on sunburns & waffle cones

So last year on spring break I was superdumb and didn’t wear any sunscreen my first day out. Seeing as though my ghostly, Midwestern skin hadn’t seen the sun in, oh, a year (I was stuck in an office that whole summer and the sun seems to have a personal vendetta against Chicago for some reason), I’m sure you can imagine the utter horror my poor body went through after five hours of unprotected sun exposure. My skin was this color. I had to stay shut in the house for the remainder of the trip, shivering and pouting and bemoaning the fact that it felt like my skin was trying to eat me.

So, naturally, as an older and wiser woman (and surrounded by three premed students), I slathered on the sunscreen yesterday and was very. careful. And, for the most part (don’t talk to me about my back), I had great sunning success.

Except.

I didn’t realize your eyelids could burn. Eyelids! Who thinks to put sunscreen on their eyes? Why didn’t one of my smart, going to be doctor friends warn me about this? I knew something was up last night when I was getting ready to go out. I smugly dusted on my blush, proud my nose and cheeks weren’t screaming at me like they were last year, but when I went to swipe on some eyeliner…yowza.

And then I woke up this morning.

The eyes, my friends. The eyes have puffed. Now, instead of looking like a pale, sickly tall girl I now look like a little less pale, sickly tall girl with really bad allergies. I can’t cut a break.

So it looks like I’m going to have to stay shut in today with aloe slathered on my lids. Real cute. At least it’s absolutely freezing outside today so my girls are shut in with me, discussing organic swag and psychoanalyzing our strange dreams from last night. Definitely could (and has been!) worse.

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In other news, look at these beautiful pictures by Parker Fitzgerald! They were featured in Kinfolk this month and I’m just swooning. Not only are they absolutely perfect and straight out of Wonderland but I’ve got mad respect for the styling…I know that if I tried to do this I would end up with broken waffle cone shards and a handful of dejected, severed petals. I’m in awe. Have an equally magical Thursday (and stay out of the sun)!