Beauty Beach Essentials

So theoretically, when I'm sitting on the beach in Hawaii, I will have all of these products at my fingertips.  In my theoretical dreamworld where I take baths in money every other day.  But it's a nice thought.


The thing with beach makeup is that you're at the beach, so you don't want to mess with a ton of products.  You want simple neutrals, a little shimmer, a lot of SPF, and some subtle, yummy smellingness.


Pacifica Brazilian Mango Grapefruit Perfume, $22 for 1.2 oz at sephora.com, Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc Bronzer in Golden Mosaic, $38 at sephora.com: Traveling with perfume is a pain.  You risk explosions and heavily scented clothes for the rest of your life if you leave it in your luggage, but you can't take it on the plane unless it's less than 3 ounces.  This perfume is the perfect solution--just big enough for a vacation, and small enough to take on the plane.  The notes are mango, pineapple, and grapefruit, nice and tropical, just a hint of tartness to liven it all up.  As for beach makeup, when I think beach I think bronzey shimmer.  It's an easy look to accomplish, especially with a shimmery block like this Laura Mercier one.  The combination of the shimmery champagne, copper, gold, and bronze creates a multi-dimensional, natural looking tan with just a hint of skin-brightening sparkle.

Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Sunblock SPF 45, $9.99 at drugstore.com, Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral Powder SPF 30, $30 at sephora.com: Sunscreen is a MUST.  Even if you want to get a nice tan, you need sunscreen.  I've read way too many press releases on skin cancer to ever even consider go to the beach without sunscreen.  However, I'm way too lazy to do that white, rub-in sunscreen, which goes on gross and oily.  I'm a huge, huge fan of spray-on sunscreen.  I've used that Neutrogena sunscreen for the last few summers, and it's fab.  You just spray it on, it feels nice and cooling, and it stays on forever without making you look like an oil slick.  For the face, I stay as far away from silicone-pumped sunscreens as possible (hello, breakouts).  This Peter Thomas Roth sunscreen is easy to apply, portable, and actually soaks UP oil instead of making you oily.  It's the perfect thing to wear every day over your foundation! 

Sephora Brand Dry Oil, $8 for 5 oz. at sephora.com, Urban Decay Naked Palette, $44 at sephora.com: Lotion is great, but with all that salt air and sun and wind at the beach, sometimes you need to step it up a bit.  That's where the dry oil comes in.  It's really, really easy to apply, just spray it on without rubbing it in, and it leaves a nice, beachy sheen.  Plus, it comes in yummy scents like coconut, guava, and nectarine.  Last but not least, even on the beach there's no way I'm letting go of the eyeshadow/liner addiction.  No way Jose.  But even I would settle for some soft, lovely neutrals.  I've heard really great things about this UD palette.  It has a mini primer, a dual-ended liner with Zero (black) and Whiskey (brown), and 12 pigmented, easy to wear shades.  Take this and a shadow brush, and you're set.  You have all the necessary shades to do a bronzey look, a neutral eye, a smokey eye, pretty much anything.

Image Sources:
Pacifica edp: sephora.com, Laura Mercier bronzer: sephora.com, Neutrogena SPF: drugstore.com, Peter Thomas Roth SPF: sephora.com, Sephora oil: sephora.com, UD palette: sephora.com.