Hot summer must-haves
April 1, 2005 | 12:00am
The days are getting longer, the air is getting warmer, and suddenly everywhere you look bikinis, board shorts, and tanning lotion are the center of everyone’s attention. It’s true, our so-called "colder season" has come and gone, summer has definitely arrived, and I couldn’t be happier! Summer is one of my favorite times of the year. I always look forward to those long winding days when the sun shines a bit longer, people smile a little more, and those fruit shakes start tasting a whole lot better. Yup, I’m a sun-child and even though my sweat factor has increased as the days continuously turn swelteringly hotter I still look forward to another fun-filled summer vacation spent doing the things I love.
"Summer vacation" is actually a concept I’ve refused to give up. Even as I’ve said goodbye to school and entered the working world I still make it a point to ensure some vacation time for me during the summer months to hit the beach, go diving, and basically indulge my love of sun, sand, and the sea. It’s how I spend these long sunny days that replenish me to keep on going during the dreary months of the rainy season as typhoons rock our shores and my tan starts to fade away.
That being said, I look forward to summer as early as the day after New Year and I know the moment my lips begin to chap that my favorite season has arrived. Indeed, while intimating fun times at the beach and under the sea and kicking back fruit shakes with friends (Bora, here I come!), the summer also signals the need for an overhaul on the items I carry around in my bag and keep handy. Quite frankly, while I’m a self-confessed beauty junkie always on the lookout for cool new products I’m a walking contradiction because even as I can spend hours in PCX and Beauty Bar I still maintain a really simple beauty regimen that is basically characterized by powder and lipstick. Nevertheless, it’s not just makeup that fills my summer tote and even though I pretty much kick-back and go all natural on our sunny shores there are still a few items I wouldn’t want to be without. Here are some of my favorite summer essentials.
1. A funky, fun, and functional summer bag – Quite a simple essential really as I’m obviously not going to tote around my leather hobo bag on the beach! I always like to look for simple and functional designs in juicy and fun colors. My old summer favorites were my clear Jelly Kelly bag that matched everything and my handy small black belt bag that carried the essentials during beach summer nights while keeping my hands free for other important things (like holding my rum coke!). This year I’ve got my eye on funky and colorful bags from Pastiche to lug around my summer gear. From large totes, to handy body bags, to my ever favorite sling/belt bag for the evenings, Pastiche has got a great line of summer bags in a rainbow of fun and juicy colors!
2. A good bottle of tanning oil and an even better sunblock! – Clearly as the sun begins to shine brighter and harder, summer is the perfect time to get a rocking tan! Personally, I shun the explosion of whitening products that seem to be everywhere because I love toasting to a deep brown every chance I can get. At the same time though, I do look after my skin too (mainly because I don’t want to look like luggage in my thirties). My tanning tandem consists of great products that ensure a deep tan with the right amount of protection. For me that’s Nivea Sun Oil Spray with SPF 4 that always gives me an overall golden glow coupled with light spritz of Lancôme Sôleil Sun Protection Spray with SPF 20 for a bit of protection and Nivea Sun Moisturizing Facial Cream in SPF 50 for my face.
3. A bit of light and natural makeup – I always go for the natural healthy look when I hit the beach but a light dab of makeup does help especially since my lips remain rather pale without a touch of color. For my on-the-go summer routine I keep it to two essential products beginning with tinted moisturizer by Kiss My Face and followed with one of my new favorite products VMV lip and cheek tint in Morning Sunshine. Creamy and long-lasting, this product really lives up to its name and gives my cheeks that sweet early morning sun-kissed post-jog look while keeping my lips full and pale-free. A coat of Nivea Lip Care Sun balm in SPF 25 completes me for the day!
4. Leave-in conditioner and a hair protective sun spray – When I was younger I always dreamed I was a mermaid. Perhaps because I love the sea so much I wouldn’t mind living beneath it. Obviously, this remained an elusive fantasy and while I never grew the gills mermaids must have to breathe underwater I did copy their hairstyle and over the years (hard as it is sometimes to maintain) I’ve kept my thick strands full and long. That being said the wind, sun, and sea often present problems for my lengthy locks. I always make sure to have a protective sun spray handy like L’Oreal Soleil or Phytoplage Beach Spray that coat my strands and protect them from the damaging elements of the beach. In addition, after a long day of swimming, sunning, and playing I slather on Creamsilk Leave-in Conditioner to revitalize my tired mane.
Indeed, those are just some of the things that’ll be occupying space in my beach bag this summer as I return to the shores of Boracay, my favorite beach in the world. Along with my reliable bikinis, a few awesome summer reads, unlimited shakes from Jonah’s, and the company of my favorite friends this summer’s definitely shaping up to be another rocking beach-fest!
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