How to rock orange spotted skin

After spending the past weekend in Kwa-Zulu Natal, I've concluded that I truly belong to the sea. It's no surprise really because I was born in Port Shepstone and the first breath I drew was salty, humid sea air. That being said, I don't see myself moving to a seafront cottage soon but a girl can dream and maybe one day when I need false teeth and lashes daily, I'll have a seaview. For now, I'll stick to Johannesburg where I'm close to family and where my concealer doesn't oxidise. Because, let me tell you, some weird stuff happened to my skin this weekend.

I'm very pale which means that sunscreen is my friend and the only thing preventing me from burning tomato red. I use the Nivea face sunscreen with SPF50 when I know I'll be in the sun all day and this weekend I applied it generously in the South Coast sun but for the first time ever, it made my skin break out. These break outs caused me to freak out and I turned to my trusty Maybelline Fit Me concealer. The Maybelline Fit Me concealer is a favourite of anyone who has access to it (hard to find in SA), but no one has ever mentioned the bright orange it becomes when mixed with sunscreen! Bright. Orange.

I, of course, did not notice the colour changing magic that happened on my face until my fiancé stared puzzled, at my chin in Wimpy after I'd already ordered a coffee and smiled at various people looking at (orange spotted) me. I can only imagine what they were thinking...

The other disconcerting thing about my orange spotted skin was that sunscreen, I found, is an excellent setting primer as it makes removing concealer very difficult. Wiping at it with a tissue, did not cut it and so I had to wait until I had access to my make-up remover again before I could fix it.

The only solution that was left to this make-up moment was to remind myself of third world problems and tug my neckline lower to focus attention away from my face.

I won't go into any of the other beauty issues I had to deal with because the weekend was well worth the worries but the highlights include sand, sweat and hair stuck to my face. Luckily no mistake is without lesson so I learned that I still need to master make-up in humid weather and while my heart belongs at the ocean, my skin clearly does not.

Orange spotted face essentials