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8 Products for Beach-Proof Beauty

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Sam

Written by Sam

Makeup at the beach? Sure, sometimes — especially with some of these goodies recommended by makeup artist and blogger Sam in your beach bag.

8 Products for Beach-Proof Beauty

The beach can be a place to let down your hair and bare it all, a place to skip the makeup and step out with a nude face (and lots of sunscreen). But the beach can also be a hot spot for fashion gurus and socialites, especially after dusk or by beach side restaurants and bars, where wearing makeup is still the norm.

If you’re wearing makeup to one of those beaches, then you know how harsh a mistress the beach can be when it comes to messin’ with your makeup and hair.

At beaches where the men are sporting mid-thigh shorts and leather sandals designed to transition from the surf to the veranda at the resort’s beach side bar, and the women are wearing makeup — not much, mind you, and nothing outrageous — and jewelry that isn’t made from shells or stones peeks out from their designer bikini tops, you might want a few of these beach approved beauty products in your bag.

Wind, water, and sun can quickly cause a beauty catastrophe, but a bag stocked with some of these eight items will keep you looking fresh-faced and fine until it’s time to pack up the cooler and put away the beach towels.

1. Face Atelier Foundation ($45)

This foundation has a silicone base, helping it hold up even when exposed to water (just make sure not to rub!). The finish is satiny smooth, and gives skin a faint but healthy glow, while still allowing its natural texture to shine through. With Face Atelier Foundation, it barely even looks like you’re wearing anything at all — perfect for places where you don’t want to look too made up. MORE >>

2. MUFE Aqua Eyes Cream Liner ($20)

These gel/cream eyeliners are easy to apply quickly. They don’t tug at the skin, and won’t steal time away from your fun in the sun. They simply refuse to budge without a dedicated waterproof makeup remover, meaning that you can swim till your heart’s content without ever having to worry about rivulets of color running down your cheeks. MORE >>

3. MUFE Full Cover ($30)

Another silicone wonder, this concealer can hide even the darkest of under-eye circles or the most egregious of blemishes, all while remaining water- and sweat-proof. Depending on the condition of your skin, you might be able to skip your foundation and just dab a bit of this wherever you need some extra coverage and confidence. With Full Cover, you’re good to go for 24 hours, at least. MORE >>

4. Tarte Matte Waterproof Bronzer ($29)

This orange-free bronzer delivers a healthy wash of color perfect for those who prefer not to spend very much time in the sun. Salt water won’t bother it, either, as it stays exactly where it’s put, without running, fading, or oxidizing. Buff it onto the high points of your face for a sun-kissed glow…without the sun. MORE >>
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Freida Pinto: Her Best Hair?

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Freida Pinto: Her Best Hair?

In Slumdog Millionaire, Freida Pinto plays a young woman from the slums of Mumbai, the very same city in India where she herself was born and raised.

Born October 18, 1984 to a high school principal and a bank manager, Frieda, who says she was five when she realized she wanted to be an actress, regularly appears in lists of beautiful and stylish women. After graduating from college in Mumbai, she spent four years modeling, doing runway shows and gracing magazine covers before enrolling in one of India’s most renowned acting studios.

It turned out to be a great career move. 🙂 Doors started opening for her right away. First, a string of TV commercials and print ads (Wrigley’s Chewing Gum, Vodafone and DeBeers); then, after six months of auditions and a stint hosting an international travel show, a shot to star in 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire.

This month she’s lighting up the silver screen opposite James Franco in the sci-fi reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which I enjoyed MUCH more than I thought I would. If you’re a fan of thought-provoking science fiction and/or Freida, James or Andy Serkis, the actor who played Gollum in the LOTR movies, I think you’ll like this, too. It takes place in and around San Francisco, which is also kinda cool.

As usual, Freida’s hair looks great in the film. She might not take as many risks with her look as, say, Rihanna, but hook or crook, I think she always looks good.

Which of Freida's hairstyles do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

She Bangs, with the Conair Velvet Touch Medium Nylon Round Brush

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Greetings from Novato! Sorry I’ve been MIA today, holmes. My flight was delayed out of sunny San Diego, so I spent the better part of this afternoon sitting at my departure gate while a non-stop serenade of saxophone-heavy airport muzak did its best to drive me insane.

Too late! 🙂 Needless to say, after three hours of relentless Kenny G., I was a tad grumpy, but I feel a million times better now that I’m back home with Tabs.

Shoot, I think he was even happy to see me…or maybe he just thinks he’s gonna get gravy tonight (he is).

Oh, and guess what? Lloyd Christmas and I are finally starting to get along, in part because of the new Conair Velvet Touch Medium Nylon Round Brush ($6).

It’s a barrel brush with nylon bristles designed for short to medium length hair, and I picked it up at Target last week before leaving for San Diego. With a blowdryer, it can be used to create soft curls and waves, or to smooth and straighten, which is how I’ve been using it on Lloyd Christmas.

Dang thing dries my bangs in no time flat! All I do is apply a few drops of Orofluido to them first, and then use the brush and my dryer to blow them straight. The bristles hold and spread the hair, exposing more of it to the heated air from the dryer, and I guess the vents in the barrel allow the warm air to get where it needs to go. The soft rubbery handle also helps me keep a good grip on the brush when my hands are wet.
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The New Nuance Salma Hayek Makeup, Skin and Hair Care Line: Available Now Exclusively at CVS/pharmacy Stores

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Do you remember when Salma Hayek guest starred on a few episodes of 30 Rock a couple seasons ago? She played a caregiver to Jack’s ailing mom, but she and Jack quickly embarked upon a forbidden romance. Forbidden in the “love not meant to be” comedic vein.

Hilarious! Truth be told, as much as I’ve liked Salma, I didn’t see us having much in common. I mean, the woman’s an international sex symbol/movie star, and I spend many days in stretchy pants, and many nights watching TV with my cat.

But then I heard about Salma’s new line of beauty products sold exclusively at CVS/pharmacy stores, and thought, isn’t it great how beauty can bring people together? — sometimes, at the drugstore.

Maybe Salma and I do have a few things in common…

Salma says that her grandma’s homemade beauty recipes, which combined exotic ingredients, inspired her to create the new line. In a weird coincidence, my grandma’s stint as a cosmetology student in the ’80s inspired the awful perm I rocked in kindergarten.

The products are carried at CVS/pharmacy stores, but you can also check ’em out and purchase them online. The items range from $7.99 – $19.99 each.

Salma’s products, which are all paraben free, weren’t tested on animals. In another weird coincidence, I live with an international kitty supermodel/cat diva who loves cruelty-free lines.

Salma’s Beautiful Blends Eyeshadow Quad looks like an H. R. Giger alien egg. In another weird coincidence, I’ve watched Alien more than a dozen times.


Beautiful Blends Eye Quad in Neutral
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These Tokidoki Royal Pride Safari Bobbi Pins Are Bringing Bobbies Back

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I’m totally using my new Lloyd Christmas bangs as an excuse to go buck wild explore new developments in the hair accessories department, and this new mission of mine took me to Sephora.

I went under the guise of finding something to hold my bangs in place and bumped into these packs of (adorable) limited edition Tokidoki Royal Pride Safari Bobbi Pins and Heart & Cross Bones Bobbi Pins ($9 each).

So cute!

But when I stepped up to the register with them, what ensued was a lovely reminder of my age…

Sales clerk: “Aww, these are super cute!”
Me: “I know, right!?”
Sales clerk: “Are these for your daughter?”
Me: “Uh…not exactly. (I wonder if I should tell her about my cat.)
Sales clerk: “Oh… You’re buying them for yourself?”
(Insert long pause.)
Me: “Yup.”

LOL! Not gonna lie — I kinda wanted to pinch her (lightly) with my 36-year-old toes.


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Oh Goody! My Favorite Headwrap Is Also Available in Black!

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Remember that glorious Goody $5 tortoiseshell headband I gushed about a while back? — almost as good as stretchy pants, for real. Well, while cruising Targhay over the weekend (allegedly, I was there to get grapes and dental floss), I found it in black! 🙂

One word (in all caps, spelled phonetically for emphasis): YAY!

I still have mad love for the tortoiseshell one, but black is just so versatile, I couldn’t resist. I’ll be able to wear it with outfits like my black ’80s off-the-shoulder T-shirt (complete with giant Mr. T chain necklace).

This one totally hits the spot, and it’s just as soft, flexible and comfortable (doesn’t squeeze the living daylights out of my noggin) as the other one. Same thing except it’s black.


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Rihanna: Her Best Hair? (Part 2)

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Rihanna: Her Best Hair?

How long has RiRi been rocking the red hair? Must be since at least the fall. The first time we voted on a hair poll for her was back in the summer of 2009. At that time style No. 8, the black asymmetrical bob, won with 37% of the votes, and style No. 4, the short brown ‘do with side-swept bangs, came in a distant second with 12%.

Gosh, I wonder how many different styles Rihanna has worn over the past two years… I bet it’s more than 20. The girl sure doesn’t shy away from dramatic hairstyles, does she? I think that’s totally great.

Which of Rihanna's hairstyles do you like best?

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Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’d Say Yes to Cucumbers, But Not in My Eyes: Yes To Cucumbers Color Care Shampoo

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How do you feel about cucumbers? More specifically, how do you feel about cucumbers in your hair? Yes To, purveyors of organic fruit and veggie-inspired hair and skin products, hopes you’ll say yes to ‘em.

When I spotted this bottle of Yes To Cucumbers Color Care Shampoo ($9) at Target on a recent trip, I immediately recalled the bomb-@ss Yes To Cucumbers conditioner I tried a while back, so I figured what the hay and threw the bottle in my cart.

Yes to CucumberI’ve been looking for something interesting (and much less expensive) to alternate with the Kerastase Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm I’ve been loving for a few months, and that’s what I hoped this cool cucumber would be.

I like the list of ingredients, which Yes To says are 99.8% natural. It does contain, among other things, cucumber (no big surprise there), as well as aloe, olive, sweet almond oil, jojoba, green tea and algae, and it’s petroleum-, paraben- and SLS-free.

Tabs also wanted me to point out that it’s cruelty-free, and for that, if nothing else, he gives it two big paws up (emphasis on big, as he’s a husky boy).

First things first: I love, LOVE how it smells — like chilled, freshly cut cucumber slices. If I didn’t know better, I’d be tempted to eat it (NOTE: it is NOT edible).

But shampoos are meant for more than just sniffing, right? So I took it into the shower with me, and that’s where things kinda took a wrong turn.
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