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We’ve got the tips and products to get you smooth, sun-kissed, and sexy….just in time to pull out those teeny bikinis! Here’s how to effortlessly transition out of winter hiding:


Smooth Skin

The number-one way to make pasty winter skin beach ready? EXFOLIATE. Bliss Slim & Bare It ($45) is a a scrub-and-rub, cellulite-sabotaging duo, and does the triple duty of exfoliating, moisturizing, and fighting stubborn cellulite. The set includes full-size jars of FatGirlSlim, the ‘caffeinated’ visible dimple-demolishing cream, and FatGirlScrub, the circulation-stimulating skin-smoothing slough, and is all you need for smooth, bare-worthy skin. Yay for three in one, err, two products!Tip: To boost its effectiveness, rub using a circular motion, spending extra time on rough knees, heels, and elbows.

Banish Blemishes

Not so perfect skin on your back, shoulders, chest making you dread putting on a tank top? No worries. A simple acne fighting routine can make all of the difference and get rid of shoulder-shyness in no time. First, cleanse the areas daily with a salicylic acid based cleanser, like Murad Acne Body Wash ($40). The cleanser contains Salicylic Acid and Date Seed Powder to deeply penetrate skin to control and prevent breakouts, while humectants lock in moisture, keeping skin hydrated and healthy. To reap all of the acne-fighting benefits, let the cleanser sit on your skin for a few minutes before rinsing it.Tip: If you have stubborn blemishes, you can spot treat them with the same product you use on your face.

Pretty Peds

It’s pedicure season! With all of the fun new summer nail colors out, there’s no way you should forget your feet.  Philosophy Soul Owner ($14) is a foot treatment featuring an extra-rich emollient cream super-charged with salicylic and glycolic acids to help reduce rough soles. Tip: it works wonders on rough elbows and knees too. Here’s an easy, at-home pedicure program designed to get your feet in perfect pedicure shape: Soak feet in a  bowl of equal parts warm milk and water (the lactic acid naturally sloughs dead skin and softens.) After soaking for a few minutes, smooth rough spots with a pumice stone, then massage Soul Owner all over. Tip: For added softness, do this at night and put on a pair of socks before bed, to seal in moisture.

Fight Fuzz

The first thing most people think about when getting bikini-ready is hair removal. No one wants to be the fuzzy gal in the sand. Waxing, lasers, depilatories…there are so many options out there, but we are still partial to a good old shave, especially with the way shave creams have evolved! Evolution of Smooth’s (EOS) Ultra Moisturizing Shave Cream is paraben-free and made with natural aloe, oat, shea butter and antioxidant vitamins E and C to leave skin radiantly healthy. The non-foaming cream boosts skin’s moisture level and keeps it smooth long after shaving. Bonus? It’s so moisturizing, you can shave wet or dry. The cream comes in the most amazing scents: vanilla bliss, pomegranate raspberry, lavendar jasmine, island blue… and a fragrance free version for senstive skin. Seriously yummy. Available at evolutionofsmooth.com, Target and Wal-Mart stores.

Tip: Cut down on irritation by relathering an area if you are going over it a second time.

Get Glowing

If you’ve followed all of our steps, you’re almost ready for the sun… but wait. You’ve been smoothed, sloughed, and silkened, but what do you do with the ghostly skin?  Self-tanners can sometimes be too harsh, especially on skin that’s been hidden all winter long. For a natural, sun-kissed glow, warm up your skin tone with a gradual tan lotion. St. Tropez Gradual Tan ($30) combines serious skincare benefits with a healthy touch of bronze. Infused with soothing aloe vera, this lotion will help give you smoother skin while building a gradual golden tan, every day.Tip: Make sure to prep skin with the aforementioned steps for a smooth canvas, and you’re good to glow!

Summer’s almost here and you know what that means: Time to toss aside the rich foundations and matte creams in favor of lighter products that allow the skin to breathe. It’s also time to give the evil eye to your gorgeous coworker/friend/sister who is lucky enough to be able to go completely bare-faced when temperatures soar.

Though you should ease up on the amount of cosmetics you use in the summer, it doesn’t mean you need to give it up altogether. If you can’t bear the thought of going without makeup (or aren’t as lucky as Miss Baby Skin), we have some tips and recommendations to keep you looking beautiful and natural.

Tinted moisturizer
During the hotter months, the last thing we want to do is pile heavy cream and powder foundations on top of our over-hated skin. If you must use a base, tinted moisturizers have come a long way in the last few years. Coverage ranges from sheer to medium, and are light enough to give you coverage while keeping you  cool and refreshed. Apply with fingers for more control, or with a damp sponge for a more sheer application. Bonus: the dampened sponge feels amazing on skin, especially when the weather is muggy.

(Pictured: Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturizer $30, Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer $42, Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer $62)

Touch of Bronzer
Bronzer is perfect to warm you up and add a little color to pasty winter skin. Apply where the sun would naturally hit your face - forehead, nose, cheeks and chin— with a fan-shaped brush to get a subtle, sun-kissed look.
 
(Pictured: Laura Mercier Golden Bronze Bronzing Powder $32, NARS Bronzing Powder $32, Guerlain Terracota Bronzing Powder $47)

Powder eyeliner
Eyeliner can very easily go from sexy to smudged in the humid weather. If you’re absolutey against going out without liner, trade your gels and liquids for a powder formula applied close to the lashline with a slanted or straight edged liner brush.
 
(Pictured: Chanel La Ligne Professional Eyeliner Duo $45, Illamasqua Cake Eyeliner $21, Laneige Multi Shaping Eyeliner $32)

Light eye shadow
There’s nothing worse than a heavy, smoky eye in the summer….except a sweaty, creased smoky eye. Instead, keep shadow light in shades that compliment your skin. Tip:  Bronze and Gold hues look gorgeous with tanned skin and glossy lips.

(Pictured: NYX Eyeshadow Trio- Aloha/Mink Brown/DeepBronze $9, Bobbi Brown Pastel Eyeshadow Palette $57, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Stardust $17)

Tinted lipbalm
Heavy lipsticks and glosses are the arch-enemy of tousled tresses in the summer wind, so skip both and opt for a tinted lip balm. These balms do double duty by moisturizing sun-chapped lips and adding the perfect sheer hint of color.

(Pictured: NARS Tinted Lip Balm in Sabrina $20, MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner $15, Dior Creme De Roses Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm $25)

Waterproof mascara
This is a no-brainer, but in case you need reminding: water/seat + regular mascara = raccoon eyes. NOT summer sexy. Most likely your favorite comes in a waterproof formula. Bonus? Waterproof mascaras tend to hold curl better. Hello gorgeous (budge-proof) lashes!

(Pictured: DiorShow Black Out Waterproof Mascara $24, Yves Saint Laurent Everlong Waterproof Lengthening Mascara $30,  Maybelline Lash Stiletto Ultimate Length Waterproof Mascara $9) 

Q. I have really bad dark circles and have tried every eye cream to get rid of them. I use a heavy Mac concealer to hide them but still not satisfied. Do you recommend anything that can get rid of them or brighten them? I want the under eye area to glow like all the models on the magazines. Do you have any recommendations?

A. In a perfect world we’d all get enough sleep and always look fresh and rested. Of course that almost never happens, so we did some research for you.

First, the basics- make sure you stay well hydrated, get as much rest as you can (but not TOO much!), and reduce salt intake… after all, bags are really just fluid retention around the eye area that causes swelling, which in turn crates shadows and “darkness”. In most cases the dark circles are blood vessels that can be seen through the skin, and nothing short of laser procedures to break up the pigmentation are going to get rid of them.

You can MASK them with concealer, and also with products made to reduce puffiness caused by lack of sleep, illness, or allergies— all of which cause the eye area to swell which in turn draw attention to the dark areas. For these, you don’t need anti-aging eye creams loaded with wrinkle reducers… a simple, lightweight cream or gel with caffeine (caffeine constricts blood vessels, making them appear less prominent) should do the trick. We really like rollerballs, like the Garnier Nutritioniste Anti Puff Eye Roller. The bonus of the roller ball  is that it gently massages the area, breaking up the pocket of collected fluid and alleviating the darkness.

To conceal, we swear by Lancomes Effacernes. Highly pigmented, thin and buildable so it never cakes, and best of all- WATERPROOF. A bit pricey for some at almost $30 a tube, but you use so little to get great coverage that a tube seriously lasts a year or more. If you need something heavier, check out this post we did last week on SmartCover. It seriously covers EVERYTHING.

(On a side note, anemia can also cause darkness under the eye, so if you’re feeling tired all of the time— it may not be lack of sleep. It might be worth it to have a check up and ask the doctor to check your iron levels.)

Hope that helped!

Gwen Stefani has always been willing to take risks… remember the Return Of Saturn-era pink hair? But whether sticking to her signature red lip or rocking rasta-inspired corn rows, one thing remains the same: she always gets it right.

Stefani is on the cover of April’s InStyle once again looking flawless, and everyone has been raving about the cover and corresponding editorial. Here’s our interpretation of two of our favorite looks from the spread:

To get this softer look, also featured on the cover:

Face: Prep face with a luminizing primer like Makeup Forever HD Microperfecting Primer in Blue, which adds radiance to fair skintones. Follow with HD Invisible Cover Foundation.

Cheeks: Apply a light contour under cheekbones with a light, neutral shade (we like MAC’s Buff, a nude pinkish shade). Add a touch of illuminating cream or shimmery powder to tops of cheekbones to highlight… Try NARS The Multiple in Copacabana.

Eyes: Apply a wash of shimmery taupe to upper lids and under bottom lashes, like MAC’s Satin Taupe. Line eyes with BlackTrack Fluidline, and apply a beige shimmer to brow bone for highlight (We swear by MAC Shroom). Curl lashes, and apply 2 coats of your favorite mascara.

Lips: Gwen’s rosy lips are a nice departure from her signature vamp red. With a lip brush for added precision, coat lips with NARS Canaille.


To get Gwen’s gothic, vampy look:

Face: Prep face with a luminizing primer like Makeup Forever HD Microperfecting Primer in Mauve, to cancel out any yellow or sallow tones. Follow with Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation.

Cheeks: The cheeks in this look are a deeper version of the first look. Exaggerate the contour by adding a deeper shade like MAC Prism, a muted pinkish-brown, and highlight cheekbones with Illamasqua Illuminator in Odyssey to add an icy look to skin.

Eyes: Add more depth by going over eyes with a smoky greyish brown shadow like MAC Moth Brown, making sure to exaggerate the smokiness around the bottom lashline. Line top lid with MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, and add MAC Smolder to waterline. Curl lashes, and apply a volumizing mascara.

Lips: Line lips with MAC Nightmoth, a blackened plum, and fill lips in with MAC Film Noir lipstick. Top with MAC Lustreglass in Lustrewhite add a coolness to the lip.

The release of the much anticipated The Runaways movie is almost here (April 9th!), and has left us with the urge to play around with the amazing retro makeup looks from the film. Joan Jett’s famous smudged, smokey rocker eye is still as popular today as it was then, and Cherie Currie’s iconic use of color and glitter is the ultimate in glam rock.

The looks were created by MUFE artist Robin Mathews, and MAKE UP FOR EVER has posted tutorials for Stewart’s and Currie’s movie looks on their website and on their Facebook Page, so if you’re like us, you can recreate it for yourself.

To get Stewart’s “Joan Jett” smokey eye:

1. Apply MAKE UP FOR EVER Eyeshadow 127, a metallic taupe, over the entire lid.

2. Using Aqua Eyes 04, apply a generous amount of the liner on the top and bottom lids, close to lashline. With a smudge brush, smoke out liner just enough to look slept in and imperfect. Then go back and reapply a heavier coat of eyeliner along the lash line

3. Apply Eyeshadow 139, a black brown shimmer, over the black liner and blend.

4. Curl lashes and apply Smoky Lash Mascara to top and bottom mashes, making sure to get the underside of top lashes to really blacken out the look.

How to get Fanning’s “Cherie Currie” colorful smokey eye:

1. Sweep Star Powder 922, a pale copper, all over lid stopping short of the outer corner.

2. Line upper and lower lids with Aqua Eyes 3L, an navy blue shimmer, and smudge lightly with a smudge brush.

3. Apply Eyeshadow 87, a metallic navy blue, to the outer corner of the eye with a small flat brush, then drag the shadow into the crease slightly. Blend with the same brush, and swipe the same shadow color onto the lower lash line, blending it out to create a smoky effect.

4. Curl your lashes and apply Smoky Lash.

A few more awesome tips? Mathews said she had Stewart sleep in the liner, applied the night before, to capture Jett when she was in the depths of the “wear and tear” of hard living. She also duplicated Jett and Currie’s original blush technique: hold a piece of paper against your cheek before applying blush to get a hard line, like in the picture above. We’re totally trying that when we’re in the mood for a funky, rocker look.