Summer style should be as easy as a day at the beach. But even that requires a little planning. Here are some tips and tricks to get that carefree, effortless look:
WARDROBE
For women, a long patio dress, a pair of shorts, a colourful embellished shirt and a pair of flat metallic sandals will go a long way for a beach vacation, says Ken Downing, senior vice-president fashion director for Neiman Marcus.
How short you want your shorts is a personal choice. "We saw everything from what you could call hot pants to city shorts that go to the knee. White and khaki are always good choices. I love them with these easy tops with embellishment ... with wood, shells, beads. You can wear them during the day or at night with big earrings and a stack of cuffs," Downing says.
He adds: "And you have to have large, oversized sunglasses - they're the best way to protect yourself from wrinkles."
HAIR
Rinse your hair in iron-rich tap water before going into a pool or the ocean because it will help repel chlorine or salt, advises celebrity stylist David Evangelista. He also recommends a homemade leave-in conditioner using three parts tap water to one part conditioner (the rinse-out conditioner already in your shower will do). Put the conditioner in a spray bottle and mist the hair while you're in the sun to keep it hydrated.
Since hair grows more quickly in the summer, you may find yourself needing your hair cut more often, says Evangelista, who has an eponymous salon at the Cornelia Day Resort spa in Manhattan. The good news is you'll end up cutting the driest, most damaged part of the hair.
SKIN
Wear a lightweight non-greasy moisturizer - preferably one with plant extracts such as white tea, thermis hermophilus or rhodiola rosea that offer resistance to environmental aggressors - under a sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB, advises Ramona Ionescu, primary esthetician at Cornelia Day Report.
That combination is good for daily use, but you should also use the occasional mask to replenish the nutrients in the skin, she says.
Ionescu recommends using puree of cucumber, avocado, apricot or papaya with yogurt, honey and oatmeal as the base of an all-natural mask. If skin is oily, she'd add a bit of lemon juice or, if skin is dry, rosewater.
Apply the mask evenly to the face, let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
MAKEUP
That lipstick that went mushy in your beach bag is not a total disaster, says makeup artist Napoleon Perdis. The key, he says, is applying lip liner first, which acts as a base.
Then apply the lipstick with a lip brush, which will not only keep the stick from changing shape, but it will also help the colour stay put on the lips. But Perdis says you can avoid the problem entirely by using lip gloss from a squeeze tube. His own brand offers Auto Pilot Lip Service, which has vitamin E to keep lips moisturized and menthol to keep them cool.
SNACK
You can fight free-radical damage to the skin from the inside, too.
"There's something to be said for antioxidants and applying them topically, but I think there's a place for them to be taken internally too," says Dr. Alicia Zalka, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University.
