summer beauty essentials.

Hi, friends!

Once again, I apologize for the long gap between updates! 

So far my summer has been crammed full of adventures and activities, but I've gotta admit-- I'm pretty bad at remembering to photograph most of them. 

Anyway, this month I thought I'd do something a little different--recommend all of my favorite products for five important facets of your body: face/skin, hands/nails, legs, lips, and hair.

Face/Skin

 

 This section is first and has the most amount of products because skincare is very important--especially during summertime. From left to right, they are:

• Lorac's Tantalizer® Body Bronzing Spray: If you're like me and aren't into tanning beds or frying in the sun, this is the best self-tanning option for you. It's simple to apply (just spray some onto the buff puff included) and won't leave you with that fakey orange look. It's also loaded with vitamins A&E and smells exactly like a Cinnabon cinnamon roll. So awesome.
• Coconut Oil: I've seen many uses for coconut oil--everything from pet care to cooking and first aid. However, I've found that it's also excellent for skincare. I've had tinea versicolor, a chronic skin disease that leaves unsightly rashes and skin discoloration, since I was a child. After several trips to the dermatologist and experimenting with everything from selenium sulfide concoctions to Selsun Blue, nothing seemed to work. After a little research, I learned that coconut oil can be used as a natural treatment and let me tell you, nothing has worked better than this. Within two topical applications, the rash began to disappear. I highly recommend it as both a treatment and moisturizer.
•  Equate® Night-Time Soothing Makeup Remover Towelettes: the first step to healthy, clear skin is removing your makeup at night. I've tried several different brands, but Equate does the job at a much lower price than its competitors.
• Olay® Complete All Day Moisturizer With Sunscreen: Moisturizing is a very important step in skincare--especially after a shower or before applying foundation. This particular kind is intended for sensitive skin and contains SPF 15, which is also a crucial factor when choosing an everyday moisturizer.
• Urban Decay's All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray: If you want your foundation to remain flawless throughout the day (which is extremely difficult if you live in a place with heat and humidity), this should be a staple in your makeup routine. The bottle I have is only an ounce and can be found in the Grab 'n Go bin near the front of Ulta. (Hint: it's much cheaper than buying the bigger bottle!)
• Lorac POREfection® Foundation: I have long been a drugstore makeup junkie. However, you really do get what you pay for. Although this brand is a bit more spendy, it's worth every penny. It lasts all day, provides medium to full coverage (if layered), is light, and has an SPF of 20. And it won't make your skin feel tight and cake-y.
  
  

 Hands/Nails

Hand and nail care are also integral parts of my beauty regimen. I work with money and people a lot, so I'm constantly washing my hands. Although this is a bigger problem in winter, I sometimes find my hands becoming dry and cracked--even in the summer. My nails have also been a huge issue, as I work with my hands a fair bit as well. They seem to constantly be breaking, and it seems I always have hangnails. These products have helped to curb some of these issues:

• Neutrogena® Norwegian Formula Hand Cream: I was introduced to this lotion by someone I work with a few years ago and I haven't used anything else since. Maybe it's because I'm fond of anything and everything Norwegian or its sheer silky texture, but I can't get enough of it. And as the bottle states, just a dab--really, I'm talking the size of a pea--does the job.
• Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails™ Nail Strengthener: This one's an oldie but a goodie. The number one easiest way to damage your nails is by applying nail polish. This topcoat helps strengthen your nails and prevent breakage. This is the only thing I ever paint my nails with.
• Biotin: For added nail and hair strength, I take both a multivitamin containing 500 mcg as well as a 1000 mcg caplet daily. If your nails are in rough shape, it'll probably take awhile to notice the difference once you start taking a biotin supplement. You've just gotta let all the damage grow itself out. Once it kicks in, you can really tell a difference.
• Julep™ Mighty Nail and Cuticle Serum: A healthy nail begins with a healthy cuticule, and this serum does the trick. You just twist the end of the container once or twice and brush a very small amount on your cuticles twice a day, as if you are painting your nails. You really don't need much, as it's some pretty powerful stuff. Gets rid of those pesky hangnail-type deals pretty quickly.

Legs

If you're anything like me, you dread summer for one reason: shaving. These products are tried and true methods to keeping your legs baby soft:

• Gilette Fusion Razor: I have tried just about every Venus razor head in stores. The three-blade razors never seem to shave close enough and the five-blade ones don't keep the hair at bay long enough! As cliché as it sounds, men really have mastered the perfect razor. Never again will I buy one intended for women. The heads are just as expensive as many of the Venus heads, but you'll definitely get more uses out of the Gilette Fusions than you would with any women's razor.
• Bath & Body Works' Almond & Honey Body Scrub: Another secret to silky smooth legs is exfoliation. Bath & Body Works carry a wide variety of scrubs, but this one is my favorite. Typically, if I have time, I'll shave twice--once after conditioning my leg hair and again after exfoliating. The second shave captures any dead skin cells that may have sloughed off from the scrub. The only problem is, sugar scrubs aren't available in every scent at B&BW, and there is sometimes a huge gap between shipments. I've learned to just keep a stockpile under my sink.
• Johnson's® Baby Oil Gel: Baby oil is a perfect way to condition your leg hair pre-shave, but it can get messy and leave your shower dangerously slick. To combat this, I've found that the gel form works just as well without the mess. There are a few different kinds, but my favorite is the aloe and vitamin E formula.
• Pure Romance's Coochy® Conditioning Shave Cream: Although this product is really intended primarily for the bikini zone, it also works great as a shaving cream or conditioner! It comes in four fragrances: Original, Pink Cupcake (which I have), Exotic Escape, and Sweet Fantasie. It helps to prevent razorburn and leaves your skin smelling and feeling wonderful. It's only available through  the Pure Romance company via their website or a party.

Lips

I don't know if it's the climate I live in or the fact that they were severely burned once when I was a toddler, but my lips have been another area I've long struggled with. I've tried just about every medicated/moisturizing balm under the sun, and it's taken me years to finally find something I'm happy with. My favorites are:

• eos™ (evolution of smooth) Smooth Spheres Lip Balm: I'm all about all-natural products, especially when there is a huge variety to choose from. These balms are cute (despite looking kind of funny in your pocket) and come in seven flavors: Strawberry Sorbet, Pomegranate Raspberry, Summer Fruit, Sweet Mint, Blueberry Açaí (pictured above), Medicated Tangerine, and Lemon Drop.
• C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries' Lip Glosses & Treatments: This line, available through Bath & Body Works, has more flavors and colors than you could imagine. In fact, I only have a few of them. Clockwise from the red tube in the upper-right, they are: No. 1190 Mentha Lip Shine in Cinnamint, No. 1139 Mentha Lip Shine in Spearmint, No. 1180 Mentha Lip Shine in Vanilla Mint, Mentha Lip Tint in Tint No. 1139, Liplicious in Whipped Vanilla, No. 502 Mentha Lip Shine in Peppermint, No. 1193 Mentha Lip Shine in Bubblemint, No. 1070 Mentha Lip Buffer, and No. 303 My Favorite Lip Balm. Use the buffer to scrape off any dead skin before applying your favorite!
• Maybelline® Baby Lips: If you're planning on being outside, you should probably skip the gloss and go straight to this stuff. It leaves your lips as soft as it sounds and also has an SPF of 20 as an added bonus.

Hair

 

I'm very particular about my hair products. I have medium-length, naturally wavy hair that is fine, but I have a ton of it. I like to wear it both straight and wavy, so I have a counter full of products. These are a few of my most-used:

• Rusk® Thermal Flat Iron Spray: If you're going to subject your hair to damaging heat, a thermal spray is a must. You simply spray it on prior to flat ironing your hair. It leaves the hair soft and shiny as it protects.
• Rusk® Str8: This product was introduced to me by my hair stylist three or four years ago, when I asked what she recommended to counter frizz and flyaways, which is a constant battle in the Georgia humidity. You only need a small drop finger-combed through your hair for the entire day. It smells great and really lasts.
• Johnson's® Baby Shampoo: Not only does this shampoo leave your hair insanely soft (duh, it's made for BABIES), but I've recently discovered another use: hair color removal. I had no idea such a gentle shampoo would be able to strip dye so well, but I can honestly say it works better than any clarifying shampoo you'll find. After only three washes, the dark red I've been trying to wash out of my hair has been removed by about 40%. I'm sure I'll need a follow-up in a salon, but this stuff's incredible and does an impressive amount of work for something intended for an infant's scalp.
• Organix® Nourishing Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum: I LOVE Organix products. All of their concoctions smell incredible and seem to do whatever the package states it will. This serum acts like a sort of band-aid for your split ends. Not to mention, it's the perfect summer scent.
• Organix® Nourishing Coconut Milk Weightless Mousse: I've been experimenting with different gels/mousses to hold my unkempt waves since middle school, and this is by far the cream of the crop and pairs perfectly with the serum mentioned above. It's as weightless as it claims to be and doesn't leave your hair feeling crunchy. 

And that's it for my list of summer beauty essentials.
Hopefully you can find your new favorite based on my suggestions!

Peace and love,
Alison