guest post: beauty geeks is mad for hats

Who knew the lowly hat could be such a beauty saviour? The lovely Janine Falcon over at Beauty Geeks tells us why in this, the first guest post from one of my favorite beauty bloggers. A former beauty editor and current beauty writer as well as a moonlighting makeup artist, fellow Canadian Janine's got plenty of tricks up her sleeve, and this is just one of them.

You think your little hat actually protects your face from the sun? If it looks like either of the two hats on the right side of the above Gap image, you might want to be careful about going into the UVA/UVB light. You need convincing? Have someone take a bunch of digi photos of you in your hat in the sun. Is your face fully shaded when you stroll the city sidewalks? Is your décolleté protected, and, if you have short hair, is the back of your neck? Size matters when it comes to the brim of a good sun hat. Cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett told me years ago that six inches is the size to go for; a girl doesn’t forget that kind of information. When I spotted the second-from-the-left number in the above photo, I knew I’d found a keeper: the Albertus Swanepoel khaki wide brim hat ($44.50 CAN/$39.50 US). It’s part of the grouping the designer (that’s him) did for Gap’s limited-edition CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund collection, which launched early last week. Don’t fret if you can’t get your hands on exactly that hat — Gap also has a gathered sun hat with a brim about as wide if not wider. Yes, bigger than six inches. Because, of course, bigger is better.

For more of her beauty wizardry, head on over to Beauty Geeks, stat. And while you're there, enter to win this handy dandy little gadget.