Oh dear

[solarbird]

So thanks to yesterday's unexpected continuous hours of sunlight, I am very stripey. My shirt had a kind of v-shaped collar, so I've got a clearly-defined V pointing down between my tits, and also my arms are one colour (well, brown and red; I burned a bit, which is freakish - I didn't burn in Hawai'i! ;_; ) until they get to a rising arc below my shoulders, at which point there is a CLEAR AND DEFINED LINE to Northerner Pastey White.

I've tried the sunbathing-in-inverse-clothes thing before, I'm not any good at sunbathing in general. So I don't actually know what to do about this.

Comments

[sarakate.livejournal.com]

Light sun-screen all over, and then heavy duty superblock sunscreen on the too-tanned parts? And then run around doing things outside in very skimpy attire, if actual sunbathing is annoying.

Or just wait until it all fades back to Northerner Pastey White.

[kitchengrrl.livejournal.com]

I think I still have you beat, at least on the legs. Repeated weeekend bike trips of up to 50 miles per day have left me with a very neopolitan look. From hips down, it's:

Pasty white thighs
2 inch band above knees which is sort of pinky brown
above and below kneecaps which is a kind of mocha brown
calves which are sort of the same color as knees, but shins which are more like the pinky brown
And the cherry:
2 angry burn lines (sort of dark coffee/rust color) above my ankles where I missed a thin stripe above each sock when I was sunblocking.
Whipped cream: pasty white feet

It's very exciting, especially since the whole parade is happening well below the level of every pair of shorts I own.

[cafiorello.livejournal.com]

My solution would be to never go out without a t-shirt! Perhaps that's not what you were thinking....
Cathy

[solarbird]

But tank-tops!

[poetry-lady.livejournal.com]

Ignore it. After all, you're too busy and too well adjusted to worry about tanning, right? :)

And you probably got the burn, because the clouds that were in the sky actually make the sunlight more intense. Freakish, I know.

sunburn first-aid and such

[auntmonkey.livejournal.com]

having suffered multiple 2nd-degree sunburns in my very-pale life, I have learned that one of the best treatments to make a sunburn stop, well, burning, is a towel soaked in very cold water (wrung out, naturally - no sense dripping all over the house) and draped over the burned parts. It feels very good and helps pull the heat out of the skin.

Do *not* apply ointments or heavy creams - light lotion is okay, but go easy - as they will keep the heat in, and you want to get the heat out of the burn. Cool and moist is the secret.

As for evening out the color? In my experience it's hopeless - I just live with it and remind people of my very northern heritage (and the fact I've lived in Seattle my entire life). I don't come from places that are accustomed to sun. You could put on your best holier-than-thou face and tell people what a wonderful person you are for standing out in the sun for renewable energy initiatives - look at the self-sacrifice! *grin*

happy healing,
:)
Monica

Re: sunburn first-aid and such

[solarbird]

Oh, it's not that kind of burn. No pain, no burning, no flaking, not even any dryness. Just red. It'll be brown in a day or two, but I'll still have SHARP LINES, which will look pretty dum in a tanktop.

[wildshadowstar.livejournal.com]

I thought you left the farmer's tan behind here in Kentucky.

The only thing I'd recommend for the different coloration is either deal with it or go skimpy the next time you plan on being out in the sun for any length of time to sort of even out the tan.

[solarbird]

I thought you left the farmer's tan behind here in Kentucky.
I think it's more like I thought I left tanning there in Kentucky. ^_^

I'm from Massachusetts, and I've pretty muchadopted Cascadia. I'm good with the pasty whiteness. The warm olive works too. It's the stripey that's just kind of, um, you know.

[(Anonymous)]

Where the hell do you buy inverse clothes? -Danny

[solarbird]

You don't have to. You buy ordinary clothes then just flip the sign on the exponent.

Alternatively, there's always Capital Hill.