Friday Favorites – Summer Essentials

1. Cynthia Cazort Collins Ponchos and Tunics – These babies are absolute perfection for summer time!! Their Turkish Towel seen in above picture is so thick, soft and luxurious it doubles as beach towel and a perfect tunic cover up.

Her black cotton and linen blend poncho is a best seller and my go-to, light weight, cover up that’s way too easy to pack for any and every trip to the beach or the pool. They are available online or at shops like H. Audrey in Nashville, By George in Austin and Pied Nu in New Orleans.  http://cynthiacazortcollins.com/pocket-ponchos/poncho-black 

This poncho was even included in the Billboard Awards swag bags for all female nominees!

2. Josie Maran Argan Liquid Gold Self Tabning Oil in Tahitian Orchid – Current favorite self tanner on the market. It is as natural as a sunless tanner can get formulated without any parabens, sulfates or phalates.  Many thanks to my friend Anna for introducing me to this product! Follow the directions and use the mit for easy application. In addition to Argan oil it contains coconut water and aloe making it moisturizing as becomes the most perfect (i.e. not orange) color! One bottle will last you all season and for $38 it’s about the same price as one spray tan, completely worth it.

http://m.sephora.com/product/P395245

3. Beautycounter Protect Stick Sunscreen – I’ve talked about this product several times but I can’t get enough of it – truly a necessity in my home. This little stick lives in my purse year round, but gets extra use while the sun is shining. It is a safe, zinc based sunscreen that goes on clear without leaving the usual white, zinc residue. It is great for every member of your family and for face or body. It has an almost sweet smell so kids really love it too. 

http://www.beautycounter.com/carolineclark

4. Krewe du Optic, Franklin Sunglasses – I’m obsessed with this New Orleans based brand of sunnies. Once you’re on the lookout for them you will see them everywhere – Gigi has multiple pairs and dons them often, Selena, Allesandra and Reese are big fans too! I picked up mine from their flagship store on Royal in the French Quarter, but you can grab them from local retailers and their website as well. Besides the Franklin my favorite styles are the St. Louis, Julia and  CL-10.

http://www.kreweduoptic.com/

Spa Day selfie wearing Franklin sunglasses, Cynthia Cazort Collins navy Turkish towel cover up and Beautycounter stick sunscreen.

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Summer’s Best Sunscreen

Last week I was fortunate to spend eight days on the beach. It was a blast! Each day I had a sunscreen routine, and I left the sun every evening without a single sunburn. In my little world that is quite the victory.

All of the sunscreens that I used are clean, safe and water resistant for up to at least 50 minutes. At first when I heard “clean and safe” about a sunscreen I thought well of course it’s safe because it’s keeping me from getting sunburned! I had NO idea how bad many name brand/main stream sunscreens can be until a friend of mine shared a scary article with me, http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/06/neutrogena-sunscreen-toxic-avoid/

Eeeek! Luckily I already had two of these products. Since I’m not pregnant and do not have children I didn’t feel too awful about finishing one of the toxic labeled sunscreens I already had in my beach bag on myself (I mean any sunscreen is surely better than none at all?), but now onto bigger and better things, and these three fit the bill perfectly… Just trying to get a little less cancer one step at a time, amIright?

My daily beach combination of clean, safe and successful sunscreen is as follows:

1. I started each day with an application of Beautycounter Protect, Broad Spectrum SPF 30, http://www.beautycounter.com/carolineclark. I like starting the morning with a lotion sunscreen then following up on the beach or at the pool with a spray. Some people suggest lotion for every application, but that is not realistic for me. This is a great one because it can go everywhere (body, face, etc.) and a little goes a long way.

2. La Roche Posay Tinted Face Sunscreen, SPF 50, http://m.target.com/p/la-roche-posay-anthelios-tinted-mineral-1-7-oz/-/A-14225598 This is everything my face needs in the summer – a little bit of makeup coverage and a lot of sunscreen. Done and done. I usually reapply this once during a day in the sun. I am also a huge fan of hats – wide brim, panama, baseball caps, doesn’t matter to me. I love them all.

3. SunBum SPF 30, http://shop.trustthebum.com/spf-30-original-spray-sunscreen/ SunBum has a nice, summery smell and goes on without a greasy feel.  Plus that packaging! (I’m a sucker for good packaging, it’s fine).

Here’s to lots of time spent outdoors with no sunburns to prove it!

Summer Beauty Favorites

NEWS FLASH: It is HOT in Nashville and Atlanta right now. So very hot. Ok, I know that’s not a news flash and I know it is hot in many other places besides Nashville and Atlanta… it’s even in the 90s in the Pacific Northwest. Between the heat and humidity makeup feels like it’s melting right off of my face and lotion off of my legs. Lovely. Here are our favorite picks for makeup that will stay put throughout the heat of the summer.

Favorites going Clockwise from the Bottom:

Beautycounter, Lip Sheer in Coral – This lipstick is fantasic. It feels great, stays on for hours and comes in several great colors. My favorites are Twig, Coral and Scarlett all of which would be perfect for summer! I have been wearing this pinky-orange shade non-stop and it seems to be the perfect combination of sheer and color, that on top of staying power makes it an instant summer favorite, $28 http://www.beautycounter.com/catalog/product/view/id/13/s/multi-color-lipstick/category/37/child/7 

Urban Decay – All-Nighter Makeup Setting Spray. This is a product I have sworn by for years and during the Summer heat is perfect to set your makeup with before the start of your day. The travel size is the way to go plus you can take it in your carry-on, $14 http://www.urbandecay.com/travel-size-all-nighter-long-lasting-makeup-setting-spray-by-urban-decay/374.html#q=all+nighter&start=2

Falsies Mascara – My favorite, inexpensive mascara for the past several years. For an easy way to get waterproof lashes start applying your regular mascara as you usually would then while regular mascara is still damp, apply one coat of waterproof. This holds your mascara in place, throughout humidity and water, but it is also much easier to remove then full blown waterproof mascara.

I use both Falsies regular and waterproof mascaras. Each tube only last for 3-4 weeks but at $5 a piece that is just fine by me! http://www.target.com/p/maybelline-volum-express-the-falsies-mascara/-/A-12404422?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=12404422&CPNG=Health+Beauty&kpid=12404422&LID=17pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=12404422&kpid=12404422&gclid=Cj0KEQjw7_mrBRDH4Y2UjLHEmfcBEiQA8OTHf3jDc-NmSpl3kDl-JtxOaZCmElH7CiPEDyJAHkSMfgAaAn518P8HAQ

Waxelene is a new-ish favorite of mine. I am convinced it is one of the very best, basic lip balms out there. It feels fantastic, has little to no smell, is all natural and is perfect by itself or on top of lipstick. Not to mention it is only $5! https://whitesmercantile.com/product/waxelene-lip-balm/

Beautycounter – Matte Bronzer 01. I am always on the lookout for the best matte bronzer and I have finally found it! “Why matte?”, you might ask, matte because in the summer I need to use bronzer all over my face not just on my T zone. I just don’t need the extra shimmer going across my forehead… especially if it is already “glistening” from the 90+ degree days, $36  http://www.beautycounter.com/catalog/product/view/id/96/s/color-contour-matte-bronzer/category/60/child/97

La Roche-Posay Anthelios, Tinted Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 50 – I love this product! It is very light, great sunscreen for your face plus just enough tinted coverage for summer days. Running errands, days spent on the water, you name it. May not be enough for nighttime but it has been great for me during the days and espeically perfect for the beach and lake. I can now be the girl who doesn’t feel the need to apply pre-beach makeup because this is does the trick, $33. http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod4350455&skuId=2246041&cmpid=PS_Non!google!Product_Listing_Ads&cagpspn=pla&CAWELAID=1311179591&catargetid=330000200000246418&cadevice=c&gclid=Cj0KEQjw7_mrBRDH4Y2UjLHEmfcBEiQA8OTHf834KiIA5zuiXAQrgZ6kK35YEBgqnzybw1pydxeRWyQaAr258P8HAQ

If you are looking for more coverage look into topping off your tinted sunscreen or any moisturizier with spf with these other favorites:

Ultra Flesh Tinted Moisturizer, http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Flesh-Tinted-Moisturizer-Luminous/dp/B006OA00NM

Beautycounter, Tint Skin – a favorite of Lauren Conrad’s, http://www.beautycounter.com/cosmetics/face/tint-skin-complexion-coverage.html

Don’t forget to top off any of your makeup with Urban Decay’s setting spray or at least some setting powder!

What are your favorite summer beauty items? We are always looking for our new favorites!