It's in the bag!

On the way out the door? Did you find time this morning to do your hair, apply deodorant? Put on your shoes? Like many women living in Orange County, you may be juggling multiple daily responsibilities. Whether you lead a household full of children, a husband, and a job on top of that, or just whirling your own personal life obstacles day in and day out, there may be days you lose track of yourself on the way out the door.

One simple strategy to ensure you have what you need by the time you turn the key in the ignition, adjust your rear view mirror, gasp in horror when you realize you still have your bath towel on your head, is to pack an emergency touch up kit and have it ready and waiting in your purse, handbag, tote, baby bag, computer bag, what have you.

This small zippered bag, shouldn't take up much space. Look for something about 5 by 7 in size and preferably translucent so that you can find an item more efficiently. This bag should hold the most important items that YOU find it hard to get through a day without.

On your way to the gym? Warm to blistering day ahead? First and foremost, pack your favorite deodorant in travel size. Hit your local pharmacy, Target, or Walmart and have a good time picking from all the fun miniature sized grooming products for .99 cents each. You most likely can find a travel bag there too. Mother's Market carries an amazing organic body/deodorant spray by Avalon Organics in Rosemary and Peppermint. Keep a pack of face wipes handy, alcohol free, preferably chamomile based to refresh and cleanse the face as well as body, when needed. For example Jason All-Natural fragrance free quick clean makeup remover/face wipes. When your favorite products come in bulk or large containers, down size to travel jars and spray bottles(even a simple ziplock sandwich bag), which are also available at your local pharmacies and grocery stores.

Protect that skin! Spf is imperative for not just your face but neck, decollete, arms, and hands, that all get their fair share of sun exposure when simply sitting in the car on a sunny day. Most sunscreens offer travel sizes of their product like Banana Boat, or to "kill two birds with one stone", find a tinted moisturizer with spf 15 to 30 and even out your skin as well as protect it from the suns damaging rays. Remede Translucent oil-free UV coat 30, offering four skin-blendable color tones.

Tweezers! How many get in the car and at some point, wished they had tweezers to pluck away that stubborn chin hair that miraculously appeared out of no where! OR, you haven't found the time to get your brows shaped but with a few tweaks you can make it through one more day. Rubis Switzerland precision tweezers (They sharpen them free, for life!).

If your'e a makeup wearer, and somehow this daily ritual got interrupted, at least have a tube of water proof mascara and lip gloss stored in your bag for this very emergency. MAC offers a reasonably priced high quality waterproof mascara, Opulash in Bad Bad Black $14, or run down the cosmetic isle at Target for Loreal Voluminous Waterproof Mascara $8.95. Lip glosses come in so many shapes, sizes, textures, flavors, and of course colors. So for every gloss type out there, there is an individual who is partial to what resides on their lips. Whether it be just a clear lip balm, a hint of pink, a mauvey-bronze, to a sassy red. Just keep it in a squeeze tube or wand format, just in case you leave this bag in a hot car, you don't have to worry about it melting. Stila offers a unique lip and cheek stain with the added sheer gloss, in a convenient twist-tube and seven yummy flavors and colors.

Now what about your hair? For long hair, simply keep a couple of hair ties/ rubber bands available to neatly or loosly tie the hair back. If your hair is short, layered possibly, with just a couple of twists using Scuncci No Slip Grip Mini Octo Jaw Clips or their No-Slip Grip Wide Hairband in just minutes, you can look like you spent all morning on your hair. If you forgot to wash your hair, and just need that oily look(and smell) to disappear. Keep Rene Furterer's Dry Shampoo on hand, for an instant boost and clean feel to your scalp and hair.

Last but not least, how's the breath? Did you forget your morning mouth care? Keep a pack of Wrigley's sugar-free Orbit Professional chewing gum on hand when a tooth brush and water isn't near by. This unique gum actually helps clean the teeth while you chew! Recommended by four out of five dentists, well at least by Professor Klaus Konig of Germany!

An important mention to all of the busy ladies (and men, you too) who try to do it all before that early morning meeting; never attempt these grooming tasks while behind a moving vehicle! All personal business, same goes for the cell phone, can wait until the car engine is off. Before or after your drive is the best time to pull out your bag of tricks and then and only then, work your magic

Makeup Comparisons

When the dollar counts now more than ever,
how to get the most for our money.

Top foundations picked by the Pros.

For medium, natural coverage Chanel Vitalumiere Moisture-Rich Radiance Fluid Makeup spf 15 $54, for full coverage Kevin Aucoin The Liquid Airbrush $45, and for sheer tinted spf coverage Remede tinted moisturizer $40. The best all around coverage and age defying effect, T. Le Clerc Hydrating Fluid Foundation $50.
These foundations are easy to apply, virtually flawless in coverage, and definitely considered a luxury buy.

Whatever the situation, or if it's just a mood that strikes you, and you just can't see yourself throwing down fifty dollars for your base, there are some amazing alternatives right in your own neighborhood pharmacy.
True Match from Loreal $11 for a medium, natural coverage. Physicians Formula Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer spf 15 $10, for a sheer touch of color and evening out skin tone. Then we have Maybellines New Dream Smooth Mousse $9, for a slightly fuller coverage.
Now, there is also Mac Select spf 15 $31 for a medium to full coverage, not a $10 makeup but not $50 either.

With all the choices and products to choose from it can be overwhelming and even though we want the most for our money, it is more important to remember, that foundation is the one thing we apply all over our face so we want to make sure that it's quality and as healthy for our skin as possible.

Summer time doesn't mean dry time

As Summer is knocking on the door, we are ready to shed the apparel, which means more skin to maintain. The heat turns up and we may find ourselves whether it's at the beach or the poolside, soaking up the rays, but drying out the skin doesn't have to be a concern. In fact while our natural perspiration cools and hydrates our skin, we produce more oil (sebum) as well. This is our bodies wonderful reaction to protecting and controlling our skins functions as we heat up. So, with that in mind, we can now ease up on moisturizers, switch to light weight spf lotions, and more sheer foundations. For the already oily prone skin types, this goes for you too, but keep blotting papers or translucent powder handy. There are some oil inhibiting serums out there as well to prep the skin in the mornings so no more fussing throughout the day with shine. (Check out Arbonne makeup primer, or Smashbox Anti shine). Surface Beauty skin pros highly recommend a sheer spf tinted moisturizer to get you through an eventful day in the sun. (Remede).
For the rest of the body, exfoliating (Farm House Fresh Bourbon Bubbler) while still in the shower and hydrating while the skin is still moist will keep the skin supple and soft. If your'e planning on being in a bathing suit to a tank and shorts, spf the entire body so not to miss any inch of possibly exposed precious skin. Never forget to stock up on a tube or bottle of spf for the car. Be prepared for last minute trips to the park or pool, or even when your'e stuck sitting in the car and the sun beats down on your chest, arms, and hands.

Don't forget the SPF!

It may be raining, cold, and windy, but living in Southern California chances the sun's rays meeting your skin are still very great. Never neglect the importance of protecting your delicate skin from the sun's harmful uva(actinic) and uvb(burning) rays. Personally I rely on my tinted moisturizer by Remede to provide complete coverage over my face and the moment I set foot into the car, I apply a light weight body SPF lotion to neck, chest, and hands.(Supergoop). Many of our darker complected beauties seem to feel they are exempt to the suns harmful effects and ignore the SPF "hype". True, their skin is better protected by melanin than a fair skinned gal such as myself, but by not protecting even the darkest of skin, one can experience hyper pigmenation, age spotting, wrinkling, uneven skin coloration, and no one is exempt from the possibilities of skin cancer. When choosing an SPF, just grabbing a 50 doesn't mean your'e more protected than say a 15. The only difference between the two is the the time you're in the sun. A 15 SPF will protect up to 3 and a half hours of sun exposure. A 30 SPF will protect you up to about 7 and a half hours, so a 50 SPF protects for 12 and a half hours?! That's some coverage. ALTHOUGH!...We sweat, swim, and wipe at our skin and then we must remember to reaply no matter what the level of SPF. Look for the key word "Full spectrum" protection on your next bottle or tube of SPF, this will save your skin from the damage the sun can cause such as capillary damage, hyperpigmentation, collagen and elastin deterioration and most importantly, skin cancer. Let's all enjoy this Southern California weather, and keep our skin younger and healthier, longer with SPF!