I’ve always thought I was Ariel, alas, now I am Sebastian

Beauty products are not confined to the application of make-up, hair products and nail varnish. Especially at this time of year, there’s one product that we all need above anything else. You’ve got it. Sun cream.

It’s not a pretty sight

You’ve been told countless times that you need to wear sun cream to avoid burns and UV damage, but with the mini heat-wave that’s graced us with its presence (and the inevitable flocks of students fleeing to the Square to soak up some long-awaited sun,) it’s time to draw attention to a horrible surprise I got when I re-entered the library…

With highs of 18 degrees on Tuesday (23 March), I, like most of UEA’s students, was dragged to the Square mid-morning for a ‘quick revision break’. The mere 30 minutes of sun I was exposed to led to painful, unattractive and preventable sunburn on my shoulders and back, which led to a flock of people asking how on earth I managed to turn lobster-shoulder in the space of an hour.

This is my urge to all of you to APPLY SUN CREAM every day – especially as this gorgeous weather is going to continue to the end of the week. It doesn’t matter what temperature it is, all UV rays burn, including those from the sun in the Winter months. It’s called SUN cream, not HEAT cream, for a reason.

Choose a cream with a high SPF and pay attention to your face, shoulders and arms, where the skin is prone to burning; and ladies, make sure that your foundation has an SPF level in it, and use a layer of sun cream on your face before you apply your make-up.

I’ve certainly learnt my lesson – I urge you all to get into the habit of applying every day, because trust me, THIS. HURTS.