When it comes to skincare there’s nothing more important than lathering on sun protection every single day – there’s no better way to prevent fine lines and wrinkles. Once you’ve committed to protecting your skin however, there are key differences in sun protections. I’m the first to admit I use a ton of products that are far from natural or organic, but when it comes to suncare, mineral is usually the best way to go. Mineral sunscreens are based on zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and they work by reflecting the light from your skin as opposed to chemical sunscreens, which coat your skin and act like a sponge to absorb the damaging ultra-violet rays. While both chemical and mineral will give you the same amount of protection, chemical suncare products need to be applied 20-30 minutes before you go outdoors in order to get the protection whereas mineral work immediately. You also need about a third to a half as much mineral sunscreen as you do chemical one for the same level of protection because zinc and titanium are pulverized into very tiny little particles when mineral sunscreen is produced and those very small particles are able to give much larger coverage.

There are a few great lines out there, but one in particular that I’ve tried and loved is MDSolarSciences. I met the founder, Dr. Robert J. Friedman, a Clinical Professor at the NYU School of Medicine, two years ago when he first launched the line and his dedication to producing suncare that people will actually want to use (ie not chalky), was evident. The line has since grown exponentially to include a variety of mineral suncare products including sprays and tinted ones. Check them out and remember sun protection is not just key for preventing burns, it’s necessary for preventing wrinkles as well!

Who knew looking stuck up could be such a good thing?? There was a period in my life when I was all about Aqua Net, but now I prefer hairsprays that leave my hair looking flowy and natural. Helmut head is never cute. Sometimes I need to revert to the strong stuff, though. There are certain hairstyles that just can’t move, especially if you have thick, heavy hair like mine. I barely use hairspray at all – the normal kind weighs my hair down and makes it look worse, so there’s little point. I break out White Sands Stuck Up Mega Hold for special occasions. This is the favored product of people whose two-inch mohawks stay put all day. Hairdressers also love it for fussy updos. The formula is thermally intelligent, which is layman’s terms means the more heat you put on it, the shinier your locks look. Just make sure you stock up on shampoo to get it all out! Available on Amazon for $20.40.

I’ve always adhered to a 7-10 step skincare routine, but now I’ve found a way to get by on just 3! For a recent two-day trip to NYC, I wanted only carry-on products. Dangene’s antioxidant-rich program was just what the dermatologist ordered! She calls herself a “personal trainer for your skin” (visit the Institute of Skinovation in NYC for your next workout – lasers, stem cell therapy, etc.). The first step is, of course, the cleanser ($25). While I was worried that such a short regimen would be lacking in the hydration department (I love oils!), the serum ($325) left me just as moisturized as any oil I’ve tried. And rightly so – it’s pretty pricey. Afterwards you finish off with the moisturizer ($150), which you can buy separately just like the other steps. Though I won’t be simplifying my routine permanently, it’s nice to know I can downsize without compromising on quick trips and late at night when I don’t feel like going through all of the motions! Available at The Institute of Skinovation for $500.

It may not officially be summer yet, but it’s sure starting to feel like it. Time to let our skin shine! Tastefully sparkle from head to toe, like Jessica Alba above, with a body illuminator or a body moisturizer with a subtle shine. Either way you’ll want to apply it at least 20 minutes before getting dressed to make sure it’s fully absorbed into your skin – the only thing worse than lotion on clothes, is shiny lotion on clothes… Also, you’ll want to look for products with micronized shimmer rather than larger flakes for the most natural  light-catching effect possible (especially around your face and decolletage – this one from Sephora ($12) is a great buy). Others worth checking out are Illamasqua Illuminator ($20), which works especially well when mixed in with moisturizer and Caudalie Divine Legs ($38), which is perfect for those afraid of self-tanners because it just glides on without a risk of streaking and it washes off (plus it smells great…) – it should be noted that the Caudalie product is on the darker side however and a little melting off did occur in the heat so beware of wearing white with it!

Image: Zimbio

We all long to change our hair from time to time, which is why hair chalk is such a fun trend. If you’ve seen the infomercial for Hot Huez, you know what I’m talking about! Don’t bother with their high prices and shipping costs, though. It’s easy to find different brands, and they’re all the same silicone-based chalks. I tested out a chalk ball from Urban Outfitters (at Urban Outfitters for $5) and a 24-pack called The Bundle Monster (on Amazon for $14.99). The only real difference in quality is how messy it can get. While I didn’t try Edge Chalkers (on Amazon for $34.95), I imagine a pen applicator would’ve made the experience a whole lot easier. The other chalks get all over your hands. You could avoid that issue with the pens by holding your hair taut at the ends and moving the chalk along your locks. They’re the most expensive, but you get what you pay for (plus, the colors are metallic!).

No matter which you get, apply to your hair as if you’re drawing on it. Put the chalk on one side of the strands and your hand on the other, and pull all the way through. Even though that’s pretty easy, chalk bits will inevitably fall down and since the color is SUPER saturated, it’s a bitch to clean (particularly if you have a white bathroom like me…). I had to get a towel to scrub some out of my marble countertop, then I dropped the whole chalk piece on the floor and it broke into shards that got stuck in the grout. Total nightmare. Basically, do this outside. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll have awesome results. Even my jet-black hair looked bright – check it out below! The look is a chalky matte, not super shiny. This stays put once it’s on your hair, but the color would rub off on your pillow if you slept on it – wash it out with shampoo before you turn in. Overall, the chalk is much better than actually dying your locks some crazy color you’ll regret in a week, especially if your office isn’t purple hair-friendly (and sadly, most aren’t). It’s also more fun than sitting in a salon chair. Just don’t get carried away with all of the color options – one is cool, seven is a rainbow!

Summer’s finally here, which means there’s no excuse to walk around pale as a ghost. Get a glow going with bronzing gels! I only tan my body, so I used to apply Bonne Bell’s washable gel (on DrugStore.com for $3.95) on my face. You just mix a few drops into your tinted moisturizer or foundation and voilà! A natural looking tan that’ll have you forsaking your bronzing powders. It’s a great Frugal Snob option and can be used on your whole body if you want to avoid the sun altogether. Laura Mercier also has a lightweight, easy to blend gel (at Laura Mercier for $32). To try one specifically formulated for your face, go with The Body Shop’s Fair Trade honey-enriched version (at The Body Shop for $7). These are safer than the sun and easier to correct than tanning lotions and sprays that can dry unevenly. Have you tried bronzing gels?

Soooo….apparently last week was Hemp History Week. Who knew? Thanks to Whole Foods for the alert! Whole Foods in fact carries a ton of hemp products – like literally, a ton – hemp milk, cereals, granola, waffles, protein powders, nutrition bars, breads, snacks, chips, pastas, flour, vegetarian burgers, and a large variety of personal care products including supplements, lotions, makeup and shampoos.

So given that hemp-based products are stocked widely at Whole Foods, let’s get one thing straight: hemp is not marijuana, it’s a seed and if you smoke it nothing will happen (though it would be pretty funny to see someone smoke hemp granola they bought at the supermarket…). There is still a stigma around it and it’s not grown in the US making hemp products relatively difficult to find (what did we do before Whole Foods!?). This is unfortunate because the seed functions as a nutritional and mineral powerhouse and is loaded with digestible protein, dietary fiber, and vitamin E (an antioxidant that protects and repairs skin, which is why hemp is good to apply topically as well). It also has all of the amino acids (impressive for a plant protein), and it’s loaded with omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. It’s also gluten-free and has no known allergens.

For beauty check-out Dr. Bronner’s soaps and Lafe’s Natural deodorants. I’d also highly recommend adding hemp to your diet. I love Nature’s Path’s granola bars though they’re a little sweet and it’s very hard to eat just one so beware…Hempseeds are another great way to go, just sprinkle them on a salad. There’s even hemp ice cream (low fat, no cholesterol, low sugar, low calorie, and it has some fiber).

Read more about hemp and check-out some other products here!

Too Faced is one of the best bang for your buck makeup brands at Sephora in my opinion (Sephora’s own line is amazing, but I’m more of a fan of their skincare than their color products). Too Faced Endless Summer 16 Hour Long-Wear Bronzer ($30), is one of the latest additions and it comes in a super lightweight gold compact. I know that it looks pretty dark and maybe a bit orange-y in the picture above, but it’s really not. They launched it at an event recently and I got a sample to try out. It has a slight shimmer to it and the color is very light so I’ve been layering it over my go-to NARS powder foundation as a highlighter when I go out or, I’ve worn a few times to the gym when I’ve gone super early and look like death…it’s the perfect way to add a tiny bit of color and some shimmer to my pale skin without risking a breakout if I’m going to be sweating. Plus because the shimmer and color are so low I can apply it haphazardly while I’m half asleep and it will still look great.

I do want to underline however that if you’re looking for saturated color or if you have very dark skin, this isn’t for you. This product is way more of a highlighter than something that could double as foundation.

I’ve in Punta Mita all week, and in spite of my serious dedication to sunscreen and big hats, it’s been impossible to escape the sun’s harsh rays out on the beach! The creator of No. 3 berry face oil, Lea A.C. Fulton (a.k.a. L.A. Christine), grew up in Scandinavia, so she understands the damage harsh weather can do. She’s traveled all around Europe finding the best natural ingredients to soothe her skin. Since mine always gets patchy in the sun, I brought a bottle of her face oil to Mexico and have been applying it every night.

People are worried about trying the face oil trend because they don’t want to look greasy. I think it’s all about application, though – I just make sure to avoid the T-zone. This oil is made with Scandinavian lingonberry, which has anti-inflammatory qualities and is high in antioxidants (to fight off free radicals from sun exposure), making it great for different areas of my body as well. I even dab a bit on my eight-year-old son, who fights me daily when it come to sunscreen. Now our skin is as soft and supple as ever. Kelly loves this, and after seeing how well it heals sun-exposed skin, I do, too! Consider it a part of my daily routine going forward. If only it came in a gallon – I’d love to dip my entire body in! Available on L.A. Christine for $78.

Never moisturize right before waxing because it will impede your hair from sticking to the wax. The only thing you should apply pre-wax is a numbing cream. I would also suggest easing your way into the process with strips like these from Bliss before working with hot wax, especially if you’re targeting your bikini area which is hard to see properly in its entirety. Make sure you’re pulling the wax strip against the grain of your hair growth and never go over the same area more than three times or you’ll risk irritating your skin/ingrowns. Moisturize after you’ve finished waxing and then after 24 hours exfoliate to help fend off ingrowns.

Again, DIY waxing is not ideal, but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

Image: Zimbio

Getting ready for all your summer trips? Traveling is made easier with this jet set kit from Pur-lisse, it’s got you covered to keep you youthful, beautiful, protected and hydrated. That’s quite a tall order but just take one look at Jennifer Yen (the creator and owner) who is a former model and actress, and you will see proof of how effective her products are. She looks 25 and has flawless skin, I won’t give away her age but she is radiant and we all hate her =) My favorite is the SPF moisturizer and the cleanser but this kit allows you to try the other products before you commit to the full size. I always keep the travel size SPF on me, of course I have the full size at home but this ensures I’m covered even if I forget to apply SPF in the morning or when I need to reapply. This kit is wonderful for my in-flight ritual. Once I get settled, I get to hydrating. The dry air is dreadful for the skin so you can never over-hydrate. This is a travel essential I do not leave home without.

On Pur-lisse for $58.

New diet books are a dime a dozen, but one that has been making major waves as of late is The FastDiet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting ($14.39). A big hit in the UK, the book recently came to the US and has already been lauded by readers and doctors. I’m not a fan of extreme diets because from experience – and from what I’ve seen firsthand with countless friends – it leads to nothing besides binging, but given that this book was written by a doctor I was intrigued. The premise of the diet is intermittent fasting. Five days out of the week you eat whatever you want and for two non consecutive days you are restricted to 500 calories if you’re a woman or 600 calories if you’re a man.

A number of studies have shown that intermittent fasting can have a slew of benefits including reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and delaying aging. Diet-wise when you cut your calories the body goes into survival mode and cools down on fat storage while turning up mechanisms responsible for fat burning.  The problem is if you do this too long you risk putting your body in starvation mode, which will have the opposite effect. You also risk stressing your body and a stressed body tends to crave the very foods you’re likely trying to avoid. While this might work in the short-term any diet that involves extreme calorie restriction with or without binging isn’t the best idea. Plus am I the only one who becomes a raging bitch when she binges and when she’s starving!?

I try to eat as healthfully as possible, but sometimes you fall off the wagon (it happens, we have to stop beating ourselves up about it!!). I went to Vegas for four days recently and on every one of those days I ate an absurd amount of food (on one of those days my friend and I ate over $600 in fact at Chef Masa Takayama’s restaurant Tetsu..oy!). Instead of beating myself up about it however I just vowed to eat nothing but fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and bread (I need the carbs because I run every day), for a week when I got back. Of course that didn’t work out flawlessly and some sweets made it in, but we can’t always be perfect and as long as it’s in moderation…

All that said the book does have some very interesting research, case studies, and recipes in it that make it worth checking out. Next month they’ll also be launching a cookbook with low calorie meals so while I won’t be surviving on 500 calories a day anytime soon I’m all for adding some of their 500 calorie recipes into my diet!

When the French collaborate together, you can expect twice the chic! Don’t miss out on these limited edition goodies from NARS and Pierre Hardy. I love the blushes ($41 each), especially the coral-pink Boys Don’t Cry. Gold shimmer lines the palette in Hardy’s signature geometric print, ensuring that you get both color and shine. I use it to highlight my upper cheekbone area to create a youthful glow. For a sandier shade, try the Rotonde palette. Then there are the nail polish duos ($29 each), which were inspired by Hardy’s colorful SS13 shoe collection. Each set of complementary tones was chosen by the designer himself. Wear one on your fingers and the other on your toes! I’m eyeing the orange and navy blue set, but with five options in total, there’s something for everyone. Available on NET-A-PORTER.

I won’t be doing this anytime soon to my nails (how old is too old for something like this??), but I could totally see this being a fun summertime pool-side activity for a group of young teens (or someone more artistic than myself!).

Most reviews of BelleCore’s HoneyBelle Bodybuffer are positively glowing, which is exactly what your skin will be doing once you’ve tried this. I can’t speak to whether or not it “breaks the bonds of cellulite,” but when I tested it out at the store, I ended up looking as buffed up as a showroom car. This is thanks to the terry cloth cover (when I forget to bring an exfoliator on a trip, I often use coarse hotel towels to lightly buff my skin) and oscillation. The device is electric, so you don’t have to buff yourself per se. Since it’s handheld, though, the vibrations can tire your hands and arms within a few minutes to the point of numbness (ironically, the Bodybuffer helps muscle soreness). This strength is vital for getting the blood flowing and breaking up cellulite. Beauty is pain, right?

If you’re going to invest in this little gadget, make sure you understand why cellulite appears in the first place. There are many causes, and the one the Bodybuffer treats is the hypoxic body fat in your lower body. Hypoxic means oxygen-deprived, which explains why some people find that no amount of diet or exercise can remove cellulite. Belly fat, on the other hand, gets good oxygen flow, so it’s generally the first weight to go when you start losing (unless you’re me!). Basically, even though the device will help improve circulation and oxygen flow, it won’t work alone – you have to lose the fat deposits, as well.

Another cause of cellulite involves the collagen fibers in your skin, also located mostly in your lower body. For women, these are vertical and form what are referred to as “picket fences,” where the skin puckers and traps fat. Men luck out – have you ever noticed that they rarely seem to have cellulite? Only 10% do, compared to 90% of women. This is because their collagen is crisscrossed like mesh, rather than straight up and down. That’s why I’m skeptical about the Bodybuffer. This kind of exfoliation and even deep tissue massages supposedly “remodel collagen.” How could you make your collagen grow in a totally different formation, though? I’m not quite convinced. If you have severe cellulite and want to smooth it out a bit, go ahead and give this a try. The guarantee is that it will improve within a month, so if you test this, be sure to let us know how the promise holds up! Either way, it’s a lot cheaper than going to the doctor’s office (although, at least your arm wouldn’t go numb there !). Available at Bergdorf Goodman for $395.

It’s a really, really, really good day when you come home to a three foot tall lipstick-shaped pinata… I mean how cool! The pinata was created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Sephora – a chain we’ve all come to know and love because it carries some 13,000 beauty products in-store and online. It’s hard to imagine life before Sephora so it’s fitting that they’re celebrating 15 years in a big way.

The brand will be celebrating their Sweet Fifteen in all Sephora stores every Saturday from June 8th through June 29th, 12pm to 6pm. In-store parties will include complimentary makeovers, skincare consultations, and gifts with purchase. On the Saturday, June 8th kickoff you’ll get a complimentary makeup bag when you spend $50. Can’t make it into a store? Call 1-877-SEPHORA or log on to Sephora.com for the same deals.

For those shopping on a budget Sephora is also stocking a bunch of beauty products priced at $15 and under and new products are added weekly through June. Click here to check them out.

My latest obsession is By Terry’s Radiance Renewing Mask! It’s the best complexion brightening and deep hydrating mask I’ve ever tried – not a bit oily. I’ve given it a regular spot in my beauty routine. I apply the mask to my face and neck before I go to sleep and leave it on all night, so that when I wake up in the morning, I look fully rested (even if I’m far from!). Terry recommends another fun little tip for hiding crow’s feet – apply the mask on the wrinkles for a few minutes, then rub the formula up towards your temples. The formula includes white rose to soften skin, crimson rose to detoxify it, and pastel rose to clarify (as you can imagine, it smells heavenly). I use Renée Rouleau’s Triple Berry Peel (at Renée Rouleau for $85.50) beforehand to clear off my skin. Try this two or three times a week for the best results! Available at Barneys New York for $83.

Chinese women care more about skincare than we do about makeup (wouldn’t you rather look pretty barefaced than all dolled up?), so I love to try different Asian brands in this arena. My newest find is Citta by Roger, an extensive line headed up by Chinese skincare guru to the stars, Roger Zheng. My two favorite products are the Moisture Peeling Lotion and the Supreme Treatment Facial Program. I use the lotion as a toner with my CVS exfoliating cotton pads. It’s the best pore-minimizer I’ve ever used! I’d bathe in it if I could – with ingredients like lactic acid, hyaluronic acid, and raspberry extract, it even removes dead skin cells and rough patches on elbows and feet.

The Facial Program comes with cotton pads that are moistened with this lotion to prep you before applying the treatment mask. There are some for your face, neck, chest, and one for your body (I told you Chinese women are serious about our skin – every last inch!). The cleaner your face is, the more easily it can absorb all of the good stuff in a mask like soothing algae extract. Now that I’m using this weekly, I don’t need to spend money on professional facials anymore. I just apply the peel and sit down to watch Modern Family. It’s super relaxing and hydrating! Once I’m done, I look like I’ve slept 10 hours a night for a week straight. Available at Citta by Roger.

I’ll admit it – I don’t treat my feet very well. High heels have been a staple for me since college and that’s not going to change anytime soon. No amount of pedicures or magic potions even begins to tackle the rough patches on my heels and the balls of my feet. I’ve finally found something that works for me, though – Baby Foot. It’s one of the most popular beauty products in Japan and rightly so! For two hours, you wear a pair of plastic socks that are filled with a lotion to remove dead skin. It’s made with exfoliating glycolic acid and more than a dozen different plant extracts like lemon and sage that moisturize. I recommend soaking your feet in warm water for 30 minutes before and after applying. Then soak them once a day for two weeks to get the best results. Or if you want to save time, just take baths instead of showers. Do this once a season and your feet will be baby soft, no matter which killer heels you wear! Available on Amazon for $19.90.