If you look at me, you wouldn’t necessarily believe me to be one of “those” people who are prone to sunburns. I’m Filipino, and I’m brown as heck naturally. Yeah, well, don’t ever believe a Filipino who tells you that “Filipinos don’t sunburn.” That is a bold faced lie. Most Filipinos don’t sunburn because they avoid the sun like the plague – covering every part of their bodies, then using a large hat and then staying under a sunshade. I know that’s not true of all Filipinos, just some, but most do avoid the sun, preferring the coolness of the shade instead.

I am one of “those” Filipinos. I don’t care to be out in the sun as the heat makes me cranky, and I tan WAY too easily without even trying. Seriously – I can go from stark white to dark brown in the span of less than 10 minutes of being exposed to the sun. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I am an athlete. I am a runner. I am a runner who does not always care to do her running on a hamster whizzle. That means, I take my runs outside … in the sun …

In the past, burning was not an issue … just a nice, deep, dark tan. However, add to the mix that I am a “little” older, and my training runs are “slightly” longer, therefore exposing me to the harmful effects of the sun for longer periods of time, and have, on occasion, “forgotten” that much needed sunblock (because I never used it until a few years ago) … well, yeah … I’ve gotten a few nasty burns. I try to remember to lather on that thick, sticky goop, but most times I believe that I’ll only be out for a few minutes so I don’t need it. Oh the lies that I tell myself …

Enter my Twitter and FaceBook friend, Kassy, aka @runaholickassy … Mind you, Kassy knows nothing of my “issues” with the sun, she just happened to contact me one morning and said that she had something for me and would I please DM her my address. Hmmm … skeptical at first, but I didn’t believe that she would stalk me all the way from the Philippines, I gave it to her. She told me to look for “the gift” in a few weeks. Okay.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I continue to do my own thing, my everyday living, etc., which one day included me going to my boys baseball game. I did bring my sunblock – I put it in my bag, and my husband brought a large sun umbrella. No need for me to slather on the sunblock or bust out the sunbrella, I thought, there was a large sunshade covering the bleachers that we sat on. I believed that I was “protected” enough from that sunshade. Not smart on my part. 2+ hours later … I was quite sunburnt, not bad, just enough … Yeah, no bueno! I know better!!!

To my surprise, my package, my surprise gift was found in my mailbox that very day! UnBurn by Water Jel Technologies … arrived just in the time of Nick! What did I have to lose by trying it, right? Instead, I learned that I had much to gain … like INSTANT, IMMEDIATE cooling relief! With vitamin E, aloe, and 2.5% Lidocaine in a water based formula … yeah, killed that sunburn pain right there! A couple more applications here and there throughout the remainder of the day and that sunburn was gone.

I am thankful that my little surprise came when it did. Like I said, perfect timing – “emergency” sunburn care literally as noted on it’s packaging! I found it to be easy to use, and very soothing upon contact. No goopy mess. It’s non-staining so staining of clothes would not be an issue. As an RN, I am aware of medications and the treatment of various issues requiring basic first aid. I found nothing that would steer me away from this product. At about $10.00 for a 4 ounce bottle, the price paid would be well worth the relief that it provides. I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone especially now that summer is in full force! I would, though, first recommend that EVERYONE, Filipinos included, use sunblock!!! The devastating effects of skin cancer from wreckless sunbathing are so NOT worth it!

Many thanks again to Kassy and to KPR-NYC for providing me with the hook up!!!

Have a wonderful summer, everyone. Stay safe, keep cool, and wear sunscreen!!!