inspiration video and then close the tab once you feel motivated enough. Then you could study in silence or with a productivity playlist going on in the background. My favorite productivity playlist is this one - P R O D U C T I V E  By Jasmin Faith

5 | Find your peak hours/time of day

It's important to try to find your peak or optimum time for getting work done. Some people prefer to get work done in the evening or at night but some people like me prefer to get work done first thing in the morning or before sunset. It depends on you but I think getting work done before other work/commitments drain you is a good idea!

6 | Wake up early

Whether you like to get work done in the evening or in the morning, it's a good idea to wake up early and sleep early. Not only will you feel like you have more time in the day to get work done but it will feel really nice to know your sleep schedule is right on time even after completing what felt like a million tasks. I used to be terrible at waking up. My sleep was completely messed up. I would sleep at 3 or 4 in the morning and wake up in the afternoon. Then I would obviously not get much done because most of my day is gone. When I began University I knew I wanted to make a big-time change to my sleep schedule. Coming soon: How I completely transformed my sleep schedule.

7 | Prepare the night before

When you feel like you have too much to do, it's human nature to push it off until last minute - a.k.a procrastination. One way to avoid this is by preparing the night before. Making sure little things are in order and you have everything you need for the next day. Whether that means cleaning your room so you don't have to do it the next day before you start working, keeping your outfit ready, or meal prepping so you have more time for other things - anything and everything you do will help you feel less grumpy when you look at your to-do list the next morning.

8 | Time block

I absolutely love time blocking because of so many reasons. The short version is that it helps me visually see my day and helps me stay organized and get everything done. I will be posting a long version on how and why I use the method of time-blocking. Coming soon: Time-blocking 101.

9 | Plan

Have a simple planner or to-do list notepad to quickly write down what you need to do without wasting much time. My Minimal Planner Printable Set is perfect to plan your day/week/month without wasting much time and if you are in school or college I would highly recommend my College/School Planner Bundle or my Minimal Planner Printables! These planner sets are very effective in helping you stay on top of it and track your days and best of all they're super inexpensive. I also rrecently added planner stickers to my shop! Click here to go to my Etsy! ALSO - if you visit my Etsy from this article, just send me a message on Etsy saying "I'm from your blog!" and I'll give you an additional discount on certain products on my shop!

Done being productive and need something fun to do?
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