Here comes the sun (Part I)

Finally. Spring Break. Or at least for most of us.
And for those, who as me, live on the beach (or are planning to go to the beach) Spring Break is a synonym of bikinis, beach on a daily basis, parties, lot's of sun, tanning, and all beach-fashion.
Seriously, around the first days of January, everybody starts a diet to get fitter because Spring Break is not so far away, and after those Christmas family meals...a slim fisique is a hard task.
Quel drag!

As weeks start to pass, the situation becomes critical, and by the beginnings of March, the store's displays turn into an endless exhibit of swimwear, portraying from surfer looks to tropical styles. Floral prints, bright colored bikinis and tote bags as far as the eye can see.
The beach truly becomes a catwalk, and spring break a fashion show.
Brands like Roxy, Billabong, Hurley, and Paul-Frank are essentials for this time of the year.
Bikinis, sandals, totes, hats, shorts and boardshorts, sundresses...everyone's eager to see what everyone's going to wear. For a whole week before Spring Break, gossip's all about who bought which bikini and where. Same bikinis, oh, mon dieu!

Even though I bought a beautiful red & white Roxy bikini this year, I'm kinda tired of the same everyear.
Luckily for you, beach bums in lack of inspiration, I decided to throw a few ensembles together for Spring Break, hoping that it helps you a little bit to try new stuff this beach season, as well as some essentials and must-haves along with some beauty tips.

So let's begin.

Your first accesory while in the beach (& always) , is your skin.
The trick to flawless skin?
Water, water, water. Drink lots of water. Always, not just for Spring Break, always! If you don't have the habit of doing so, this is a great opportunity for you to start.
Also, have you ever heard that whole thing about "You are what you eat"?
It's absolutley true. Try eating healthy a few weeks prior your beach days.
Lot's of greens and lots of fruit.

Exfoliate your skin on a regular basis. Exfoliation removes dead cells, giving way to new, prettier, cells.
Try Victoria Secret's Secret Garden Collection Stimulating Body Scrub.
Plus, if you're planning on self-tanning, like spray tan, exfoliating your skin before applying will make it so much better. Just shower, exfoliate, dry off completley and spray. Pssssssss.
And don't forget to moisturise. That's very important. Keep your skin both hydratated inside and outside. Sometimes when I'm heading to beach or on very hot summer days (trust me, I live in a very, very, very warm place during the summer) I don't apply cream, just body lotion, because it's less thick and it won't have you feeling all sticky.

If you don't want to arrive at the beach looking ghost-like, thank god for self-tanners. Even though I'm not a huge fan of these (maybe because I've lived in the beach my whole life so I've never really needed it, yes, even though I have very white skin) I must admit they're really handy when really needed. Desperate times, desperate measures.
Let's say, you have a hot date next week, and since winter is just ending, you haven't had the chance to wear that gorgeous short dress you've been dying to for months, but you haven't been able to tan either, and your legs are severly vanilla ice-cream-coloured.

Simple answer: Spray tan. Just spray et voilà!
But be careful, my soon to be roasted friends, apply it correctly and catiously, unless you want to end up looking like a giant baked orange!
But don't worry, remove any mistakes with self-tanner removers.
I found for you in ElleGirl.com a quite good-looking spray tan, Sally Hansen Airbrush Sun.

And don't forget sunscreen, sunshines!

Now, hair. Let's just say it, it's not very practical to leave your hair down when going to the beach. Sand and bronzing oil are not a good combination. If you're planning a hardcore tanning session, then I definitley say, pull your hair up!
Otherwise, I love natural hair on the beach. Go for a dip and then let your hair dry naturally.
A good trick is to take an empty spray bottle and fill it with salt water. Spritz in your hair and let it air dry (thanks ElleGirl, again).

Now. you don't wanna go to the beach all full of make-up. It'll end all cakey.
Use a tinted moisturizeer instead, skip powder if you want and then just add some bronzer, or a litle bit of blush.
Lately I've been using tinted moisturizer daily. I hate to go geisha-looking to school. So I started using it instead of make-up. Just concealer, tinted moisturizer, a little bit of powder, a little bit of pinkish bronzer and blush. I love how it looks. It gives my skin a natural glow.

Remember, sunshines, don't forget to choose a color that suits you well.
Sephora is a good place for startings.

If you want to go lower-key with all the make-up thing, here's a little thin for you,
Tarte Natural Cheekstain in full blossom. Perfect for a beach-all-day-long day because it looks so natural. It'll looks juts like a sligh flush. So cute. If you want something less natural check for the other cheekstains.

While in the beach tanning you must keep your skin hydrated. In my family since I was kid would always take to beach a bottle of Evian Mineral Water Spray. It keeps you fresh and smoothes your sun-burned skin. This is a must and a keeper. Trust me.
Besides, keeping your skin hydrated helps you get a better tan. Wink

Now we're talking of tanning, there are few thing about tanning you should know.
Want a golden-ish tan? Try beer. I'm not kidding! Put beer on your skin and you'll get a nice, golden-ish tan. Oh, la, la!

Take care of you skin. Too much sun will give you expression lines and wrinkles sooner that they're ought to appear. And maybe I'm being too drastic but beware of skin cancer.
Oh and there's nothing worse than a sun-burn. One of those when you can't move and it hurts all over. But if you're stuck in one of these, take a shower with templed water, not too cold, not too hot, and put lots of body cream. And when I say lots I mean it. Then go wrap youself in your softer pajamas, snuggle in your bed and watch a movie. There's no other feeling like that!
Snuggling in my bed to a movie after a long, sun, beach day makes me so happy.
Rarely happens though. Especially during Spring Break.

So, beach bums, I'm running out of time, so I'm cutting it here. But stick around because Part II is coming soon filled with beach fashion and the most whimsical must-haves for this spring break.

Meanwhile, make a playlist, and go soak up the sun.
Relax & enjoy. It's spring break, after all.


Infinite x's & o's...
M.B. Whimsical.