Summer Lovin

Thought I'd pass along a few of my favorite summer survival beauty products (I've added product links for price and source information -- I have no affilation with the retailers or manufacturers):

Frizz Ease Heat Defeat spray:

This stuff is amazing--like a Brazilian blowout in a bottle. I spray it generously through my wet hair, blow dry with a round ceramic brush, and my blowout will last two or three days through our now jungle-hot weather.

Korres Watermelon Sunscreen Face Cream, SPF 30:

I turned 40 this year, and I'm not fooling around with the sun anymore. I got this in a Sephora summer skincare sampler, and I resisted trying it, because I have finicky skin that doesn't usually take kindly to scent. But I should have known, being a Korres product, it would be different. It feels and smells wonderful, and doesn't clog my pores like most sunscreens.

Roc Multi Correxion Night Treatment:

As a teen with acne-prone skin, older women assured me I'd be grateful for my oily skin once I hit 40. Imagine my delight on finding that wrinkles and pimples can co-exist on one complexion. If you know what I'm talking about, I have one word for you: Retinol. This night cream by Roc is a great, relatively inexpensive formulation. Bonus: it helps even out discoloration from sun damage.

Gigi's All Purpose Honee

I intended to cover this here, but some topics call for special handling. So look for a dedicated post on that soon (proof of vagina may be required). In the meantime, got any summer beauty essentials to share?

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HairWreck

Lindsay Ferrier is one of the prettiest women I have ever seen. She has great style, too, so I've been enjoying her new fashion blog She's Still Got It.

This week, Lindsay posted a hair tip that promised to turn straight hair wavy, overnight. She went to bed with a damp ballerina bun, and woke up looking, well, like Lindsay--which is to say, gorgeous, only gorgeous with soft, cascading waves.

Even though my hair is already naturally wavy, I thought I could use this tip. Since getting bangs, I wake up every day with crazy bag lady hair. Maybe if I slept with it in a bun, I too would wake up with soft cascading waves, instead of crazy head.

Or not.

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Person of Wal-mart

One of my new favorite style blogs is The Tipsy Society, and I blame it for sending me to Wal-mart today, a place I generally try to avoid, even if one of my dear (and very fashionable) friends goes there weekly. When I saw this post, curiosity got the better of me, so I went off to investigate.

I suspect that both the above ladies frequent a fancier grade of Wal-mart than the one I went to. I didn't see any of the frocks referenced above. But I didn't leave empty handed. You have to wade past a whole lot of fugly, and do a whole lot of trying on, in a dingy dressing room, because the sizing is whack, but there are indeed cute! cheap! things to be had. Who knew? Among my finds, was this for $14:



and these, for $5:



I just need a cottage in Nantucket to go with them, and I'm set.

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Saints for Sinners Medals

I grew up Catholic. These days, I'm a sort of half-assed Episcopalian. But however far you take the girl out of the Catholic fold, you can never quite take the Catholic out of the girl. I love all the props, especially saints' medals. Episcopalians will call just about anybody a saint, which is a bit too democratic for me. I like my saints with magical powers and elite jurisdictions, thank you very much.

I adore these hand-enameled medals so much. I bought this one for my mom for Mother's Day. Teresa is her patron saint. You can buy yours directly from the artist, or in Little Rock, drop into the Box Turtle.

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Future's so bright...

Last spring, I bought a very fancy pair of Gucci sunglasses as part of an article on investment dressing I did for Good Housekeeping. As I wrote in the article, I wasn't too thrilled about them. They were nice, but it was very obvious that the $400 price tag was more about the logo than the materials, design or craftsmanship. And that's just not me.

Also, I lose sunglasses like lizards drop tails. I knew it was just a matter of time before the Guccis disappeared. So I wore them for the summer, then boxed them up and sent them to my little sister at Christmas. She loves them, and I don't miss them.

To replace them, I picked up this pair of A.J. Morgans for about $15 from my favorite local boutique, Box Turtle. I actually think they look better on me than the Guccis. I love the red racing stripe around the lens frames. And I like that the logo's on the inside.

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Signature

I'm not especially pulled together when it comes to grooming. In fact, I'm frequently falling apart. But there are a few feminine frills without which I feel naked. Lipstick is one. Perfume is another. As a bystander, I really appreciate good perfume, applied correctly. Which is to say, you don't smell it until you are standing very near. It's intimate and delightful to lean over for a cheek kiss from a friend and notice her fragrance, like being told a juicy secret.

For over a decade, my daily scent was Clarins Eau Dynamisante. Patrick bought it for me nearly every Christmas. This year, it seemed like it was time for a change. A friend gave me a sample of Prada Infusion d'Iris and it was love at first whiff. A large bottle of it was under the tree for me this year. It's stupidly expensive, but most of my cosmetics are from the drugstore, and I only get my hair cut twice a year, so I think it's quite okay.

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Better Than Chocolates, and Coming From Me, That's Saying Something

A very dear friend sent me a PAJAMA-GRAM. Even the shipping carton was pretty! The PJs came nested in a pink mesh hatbox. And they are gorgeous. What a treat!

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