supersize me

Ah, summertime. The warm weather and longer days serve as the perfect excuse to party outdoors, but all that sunshine is a reminder to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays with lots of sunscreen. Being that I am a perennial beauty addict, I welcome any reason to break out of a beauty rut (so long, tanning oil) and try out new skincare (hello, SPF 30).

With all the eco-consciousness out there, it is the perfect time to try something green. Doctor T’s Supergoop! is an eco-friendly line of sunscreen created with children in mind but formulated for the entire family. (Love that!) From mini tubes to super-sized tubs of sunscreen, there’s plenty of SPF to go around.

Try Super-Spray, which provides a water-resistant application of sun protection in a convenient and refillable spray bottle. Or if you’re on-the-go, Doctor T’s Quick Stick is a pocket-sized all-natural sunscreen stick for face, body and hands. All Supergoop! products are organic, formulated with vitamins A, C and E, and contain SPF 30. That’s summer fun for the whole family and a trend we can all be happy to follow.

making waves

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Warm weather is the perfect time for umbrellas in drinks, suntan lotion and beach parties.And all those fun-in-the-sun parties you’ll soon be going to call for beachy hair. From straight strands to unruly curls, create the look pre-party with these sea-spray inspired products:

• Frederic Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Beach Waves hydrates tresses while creating soft, shiny waves, plus it has a protective UV shield to prevent hair color from fading. For those with straight to wavy hair, spray in product, scrunch and let air dry.
• Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray has been the cult-favorite when it comes to creating surfer girl texture and body. For straight to wavy girls, work through damp hair and scrunch, letting hair air dry. For curly girls, I find this product works best if you blow dry hair straight, then spray and scrunch in sections.
• Sally Hershberger Supreme Head Wave Spray for Wavy Hair creates soft definition and boosts body in naturally wavy hair. Shake well to mix the mineral ingredients with the emollients and spray on damp hair. Use fingers to set sexy waves.
• Sunsilk Waves of Envy Sea Mist gives hair a textured wave for less than $5. For those with wavy to curly locks, shake up the bottle and spritz a generous amount onto damp hair and let air dry.

bask in the glow

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Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer. Whether your weekend plans include a trip out of town or a BBQ, why not kick off your festivities with a pre-summer glow? A dusting of bronzer gives skin a healthy dose of color and quickly enhances your complexion. (To achieve the most natural look, sweep onto areas of your face where the sun naturally hits: cheeks, forehead, chin and nose.)

Here’s a roundup of budget-friendly bronzers that will give your skin a sun-kissed glow, at least until Labor Day:

• Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Natural Radiance Bronzer: This multi-colored bronzer flatters almost any skin tone.
• Physicians Formula Multi-Colored Bronzer Multi-Colored Powder Palette: Known for its range of fantastic bronzers, this one has the perfect blend of complementing shades to give skin a warm, natural glow minus that awful orange tinge.
• mark Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder: Skin gets a subtle healthy glow and a light shimmer from this sheer bronzing powder.
• Rimmel Natural Bronzer: Creates a natural beachy bronze with a slight shimmer.
• Wet N Wild Bronzzer Ultimate Bronzing Powder: For less than $3, this bronzer goes on smooth and imparts a pretty hint of color on all skin tones.

on the line

Whether the look is smoky and dramatic or a clean subtle line, black eyeliner has become my go-to product when it comes to getting ready for a cocktail party or a girls' night out. There’s just something about it that looks so chic and sexy. (See Angelina Jolie, not Amy Winehouse.) Celebrity makeup artist Amy Nadine (who dolls up The Hills’ Lauren Conrad) shares her tips for three easy ways to update your party face with a little black eyeliner:

• Kohl pencil. For a classic look, use a kohl pencil like Shu Uemura Drawing Pencil in ME Black 1. Start in the inner corner of the upper lash line and drag the pencil tip outward, slightly winging it up at the end. Draw a thin line across the bottom lash line and finish by rimming inside the lash line with the pencil. For a thin line, use the point of the pencil, holding it almost perpendicular to your eye. For a thicker line, slant the pencil to a 45-degree angle, using more of the side of the pencil’s tip.
• Wet shadow. For a softer look, take a slim, angled eye liner brush like NARS Angular Eye Shadow Brush 04 and wet it with water until it's soaked. Next, swirl the brush around in a black eye shadow until it’s loaded with color. On the back of your hand, draw a couple of lines to ensure you are happy with the consistency of the wet shadow while smoothing out any powder clumps. Sweep the brush across your lash line, starting at the inner corners and increasing the width as you approach the outer corners. For more intensity, re-wet your brush, load it with more shadow and go back over the line.
• Gel liner. For the ultimate definition without the extremity of a liquid liner, use a gel liner pot like Elizabeth Arden's Color Intrigue Gel Eye Liner in Black. It glides on smoothly and comes with its own liner brush. Use the same method as the wet shadow liner. One coat for a more subtle look, two to three coats for extra drama!

Whether you’re partial to pencil, shadow or gels, take a cue from the pros and have fun experimenting until you find the method that suits your party mood and perfectly complements that little black dress.

happy-hour beauty

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Everyone loves a good happy hour. But if you’re like most, you don’t have time to reapply a full face of makeup between leaving the office and meeting for a round of post-work cocktails. So what’s a girl to do? Here’s a start: Save time by concentrating on your favorite feature and play it up. Celebrity makeup artist Amy Chance (who glams up Lily Allen and Kat Dennings) suggests some simple tips and products to take your look from the office to happy hour in no time:

• Start your morning routine off with a makeup primer to help your foundation last all day. Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer does a great job of minimizing pores and fine lines while moisturizing skin. Plus it gives skin a radiant glow under foundation and helps for an even application.
• A quick way to glam up your office look is to add a bright, fun color to your lips. It's spring and color is in! Try on a hot pink or red lipstick. For an extra dramatic look, coat your lipstick with Make Up For Ever Matte Lip to take away the shine and create a full color, matte lip. If gloss is more your style, apply a dramatic color like Chanel's Aqualumiere Gloss in Cherry Blossom.
• If you prefer to concentrate on your eyes, you can quickly add drama with a kohl liner like MAC eye kohl. For a smoky look, line your top lid along the lash line and then use your fingers or a brush to blend the color up onto your lid. You can also intensify your look by lining the inside of your eye. It might take a little practice, but once you've got the hang of it, you could do it in the dark. Finish off the look with a couple coats of a layering mascara like Lancôme Hypnôse in Black.
• Simply want to liven up a dull tired face? Use your fingers to apply a tinted moisturizer like Stila Sheer Color. Brighten up by applying color to the apples of your checks with a cream blush like Stila Convertible Color which can be used on lips too.
• Finish of your nighttime look by adding a touch of fragrance. You can now buy most of your favorites in a size perfect for your purse, like Marc Jacobs Daisy or Fracas by Robert Piguet.

nailing it

Spring is in the air, and nothing makes me happier this time of year than the look of lacquered fingers and toes. It’s time to stash those dark, vampy shades and lighten up with the bright bolds of spring.

Celebrity manicurist Ashlie Johnson, who paints the nails of Reese Witherspoon, Eva Mendes and Liv Tyler, says that anything bright is a good way to go. She recommends bright pink, coral and turquoise. Barielle, OPI and Essie all have spring collections that include fresh, wearable shades that range from soft to bright. You might even be inspired to dress up your nails in lavender for Easter, and opt for pink or blue for a baby shower. (I’m just throwing it out there.)

While I tend to reach for more neutral shades, even I’m welcoming spring with a surge of color in the form of "IM Beauty," a buttery yellow from the Sephora by OPI Digital Diva collection — it’s like sunshine in a bottle! Go ahead and add a little color to your day.

blending in

I am totally that girl with the embarrassing line of foundation on the jaw. In my attempt to banish this beauty blunder, I discovered the Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge.

Don’t let the name deceive you because it’s so much more than just a blending sponge. This is a sponge that multi-tasks. Its rounded end works wonders for applying foundation, powder or cream blush. Its pointed end can be used for smudging eye liner, blending concealer in areas that require more precision like under the eyes, or even blending eye shadow. The secret to achieving a truly flawless finish? Use the sponge damp and press it into the skin in a dabbing motion, not a wiping motion. And unlike traditional sponges, this one is reusable. (You can keep your sponge bacteria-free by washing it in between uses with gentle soap and water and letting it air dry.) For under $10, you can at least look like a pro.

oscar beauty: miley cyrus

Makeup artist Mai Quynh kept Miley Cyrus looking young and fresh on the Oscar red carpet with a selection of mark cosmetics. To get her look: 

• Apply mark Face Xpert Flawless Touch Makeup in Natural.  Follow with mark Matte-nificent Oil Absorbing Powder in Buff/Natural.
• Dust on I-mark eye shadow in Latte all over eyes. Blend I-mark eye shadow in Espresso lightly in the crease and smudge it underneath as eye liner. Add two coats of mark Make it Big Lash Plumping Mascara in Raven.
• To give cheeks a subtle glow, Mai used a combination of mark Good Glowing blushes in Golden Glo and Star Glo.
• Mai created a nude, glossy lip with mark Dew Drenched Moisturlicious Lip Color in Mist.

Image via WireImage

oscar beauty: jessica biel

Makeup artist Pati Dubroff created Jessica Biel’s romantic red carpet look from the Oscars by pairing soft eyes with glowing skin. To get her look:

• Keep skin glowing and bright with a product like Sensai Brightening Crème. Apply little foundation and powder only where needed.
• Skip the eyeliner and brush on just one coat of mascara.
• Apply Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Gossip then layer a very soft haze of pewter and lilac. Pati used Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Petal Shine 809 on Jessica.
• Pati gave cheeks a soft flush with Kevyn Aucoin The Creamy Moist Glow in Nuelle. 
• For Jessica’s pretty plum lip, Pati used Dior Addict Lipcolor in Infamous Pink #623.

Image via WireImage

oscar beauty: jennifer aniston

While most people watch the red carpet arrivals to critique the fashion, I find that I am often drawn to the hair and makeup instead. (Maybe because I’m always seeking out new and inspiring ways to update my party face.) Celebrity makeup artist Angela Levin shares her tips and tricks on how to create Jennifer Aniston's look from the Oscars for your own special event.

Editor's note: Stay tuned for more Oscar beauty! Shannon has Jessica Biel's look from Pati Dubroff, as well as Miley Cyrus's look from Mai Quynh.

Angela gave Jennifer Aniston a sunkissed glow for the red carpet with a bevy of Chanel Beaute products. To get her look:

• Use a foundation brush to apply your foundation. Angela used Chanel Lift Lumiere Firming and Smoothing Fluid Makeup in Beige.
• Instead of traditional blush, Angela dabbed Chanel Hydrabase Lipstick in Coco Red on the apple of Jennifer’s cheeks. For a bit of shimmer, she applied Chanel Sheer Brilliance around the tops of her cheekbones, closer to the eye. She followed with a dusting of Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzer.
• Angela used a combination of Lorac eye shadows in Jade and Serenity with Tina Earnshaw shadow in Aubergine. She lined her eyes with a black Lorac eye shadow and coated lashes with Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Black.
• For rosy lips, Angela used Chanel Aqualumiere Lip Shine in Panarea, a new shade available in April.

Image via WireImage