5 Sun, Sand and Sea Travel-Friendly Beauty Products Getting Me Through This Summer

Summer is unofficially here, which means people are hopping on all kinds of trains, planes and automobiles to enjoy the beautiful beaches this world has to offer. As relaxing as a beach vacation can be, it can easily turn stressful after one good burn or dry, broken hair. That's why I have a set of favorite products that fit easily into my carry on beauty bag and save my poor bleached hair and fair skin from the harsh damages of the sun, sand and sea. 

Check out my five favorites that were all most recently tested and approved on the beaches of Colombia. Mick even tried them all and loved one so much he used up the entire bottle. 

Rene Furterer Solaire Protective Summer Oil, $26

As a fine-haired girl who's gone through a lot of shades blonde, I've put my poor hair through the ringer. It takes a lot of time and money to get it to the shade I like (shoutout to my colorist, Jan!) so I can't allow the sun turn it one bit. Not only can prolonged exposure to UVA and UVB rays change the blonde coloring, but it can make my bleached, processed hair even more brittle and broken. That's why I turn to this oil to help hydrate my strands while also providing a shield of protection against the damaging rays of sunshine. To top it all off, the skinny bottle squeezes perfectly on to the top of my bag before zipping it up. 

Virtue Recovery Shampoo & Conditioner, $15 each

Along with the heat and sun, salt water is also going to dry out your hair.  So no matter how much you protect and hydrate during the day, you still need to incorporate a healthy wash and condition into your travel beauty routine. I love this little travel-sized shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo pulls away the nasty daily build up like sand, sweat and product, while also building stronger strands thanks to its keratin ingredient. As for the conditioner, it's so softening that I fell in love after the first use. 

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Cooling Water Lotion SPF 60 Sunscreen, $36

This brand is my favorite sunscreen brand and this sunscreen is my favorite from the brand. They consistently score perfectly on the annual consumer report of top sunscreens, so it's not just me either. This super light weight sunscreen melts into the skin flawlessly so it doesn't feel like you're wearing a thick, sticky layer, even when you sweat. This case can be made for most of La Roche's formulas, this one delivers a cooling effect that feels incredibly refreshing, making reapplications something to look forward to instead of a drag. It's not exactly smaller or more convenient for travel, but you sunscreen is not something you want to skimp on.

Avène Mineral Ultra-Light Hydrating Sunscreen Lotion 50+, $28

I break out too easily to trust using any body sunscreens on my face, so I always have and always will use a separate one. I have my everyday favorites for my daily city life (Tatcha Skin Perfecting Sunscreen and Dr. Jart + Every Sun Day) but this one from Avène really protected me from the extra strong Caribbean sun. At the same time, it gave me a smooth and flawless complexion that make makeup irrelevant for the entire trip. Thanks to this, my skin had sun-kissed glow (read: not burnt or greasy) that made me feel like a beach goddess. And honestly, isn't that what we all want on vacation? 

Plant Apothecary Re: Fresh Organic Toning & Hydrating Mist, $10

Last but absolutely not least is this toning and hydrating mist that is now empty and gone. I originally brought it so I could spritz and refresh after my plane ride to look dewy and awake when I saw Mick for the first time in six weeks. However, once Mick got a hold of it and learned there was aloe in it, he sprayed it on every burn he saw. To be fair, it did keep his freckly Irish skin from peeling after a very harsh day where one of our expired sunscreens did not worked. Not only was this small spray great for burns, but it also delivers a burst of a refreshing cool-down during even the most humid of days. Along with the face sunscreen, this must-have favorite made my complexion healthy and happy. 

I’m Obsessed with This Noisy Body Product

Confession: I’m terrible at remembering to put on body lotion. It isn’t until I’m inconveniently out and about that I remember I should have slathered it on to keep my bumpy dry skin at bay. You’d think that discomfort would be enough of a reminder, especially for a beauty editor with approximately 40 moisturizers, but you’d be wrong. There’s only one product that reminds me to do this necessary step every day– Philosophy Body Mousse. I actually get excited to put on this entertaining and deliciously delightful mousse.

How could a body product possibly be entertaining? Well it’s foaming technology tingles and crackles loudly as you spray and rub it into the skin. It has to be one of the most active products I’ve ever applied. Anyone who’s tried it comments on how fun and surprising it is. It doesn’t have the rich creaminess of a lotion, so it is a bit futile for really dry skin. However, it does soften and even out skin tone, making it ideal for people the deal with redness. It’s not all about what it can do for your skin either. The mousse acts partly as perfume thanks to its heavenly scents of Philosophy’s popular Amazing Grace and Pure Grace.

As spring approaches, this fresh, crisp body mousse is the perfect alternative for your adjusting skin.

The Ups & Downs of Post-Grad Life As Told By My hair

People often say to me, “your hair looks different every time I see you.” That isn’t necessarily true– I’m not one of those people that colors my hair different shades of pink– but I have changed the overall look a lot since senior year of college.

It all started with a stereotypical post-breakup chop. Nothing too serious, just a wimpy cut to match the minor breakup. Barely any length was taken off or noticeable style was added, but it was the start of my post-grad journey and the first of many hair changes.

Confusing, but this is not the ex that inspired the lob. I don't date guys who have better eyebrows than me. 

Before my heartbreak lob, my hair had pretty much always been straight, blonde and long. It was natural and I was lazy. In high school, the long blonde hair was a part of my identity. It was easy throw up in a bun while I played soccer, tennis or ran track. It was also just as easy to look “pretty” in everyday bell bottoms and polos. I tried to hold on to this identity through college, but lacked the athletic ability and drive. Still, I held onto the hair for as long as I could.

I got my hair cut into a lob my second semester of senior year. I kept it that shoulder-grazing length for the majority of my first year out of college. The first big change I made was when I went brunette for a hot second. Since it was winter, the sun wasn’t bleaching my strands like usual and my roots started growing in. Instead of cleaning it up with some blonde highlights, I dyed it brown using an at-home L’Oréal Paris box dye.

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Brunette hair courtesy of L'oréal Paris.

I decided that I just needed to accept I wasn’t a natural blonde anymore. I was a brunette and in transitioning to one I was ready to shed my identity as a long-haired athlete and blonde college party girl. I was a professional now, working a real job at Harper’s freaking Bazaar. I didn’t need my blonde hair, I had my own apartment with my own room! I had real dates with guys who made real money working at JP Morgan, not late Sunday nights with bartenders. I had found my grown-up look to reflect my grown-up state of mind.   

It was only a few weeks before the blonde started showing through the ends of my hair. There it was staring me back in the mirror. I was, in fact, a true blonde. I was not a brunette nor was I into finance bros or corporate work. I had placed all of these ideas of what I though being an adult was on myself, including my hair color. Within the next few months, I switched jobs, found a nice guy in construction and, after a three-hour appointment, I went back blonde.

The same way my hair felt, I felt—just right. I was incredibly happy and at-ease with where I was in my life, but I began to feel a little too at-ease. I started to get antsy. I was nailing being an adult, with a real boyfriend and 9-5 job, but I needed change. I wanted to experience and live, not just survive and succeed.

I partly blame this shift in focus on my reading habits. After stumbling across Patti Smith’s Just Kids, I started reading books about artists and writers in 60’s and 70’s New York. I became inspired by their creative and intellectual lifestyles. I wasn’t ready to actually become a bohemian, I still loved my life and wasn’t ready to make any major changes to it just yet. So instead, I went for a spontaneous new haircut.

On my way to work while reading Andy Warhol’s Popism: The Warhol Sixties, I was feeling relieved to have just turned in my article on bangs. All the sudden I thought, ‘I can see myself with bangs.’ My office was closing at noon that day, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Once I came out of the subway I called my salon and booked an appointment for 2. By 3:30 that Friday, I was walking around with my hair 2 inches shorter and wispy bangs. 

I fancied myself a modern day Edie Sedgwick.

I texted my boyfriend Mick, “You’ll never guess what I just did!” He replied, “Good or bad? Is it good or bad?” I sent him the picture which he responded to with a simple, “Cool.” Followed by “I didn’t even know you had a haircut today.” Twenty minutes later he wrote back, “I actually do really like it. I was just surprised. I feel like it’s exactly what you’re into right now with the 60’s thing.”

This hair choice was, once again, done in an effort to prove something. This spontaneous act was to show myself and others that I was independent; that no relationship was going to affect the choices I make. I make them for myself.

This funky cut, I will now admit, was the kick-off to my quarter-life crisis. All while wearing this style, I quit my job and left corporate life completely. I started freelance writing and working at a bar weekends and nights to help supplement my income. Luckily, the one thing that didn’t change was Mick. After about a year, he learned to handle the crazy.

I loved this look and kept it for as long as I could. After about a year, it had become a little too high maintenance for what was going on in my life. 

My dad had Huntington’s Disease and at the beginning of 2017, his health was on a rapid decline before he passed away in April. Obviously, my hair was not a priority at this point. The retro bangs and fresh color started to grow out as I made funeral arrangements and sobbed in bed.

After everything was over and my dad was buried and I couldn’t lay in bed any longer, I was ready to focus on work and get back on my feet. My friend Jeannine told me her colorist, Jan-Marie Arteca, was looking to do big makeovers for a bit of media coverage. This was the perfect opportunity to switch things up and start somewhat anew. So I went bleach blonde.

My amazing friends and family were a huge help in getting me through this most difficult time in my life, but I would be amiss to say that the fresh new color didn't also lend a hand. Going bright blonde gave me this surge of energy I needed to move on to a new chapter. It helped motivate me to enjoy both life and writing again.

As I write this, with dark roots growing into my bleached strands, I wonder what my next look will be or when it will come. I can’t decide if I’m willing to maintain this damaging shade of blonde or if I'm ready for something new. Whatever look I decide to get whenever I decide to get it, I can’t wait to see what story it has to tell. 

Is Roller Wheel Eyeliner Really Easier Than Other Liquid Liners?

Over the past year, there’s been a lot of innovations in the beauty world. Some high-tech like the Kérastase Hair Coach Powered by Withings device, others were more about scientifically driven formulations like Drunk Elephant’s TLC Sukari Babyfacial formula.

MAC Rollerwheel Liquid Liner, $21. 

Then there were the simple, user-friendly upgrades that consumers go nuts over. This is the category roller eyeliner falls. It started when MAC launched their “pizza cutter” one this time last year. The launch created a buzz that pushed other brands to come up with similar products. 

The wheel applicator is meant to deliver a razor-sharp line while gliding along the lid in one smooth motion. It looks fun and feels new, but is it really any better or easier to use than your average liquid liner? 

I’m already a pretty terrible at applying liquid liner, just in general. My eye shape and color go much better with a smokey eye, so that's what I typically wear if I wear any eye makeup at all. As a beauty writer though I've tested a lot of liquid liners and there are a couple I prefer, like Surrat Beauty Auto-Graphique Eyeliner or IT Cosmetics Superhero Liner. I’ve come to find they’re the easiest ones to control. Still, rarely do they leave my makeup drawer.

As a liquid lining rookie, I decided to put to the test whether the wheel liner innovation really is easier to use than the classic felt tip.

Felt-tip liner is on the right, wheel roller liner is on the left. 

I started by applying my favorite Surratt Beauty liner on my right eye to show the basis of what my average liquid liner looks like. Yeah, I know, it’s not great, but it's the best I can do. Then, for my left lid, I went in with Revlon ColorStay Exatify Liquid Liner. The wheel does move in an incredibly straight and skinny line, but sometimes I found that to be its downfall. If my hand was held at the wrong angle, I couldn't adjust mid-roll. I'd have to lift the whole thing of my lid and reangle. Since the line was so skinny to begin with, it was hard to go back in and pick up from where I left off. Also, any loose skin that made a bump on my lid easily pushed the wheel off track, creating another mistake I'd have to go back in and try to fix. Even though I struggled with the straightness of it all, I will say that no matter what trouble I had, it was always smooth. Then again, so is a good felt-tip liner.

An over-all much better application, but the felt-tip still applied a cleaner line. 

Since I’m clearly just no good at applying liquid liner in general, I recruited my roommate Julia to help me out. She applies it every day and has even used this wheel applicator before. Although her results were overall much prettier, the felt-tip liner still finished with the better line. She found that the wheel applicator didn’t apply a consistent amount of black to the line, leaving her with some missed spots. When she went back into fill them, it was difficult to do with the roller. “It’s like I didn’t have any control on the amount of liquid I was applying to my lid.” Having said that (Curb, anyone?), Julia ended up taking off the blue liner and applied the Revlon to wear out for the day. 

So, after conducting this very systematic test, I discovered that no, wheel eyeliner is not easier than your average liquid liner. It’s sharp definition is ideal if you want to create a tight thin line, but you wouldn’t really want it for anything thicker like a cat eye. If you're still curious and think you can do better, I do recommend giving it a shot. The Revlon ColorStay Exatify Liquid Liner is only $11 and it seriously stays put without any smudging or rubbing. It took my best eye makeup remover to get it off.  

Another discover we made is that I should just give all my liquid liners to Julia.