Deals and Steals of the Week

Additonal 25% off sale items at Steve Madden

1st EVER online shopping at EXPRESS.com 20% off purchase
Code: 9016 Ends: 07/14

15% off SALE items at ESPIRIT
Ends: 07/16

Bed Bath and Beyond: $10 off $30 or more
Ends: July 14th

Limited $15 off $50 with email sign up

50 FREE photo prints at CVS photo center
When you sign up with your ExtraCare card

Sun Protection II

Even if you're not out in the sun all day, I do recommend wearing sunscreen everyday ESPECIALLY on your face and neck if thats the only thing you're going to do. Gotta protect your skin as much as you can :)



I personally use Olay Complete Defense Daily Uv Moisturizer SPF 30. I usually buy it at my local Target. I love this face lotion. It moisturizes well and gives me the sun protection I need. Its great for all year round.



In addition to the SPF face you use, you can also WASH ON your SPF! St. Ives Elements Protective Cleanser cleans AND adds on an SPF 10 onto your face. So for those of you who want a little extra protection or those of you who don't wear sunscreen when you know you should, try this! SPF 10 isn't really much of anything, but better something than nothing.

Hats Galore!

Perfect way to stay out of the sun's intense rays in addition to your sun screen and sunglasses, add a hat! You can totally look chic with a large brimmed straw hat. UV rays can cause hair to become brittle and faded and for colored hair, making the color dull and lacking shine. So its the perfect way to shade yourself from sun's rays and still look stylish.

Inspiration


I absolutely love Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester aka Blair Waldorf in this nautical sailor inspired outfit. Blair is oozing with style as usual.


Diane Kruger is on board for a Chanel Cruise in May, how lucky! wearing this very cute dress topping it off with a small rimmed hat. Love it!



Here are some options that will keep you protected and stylish:

Try this simple option from Urban Outfitters or this one

If you prefer a darker color, try this one from
Forever21

Or if you want to try a little bit of both, mix it up with this one also from Forever21
Or you can rock the fedora! Opt for this one from Delias or Urban Outfitters in color: Natural


Few more pictures of celebs on the beach to give you some inspiration for your beach wear :)
Penelope Cruz
Lindsey Lohan

Hayden Panettiere's New Hair Cut!

Update: Hayden finally shows off her new hair-do! Hayden was seen at the Flex Rally 2008 charity event in L.A. on Saturday June 21st.



I absolutely love the show Heroes! I think Hayden Panettiere is so adorable as everyone's favorite cheerleader. I hope this girl stays sweet and innocent! Recently I read online that she got a new short hair-do around June 9th and 10th but I recently saw pictures of her at the United States Launch Party for Kira Plastinina on Saturday, June 14 with long locks. So I'm guessing shes wearing extensions or did I totally miss something!? I guess Hayden isn't feeling the short Vicki-B-do! What do you think? Love it or Hate it!?



I couldn't find any pictures with her new haircut without her messing with her hair or sunglasses pulling her hair back. I guess she really doesn't like it! But a new haircut usually takes some time to grow on you especially such a drastic cut. She should give it more of a chance, could look really cute on her! :)

Who Wore it Best?

I was browsing through pictures when I came across a picture of Sienna Miller, realizing that I've seen her "vest" which I will call a belt vest, somewhere before!

Two celebs wearing one very distinct piece of garment
Sienna Miller on Nov 13 2006 was out and about in NYC when she was spotted wearing this belt vest. She paired it with an all black ensemble topping it off with a wide brimmed black hat.



Rihanna wore this on June 16 2008, a year and half later, at the 19th Annual MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto, where she performed and got the award for Best International Video Artist. This is her in an all black ensemble as well before her performance wearing the belt vest in white.



Sienna Miller and Rihanna are known to be fashionistas setting the trends first, but what do you think about this style? Do you like it or too fashion forward?

Beach Protection!

As you know, it is SO important to wear sun screen EVERY DAY! but especially if you are out on the beach! I know there are gonna be a lot of beach entries to come, even with having to take summer classes, the beach is on my mind :) If you know me, I'm crazy about my skin protection using the highest SPF possible!

The UVA and UVB rays from the sun are not your friends! UVA is mainly the cause for wrinkles and photoaging of your skin. UVA rays penetrate deeper into your skin and are now thought to be the main cause of skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma. UVB is the main cause for sun burns! but they are both bad and both contribute to wrinkles and skin cancer so you definitely want to protect yourself!!

You should always use SPF 30 or HIGHER, I prefer higher of course but it actually doesn't protect THAT much more. SPF 15 blocks 94% of UVB rays, SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays, and SPF higher than 50 only protects 1-2% more than SPF 30.

Find a sunscreen that is a "UVA/UVB" protection or has "broad spectrum" protection and water resistant/waterproof that is SPF 30 or higher. You need to wear 1 oz, about a shot glass full of sunscreen is recommended. So don't be shy and slather up especially if you are gonna be out in the sun all day! Slather up 30 minutes before you go out in the sun and also don't forget to reapply! Its recommended every 2 hours but the sooner the better :)


Here are some of my recommendations for sunscreens

I really love Shiseido products, so its no surprise on the top of my list is Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 PA+++ comes in 2.2 oz or 3.3. oz. It is formulated with the retexturizing ingredient Xylitol to counteract roughness and keep skin looking soft and healthy and contains an antioxidant Thiotaurin.

DDF Enhancing Sun Protection SPF 30 This product is a little pricey, but its great because in addition to protecting your skin from the sun it contains self-adjusting color spheres to enhance natural skin tone and to even out your complexion. It contains antioxidants as well, which are always good for your skin!




Clinique has two really great face SPF which also come in a body creme SPF as well, but I'd rather spend the money for my face! They also contain antioxidants as well. The Super City Block Oil-Free Daily Face Protector SPF 40 is a light weight sheer face creme that would be perfect for everyday and under your makeup, while the Clinique UV Response Face SPF 50 is great for the beach. It increases its protection with increasing intensity of the sun! How smart is that.






Two great ones by Neutrogena are the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock, SPF 85 and Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Mist, SPF 70. These both come in a lower SPF of 45 but I figure I could always use another 1-2% of UVA/UVB blockage! The Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock is great for those days at the beach and the Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Mist is a great alternative to the suntan lotions but still with the protection you need! These sunblocks are a great bang for your buck!




** And always don't forget your sunglasses! Protect your eyes from UVA and UVB rays also!

Source: Prevention.com, SkinCancer.Org, WebMD.com

Beach Swim Suits!

I posted a few online codes for Victoria Secrets, I have one more that I received in the mail with my purchase .. $10 off any thing any time in July! Code: SP812517

Here are some of my fave things:
Click the picture to take you the link

A flirty floral top with a solid color bottom def draws attention upward

Simple but glamorous, the green color is to die for!

This one is soooo CUTE! I love the polka dots and yellow is so happy!


This is the one I got, do you like!?


And with all your new bathing suits, you will need a cute cover up :)
This one will only be 8.99 with the $10 off code!

There are usually free shipping codes you can find or I will post when I do! Its tough to buy bathing suits online since you can't try it on and you def need a great fit to feel comfy at the beach, but VS has so many different designs and deals, I couldn't resist! They offer something different with some of their swim lines that have similar fits to their bras.

Enjoy shopping for a new bathing suit for this season!