Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream

As someone who has suffered from dry, cracked hands every winter for the past, oh, as many years as I can remember, it seems I'm always on the look-out for great hand lotions. My most recent find is a good old-fashioned inexpensive drugstore find-- Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula Hand Cream! ($4.39 at drugstore.com)You only need a dab, and it immediately makes my hands feel soft and uber-moisturized (without feeling too greasy). And it's inexpensive enough that you can buy several tubes and keep them stocked anywhere you might need them. I unfortunately left mine in California, and I've been dying without it. I will definitely be hitting Target up tomorrow and grabbing some of this stuff.


There's also a new fast absorbing formula out, if the regular cream feels too greasy to you (it doesn't at all to me).

MAXimize Your Eyes, Pt 2

Let's talk some more about the beauty bounty The Makeup Fairy sent me last week. ; )

Max Factor Lash Perfection mascara($6.89 at drugstore.com) The first thing I noticed about this mascara is that it has the same funky, new wand as Cover Girl's Lash Exact mascara (seems other brands are already jumping on the bandwagon! Interestingly, even the tube shape and style looks similar to the Cover Girl mascara...). As you readers know, I loved Cover Girl's mascara and quirky new wand, so I had an inkling already that I was going to like this mascara, as well.

I tried it out, and basically had the same results as with Cover Girl Lash Exact-- long, beautiful, full lashes with no clumps. They are the same price, too, so I'm not sure if there's really an advantage to one over the other. However I did buy Cover Girl Lash Exact in Black Brown, and my Max Factor Lash Perfection came in Black, so now I have one for daytime and one for nighttime. =P

I also got Max Factor MAXeye Liner in 100 Night Club ($5.89 at drugstore.com). It's one of those autmatic liners that don't need to be sharpened (you just twist up from the bottom), which is nice and easy. I find that kind often glides on better than regular pencil liners (at least when talking about drugstore makeup). Sure enough, when I tried it the liner went on smoothly and evenly, allowing me to make a fine line for daytime wear. Once applied, it is also fairly budge-proof.

Next up: The last item I need to write about is Max Factor's MAXwear Lip Color. Stay tuned for that review!

MAXimize Your Eyes

I recently recieved a gift package from The Makeup Fairy full of samples of some of Max Factor's latest and greatest beauty items. Wheeee! I will be gracing all of you with reviews of each of the products I got to try. Today, we'll be taking a look at Max Factor MAXeye Shadow ($4.69 at drugstore.com). The shadows I got are Baja Bronze (yellow, with light and darker brown shadows along with it) and Smooth Sailing (a trio of blues). The colors can look a bit intimidating in the compact (especially the blues) but they are SUPER sheer when applied. As in, the lighter color in each of the trios can be barely-there-subtle. I haven't tried applying the shadows wet, I'm sure you'd get stronger color that way. But I'm quite happy with each of these sets. I like playing around with blues eyeshadow when I'm wearing something blue, and I love the yellow in Baja Bronze, especially when I use one of the brown shades for contour. And, scrolling through the other shades available, I'm quite drawn to a few of them (like Vintage Vixen and Compass Rose) and so may be adding to my Max Factor eyeshadow collection soon.

Psssssst!

I read about Psssssst Instant Spray Shampoo ($5.49) in InStyle over the summer-- supposedly Ken Paves uses this on Jessica Simpson's hair to get extra volume out of it. I've been on a quest for a dry shampoo for a while, yet was unwilling to shell out the big bucks for Bumble & Bumble's version (especially after reading mixed reviews online). So you bet my ears perked up a bit at hearing about this supposed wonder-product that cost a mere $5 bucks!

Before trying it, I did some research online... and I found several reviews that complained that, while this product was pretty amazing, the bottle seemed to be faulty and most of the product would leak out after the first use. Eventually, I decided to try it out anyway. And, well, my experience pretty much echoed the reviews I read at the time-- it worked great at de-greasing my roots, but the 2nd time I tried to use it hardly anything came out at all.

However, tonight as I was looking for a link I found some newer reviews on drugstore.com from the past couple months and they claimed that their bottle last through several uses, so I'm tempted to go buy another bottle and try it out again. I think I can spare another $5 on the hope that they'll have fixed the leakage problem.

Cover Girl Lash Exact Mascara

I've been hearing so much about this amazing new mascara (and brush) by Cover Girl-- the brush is apparently made from a different type of plastic and desgined so that it's virtually impossible to get clumps on your lashes. Really?? hmmm. A quick google search found many raves, but also a few angry rants about this product. Well, there's noyl one way to find out whether this beauty breakthrough really is as fantastic as everyone claims it is!


The verdict? I'm in love! My lashes looks long and luscious (my sister has commented on my mile-long lashes each time I've used it). I have gotten a couple teensy clumps, but nothing like with most thick, lenthening mascaras. I kept staring at my lashes all day long yesterday, amazed at how long and natural they looked. And I haven't had any flaking or eye irritation, which has been a problem with other mascaras. This may replace my trusty Neutrogena Lash Tint as my daily mascara... (and that says a lot).

Cover Girl Lash Exact is available at drugstore.com for $6.89. I'm telling you, gals... this stuff is worth trying.

Perceptions

Oh my gosh... I saw this over at The Beauty Brains, and it's amazing. I've seen before/after pics of celebrities once or twice from photo shoots, but it's still amazing, espceially the part where they photoshopped her. It's like models can't even say it's their own face or body anymore. This video was made by Dove as part of their Campaign for Real Beauty, which I am a HUGE fan of. Yay Dove!



(YouTube link)

Revlon Colorstay Soft & Smooth Lipcolor

With my affinity for Revlon lip products, I have to say I was a bit curious about this new set of Revlon Colorstay lipsticks that hit the market recently. So I broke down last week and bought Revlon Colorstay Soft & Smooth (non-sheer, in the black tube) in Mocha Silk at Target. I apologize that I do not have a price to go along with it, I can't remember exactly what it was and all I could find online was a walgreens website that claims it was $9, but i swear it was cheaper than that at Target... but anyway.

When I applied the lipstick, I noticed that it was indeed quite smooth and soft and creamy. I liked it. The color is a nice soft brown, great for fall. I was also quite pleased at how well it stayed on. The color wasn't quite as true or strong as with other long-wearing lipsticks (generally the kind with the gloss to go along with them), but I had a nice subtle color to my lips all day long, and my lips never felt dry or uncomfortable at all. I found an article online explaining the new SoftFlex™ Comfort technology behind this marvelous little lipstick, which is what allows it to stay on but feel comfortable as it does so.

Bottom line, I think I'll be investing in some more of these little lipsticks.

CoverGirl Outlast Double LipShine

A girlfriend of mine recommended I try CoverGirl's new Outlast Double LipShine ($8 at drugstore.com). Always up for a new beauty item to play with, I soon ran out to Target to buy me one. I have to say, I wasn't immediately impressed with the ad campaign-- the signs in the store advertised this lipstick as lasting "5x longer than the leading lipgloss!" Which made me wonder "what does that even mean??" We all know lipgloss, as fabulous as it is, isn't know for its staying power.

Alas, I wanted to follow up on the recommendation and bought it anyway (in Rose Quartz, a fun. somewhat bold pink color). I tried it the next day, and, well.... I'm not sure it'll be come a favorite. Yes, it did stay on all day long, and didn't rub off onto anything. I mean, this stuff stayed put!

However, it also made my lips feel dry. When I put it on, as soon as the color dried I felt it on my lips-- that feeling of something kinda thick on them, making them feel dry and parched. Even with the gloss applied on top I could feel the drynes underneath (I don't know if that makes sense, but yeah). All afternoon I had perfectly pink lips, but really I was itching to get home and take the stuff off. Maybe I've gotten too used to just wearing light lipgloss, I just didn't like the feel of this long-wearing product on my lips.

So, if you're looking for something that will stay put all night long no matter what, try CoverGirl Outlast Double LipShine. But if you're a girl who prefers having soft, free lips and don't mind reapplying every so often, find yourself something else.

PS- Hop on over to Lipstick, Powder 'N Paint to check out what's in my beauty bag (scroll through past entried from this week to uncover the beauty secrets of other blogging fashionistas)! And have a great Friday 13th, y'all. ; )

Revlon Super Lustrous Goodies

I've been a fan of Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick ($7.99 at drugstore.com) for ages. I've had at least a couple tubes of it in my makeup bag ever since I started accumulating makeup (my current faves are Smoky Violet and Plum Baby). It's smooth, creamy, has beautiful colors to choose from, and has great staying power. What's not to love?

So really, it should be no real surprise that when I finally got around to trying their Super Lustrous Lipgloss ($6.19 at drugstore.com), I fell in love with it, too! I'm not sure why I hesitated for so long... maybe because of my ability to immediately become incredibly undecisive when faced with several color choices when trying a new product? I don't know. Anyway, I finally bought it (in Shine City), and I love it! Very light and non-sticky. I think this may be my new favorite lipgloss. I've been considering going out and buying another tube, just so I can keep one with my makeup at home and one in my purse. Which, at $6, won't break the bank... something I always appreciate in makeup! ; )

Back to Basics

Sometimes the most brilliant beauty solutions are the simplest ones. I have to send a bit Thank You! to The Beauty Brains for reminding me of what a useful little product good ole petroleum jelly can be, and pointing me over to this site full of pointers for how to use it. Such as....

Moisturize your lips and more--If you don't want to pay a lot for expensive lip balm, makeup remover, or even facial moisturizer, then your answer is a tube of petroleum jelly. It can soothe lips, take off foundation, eye shadow, mascara, and more. It will even act as a moisturizer on your face. (I've also heard it can be great as a conditioner for your eyelashes).

Lengthen the life of perfume--You've picked out a great scent to wear on your night out, but it's got to last. Worry not. Dab a bit of petroleum jelly on your pulse points. Then spray on the perfume. Now you can dance the night away and not worry about your perfume turning in early.

Soften chapped hands--If you're constantly applying hand lotion to your tired, chapped hands, but then taking it off again so you can get more work done, try this tip. Apply a liberal amount of petroleum jelly to your hands just before you go to bed. By morning, they'll be soft and smooth.

No more messy manicures--During home manicures, it's hard to keep the nail polish from running over on your cuticles. Petroleum jelly can help your manicures look more professional. Dab some along the base of your nails and the sides. If polish seeps off the nail during the manicure, all you do is wipe off the petroleum jelly and the sloppy nail polish is gone.

Smooth wild eyebrow hairs--If you have runaway eyebrows -- the ones where the hairs won't lie flat but curl up instead, control the wildness with some petroleum jelly. Rub a dab into your brows. They'll calm down and behave.

Stop hair dye runs--There's nothing more embarrassing than a home hair color job gone awry. Imagine finishing applying that new auburn shade to your tresses when you notice that you've dyed your hairline and part of your forehead too. Next time, run a bit of petroleum jelly across your hairline. If dye seeps off your hair, the petroleum jelly will catch it.

Heal windburned skin--You've just had a glorious hike through the countryside in autumn. And as much as you enjoyed the changing colors of the season, the hike has left you with an unpleasant souvenir: windburn. Grab a jar of petroleum jelly and apply it liberally to your face or wherever you've been chapped. The jelly helps relieve the pain.

Click here to see even more uses.

I actually feel silly realizing that I don't have any Vaseline in my home at the moment, but I think I'll have to go out and buy a tub of it.

Neutrogena Mineral Sheers for Eyes

Several weeks ago I bought Neutrogena Mineral Sheers for Eyes in Shell ($7.99). I swear, I have used it almost every day since then! I LOVE the lighter color of the duo, I apply it to my lips and they instantly looks perked up, more awake, yet it's natural enough that it could potentially pass as no makeup at all. Last week I went ahead and bought another Mineral Sheers eyeshadow, in Stone (a purpleish duo) and have been very pleased with it, as well.

The colors are true to their name-- they are very sheer. But it's kinda nice that way, they just give a nice, light wash of color. And the staying power is pretty decent-- I put my makeup on at 8am and it's still there by mid-afternoon, and later.

I'm also partial to the packaging, with the slide-out cover. It's quite cute. ; )

Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub

There was a time when I had little faith in Neutrogena products. Since then, I have been proven wrong many times, and am now a Neutrogena convert. I love their sunscreen, their powder, their mascara, etc etc etc. So it was with high hopes that I bought their Body Clear Body Scrub($5.99 at drugstore.com).

I was pretty happy with this scrub at first. It smelled nice, it felt nice and thick, it gave a satisfyingly clean feeling. But aftr a few uses I noticed that it was harder and harder to get the scrub to squeeze out of the bottle.

Turns out that when they designed this bottle, they gave this thick scrub a teeny tiny little hole to come out of at the top! Which means that it gets easily plugged up, and is hard to squeeze out after a while. I had to unscrew the cap and rinse it out in water for a few minutes to clear it back out.

As a result, I find I don't use this scrub very often. It's a fine product, but someone really needs to re-engineer the cap so that the opening is a bit wider and the product doesn't become all gummed up (ya hear that, Neutrogena?).


BTW, Ellen over at Lipstick, Powder 'N Paint will be doing special posts all week long looking at what products different beauty bloggers have in their makeup bags. I am quite honored to be one such beauty blogger. =) So be sure to head on over to her site and check out what I and other beauty bloggers use as our favorite products!

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

This is one product I have heard about often: Maybelline Great Lash Mascara has been mentioned time and again in magazines and websites as, well, the perfect mascara. It comes in washable and waterproof formulas, in black, brown, and clear. The packaging is bright and colorful, making it easy to find in the most cluttered makeup bag. And did I mention that it's cheap? It's listed on Drugstore.com as $4.49.

As much as I'd always heard about this wondermascara, I'd never triend it... until last week. I was standing in line to check out at Target and was glancing over all the little extra goodies they have on sale beside the check-out counter, when I saw this product (the washable version, in black) on sale for $3.99!

Now, I have to admit-- I'm not much of a mascara girl. I have naturally dark lashes and during the day usually get by with just wearing eyelinder. However I do like having mascara for nights out, so of course when I saw this much-talked about product on sale for a mere few dollars I grabbed it raced home to try it.

Perhaps it's not being used to wearing a lengthening mascara everyday... but I was amazed when I spread this on my lashes! It was like they doubled in size instantly! And NO clumps! Now, I have experienced that before with different mascaras only to find clumps forming a little later, so we'll see... I have also read that you can keep clumps at bay by swiping the wand through a kleenex to get rid of excess product before using it.

Anyway, I kept the mascara on the rest of the day and did not notice any smudging. I only applied to top lashes, though-- I think that's a tip that's wise to follow with any mascara (I personally prefer to highlight the bottom half of my eye by lining the inner rim of my lower lid with a dark liner instead of using mascara). Then, at night when I took a shower, I purposefully skipped the eyemakeup remover to see how it would do with a regular cream clenser. I was quite pleased to step back out of the shower with my mascara gone, and only a trace of black smudged under one eye. Other mascaras (particularly waterproof ones) have left me with raccoon eyes after using makeup remover AND washing my face.

Do other mascaras work better than this one? Possibly. Are they worth the extra money? That's up to you. I'm always dissapointed in that I have to throw away barely used tubes of mascara after the required 3-6 months since I don't use them every day, so to me I'm quite pleased to only spend $4 for a product that works pretty darn well. I will say, however, that to me this look still seems a bit severe for daytime and I still prefer to use Neutrogena's Clean Lash Tint for casual daily wear-- it gives lashes a bit of a kick, but looks 100% natural. I'll save the big guns (like Maybelline) for evening. ; )

Campaign for Real Beauty

I LOVE Dove's new ad campaign. I remember seeing the first of their Campaign for Real Beauty ads in a fashion magazine several months back and thinking "Hooray!" In the era of Mischa Barton, Nicole Ritchie, and The Olsen Twins, it's nice to see images of real females, with real bodies, not only being displayed but being celebrated!

I'm tired of hearing my gorgeous girl friends complaining about their bodies. I'm tired of seeing Hollywood actresses tout their refusal to "conform to the standards of Hollywood" one day, and revealing their secrets to super-slim downs the next. It's ridiculous the standards we set for ourselves!

Dove is not only taking a risk by choosing this alternative model type (which is fabulous, by the way) but they are also taking strides to help girls all over the world gain better self-confidence and feel better about themselves in general. According to a world-wide poll by Dove, almost 70% of women ages 15-64 have withdrawn from life-engaging activities because of their negative views of themselves and their bodies. As a response, Dove has created their Self-Esteem Fund, and has tools available on its website (a downloadable workbook, ideas and exercises) to help mothers and daughters (almost 70% of teenage girls reported that their mothers have an influence their feelings about themselves and their beauty) reconnect and feel better about themselves.



I applaud Dove for celebrating all the various shapes and sizes we come in, and taking the steps to help our young women attain better and healthier views of their bodies. Perhaps If Dina Lohan can snap out of her desire to be 21 again, she can look up some of these tools and help save her daughter from a drunken and undernourished demise....

Almay Skincare

While on a trip to Target this morning, I noticed another great deal among the beauty aisles– sets of the Almay Skincare 1-2-3 products (cleanser, toner, and moisturizer), for dry, oily, or normal/combination skin, sold in a cute little case for $18.99!

This face care system seems to be modeled after Clinique’s popular (and much more expensive) 3-step skin care system. The 3 steps (cleanse, tone/exfoliate, moisturize) are meant to be used together, twice a day, for maximum results.

If you were to buy each of these items separately you’d pay close to $30 (and the Clinique version costs almost $50), but at Target you can get all 3 for under $20! I have not actually tried these products so can't vouch for them, but if you're looking for a new skincare regimen this may be a good time to try it (and, hey, if you save that receipt you can always take it back if you don't like it). ; )

Lady in Red, Pt 2

I recently wrote about my red lips find from Target. Well, I got to test them out last saturday night. The hubby and I met some friends to go see a screening of Casablanca at a fun old-style movie theatre and I decided to look the part, complete with the bold red lips.

I did the full routine-- lined and filled in my lips with the red lip liner first, then used a lip brush to paint on the red lipstick. I found the brush didn't give me quite a strong a color, but oh well. At this point in the process I gently blotted with a kleenex and then separated 1 ply of the 2-ply kleenex I was using and held it up to my lips and I dusted powder over it (this is a trick I've read about before to give lipstick more staying power). Then I added another layer of red lipstick and topped it off with a bit of the gloss. If I may say so myself, my lips looked pretty fabulous by this point. ; )

I wasn't sure how long the color would last, so I packed the lipstick and gloss tubes with me in my purse. The movie started at 5:30pm and we wanted to get there early to buy tickets, so we left around 4:30. We were a bit hungry after getting the tickets so we stopped to get a slice of pizza. After eating my pizza and drinking my soda (through a straw) I went to the bathroom to check on my lips. Some of the color towards the center of my mouth had worn off a bit, so I reapplied the lipstick alone and was off again.

We made the movie (which was fabulous, I love Casablanca) and afterwards went out for a proper dinner. After dinner was over I checked my lips again. Again, a lot of the color had worn off, so I reapplied the lipstick and added a bit of gloss on top as well.

After dinner we went for a coffee nearby, and then went home before too long. My lips actually still looked nice and fresh at that point.

Bottom line: Red is a very high-maintenance color. But it is quite fun to wear, so if you want to brave it be sure to bring extras with you and a mirror (I kept wishing for a compact the whole evening, I didn't have a mirror with me!). I liked this lipstick combination, it wasn't drying and I liked the color, even if the staying power isn't perfect (is it ever?).

The Glammies

Glamour's September issue announces the results for "The Glammies," for which 83,000 readers sent in their favorite beauty products. Below are some of the favorites in the "drugstore" department:



Maybelline Shiny-Licious Lip Gloss ($6). Readers claimed it wasn't sticky, yet lasted through and entire Italian meal! Lip gloss fiend that I am, I have not tried this product yet but believe me I'm going to now!

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara ($6.50). I've seen this product be raved about and voted "best mascara" over and over again, even when compared to higher-priced options. I've tried the clear version before, but never the colored mascara. I'm adding it to my Must-Try list now.

Olay Complete All Day Moisture Lotion SPF 15 ($7-10). My sister actually swears by this moisturizer, and it is another product I have seen be raved about before. I use it as my nighttime lotion (for day I prefer something with higher SPF). But this one seems to do good to my skin.





Olay Regenerist Eye Lifting Serum ($19). Readers claimed it helped fade dark circles and fine lines around the eyes. Another product I'm adding to my Must-Try list.

Click here to view a slide show of the rest of the results.

Lady in Red

I've always liked the look of bold, red lips. However I've always had a hard time finding the perfect red for me. It's usually either too dark (verging on purple or burgundy), or too light (more dark/hot pinkkish than I'd like) or too orange... or the formula's not right. I've always liked more a of a deep, true blood-red color, which apparently is quite hard to find. Or maybe it's just my skin tone.... Anyway, I had kind of given up on finding a good color, or at least had stopped actively searching.

Then Almay came out with their Almay Ideal Lip Collections, trios of complimentary lip liner, lipstick, and lip gloss, in shades that (supposedly) flatter just about anyone. The trios come in 2 different shades of neutrals, pinks, berries, and reds. The lip liners, lipsticks, and glosses are sold separately for approx $7.50 each, but recently at Target (my favorite store EVER), I found a package with all 3 matching products together, for $10.99. I'd been considering trying out these lip collections, but had been hesitant to spend the money on them... but now they were on sale, and Target had the 3-pack of lip liner, lipstick, and lip gloss in Wine (the darker of the Reds shades). The color, as advertised on the package by a sensuous pair of pouting lips, looked gorgeous... I decided to try it out.

I got home and tested out how the products worked together. I first used the lip liner, lining the edges of my lips and then filling in all the way (to give the lip stick something to stick to). I then spread the lipstick on, and was pleasantly surprised at how creamy and silky it felt going on. For going out it would probably be best to use a lip brush to apply the lipstick, for more precision-- red lipstick needs to be exactly in the right places, or else it can look wierd or clownish. This is why glosses alone are not that great, they shift around too much. Anyway, so after apllying the liner and lipstick I topped it off with a bit of the whipped gloss, and I was left with a deep, beautiful red that I instantly fell in love with. I do still need to play around with how best to apply the liner and lipstick to my upper lip, as again precision is key and with something as bold as red you have to get the shape exactly right, which can be tricky.

Later on I applied the lipstick alone, and then the gloss alone, to see how they worked on their own. They both still gave a nice red color, though not quite as deep and full as when the products are layered together. But I was impressed with the gloss, normally "red" glosses leave more of a dark pink color, and this one was still pretty true to red. But, again, I don't think glosses are all that great for red b/c they don't always have the staying power required.

I can't attest to how well these products wear over the course of a day or night-- you kinda gotta have some sort of an occasion to wear red listick out. But this weekend I'm going to go see Casablanca at an old-style movie theatre, which definitely calls for some old-hollywood glamour, aka red lipstick. ; )

These Almay products can usually be found at Target, drugstore.com, or any other neighborhood drugstore.

It's Getting Hot in Here

I apologize for the very late post today... it's been hotter than heck around here lately and, as our apartment has no AC, I've been out literally all day long seeking air-conditioned places (Borders, the mall, a movie theatre) within which to seek solace from the heat. Which means I've been away from my computer all day. = ( I'll try to plan ahead better in the future.


Anyway, speaking of ungodly heat.... These days we all need a little something extra to help keep us feeling "fresh." However some people worry that anti-perspirants, with all their indecipherable chemical ingredients, might not be the best for your health (there is contradictory evidence on whether or not a key ingredient of antiperspirants, aluminum chlorohydrate, increases risk of breast cancer). For those of us who would rather not risk it, but still want protection against wetness, there is Adidas Absorbent-Deo, $3.99 at drugstores (there is also a formula for men).

Normal antiperspirants work by clogging your sweat glands, which blocks smelly sweat from escaping out through the skin (this effort is combined with deodorant to dampen the smell of sweat that does escape). This blockage interferes with your body's ability to rid itself of toxins.

This nifty new product works a different way. It is (in their words) "the first deodorant for women to manage perspiration as effectively as an anti-perspirant, with patented Cotton Tech™ to absorb and evaporate wetness naturally." Basically, it has teeny tiny cotton fibers that absorb your sweat and make it not only not noticeable but also non-smelly.

I know, I totally didn't believe it either. But it really does work.

The perks? No aluminum. AND it won't leave those nasty yellow stains on the armpits of your favorite white shirt (who knew those were caused by antiperspirants?!?).

I've been using this stuff during this ungodly heat wave and I have to say I can't complain. It's been working as well as, if not better than, my old antiperspirants. I say it's worth a try.

Beachy Keen

A couple of self-discovered tips for your next beach venture:

1. Bring with you Neutrogena's new Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock ($10, drugstores). Believe me, when you're surrounded with sand that seems to somehow get everywhere you'll be glad to simply spray-on your quick-drying sunscreen rather than have to deal with messy lotions. Do be sure to spray yourself while facing into the wind, so that the wind helps get the spray on your body (rather than into your neighbor's eyes).

2. If you have dark-colored flip flops or sandals and you're going to take them off while basking in the sun, lay them up-side down. I learned this trick after one too many times of stepping into scorching hot black flip flops that had been sitting out a bit too long. Your feet will thank you!

3. Watch out for flying seagulls. They WILL poop on you.