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Coolibar spring 2013 photo shoot: behind-the-scenes

Spring 2013 Coolibar Behind the Scenes

Behind-the-scenes footage from Coolibar’s spring 2013 photo shoot, including a sneak peak at our new UPF 50+ sunwear. Look for our catalog in your mailbox starting January 21 (may arrive anytime within a three week time frame). 

Click the first photo below to view them all.

Shop www.coolibar.com starting January 21st for new products!

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Let us know what you’re most excited about. Comment below!

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Wellness Warriors

Cancer Be Glammed

Canncer Be Glammed

The words cancer and glamour are rarely used in the same sentence…that is until now. We love the work that Cancer Be Glammed is doing to help women recover from cancer with confidence, self-esteem and style. Lisa Lurie, the company’s co-founder, shares her inspiration for starting this organization. And if you are looking for some good holiday gift ideas for the survivor in your life, Lisa’s team has some excellent suggestions. They even have a personal concierge.

Cancer and Glam are two words that most women don’t associate together.  As a cancer survivor and co-founder of Cancer Be Glammed, I am determined to change that.

Cancer Be Glammed was born from the frustration I felt during my own battle with breast cancer. Following my diagnosis, I underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. Like most women who are quickly thrown onto the cancer rollercoaster, I was totally unprepared for the side effects of surgery and treatment.  Side effects that included permanent physical changes, hair loss, weight issues, and skin made ultra-sensitive to the sun.

It was soul destroying for me to look into the mirror. I could barely recognize the tired, bloated woman in the sweatpants, baggy top, and bandana– staring back.

Head scarf from CBG

When I recovered, I co-founded, Cancer Be Glammed.  Our goal–to prepare women for the side effects of surgery and treatment, and to provide them with easy access to fashionable products and style solutions to help them maintain their self-esteem and lifestyle.

On our website, www.CancerBeGlammed.com, women can shop for practical yet stylish products like beautiful headscarves and wraps, skin care that pampers and heals treatment sensitive skin, and great sun protective hats, clothing, and accessories.

In addition, we feature ideal gifts like journals, eReaders, soothing teas, and more that a woman going through treatment will use and appreciate.  Our Personal Concierge can help a woman choose items for herself or make gift recommendations to family members or friends.

Through our blog, Facebook, Twitter and other media, we are bringing together a community of women sharing their own advice on how to “Recover In Style.”  Cancer treatment is so hard, looking and feeling better — shouldn’t be.

Lisa Lurie

Lisa Lurie co-founder Cancer Be Glammed

 

 

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What's Hot

Coolibar Holiday Gift Guide

Destination holiday — living healthy and giving healthy. At Coolibar we have a gift-worthy idea — sunwear to go everywhere and do anything! We have sun protective clothing, sun hats, UV swimwear, sun shelters, UPF 50+ umbrellas and skin care perfect for women, men and children, all items for those who love spending time under the sun! Take a look and share our gift guides with your family and friends to drop the hint.

Shop Coolibar.com. Search Coolibar.com for your gifts by name.

Questions? Call 1.800.926.6509

Enter our contest to win a Coolibar UPF 50+ Titanium Beach Umbrella and Sand Anchor (a $100 value)! Keep it for yourself or give it as a gift. Visit our contest page for details.

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New Products Sun Protection Clothing What's Hot

Trend Alert: Pinks, Purples and Prints

It’s time to start planning for your tropical vacation to escape the chill and daily-grind. We at Coolibar take pride in our ability to not only provide stylish sun protective options for days by the water and more, but to help you pack more efficiently by offering versatile pieces. Take a look at our 2012 resort sunwear. This year’s “in” pieces are pinks, purples and prints that all mix-and-match.


Pictured (left to right): Coolibar Shapeable Poolside Hat, Purple – $49; Coolibar Ruche Swim Shirt, Berry Floral – $85; Coolibar Swim Shorts, Purple & Berry Floral – $49; Berry Floral – $49; Coolibar Chlorine Resistant Bucket Hat, Purple – $39.

Special Promotion: For Free Standard Shipping
Online: Select “standard shipping” when prompted, then enter AUTUMN in the promotion code box when you check out.
By Phone: Provide the promo code AUTUMN when completing your order with a representative at 1.800.926.6509.
Note: Free standard shipping is available only in the U.S. and its territories. This offer cannot be applied to previous purchases, nor combined with additional promotions and/or codes.
Offer expires November 15, 2012.

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Wear Sun Protection Wellness Warriors

Sailing with Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey

Meet Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey. An Explorer for National Geographic, Dr. Lindsey is a native Hawaiian and the first Polynesian Explorer and female Fellow in the history of the National Geographic Society. She is an internationally recognized expert in the emergent field of cultural intelligence — and she chooses Coolibar for her sun protection needs.

“In late June I boarded a deep-sea voyaging canoe in Vanuatu to set sail for the Solomon Islands. The 16-member crew and I hoped to make the journey in under a week.  But like Life, things don’t always go as planned. In this case, we lost our wind for almost three days and slowly slipped into Honiara Harbor after 10 days at sea.

It would be easy to romanticize a languid voyage across the South Pacific on a 74-foot double-hulled canoe. But the truth was that we bobbed like a cork on the ocean for days with few places to escape the sweltering heat and unrelenting blaze of the sun.

Dr. Lindsey's Solomon Island Voyage
Dr. Lindsey’s Solomon Island Voyage

This is where Coolibar proved invaluable!

As an Explorer for the National Geographic, I’m often in remote regions of the world. Preparation for my travels can at times feel overwhelming. From malaria to sea sickness, food poisoning to snake bites…   I do my best to cover my bases but it’s not easy. When it comes to UV protection, however, I no longer worry about how to prepare. Coolibar has made this part of my life a breeze…no pun intended.

Before I discovered Coolibar I spent an inordinate amount of time searching the internet for products that would provide the best possible sun protection. The fact that Coolibar also creates beautiful clothing is an added bonus.

My travel is extreme, I know. Yet, it affords me the opportunity to test-drive what’s on the market. And, believe me, I put a lot of products to the test! I need to know what works then I count on them completely. And because my travel is precise, I don’t have a spare ounce to pack anything but the best.   

Coolibar’s long sleeve shirts, jackets, hat, and long pants proved indispensible.

My skin and I thank you for creating such amazing products!”

National Geographic Explorer Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey
National Geographic Explorer Dr. Elizabeth Lindsey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit Dr. Lindsey’s website to learn more about her adventures and projects.

 

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Inside Coolibar SunAWARE Wear Sun Protection

“Second Generation” Sun Protection Products

Michael Hubsmith is executive vice president with Coolibar, and had been actively developing sun protection products for over a decade.  He recently sat down with SunAWARE for a feature in their new magazine Perfect Skin Protection to give his take on what he calls “the second generation” of sun protection products.  Here is a snippet of our favorite pieces from the article below.

So, Michael, what do you mean when you say “second generation” sun protection products?

New products are being created around the world. Some are wonderfully simple and highly effective.  A flap attached to a beach umbrella to provide full shade from the side or a glove with a sleeve to protect the left arm while driving, are two clear examples of innovative problem solving.

The most exciting new product I’ve seen recently was a low lawn chair with a kind of canopy over the top. This is exciting as it meets the need of so many parents and fans at their kids’ soccer games or swim meets. It’s also exciting as it shows just how far the thinking has come about sun protection products. I’ve heard friends complain about roasting in the sun during these kinds of events, and this chair helps solve the problem. Some of them even have flaps in front that help when facing west.

What are most important trends in sun protection clothes?

Most importantly, sun protection clothes have gone mainstream.

When made well, the protection offered is completely safe, consistent in its level of protection, not messy, and ultimately less expensive than relying on sunscreen for full body protection. Consumers are beginning to understand that.

It’s exciting that the general population understands that there is a specific clothing category for sun protective garments where ten years ago they did not. It is much more main stream now. This is a significant shift.

And you see the change everywhere. More people are wearing wide brimmed hats as opposed to baseball caps at sporting events, for example, I saw caddies at the  PGA Championship wearing wide-brimmed hats (3”brims all around).

Kids are wearing rash guards (swim shirts) as fashion statements – like a pop cultural garment – just being cool – not really caring about sun protection, although someone else may be doing the caring for them. This is a great step forward.

And, again, most of the manufacturers in the sun protective clothing category are conscientious. They test their materials and you can rely upon their labels.

With all the new sun protection products on the market and all the new product claims being made, are there any that you would suggest consumers avoid?

Well, I’d say a small bikini style bathing suit made with protective fabric is not really what consumers should look for when thinking about sun protection. I also hesitate to recommend the products that claim you can add chemicals to your wash to make your clothes protective.

The biggest issue or mistake that people make is that they believe UV protection comes only by blocking UV rays. So the test they recommend is to hold a fabric up to light to see if any light passes through. This is absolutely the wrong test because UVR is invisible and does not pass through fabric the same way.

Fabrics that claim to be sun protective have been tested using laboratory equipment. Most combine blockers and diffusers to protect you from UV rays. So the chemicals added into laundry may block some, but the individual will never know what the UPF rating is because they can’t test it.

Blocking UVR is not like adding a water repellent. Without testing, you have no idea if it will work. So if a person is really looking for UPF clothing, or sun protective clothing, they should get it from a company that has guaranteed testing of the material and rated it accordingly, and not try to do it themselves.

 

Click icon to download iPad app

For the full article, click icon to download SunAWARE‘s FREE Perfect Skin Protection Magazine on your iPad from the Apple Store.

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Expert Rx Inside Coolibar Wear Sun Protection

Innovative sun hats from Escaping the Sun in Style

Finding stylish protection can prove challenging. Additionally, many sun hats on the market today do not protect your neck, cheeks, nose, and mouth areas from the sun’s UV rays. Devra Wathen (pictured left)  is the founder and CEO of Escaping the Sun In Style™, an innovative hat company based out of Hawaii. ETSIS hats offer a smart and sophisticated option for those looking for ultimate sun protection, while staying in style. We decided to find out more about Devra and her company that’s changing the way people view sun protection.

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I’m a born and bred Midwest girl who moved to Colorado to “find my fortune”. I enjoyed a great active, outdoorsy lifestyle there and eventually started a successful leasing company, which is how I met my husband Chuck, a real estate developer. After we got married, Chuck landed some projects in Honolulu, Hawaii and we jumped at the chance to move here (who wouldn’t!). The glorious sun and paradise were perfect. Needless to say, I spent my days drinking in the golden sunlight, driving back and forth in my convertible to work, being super outdoorsy, enjoying the fabulous beaches.  We’ve been here since then. I am semi-retired but came out of it when I began my work in Sun Protection with ETSIS.

ETSIS Day Escape Hat

How long has ESTIS been in business? What inspired you to start this company?

ETSIS started three years ago, but has only started to really gain its legs this year. Being a sun protection company, it was born from my own personal need for better sun protection.

About 7 years ago, I started noticing bad spots on the left side of my face and arms. I went to my derm and he told me it was basal cell carcinoma, and after removing it, he told me that I needed to be more wary of the sun if I didn’t want to end up with more aging, spots, or worst of all, melanoma! My derm told me all my days of being in the car and lying out in the sun had caught up with me and I needed to be super diligent with protecting myself—especially the left side of my face and arms, with all the time spent in the car. A long quest to find the perfect sun hat that protected my face and neck, looked good and worked whether I was driving, walking the dog or just out at the beach turned up fruitless.  So I just started pinning towels and napkins into the brim of my favorite Coolibar sun hat to protect against the sun.

Um, this did not sit well with my husband, who said I looked like a bag lady trolling around the neighborhood, and would I please utilize my fashion sense and figure something else out? A girl CANNOT just let that slide! So, I got to work and ETSIS was born after some trial and error. My girl friends loved it, one of them introduced me to a representative of the world’s largest hat manufacturer and the rest is history (so to speak)!

ETSIS Day Escape Hat
ETSIS Dayescape Hat

What’s different about ESTIS hats versus other sun hats?

Where do I start? 

ETSIS hats are like your traditional and fashion forward UPF sun hats, with the twist that they can be worn five different ways. Our SunEscape Protection Panels are like luxuriously soft scarves that snap into the inner crown of each ETSIS Hat, allowing you to tie the hat four ways. If you want to protect yourself, wrap the panels around your face, back around your neck and tie in front…add a pair of fabulous sunglasses and you look like a 50s screen goddess! That’s called our Signature Wrap. You can also do an off the shoulder tie to keep your hands free for when you don’t need to wear your hat but don’t want to carry it. You can tie the panels behind your head in a cute knot to keep it from flying off your head in wind, too. Lastly, for our customers with medical conditions, you can pull the panels up and over your cheeks to cover your mouth and nose in a clinical wrap to protect you from airborne pollutants. If you don’t need the panels at all, snap them out of the hat, put them in your handbag and wear the hat as a basic sun hat.

The protection panels keep you warm in winter, but also wick away heat and moisture when it’s warm, so they can be worn year-round! And they’re rated UPF50+ so you get maximum UVA/UVB protection 365 days a year.

Basically, our hat takes a regular hat and transforms it into the ultimate accessory with sun protection built in! ETSIS hats are versatile, functional and fashion-forward options for all occasions and all types of activities. What sun hat can actually say that? 

We’ve heard rumors that you’ve started working with SunAWARE. Is this true and if so how are you working together?

Yes, that’s true. SunAWARE approached me and asked me to write a feature article on the growing trend of sun protection, how it developed and where it’s going. I’m not sure if I can say more yet, but you’ll be the first to know when the project launches!

On a personal level, how do you style your ETSIS hat?  Where do you wear it?

I personally wear the hat in our Signature Wrap style (shown in video below) the most. I love feeling glamorous like a 50s movie star. I usually wear it with a fantastic Coolibar UPF sun shirt or jacket, cute leggings and a cute little skirt, my signature bangles, and of course, a pair of fabulous sunglasses (gotta protect the eyes, too!).

I wear my hats EVERYWHERE. From running errands, going to the beach, walking the dog, going shopping. Anytime I go outside, I put on sun protection—I wear UPF clothing 365 days a year. Since our hats can be worn 5 different ways, I’m not trapped into only being able to wear my hat to some places, but I can wear it wherever I go. Except for black tie parties or fancy dinners – I like showing off my hairstyles for those.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Since the sun’s UV rays are responsible for 80% of our skin’s aging, ETSIS hats are truly an essential component of an anti-aging beauty routine. By protecting our skin, we can help prevent premature aging as well as skin cancer. Our hats are a stylish option for women who can’t always wear sunscreens, or for those who don’t want to have to reapply ever couple of hours.

And they’re soon available worldwide through Coolibar. Look for ETSIS next week at coolibar.com.

 

Video: HOW TO STYLE YOUR ETSIS HAT

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Sun Protection Clothing Wear Sun Protection What's Hot

UPF 50+ Outfit Makeover

Helen Vong, skin care guru at theskiny.com, came to us with a brilliant SunAWARE idea. “Let’s do a Coolibar UPF 50+ outfit makeover to show how easy it is to be protected from the sun.” Who are we to argue?

“After writing a magazine story about the aging effects of the sun, back in the early spring, I decided that this (now past) summer is going to be year I start changing my ways. Why? Well frankly, I’m getting older and my skin isn’t bouncing back like it did from weekend trips to the cottage.

Like most people I only really wore sunscreen on vacation, and in my twenties, I went on my fair share of sun escapes – and I have the sunspots to prove it. In fact, I’ve got a newly formed speckle on my lower lip that wasn’t there last year (thank you, Ibiza). After age 30 you can’t get away with calling these spots ‘cute freckles’ anymore.

Helen Vong Before and After Coolibar

Consider this photo taken last summer at the hotel lobby at the Thompson in Beverly Hills (before picture). At first glance, you’d think I was being sun smart with a wide brimmed hat and long sleeved button up shirt. Truth is, that flimsy hat was a cheapie from Walmart with absolutely no sun filter. The shirt was also a bargain that was useless against the scorching UVA rays (think of the “A” as for aging) I surely soaked in that weekend.

I guess I could’ve wore clothing with sun protection, but I’ve long equated anti-sun clothing as frumpy athletic gear. And who wants to look blah on Rodeo Drive? In retrospect, I wish I knew about Coolibar, back then. This company makes sun-protective apparel look sexy! I particularly fell in love with their sun hats. My dermatologist, Dr. Lisa Kellett, says that size matters when it comes to the brim of an effective sun hat: six inches is the way to go.”

Helen took her look and gave it a UPF 50+ makeover (after picture).

Visit theskiny to see Helen’s full review: http://theskiny.com/shun-the-sun-in-style/

See all Coolibar’s UPF 50+ women’s sun hats and women’s clothing for your sun protective makeover.

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Avoid UV & Seek Shade What's Hot

Parasols Are In and Great for Your Skin

Look around and you’ll start seeing more parasols (a.k.a. umbrellas) on sunny days. That’s right, no rain, just in pure wonderful sunshine. Why? They’re not only a great addition to your outfit, but they help block the sun’s ultraviolet rays that can cause premature aging and skin cancer. What’s not to love?!

Tip: If beautiful skin is your prerogative, look for the following when choosing your perfect parasol:

Large arch. A parasol with a large arch will block more UV from the side.

Dark interior. The darker the color, the better the umbrella will absorb reflective UV rays.

Reflective or dark exterior. A reflective exterior will deflect more UV and keep you cooler. A dark material will absorb UV.

UPF 30 or higher ratings. Some parasols will provide a UPF rating. An umbrella rated UPF 50+ will block 98% or higher of direct UVA and UVB rays. Remember UV rays bounce off pavement, water, sand and other reflective surfaces. Applying broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher, sun protective clothing and UV sunglasses will offer even greater sun protection.

Stay beautiful and on trend. Use sun protection and parasols.

View parasols on Pinterest!

Shop Coolibar UPF 50 Umbrellas and Shade.

Coolibar UPF 50+ Titanium Fashion Umbrella

 

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Inside Coolibar What's Hot

One UPF 50 Shirt, Five Looks

One of Coolibar’s favorite go to stylists Bridgette Raes recently created a blog post on styling the basic white t-shirt. We thought it was such a great idea, our Coolibar stylists translated it to UPF 50+ with our white ZnO Long Sleeve T-Shirt! View our outfit ideas below and you’ll realize UPF 50+ sunwear works with almost any outfit.

Take it to work…

Take it on the town…

Take it to dinner…

Take it to yoga…

Then wear it all weekend…

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