Rebekah www.rebekahgeorge.com has been a national beauty, fashion and lifestyle expert for nearly a decade. She's held fashion and beauty editor titles for women's magazines like Redbook, Prevention, Lifetime, Natural Health, and Grace, producing and styling stories that cover every trend from the runway to the real-way, truly helping real women across the country achieve their most coveted looks.
Instead of wearing a full makeup in the summer, you really want to tone it down, Rebekah says. "On the hottest days I apply just a touch of concealer, bronzer and a lightweight powder, Rebekah adds. "I like mineral powders such as Physician's Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls." Rebekah says this luxurious, lightweight, multi-colored pearlescent mineral powder delivers an illuminating glow for a skin-perfecting finish. Providing a light-diffusing effect, the multi-colored face powder features real mineral pearl extract, which blurs imperfections, for an instantly flawless and radiant complexion- simple to achieve when applied with the included mirror and brush applicator. $13.95 at drug and mass-market stores nationwide.
Even on the hottest days, it's still important to use a moisturizer but there are some great lightweight versions like this one Olay Total Effects Cooling Hydration, Rebekah advises. "This won't weigh your skin down in hot weather because it releases cooling water hydrators and also contains vitamins and mint extract so it 'reawakens' the skin and keeps it fresh all day," she says. For $19, you can find it at drugstores.
Dead skin can accumulate during the summer, and too much time in the sun means needing to exfoliate your skin to keep sunspots and dullness at bay, Rebekah says. DDF Revolve is a power tool that revolves 400 times per minute to help slough off dead skin cells, soften pores, and help skin look firmer and brighter. It's battery powered and portable, so you can use it on vacation to help keep your skin bright and smooth. Comes with micropolishing crystals and a bonus cleansing sponge. $95 at www.ddfskincare.com.
Using a hair dryer can be down right unpleasant on summer's hottest days but letting your hair air dry can take a lot of time, Rebekah says. There are a couple of things you can do to speed up drying the process, she adds. "Blot your hair using a towel to soak up and remove excess water. Be gentle and don't rub your hair. Wet hair is fragile and rubbing it can lead to split ends and frizzy hair. Next, lift hair at the roots and fluff it up with your fingers," she recommends.
During the summer, many women with long hair tend to wear it pulled back in a ponytail. But this can damage hair and cause hair loss. "In fact, August is Hair Loss Awareness Month and a great solution for women who suffer from hair loss is Viviscal is a new line of hair products that is drug-free and strengthens and nourishes weak hair from within." Rebekah says. Prices range from $10 - $50 depending on the product. Available at drugstores.
Instead of wearing eye shadow which can melt in the summer heat, just use an eyelash curler and a little bit of waterproof mascara to help make your eyes pop, the beauty expert advises. She recommends Tweezerman for Benefit ProCurl Lash Curler $20 at www.benefitcosmetics.com. "To make your eyelash curls last and last you can heat your curler briefly under your hairdryer. Just be careful not to heat them too much or you will burn yourself. Just two seconds should be plenty," Rebekah says.
Instead of a heavy lipstick, during the hot months just use a little clear or lightly-tinted lip gloss such as these from Neutrogena for nude or subtley colored lips, Rebekah says. They are also hydrating and have an SPF 20 to protect delicate lip skin from damaging UV rays, she adds. Lip glosses are a bit lighter and are more fitting with the season. She recommends Neutrogena Moisture Shine Lip Soother ($7.)
Fragrance can sometimes be too much in the summer, Rebekah points out. "The heat can change the formulations but let's face it, we do want to have a nice, gentle scent on the sweaty days of summer," Rebekah says. "To make sure you aren't over-doing the fragrance I recommend using a scented body wash during the summer months. It's nearly impossible to overdo the scent and you have a crisp, clean feel." Rebekah says Caress Velvet Bliss Body Wash & Beauty Bar is perfect for a subtle summer scent. The fragrance is a blend of blackberry and vanilla essence. They each cost $5 or less at Target and CVS. It's also super hydrating so you get it all in one fell swoop.
We all have excess oil in the summer, and a great way to control it is to use oil-absorbing sheets, the beauty expert advises. . Just blot these on your skin and they will remove excess oil without removing your makeup. These are especially great for women with oily skin and this version by Tatcha has sheets that are a bit bigger than standard oil absorbing sheets and are available for $12 at tatcha.com.
For more beauty tips, visit www.rebekahgeorge.com
