UV Skinz in the UK!
A short story by UV Skinz employee, Emilie Machado…
Being the sort of young woman who likes to be prepared for anything that can happen in a day, I found it very difficult to pack for the ever changing weather in the United Kingdom. It was gloomy and raining one hour, and then sunny with fluffy clouds the next, making it impossible to be prepared for what would be best to wear on any given day. Let’s just say I never once took the ballerina flats out of my luggage!
After a week of this famously grey weather in England, I traveled to the small town of Bath about an hour outside London to explore what the western side of the country had to offer. I was warned ahead of time that if I thought the weather in London was bad, Bath is known to be worse and, with more consistent rain. However, this scared me not– I am a born and raised California girl, and while I am quite accustomed to sunny skies, I knew a little rain never hurt anyone…
The night I arrived it was cold, dark, and reminded me of an eerie English hamlet I’d see in a scary movie. The wet cobblestone trek to the hostel from the train station was sign enough of what my next few days here would entail. The next morning I decided to give my new UV Skinz Everyday Tee a go at being my base layer for the impending grey day. Among the first beautifully built community centers in Bath was “The Circus”; a historic place known for its’ social gathering of the townspeople…sort of like our modern day Facebook feed. I walked through the tall buildings to the center park nestled around a giant tree, slowly turned 360 degrees, and soaked in the sort of history only architecture can exude. This and the Royal Crescent, which was built in 1774, became the wow-factors in great Georgian architecture I came to thoroughly enjoy during my trip. But what’s a bit of history and exploration without amazing food?
This brought me to the world famous shop, Sally Lunn’s Buns. With a recipe claiming to have been brought to Bath as early as the 1680’s, it’s said to be top secret and known around the world as a legendary and authentic tea cake. I peeled my jacket and scarf layers off at my window seat upstairs in this quaint cafe and stared at the intimidating menu of both sweet and savory tea time bun selections. This was when my UV Skinz Everyday Tee first came to be a useful addition to my travel wardrobe. The surprise was mine as the sun came out from behind the clouds and warmed my entire back through the full length window behind me. I had not expected I would be exposed to high noon UV rays through the café windows, and this was the moment I realized not only was my Everyday Tee a soft and effortless base layer under my winter coat, but it also was playing a vital role in protecting me from UV radiation!
Once the sun came out from hiding, we decided to extend our daytime outing and take a stroll to the River Avon where the Pulteney Bridge–one type of bridge out of only four in the world where shops are built within the bridge–stands proudly and delicately over the running river. Once again I was able to shed a layer, and while a standard women’s tee might have left my chest and lower neck exposed, this was not the case with my Everyday Tee. I had honestly forgotten I was even wearing a sun protective layer many times throughout the day due to its comfort and breathability. By the time I got to the brilliant Bath Abbey, my scarf and coat were open and my Everyday Tee was all I really needed. :)
