Stylish Sun Protection by #Coolibar #Review + Holiday #Giveaway (#HolidayGiftGuide)

Monday, October 27, 2014

When it comes to protecting ourselves, we all too often forget to look after our skin. I'll admit that I have neglected my skin's safety- a lot. I am guilty of laying out in the sun without an ounce of sunscreen on, and when I was a teen, I even visited tanning beds a few times. Now in my early thirties, I am much more aware of the damage UV rays from the sun can do to our skin, and I make much more of an effort to protect it. It wasn't until recently that I became even more concerned about making sure my family used sunscreen as they ought to, wore protective clothing outside, etc. Over the summer, I began noticing that every time I went out in direct sun, I wound up with a crazy itchy, and almost blistery heat rash in a certain area on my neck, within minutes of having just gone outdoors. I immediately remembered that something very similar happens to my grandmother when she is out in the sun, and to prevent the heat rash, she covers up- no matter how warm it may be outside. I used to think that covering up when outside was silly, but now I know- it's not. It's smart.

Even when needing to cover up while out frolicking or playing in the sun, no one wants to look like a sack of potatoes while doing it. Thankfully, Coolibar understands both the need to protect ourselves against UV rays, and our want to be stylish and comfortable while doing so. Coolibar's main mission is to develop sun protective clothing that allow people to enjoy life in the sun. Coolibar offers a wide range of products, including SPF clothing, sun hats, sunscreen, sun protection swimwear, umbrellas, sunglasses, and more. Coolibar is a private company, based in Minneapolis, MN.

Coolibar's carefully developed technical fabrics are thoroughly tested at independent labs to ensure each product meets or exceeds their UPF 50+ standard. This UPF 50+ rating is the highest rating available to clothing and blocks more than 98% of harmful UVA and UVB rays.

Knowing that I now need to take extra precautions to protect myself from UVA and UVB rays, I was so excited to learn that Coolibar had some gorgeous new clothing options for women this fall. I was able to select a couple of styles to try for myself, and couldn't wait to receive them!

The ZnO Antigua Tunic- Black Deco

Highly breathable ZnO SUNTECT® cotton/viscose from bamboo/spandex blend

Lightweight drape

Print blocking at cuff and garment hemlines

Hits mid-thigh

Slits at hem for ease of movement

3/4 sleeves

Back length 33" (size medium)

Easy care: machine wash, tumble dry

Imported

Rated UPF 50+

*$79.50

I was very excited to see a selection of tunics on Coolibar's website. Tunics are a wardrobe staple (at least they are for me) during the fall, winter and spring seasons. They are light and comfortable, and allow you to move with ease. They can be worn with or without tights, leggings, jeggings, jeans, etc. There's pretty much no wrong way to wear a tunic.

How I wore it: I paired the Coolibar ZnO Antigua Tunic with leggings, flats, and a blinging bracelet.

Tunic: Coolibar ZnO Antigua Tunic Black Deco

Leggings: Target

Flats: Kenneth Cole

Bracelet: Azuli Skye

I loved the look and the feel of this stylish, and comfy tunic by Coolibar.

The ZnO Antigua Tunic is one of my favorite pieces of clothing in m fall wardrobe. It is so easy to just slip it on, pull on a pair of leggings, slip a pair of flats on and go! This is just about as effortless as you can get, without sacrificing a great fit, or great style! The tunic is lightweight and comfortable- very easy to move around in. This is a wonderful pick to wear for a casual day out, on date night, or you can do what I did, and wear it to church. Not only can you keep this in your regular clothing rotation, you can use this wonderful sun protective tunic as a cover up! I can't wait to hit the beach, with this wonderful tunic in my bag! The length is appropriate, and one of my favorite features is the high collar, because it protects the neck and shoulders from the sun. This tunic covers that spot on my neck, which always winds up itchy from the sun. I can't tell you how many compliments I received when I wore this tunic for the first time. It's definitely a winner!

The ZnO Antigua Tuinc is also available in Mint Deco and Coral Deco (two great colors for anytime, or for spring/summer!).

ZnO Sun Wrap

Highly breathable ZnO SUNTECT® cotton/viscose from bamboo/spandex blend

Soft, lightweight, breathable

Stylish shawl collar

Packable design; great for travel

29" body length (size medium)

Easy care: machine wash, tumble dry

Imported

Rated UPF 50+

*$65.00

My second selection from Coolibar, was the ZnO Sun Wrap. This this simple, understated wrap is a must-have! Everyone knows that open, draping cardigans and wraps are all the rage this season. Coolibar offers a unique twist on your average open cardigan, with their amazing ZnO Sun Wrap, available in a multitude of bold and beautiful colors! I chose the ZnO Sun Wrap in Pansy, because I am always drawn to purple hues, and loved the pop of color from the pansy.

I couldn't wait to try the wrap on, because it looked so amazingly soft and cozy, but I didn't want to wear it just any old way. Sure, it's an extremely versatile piece, and you can wear it any way you like, but I definitely wanted to play around with styling this wrap.

Here's how I wore it- paired with cropped skinny jeans, a white tank, neutral belt, neutral flats, and statement necklace.

Wrap: Coolibar ZnO Sun Wrap in Pansy

Tank: Forever 21

Jeans: Forever 21

Belt: Collective Concepts

Shoes: Kenneth Cole

Necklace: Wild Butterfly Boutique

Dress it up or down- this is one piece you'll never want to leave home without!

I wanted to show you that you can easily take a wrap or an open cardigan, and dress it up by adding a few accessories or details to your outfit. This is a great casual look, or you can take it a step further and dress this wrap up for a day at the office, or a night on the town.

Here's a quick look at the back of the wrap, with it belted.

Don't forget that like the Antigua Tunic, the ZnO Sun Wrap is two-fold... it looks great, and protects your skin from the sun's harmful rays. What I love about the wrap is that you can literally wrap yourself up in it, for full coverage. It's light, breathable, yet keeps you warm and gives you that added layer of protection when you want or need it. It's great to wear around the house, to keep at the office, to use as a cover-up, to throw on when you're headed out to exercise, etc. I have been wearing this wrap quite a lot- so much in fact, that I should probably get one in another color. It's my favorite thing to pull on in the evenings when I want to be cozy, but am not quite ready for bed yet,

The ZnO Sun Wrap is one of my top gift picks this season. I don't know many women who don't enjoy being outside, so why not gift the ZnO Sun Wrap this season? It looks and feels great, and offers sun protection... a two for one gift! The ZnO Sun Wrap is available in 11 colors!

Coolibar also offers awesome Sun Protection for the entire family!

Check out some of my top picks!

Banded Fitness Tee

Beach Cover Up

Men's Sport Polo

Featherweight Bucket Hat

Girls Short Sleeve Surf Shirt

Boys Long Sleeve Rash Guard

Baby Beach Bucket Hat

Coolibar has an incredibly selection of high quality sun protective clothing and accessories for infants, children, and adults. At MBP, we have been highly impressed with Coolibar- from the quality of their products, to their commitment to providing families with sun protection they can count on. If you/your loved ones spend a lot of time outdoors, or you're planning a getaway to someplace warm this holiday season, please consider outfitting your family in Coolibar's clothing and accessories... you'll be so glad that you did!

Want It? Buy It!

Head on over to Coolibar to learn more about their wonderful Sun Protective Clothing and Accessories, or to browse/shop their entire product line. Keep up with Coolibar by signing up for their e-newsletter, connecting with Coolibar on Facebook or Twitter.

Want It? Win It!

One lucky MBP reader will win their very own ZnO Sun Wrap from Coolibar, in winner's choice of color! Giveaway is open to US residents, only- 18 and older. Just use the handy RC entry form below, to enter for your chance to win!

Special thanks to our friends at Coolibar for allowing me to share about their wonderful products, and for offering this wonderful giveaway for our readers. Coolibar is featured sponsor of the MBP 2014 Holiday Gift Guide.

Good luck, and stay stylish!