SHAPE MAGAZINE’S  “SUMMER-IZES” YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE

June 21st, 2011- There are different beauty rules for summer than there are for the rest of the year.  You need to “summer-ize” your beauty regimen.  Protect your skin.  Sweat-proof your make-up.  Enhance your glow.  And get ready to shine in all the right ways. 

Shape Magazine’s Beauty Director Ellen Miller shares her insight on the top trends and best beauty bets for feeling and looking beautiful all summer long!  

Hair Care: With high temperatures and humidity that summer weather brings upon us, we tend to use a lot of products on our hair to keep our strands in check, but this can lead to product build-up and an unhealthy scalp. I’m really loving NIOXIN three-part systems that come with a cleaner, lightweight conditioner and leave-on treatment which refresh your scalp and keep your hair looking healthy and resilient. They work together to cleanse and condition the scalp and help strengthen hair against damage to give the appearance of thick, full, thriving hair. It’s sold at salons so go to www.nioxin.com to find one near you.

Skin Care: There’s no such thing a “safe” tan so no matter where you live, or how well you tan, everyone needs to use SPF, every day. Skin cancer is on the rise in the U.S. but it’s easy to protect yourself if you use the right products.  CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion AM with SPF 30 is a dermatologist- recommended daily facial moisturizer with the added benefit of SPF 30.  It replaces deficient levels of ceramides in the skin which help to repair, restore and maintain the skin’s natural protective barrier. It’s available for under $14.00 at drugstores or visit www.cerave.com

To get those super smooth summer legs, you want to use a shave gel that really locks in moisture with natural ingredients like olive butter, Vitamin E and Pro-Vitamin B5 like Skintimate®, added bonus is they have pretty limited edition cans by Mara Hoffman.  They’re available for under $3.00 at drugstores everywhere.  And, paired with Schick® Quattro for Women® TrimStyle™, which is so cool because it’s a dual sided battery powered waterproof trimmer and razor in one, you can get a super smooth shave and trim your bikini area in the shower with one tool. They’re available for under $10.00 at drugstores nationwide. Visit www.skintimate.com and www.schick.com for more.

Make-Up: Less is more when it comes to summer make-up.  This summer is all about turquoise eyes, coral cheeks and lips and even bright nails.  Look for products that replace synthetic ingredients with natural alternatives, like COVERGIRL NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara which offers lots volume and leaves lashes feeling light and lifted. It uses a through a breakthrough formula that includes natural beeswax, carnuba palm wax and tapioca plant polymers, and is 20% lighter than the most expensive volume mascara.   This new mascara is available now for $9 in drugstores nationwide or visit www.covergirl.com

To help prevent your make-up from sweating off in the heat, always use a primer to help set you make-up before you apply it.  This will help it to stay put throughout the day. 

For more summer beauty essentials you can go to www.shape.com or check out the latest issue on stands now.

Ellen Miller, Beauty Director, has provided her expertise at Shape since November 2008, when she came on board as senior beauty editor. Miller oversees the entire beauty department as well as writes trend stories on everything from the latest procedures and treatments to the hottest new products and tools.  Miller also works on the annual Shape of Beauty awards and various other health and lifestyle stories. Miller previously served as the associate editor at Allure magazine where she wrote the magazine's monthly how-to column, Beauty 101. Prior to that, she contributed to the grooming and fashion departments at GQ magazine. Miller has a bachelor's degree in magazine journalism from the University of Missouri. She currently lives in Manhattan.