A wee random sampling of goals from my bucket list:

• Have a massive balloon drop from the ceiling, like at the end of David Bowie’s Modern Love video
• Achieve total and complete self-awareness (not likely, but a girl can dream)
• Twirl through a field of blooming freesia (assuming my allergy meds are working, of course).

Thanks to Philosophy Field of Flowers Perfumed Shower Gel ($16) and Ultra-Rich Body Lotion ($24), I can *almost* cross that third one off my list.

Why freesia? It’s one of my favorite flowers — so hopeful, innocent and optimistic.

Both the frothy shower gel and the rich body lotion leave a lovely scent that lingers on my skin for hours. They smell exactly (aren’t the bottles adorable?) the way I imagine that field would smell, like a mix of springtime dew and sunshine as far as the eye can see.

Unfortunately, both products are a little more expensive than I’d like, but the scent — oh, the scent. It’s intoxicating! Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: B+

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Hey, ladies. Did you catch this article in the New York Times the other day on women in the military?

“The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the first in which tens of thousands of American military women have lived, worked and fought with men for prolonged periods. Wars without front lines, they have done more than just muddle the rules meant to keep women out of direct enemy contact.

They have changed the way the United States military goes to war. They have reshaped life on bases across Iraq and Afghanistan. They have cultivated a new generation of women with a warrior’s ethos — and combat experience — that for millennia was almost exclusively the preserve of men.”

-NYTimes.com

It got me thinking about reader Sandra. She heads overseas later this year.

Hi Karen,

I need some advice! I am getting deployed to the Middle East this winter for a year and want to know what heavy duty sweat-proof, high-SPF sunscreen you can recommend for everyday use on my face. I would like to have something that feels light, offers moisture, and stays put with a ton of sweating. I would be wearing my tinted moisturizer over this product.

Thanks!

Hi Sandra,

I REALLY love Shiseido 55+, aka better than sliced bread.

It’s sweat-proof, moisturizing, comes in a high SPF and feels light — neither greasy nor sticky — on the skin. On top of all that, it doesn’t have an overwhelmingly sunscreeny scent.

At $38, it’s more expensive than drugstore sunscreens, but I think it’s the best basic sunscreen I’ve ever used.

As for less costly drugstore alternatives, I love Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 30 ($12). Like Shiseido 55, it’s sweat-proof, light and non-greasy/sticky, but I don’t think it’s quite as moisturizing. A layer of moisturizer worn beneath it should help.

Neutrogena makes versions of it in higher SPFs (70-100). I’ve tried them, too, but didn’t care for them as much; the higher SPFs were noticeably thicker and harder (took longer) to massage into my skin. Personally, I’ve never noticed a difference in sun protection between products containing SPF 30 and 70, but I haven’t skin tested with a control to see if that’s true.

Safe travels, Sandra! I hope this helps. Drop by the blog whenever you can while you’re over there to let us know how you’re doing.

Ladies, let’s give our girl Sandra a hand. Can you recommend any suncreens that stand up to sweat?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

“Child,” Mom would always tell me, “put some lotion on those ashy legs!”

“No,” I’d calmly reply. “I hate lotion. It burns.”

Of course, Mom was right, and by the time I’d hit my late teens I was applying lotion like it was a job, religiously, with all the seriousness it deserved.

Unfortunately, I’ve gotten kinda lax about body lotion lately. Busy days have left me with barely enough energy to shower, much less full-body moisturize.

Thank goodness for Vaseline Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Daily Body Gel ($6), aka my tired (and dry) booty’s BFF.

I’ve been using this lightweight moisturizer a lot this week, and I’m flat-out obsessed, which is admittedly something that happens to me a lot, ha!

Not only do I love how well it works, as in how fast it absorbs and all that, but I love the summery aloe Vera scent.

A little goes a long way (something that took me about a day to figure out), and when I was using too much, it was leaving my skin a little sticky.

Vaseline Aloe Fresh Gel is fast AND cheap (but not in a sleazy way), and quite possibly my new summer skin staple. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A+

District 9

T-minus one hour till the weekend!

Continue Reading…

We made it to Friday, WOOT!

I wish we could ditch everything and take a trip together. I’ve got an itch for adventure, and I think it has something to do with this note from Lizz:

Hi Karen!

Since I’m going to Vietnam and Cambodia for three weeks, I would like a few tips to keep my skin in perfect shape.

I normally use Clinique’s 3-step action plan along with an eye cream, a moisturizer and night cream, but since we’ll be traveling every day (we’re going on an adventurous tour), I don’t want to take a lot of stuff in my backpack.

Any tips? I do want to take a good cleanser and a moisturizer with me…

Thanks a lot!

Hi Lizz,

How exciting! Have yourself a great trip. I’m totally jealous!

For me, traveling light means paring down my usual skin care routine from six products (cleanser, toner, eye cream, moisturizer, acne treatment and sunscreen) to three.

1. Cleanser: On trips I like gentle cleansers that can also double as makeup removers, like Philosophy Purity Made Simple ($10 for a 3-oz travel bottle). It removes everything and doesn’t sting my eyes.
2. Moisturizer: I’ll ditch my eye cream and moisturize both my face and eye area with a basic face moisturizer (right now I like both the $6 Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture for Sensitive Skin and $42 Kiehl’s Abyssine Cream+) to conserve space and lighten my load. Side note: I’ve read some beauty experts who recommend *always* using a separate eye cream, but I don’t see a problem with using a regular face moisturizer around the eyes while traveling. I’ve used ‘em and have always been fine. I figure it’s only for a few days, right?
3. Sunscreen: Gotta protect that skin from the sun! Two of my favorite products are Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion 55 ($38) and Clinique Sun SPF 30 Face Cream ($18).

Since you’re a Clinique girl, here’s a cool tip I learned from reader Megan (thanks, girl!). If you have any of those lil’ samples of Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion that they give away in their gift with purchase sets, bring one along on your trip because it doubles as eye makeup remover. Apply a small amount to a Q-Tip or cotton pad, and gently wipe away any eye makeup that didn’t come off with your regular cleanser.

Have fun and be safe!

Chicas, when you want to pare down and pack light, which skin care products do you bring?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Last Sunday it was unpredictably hot and sunny here (finally, summer!), so I took my camera and a bottle of Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting Lotion with me to the nearby town of Tiburon, a seaside hamlet and tourist stop about a 20-minute ferry ride north of San Francisco.

On a sunny day (that is, when the fog stays out to sea), Tiburon’s within sight of some lovely landmarks like Angel Island (formerly known as the Ellis Island of the West), Alcatraz (formerly known as Al Capone’s beach house) and the Golden Gate Bridge.

I spent about an hour walking around outside, cruising along the waterfront and pier in a sleeveless sundress, snapping pictures of sailboats and seagulls, and thanks to the Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting Lotion SPF 15 ($8) I was wearing, my skin didn’t burn at all.

One of three new moisturizers in the Aloe Fresh line released earlier this summer, Vaseline Aloe Fresh Protecting lotion’s lightweight and absorbs fast.

Because it absorbs so quickly, it takes me about half as much time to apply as the Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion SPF 15 I’ve been using since June.

It definitely feels moisturizing (not sticky or greasy), without leaving a film, and I love the fact that it doesn’t smell like sunscreen; instead, I think it smells just like it should (like fresh cut aloe Vera).

On top of everything else, it’s priced right, costing a third less than Aveeno ($8 vs. $12).

Yea! Another pleasant surprise from Vaseline… I’m always glad to find a new budget body lotion with SPF. Makeup and Beauty Blog Rating: A

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen