5 Must Have Beauty Products To Take To Australia

Today I am blogging from Australia, not in my favorite city in the world, Sydney, but up in beautiful Queensland by the Great Barrier Reef.

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland Australia

God I love Australia!

Every time I come here I am blown away by the giant, wide open skies, the beauty of these unspoiled beaches, the truth in the colors, and just how completely and utterly amazing this place really is!!

Oh - and the people?? Just the most wonderful, friendly, fun folks on earth!

I should also be given some kind of award for having the balls to get on the beach here after nearly three weeks of food and wine in Italy. But meh - life's too short to let a few extra curves get in the way of a good time!

I was asked recently which are my 5 beauty products to take to Australia. I am really paring down my travel beauty stash, especially after Italy, where I really only wore 5 things each day.

So, heading to the land down under?

Here are 5 Must Have Beauty Products To Take To Australia

1. The Best Skin Serum Ever

Tatcha Radiant Deep Brightening Serum

My normal skin care routine involves layering as many heavy, deep moisturizing products as possible. But that doesn't work quite so well when you are traveling, and when you are traveling to a beach area where in all likelihood things will get a little steamier and more humid.

Tatcha's Radiant Deep Brightening Serum keeps your skin hydrated and makes it look luminous, as if lit from within. It is the absolute holy grail of serums, a celebrity favorite, and if I am scaling back my skin care to just one item, this is the one!

2. An On-Going Sunscreen Plan

 Colorescience Sunforgettable Mineral Sunscreen

I've used ColoreScience Mineral Sunscreen for years, and at home I always have one stashed in my handbag.
The sun in Australia is really fierce, so sun protection is extra important. 
I still start the day by slathering a broad spectrum 
SPF 85 all over my face and throat, but lets face it, once we have our makeup on, or are on the beach we are less likely to keep reapplying more sunscreen. We don't want to jack up whatever makeup we are already wearing, or if we are on the beach we don't want to be grinding sand into our skin.
This mineral powder sunscreen with it's own built in brush does double duty by knocking down excess shine (super benefit in humid climes) and letting you re-protect your skin every couple of hours without getting any cakey build up. 

After having Ultherapy (the greatest thing I ever did!) my entire makeup routine has changed. Ultherapy gives your skin lift and firmness, which means you no longer need to use makeup to create that illusion.
Thanks to Ultherapy, the entire time I was in Italy leading the Corinna B's World Glam Italia II Tour I only wore 3 makeup products each day. I'm rolling out the same game for Australia.

Read about Ultherapy here

If you are streamlining your makeup look you need to pay attention to 3 main things. Your brows, your lashes and your lips.

3. Serious Brow Game

Anastasia Brow Wiz
This mechanical brow pencil is perfect on many levels. The colors are spot on - not too ashy and not too red, so you can build a really nice brow, either sculpted or full, and not look artificial. It lasts all day too.

4. A Killer Mascara

Diorshow Blackout Mascara
I am loyal to the very end. I have used Diorshow Blackout Mascara ever since it first came out, and for me it is still just the greatest mascara out there. The color payoff is fantastic, and you can build thick, luscious, glossy lashes that stay looking fab until you take your makeup off at night.
When I'm beaching I use the waterproof formula, any other time I use regular.

5. Two Great Lip Options

When you are doing a bare faced look you need a strong brow balanced with a strong lip. When you are on vacation you really don't want to be messing with lipstick touch ups every 5 minutes, so I like to use a really saturated lip with a strong color payoff.
I'm in love with Temptu Color True Lipstick in Pink Hype

It's a nice blue based pink that packs some power while making your teeth and the whites of your eyes look sparkly and white.

On the days I don't want such a big lip game I've been wearing Nars Lipstick in Roman Holiday. 
This was actually a gift from a client and I wore it non stop in Italy when I wanted a softer, glossier mouth. Between the two I had all the bases covered. 

8 Essential Items for Your Makeup Bag This Summer

For most of the year I'm all about more makeup.

During the summer months however, a face full of makeup looks ridiculous.

Step outside into the sunlight and whatever you've got going is magnified,

so an overload of makeup looks even worse.

So here is a list of 8 Essential Items for a pared down makeup bag for summer.

1. BB or CC Cream

Lose the foundation and opt instead for a skin enhancing, color correcting, tone and texture evening BB or CC cream. (if you're unsure which to choose, CC creams are more about color correction, BB's are more about skin enhancing. Both are fabulous.)

Your skin will look gorgeous and you wont look made-up.

2. ColoreScience Sunforgettable SPF 50

Protecting your skin from sun damage is crucial, and sunscreen has to be reapplied throughout the day.

This handy brush is easy to carry around and lets you reapply on the go, with no messy creams. It has the added bonus of going on smoothly and not creating a pasty, cakey layer to the skin.

3. Makeup Forever Aqua Brow

You need to tell a very simple story with your summer makeup.

Clean skin with an accent on brows and lips keeps you looking fresh faced and understated.

Makeup Forever Aqua Brow is a super concentrated (i.e. apply sparingly) waterproof eyebrow corrector.

The brows that you apply first thing in the morning will make it through humidity, swimming, perspiring - you name it, and will take you all the way through the evening.

A stronger accent on the brow can lift and open the eye, so long as you don't make it too heavy.

4. A Lash Curler.

Use a good quality eyelash curler to lift the lashes and open the eye.

5. A Good Mascara

Accent your eyes with tons of mascara. Use it to lift and open the eye, not weighing it down with clumpy lashes. 

Aim to lengthen the lashes, keeping them glossy and defined with a mascara like Clinique High Definition Mascara, making sure you comb through to remove any clumps.

If you're going swimming, running around in monsoons or battling high humidity opt for a waterproof formula, otherwise choose a water resistant mascara.

6. Bronzer

If needed, applied sparingly, use a champagne toned bronzer to add lift and warmth to your complexion.

Bronzer is supposed to make you look like you've been out in the sun, and should only hit the high points on your face - forehead, tops of the cheekbones and bridge of the nose, and your chin.

7. Highlighter 

I use the Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand to brighten the tops of cheekbones, lift under the eyes and generally brighten the skin.

Its a fabulous transition product to reawaken your skin and make you look alive and vibrant as you go from a long day at work to a night on the town.

8. Vibrant, sexy lips

The key to making a simple, makeup free look work is to have an accent on the brows, and then balance it with a bright, exciting lip.

Try bold shades like Nars Schiap or MAC All About Orange

How To Apply Sunscreen

My dermatologist was just telling me how frustrating it is trying to get her patients to use sunscreen properly.

We decided that with Memorial Day right around the corner, and the official kick off of summer right in front of us, it would be the perfect time to post a blog all about how to apply sunscreen.

First up, understanding the code.

UVA rays are the aging rays. They very busily and at very high speed break down the elastin and collagen in the skin, fast tracking your skin to wrinkles and sagging.
UVB rays are the burning rays.
Make sure you purchase broad spectrum sunscreen - that offers you protection against the twin demons of UVA and UVB. 

Facial SPF:

Use a free standing Facial SPF. If your moisturizer or foundation have SPF in them, just view that as a bonus. No one applies a sufficiently thick coating of moisturizer or foundation to give full protection via any SPF in the ingredients.
Use the highest SPF you can find. The labeling laws are about to change, so that the highest will read SPF50+. Until that time I still buy SPF 85 or 100. If there is a sliver of a chance that my face and throat are getting just a whisper more protection, I want it!
Try to find a "dry touch" formulation. I like Neutrogena Dry Touch with Helioplex facial SPF. It doesn't leave a film on the skin, and doesn't break me out. Plus makeup sits on top of it beautifully.

Apply at least the size of a quarter. You should have a white film on your skin that takes some rubbing in.
Allow it to penetrate the skin for a couple of minutes before putting any makeup on top.
Apply 30 minutes before going out into the sun.





Make sure you reapply sunscreen frequently throughout your day.
If you are wearing makeup, reapply a powder sunscreen over top, such as the ColoreScience powder sunscreen products.
(I use these on outdoor shoots all the time)







Sunscreen for your body.

There are many different formulations of sunscreen.
I recommend for your body to start with a traditional lotion form.

Use a full ounce ( a shot glass full) and apply thickly and liberally all over. Again, you need it so thick that you have a white film that needs rubbing in.
I recommend at least an SPF of 30. (my dermatologist does too!)
Sports formulas and waterproofs are great, but not always consistent, so always, always reapply, especially after swimming and towel drying.

Sprays are super convenient, but best used only to reapply. 

You will never get the thick, even coat that you do with a lotion, so always start with the more controlled product.
If you are going to be in the water, re-spray every hour, regardless of how "waterproof" the product is.







Don't forget the backs of your hands, tops of your feet and your ears.
Ideally wear a hat with a broad brim to protect your scalp, ears, face and neck. If you don't have a hat, be very aware of your scalp. Most people don't realize how prevalent melanoma is in the scalp, and it frequently goes undetected.