How to Shop for a Safe and Effective Sunscreen

All sunscreens are not created equal. In case you didn't know, there are two types of sunscreen- chemical and physical. Check out my short video to learn more and be sure to scroll down to see the safe and effective sunscreens I do recommend.

(Disclosure: This site uses affiliate links. All products are chosen at my discretion and promoted as other blogs promote products that reflect the lifestyle of the blogger, brand, and ethos. I only post brands and items I support.)

Chemical sunscreens are pretty much a super toxic cocktail of ingredients (including PABA and oxybenzone) that can at best irritate skin and at worst disrupt your hormones. Sure, they rub in nicely and don't leave any white residue, but the fact that they sink into your skin and then literally absorb the sun's UVA and UVB rays leaves me feeling uneasy.

So, as you can probably tell by now, I am a fan of physical sunscreens. Physical sunscreens are mineral based and use zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide to create a layer that sits on your skin and blocks harmful rays. I will admit, some leave you look pretty pasty, but we've come a long way and there are better formulas out there that do the job without making you look like Snow White. Here are a few of my favorites:

Beauty Arsenal: The Winter Edit

Surviving the dryness of winter may feel impossible at times but is definitely doable with the right products. After many a winter spent in the cold ski resort town of Jackson Hole, WY I have found my way to a winter beauty routine that works. If you are living in an uber dry climate like mine, I suggest following my regimen to a tee. If you are graced by an environment that is a bit more forgiving with some humidity in the air and warmer temps, you may want to play around and adjust accordingly by eliminating a hydrating step or two.

face

CLEASE: I find using a cleansing balm is much more nourishing than a gel and works wonderfully when used with a warm wash cloth to remove makeup. The cleansing balm by BeautyCounter is awesome. Very moisturizing without leaving behind a heavy residue. 

MOISTURIZE: All of winter skincare can be summed up in one word- moisturize! In super dry climates a few layers may be required to help quench your skin's thirst. Here's my program:

1. Mix daily face moisturizer with face oil (equal parts) and rub into face until absorbed. I am loving the Tracie Martyn face cream and mix it with whatever oil I have on hand: Beauty Counter, Little Barn Apothecary and KlurSkin.

2. Apply an eye cream. The area around your eyes is more sensitive than the rest of your face and so a cream that is light and still moisturizing is best. I'm currently hooked on the one by Circ Cell.

3. Apply thick cream layer to face. After letting the face oil and cream mixture set in, I follow up with a thick cream like the one from Circ Cell (ER3 Creme). Some days I don't need this extra layer and some days I really do.

4. Seal in moisture with hyluronic acid. You can now buy hyluronic acid on its own (tho some creams do come with it) and apply it over your moisturizers to seal in hydration. Hyluronic acid carries 10x its weight in moisture and so really help to keep skin plum and supple.

5.. Protect skin with SPF. Next I apply my Suntegrity SPF 30 Tinted Moisturizer. The tint evens out my skin without giving a 'made up' look and I know I am protected for any time spent outside.

6. At night I forgo the SPF and instead add a serum into the program as my first step after I have cleansed my skin and before I apply the oil and cream mixture. My current obsession is the Firming Serum from Tracie Martyn. It smells amazing and is super effective at reducing fine lines and giving an overall lift.

7. Give your lips some love by applying a natural lip balm that is moisturizing, like the one from Erbaviva. 

body & hair

For body, I apply the same formula for my face- but with body products- and mix body lotion with body oil after the shower to seal in moisture. If you do this while your skin is still damp you will absorb that much more moisture. 

Stay fresh with a light spray deodorant. Perfect for slipping under your garment and giving a refresher spritz, the deodorant from Erbaviva is one of my favorites and helps freshen everything.

I am constantly fighting the good fight of static hair during the winter. My newest solution is to apply a lightweight hair mask at night which adds extra hydration and help keep things under control without making my hair greasy. One that I have found works really well is the Perfect Hair Day Night Treatment by Living Proof. I also use a pump of this to calm things down after giving my hair a bit of curl and brushing it out. The leave-in conditioner is light enough to absorb instantly and tame fly-aways for a more pulled together look. This has become my go-to move before heading out to dinner after styling my hair.

The other thing I do with my hair is wash it less. Have you ever noticed how fluffy and static-y it gets when you have super clean hair? I wash about every three days and touch up my roots with hair powder or dry shampoo from Kloraine on the days I don't wash. It saves a lot of hair styling time too.

Book & Beauty Review- The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir is one of the best books I've read in 2015. It is humorous, intelligent, touching and educational- I learned a lot about Mars and space! I'm not your typical sci-fi reader, so this book may seem out of place for me to review. The truth is, I'm not confined to genre when it comes to a good book, and this one climbed the charts like a rocket (hehe). Creating a beauty look to go with this book was also a fun challenge. It required a bit of imagination, and I think author Andy Weir would appreciate that.

BOOK REVIEW

Sometimes the first line in a book truly and utterly sets the stage for the rest of the book, and The Martian did that quite successfully with this opening line from main character Mark Watney: 'I'm pretty much fucked. That's my considered opinion. Fucked.' Watney enters this line into his log after discovering he has been abandoned on Mars by his crew. The thought of being stranded alone anywhere is pretty intense, but as we learn, Mars isn't exactly as hospitable as you think. It is an extremely cold planet with subzero temps, and little to no atmosphere- creating a vacuum of silence. There's no running water (update: NASA confirms that there is flowing water on Mars!) and the air isn't set at the right combo of oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen to be breathable to a human. 

Luckily, the people at NASA are very smart and sent many devices for Mark and his crew's mission that are suited to the Martian environment, and ultimately are used in ways not initially intended to help him survive. His scientific mind as well as some much appreciated props from NASA help to unfold a story of survival that thrills, entertains and ultimately touches the reader. I ended the novel in laughter and tears. A must read, sci-fi geek or not.

beauty review

You may have expected a rouge look consistent with the Red Planet for this beauty review, but I was more inspired by the actual environment I learned about through reading the book. Mars is very cold, sterile and almost icy with loneliness and isolation. No plants, or animals. Just cold dry air, and soil. So, I decided to create a frosty look. Something Mark Watney would agree suits the Martian climate.

Watch my video tutorial below to see how I created this cool Martian look, and shop the products at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

(PS- I am still working on my video setup and production, so bear with me as I sort it out and expect it to get better over time. Thanks!)

Book & Beauty Review: The Vacationers by Emma Straub

As summer rounds the corner and nears its end, it felt very appropriate to indulge in a summer fling. A beach read fling, that is. You know what I'm talking about. A summer read that feels more like you are reading a movie than a literary complex or inspiring novel. This is exactly where I would place The Vacationers by Emma Straub. 

BOOK REVIEW: The story was predictable and the characters pretty classic. It all centers around a middle- upper class family from New York City who take a family vacation to Mallorca, Spain. They bring their emotional baggage, expectations, a long-time girlfriend of the son, and their best gay couple with them. For anyone who has been on an international family vacation, it certainly hits a familiar cord. 

While the story itself isn't great, the writing is. The flow and use of perspective- which both seamlessly move from one character to the other at different stage of the story is pretty remarkable. By the end, you really are invested in what happens to the characters and find a satisfying finish. This isn't a book I would hands down recommend, but if you are looking for a light read during a vacation or plane ride, this is a good fit. I would also suggest aspiring novelists read Emma's work. Her voice and manipulation of the omnipresent narrator are pretty impressive and something I feel would inspire.

BEAUTY REVIEW: The Desert Island Look

There wasn't much description around the appearances of the characters in The Vacationers, and so your imagination is left to fill in the blanks. I immediately went to my own interpretation of what I call 'The Desert Island' look. It uses the basics- the essential products you would want if you were stranded on a desert (or tropical) island. The key to this look is to keep everything pretty subdued and only offer a hint of enhancing what you've got. In other words, break out the highlighter and bronzer! 

Here's how to get the look:

1. Start with a tinted moisturizer and apply fully to face and down neck. Add an extra layer to your nose or any other areas that might be slightly red.

2. Use a cream or powder highlighter in the following areas: inner corners of the eyes (swept out across the lid), brow bone, cheek bone (swept out and up toward ears), just above the eye brows, and a dab on your cupid's bow. 

3. Blend a cream blush in a caramel shade into the apples of your cheeks and sweep up and out toward your ears.

4. Using a fluffy brush , dip bronzer onto the brush and blow off excess. Then, sweep in the hollows of cheeks up and out toward ears. Repeat application to brush and sweep across jawline, underneath and down neck. Repeat application to brush once more and sweep across hairline on the forehead from the center down toward ears on each side.

5. Add a coat of mascara. Keep it light and natural looking.

6. Swipe on some lip balm with a shiny finish. 

Book & Beauty Review: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

So, I've had this idea brewing in the back of my mind for a couple of months now, and today is the first post! I love books, and I love beauty. I was trying to think of a way that I could offer beauty content in a completely different way. I don't want to compete with the DIY videos on Youtube, or beauty hauls... I want to share my beauty advice alongside some really great (and clean!) products in a new and interesting way. Enter the Book & Beauty Review!

I love to read. I find myself devouring a book every couple of weeks, and get lost in the setting- learning about the characters and letting their personas and appearances take shape in my imagination. Most people who know me, know about my reading 'habit' (hehe) and often ask for my recommendations on what to read next. I'm also doling out beauty advice- helping people find the right products to address their needs and makeup to create their vision. In a very natural way, it seemed right to bring the two things I'm passionate about together in a (hopefully weekly) Book & Beauty Review. 

The Book & Beauty Review will include a book review, and I will also tease out a beauty look from said book which I will share, tutorial-style, so you can try the look too! The topics, the characters, the backgrounds, the settings will all vary. I hope you will join me on this new adventure, and please leave comments with any suggestions for books that I should review next. Okay, here we go!

BOOK REVIEW: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

I had been on a kick about food/cook/recipe infused novels, and tried to get my fix with a couple of other books (one being Blood, Bones and Butter- excellent writing, but the storyline ebbed and flowed which made it hard to really get in to) before landing on Delicious! The title and the book cover gave me pause, but my local bookstore sales associate said it was getting good reviews, and so I gave it a whirl. 

At first the writing (especially the 'food writing') felt a little try hard, but I let my judgements go, and found that I really enjoyed getting to know the quirky, immature, yet very talented main character- Billie Breslin. With a tragic past, and some well-appointed baggage to go with it, the depths of Billie's personality (and her history) are revealed to the reader in phases, brought out by different people and situations as you make your way through the book. The complexity of her character is alluring, but the real fun begins when her whole world falls apart and she discovers a secret room in a historic mansion in Manhattan. 

Without giving too much away, her secret room discovery ropes in a whole new set of characters through filed correspondences of a time past. This shift turns the book into more of a historical fiction piece- revealing attitudes, situations and behaviors of a difficult and important time. These characters are enchanting and effortlessly pull you through the book, wanting to find out more. 

The final chapters of the book connect everything- past, present and future- into a satisfying coming-of-age story about a woman who finally accepts her secret talents and through the support of those around her, comes to celebrate and share the gifts that she's been given.

BEAUTY REVIEW: Billie Breslin from the novel Delicious!

As the main character and narrator of Delicious! Billie paints a picture of herself as an average California girl. Not pretty, but not un-pretty. Normal. She is so enamored with her older sister Genie's beauty and perfection, she doesn't know how to accept and love her own beauty. It takes two years in Manhattan and a lot of persuasion from her more stylish work friends to push her towards finding her best self in her self expression. Luckily, she does. It starts with a wardrobe makeover, which doesn't fit the standard chic glamazon transformation we are used to (ie: Andy in the Devil Wears Prada), but she finds her own quirky style that makes her feel confident in her own skin. Next, she is referred to one of the best hairstylists in the city and putting full trust in this acclaimed expert emerges a totally different version of herself. And she loves it, as does everybody else. Her makeover is complete when she has her makeup done, and we better understand her features and how her makeup enhances them. 

I'd called her makeup look 'Burgundy Romance.' Purple and brown hues are swirled into her eyelids to compliment her brown eyes, while subtle pinks accent her cheeks and lips.

GET THE LOOK

1. Start with a tinted moisturizer to even skin tone. Pat on concealer where needed to cover and blend any imperfections. Keep the face coverage light. Billie is a Cali girl who doesn't want the makeup to wear her. I recommend using Suntegrity's 5-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer ($45). It leaves the skin dewy and adds just the right amount of coverage/ tint while protecting with SPF.

2. Next, with a quad eye shadow palette, use the brown shade at the outer corners of they eye and blend inward towards the inner corner- pulling the color across the lid, but focusing the majority of the color at the outer corner. Then, swirl upward toward your natural eye crease to blend. Use the lightest color next and apply from the inner corner, sweeping across the lid to blend with the darker color. Now, take the darker purple hue and smudge it into your lash line with small side-to-side motions. Add a coat (or two) of black mascara.

3. Select a slightly pink/ dusty rose colored cream blush and warming it with your fingertips, apply to the apples of your cheeks and sweep out and up towards the tops of your ears. Apply one or two layers, but blend out and down to keep the look more natural and subtle.

4. Lips are last. Billie is just getting into makeup, so the thought of lipstick is a bit much, but she feels comfortable sporting a lipgloss that is a shade or two pinker than her natural lip color. Choose a lipgloss that enhances your natural lip color slightly and apply a quick coat- blotting your lips together to rub it in evenly. One final tip is to take a touch of the lipgloss and dab it on the top of your cheekbones (blending down and out). It adds a touch of shine and helps lock in the color on your cheeks.

Ready to try Billie's look?! Shop these pure products: