Tan lines happen and I usually finish the season with a few different patterns on my arms, chest and feet. Not my favorite look but hey, it’s proof of many a rooftop cocktails and patio meals. I spend the majority of my week indoors so I get more outdoor meals than I do beach days. When those happen, I treasure them like national holidays. Here’s to digging our toes in the sand at some point this week — it is an actual national holiday and all.
Tan lines, no. The tan line manicure: yes! Sephora has the how-to and I’ve got just the Essiepolishes in mind to recreate. // Suntegrity SPF 30– This is way more than just a sunscreen (thankfully, because it pricey.) It’s a makeup primer and a moisturizer with an impressive list of ingredients to treat your skin: hyaluronic acid, aloe, jojoba, pomegranate, green tea and cucumber. // Bobbi Brown Beach Rollerball – Thank you, BOBBI! This rollerball needed to happen. This scent captures summer so perfectly. // Striped Muscle Tank – Here’s one way to prevent a farmer tan. Also, J. Crew’s summer sale is too tempting. // Floppy Hat – The best way to protect your face from the sun comes in the form of a big old floppy headpiece. This one is pretty fabulous (and under $15!) // Perricone No Bronzer Bronzer– File this one under makeup that is smarter than you. It’s a one shade serum that mixes with your skin to give you a healthy glow. I so want to try!
Vitamins, like red wine and coffee, are always under a spotlight. Are they beneficial? Doing more harm than good? Do we really even need to pill pop for nutrition? Is your body even able to absorb said nutrients? A doctor I am not but an on and off again vitamin taker since the age of 5 I am. And I’m confused! What’s with all the iron-laced gummy bears? The adult options now resemble what I wish I would have been able to take as a child. Now, I’m not sure that’s what my body needs. In my non-MD opinion formed from watching the Today show every morning (hey Dr. Nancy Synderman!) I gather that a one-size fits all approach to vitamins isn’t effective. In my actual MD’s opinion, I need more vitamin D and calcium. And, yes, there is a specific gummy that serves up both in a single bite. I usually opt to go the fruit and veggie route so I’m more surprised than anyone to be excited by a vitamin. It’s easy to get distracted by ALL the lipstick at Sephora but wooed by supplements? That’s a first. HUM Nutrition is doing things in the vitamin category that have me thinking I might get back in the “on again” camp. Seems they’re solving the real girl probs, one supplement at a time. There’s Killer Nails, which is like a protein shake for your nails and hair (so stop taking pre-natal vitamins unless you’re trying to up your folic acid intake!), Wing Man, to help detox your liver and alleviate dark circles, Daily Cleanse, which uses organic chlorella and herbs to help flush toxins out of your skin, Moody Bird, for that time of the month and Here Comes the Sun, because who actually gets enough D these days. Most of HUM’s line is gluten free, vegetarian and vegan friendly. And there’s not a gummy bear in sight!
Exfoliating as you know it is will never be the same, at least in Illinois. And it’s good news. The state became the first to ban the use of synthetic microbeads in soaps and scrubs. Usually made of plastic, these tiny beads are hiding in plain sight in your face and body wash and even in your toothpaste.Not surprisingly, they’re causing all sorts of problems. Think millions of tiny beads going down your drains, absorbing who knows what before making their way into Lake Michigan only to be eaten by fish and marine life. You’re right to question what their business is in our personal care. Are we seriously relying on plastic to smooth out our skin anyway? I ditched those formulas after realizing that they usually come with a nasty breakout, too. Not quite the package deal I’m looking for. Change doesn’t happen overnight so it will be a few years before shelves change dramatically.
The good news: we’ve got options. Incredible, plastic-free options. Let’s talk scrubbing sinkside, today.
1. One Love Organics Cleansing Sponge. Submerge this adorable heart-shaped sponge in water and it turns into a squishy heart-shaped exfoliator that removes your makeup and polishes your skin. It’s so gentle that you’ll wonder if it really is working…it is. // 2. Tatcha Polished. This creamy rice-based exfoliant makes me feel way fancy. It’s like massaging silk on your face and results in the smoothest baby soft skin. It’s water-activated so you’re in control of the consistency every time. // 3. Acure Brightening Facial Scrub. Sea kelp and chlorella are the buffing superstars and French green clay extracts oil and buildup form pores. There’s something so satisfying about the deep green color. // 4. M-61 Brilliant Cleanse. You don’t actually need grains, seeds or any other physical exfoliant to get the job done. M-61’s creamy formula has a blend of four alpha beta hydroxy acids – glycolic, salicylic, lactic and malic – along with grapefruit and orange peel extract to gently remove dead surface skin. This is great for oily skin since the creamy formula doesn’t dry you out. // 5. May Lindstrom The Clean Dirt. Clays, warming spices and healing salts are the base of this exfoliating cocktail that does wonders skin. It’s like at-home microderm. Blackheads will disappear, skin will be soft and toned and you’ll feel like a million bucks. // 6.S.W. Basics Exfoliant. This proves you only need a few ingredients. Oats, almonds and sea salt – that’s the full list. Simplicity at its finest.
Summer is here, officially, and with it comes so much new beauty. There’s more to swoon over than just bronzer, though that will always excite me, too. Each and every one of these pretty newbies has me thinking of hot summer days and nights.
Sara Happ Clementine Lip Scrub – This sweet orange box is like a present for making it to June. The sweet citrus, sugar and oils are exactly what is needed to get your lips lipstick-ready. // Bumble & Bumble Invisible Oil Primer – This does for your hair what primer does for your face. So much promise in this bottle…less frizz, UV protection, detangles, less breakage. // Ruffian Endless Summer Collection – I so was hoping for one of these metallic polishes in my Birchbox. Each one is prettier than the next, but that blue…right? // Bobbi Brown Surf & Sand Eyeshadow Palette – Bobbi Brown is the master of nude eyeshadow and her summer twist is everything. That gold, dusty matte clay and all of those seashell pinks…I mean….perfect. // By Terry Cheek to Cheek – This is a brand new type of blush…a syrup, technically. I need to get myself over to Space NK stat to see what this is all about. // Lollibalm – Benefit done did it again with a balm version of their iconic tints. This is a brand that knows how to please. // One Love Organics Gardenia Body Serum – This is summer southern charm in a bottle. The spray nozzle ensures a fine mist to give your body the right amount of dewy glow.
I rarely turn down happy hour, which really brings new levels of happy come patio season. Let’s be honest, it’s rarely just an hour. Throw in a glam squad of stylists ready to lace your strands into one of those impossible to do on your own braids and it gets even happier. Sine Qua Non nailed it with their new Sine Style Bar at their Lakeview salon. Every Friday this summer, they’re serving up bubbly alongside a menu that includes the cascading waterfall braid, the carousel and my favorite, the halo that wraps around your head milkmaid style.
Pampering and prosecco is a perfect combo at the end of a long week. Monica, Jess and I all got our halo on and I love how it turned out a tad differently on each of us. The best part is you don’t need as much hair as you think to pull this off. I have the least of all of us and there was no strays a bobbi couldn’t handle pinning back. This style also makes for a weekend do that can handle any dew point. If you book with a friend in June or July, SQN will throw in 10% off your service in addition to the complimentary bubs. All styles – or a blowout if that’s more your speed – are $35.
The internet is big and there are seemingly infinite places to read about beauty so I’m incredibly grateful for everyone that makes a stop here. This blog is personal yet I know there’s so much I don’t share. Bear with me today as I go a layer deeper.
My new friend and fellow blogger (also an agency gal by day!) Maya of Charmingly Styled inspired me to get real. She’s the beautiful brains behind #RealBloggerBeauty, a campaign going down on the internet today that’s all about celebrating the real people we are when we’re not in “blogger” mode. Guys, truth be told, I never want to be in “blogger” mode but always in Laurie mode. Though, I’m guilty of taking a few extra steps to get that Insta-worthy shot. Classic blogger move.
My moments of realness — good and bad — might feel familiar. I worry about aging parents, fret over extra lbs and the fact that I have no time to work out, get frustrated that I make excuses about having no time to work out, stress when meeting new people, compare myself to others and feel insecure and wonder why it is that I don’t have even the tiniest urge to have a baby even though I’ve been married almost 7 years and am almost 30 + two more birthdays. Oy…that last one is a doozy. I spend a lot of energy dwelling on the big and small in that list. I think that is life. Mixed in with those moments are great meals, laughter, new experiences, the feeling of accomplishment, unexpected friendships and evolving relationships.
It weighs on me sometimes that I’m not changing the world with my words or encouraging frivolity. I write about finding the perfect lipstick and how to wash your face. While neither rank high on the serious scale, I firmly believe that my love of beauty is an extension of my passion for life. I want to share stories about what I love, things I’ve learned, people I adore and places I go.
I finished reading this book and a section on passion struck a major chord with me. I want to share it because I think (hope!) that it will do the same for others.
“How easy it might be to dismiss the joyful, childlike enthusiasm of the truly passionate. After all, how can anyone who takes herself seriously get euphoric over a Uni-ball 0.5 Signo pen from Japan? But that’s the secret: The passionate don’t take themselves too seriously. Yes, they take their work seriously. They take their relationships seriously. Still, they never lose the excitement of stumbling upon new delights. That’s how the passionate persevere. You need to groove on all the little things—the pen with the perfect grip, two or three ranunculuses in a flea market bud vase, even a sunny day. And don’t be afraid to show it.” Ellen Lubin-Sherman, The Essentials of Fabulous
I mean…insert pen with perfect grip with lipstick with flawless matte finish and that’s me to a T.
If you’ve made it to this point, a sincere thank you for listening to me share a little more than usual. Blogger or not, I hope you feel up for sharing a moment of realness today, too.
