How To Look Tan, Do Hair and Makeup for the Beach

Going to the beach is supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable; in fact, it's even scientifically proven to be good for you in tons of ways. It's basically like spending a day at the spa. Sitting back with a smoothie that you made at home, or a nice iced latte, there is really nothing better. The only problem is that sometimes we are so occupied with how we look or self-conscious about how we look, that we can't enjoy it. In this hub, I've tried to make going to the beach just a little bit easier so that you can get maximum enjoyment out of your off day.

Looking tan at the beach is a big ordeal for some. There are women out there who have beautiful skin that becomes a gorgeous caramel or a sun-kissed tan color without any prodding or spraying. However, if you are like me, very fair skinned, you never get tan, only pink and burned. Spray tanning can make you look like Queen of the Carrots if it is done wrong and tanning beds give you cancer, which isn't exactly worth looking tan at the beach...or is it (just kidding). So isn't there some easier solutions. One very easy way to do this is by paying attention to what you wear at the beach.

On tan people, colors like black, olive, and navy just make them look even tanner and more sun-kissed, but on us less fortunately-endowed individuals, you gotta leave the black behind and get on lighter colors that make your skin look tanner in comparison. White can make even the fairest skin look tan. And if you have cool toned skin, light blue looks great on you. If you're more warm-toned, a peach or light red/pink will suit you better.

How do you know what toned skin you are? Hold a piece of gold jewelry and a piece of silver jewelry onto your skin and see which one looks better. If its gold, you are warm toned, if its silver, you are cool-toned. Another way is by looking at your veins. If you have blue veins on the inside of your arm, you are cool toned, if your veins look more like an olive color, you are warm toned. If you are not really sure, or are somewhere in between, then you are probably neutral and can wear either color.

But beware, it is very dangerous to get a white swimsuit unless you get a really good quality one that you are sure won't become see-through when wet. Instead, a nice light blue or light coral suit, and a white sun dress would really compliment your skin tone and make you look tanner too.

Have you ever wanted to have beachy waves at the beach without having to go into the water and get your hair wet and hoping that it looks good after it dries? Well, I know I've wanted some fast easy hairstyle to do before hitting the sand and sun. Wavy hair is the perfect way to keep your locks in the summer, casual yet put together. However, using a curling iron can be a little cumbersome or time consuming for a casual beacht trip. Not to worry, there is a much easier way.

You may have seen Sea Salt Wavy Hair sprays around. Sometimes they can be extremely expensive, notably, the Bumble & Bumble spray is around 25 dollars. However, the best part of beachy waves is that you don't need an expensive spray, you can make it yourself.

What you'll need:

1. Cup of water (warm while mixing ingredients)
2. Two table spoons of sea salt
3. One teaspoon of a conditioner, it can be a store bought conditioner, or aloe vera, or an essential oil such as coconut oil.
4. Optional: teaspoon lemon juice and/or vodka (lightens hair)

Mix these ingredients while the water is warm and put into a spray bottle, and then spritz into hair and scrunch. This works best if you spray into wet or damp hair, scrunch and then wait to dry. If you want waves that will really last all day, you can put your hair into braids the night before and spray with this. When you take them out in the morning, spray a few more times again. Salt can be very drying for your hair, that's why it's important to always add the conditioner/essential oil. Also, the optional lemon juice or vodka will lighten your hair for a more summery color and tone. If you use the lemon juice, keep the spray refrigerated, if not, you can keep it at room temperature and use whenever you like. To keep waves in all day, also use hair spray (lightly, we don't want hair that sounds like Pringles when you touch it)

Also, don't forget whenever you go to the beach to bring a clip for bangs or shorter pieces of hair, because it's windy, and you'll be very glad you had it. Plus, a scrunchy always comes in useful when you want to either go in the water and keep your hair dry, or to keep your hair from flying everywhere when you're trying to read or so on.

Being at the beach is all about being natural and yet beautiful. Obviously you don't want to go to the shore with a smoky eye and bold red lip. The best thing to do at the beach is to look like you are wearing no makeup at all, but still help yourself in a few little ways.

Lips

At the beach a nude lip is probably best. Whether you have fair or dark hair, a lip color that is a light pink or rose is perfect for staying natural and yet looking beautiful. If you have a darker skin tone, find a color that is slightly tinted, but still in the vicinity of the color of your skin. Also, if you can find your lip color as a Lip Stain rather than a lipstick or gloss, that would be ideal. Glosses and lipsticks can make your lips sticky, and with so much wind at the beach, your lips are like a sand/hair magnet. It would not be very attractive to have sand stuck to your lips or even worse hair, which always seems to happen when you have sticky lip gloss on. A lip stain is just a color that you fill in your lips with, without a base that is sticky or even substantive. They are sold everywhere, from CVS to Sephora and around ten dollars.

Eyes

For eyes, I think that keeping it simple and natural looking is the best. Maybe just a simple eyeliner and mascara make for a put-together yet defined look, without looking over done. If you really wanted to do shadows, you could do a very natural looking eyes with a dark color in your crease, a slightly lighter in the middle of the lid, and a highlight on the brow bone.

Skin

If you have relatively little skin imperfections, then all you need to do is use a tinted moisturizer with SPF. That way, it’s light coverage, a moisturizer, and protection from the sun. If you have a few problem areas, quickly cover with concealer before leaving the house and put the tinted moisturizer over. Also, the beach is the perfect time to wear bronzer to give your face a healthy glow that makes you look more alive.

If you don’t need any makeup at all at the beach, even better! I think if you do want some, whether it makes you more comfortable or simply gives you more confidence, some mascara, lip stain, and a tinted moisturizer are the bare minimum for a flawless beach look.

You may think that it's hard to accessorize at the beach: you can't wear most jewelry because it inevitably falls into the sand or ocean, you can't wear too many hair accessories for the same reason. Makeup is at a minimum, shoes are limited. So what can you wear?

Well, the beach comes with its own set of accessories.

Beach Bags

Beach bags are a great way to hold all of y our supplies AND accessorize. These bags always come in summery prints and colors that you can easily match to your outfit. Plus, they are made for the beach so they won’t break if they get wet or sandy. You would be surprised as to how many things you need at the beach.

Tip: if you are bringing a cell phone to the beach, try wrapping the crevices on it (AKA the ports and headphone jack) with plastic wrap to keep the sand out. Also make sure you have a screen protector. If you’re worried about water, you should invest in an Otterbox cellphone case for your phone, which is waterproof. You can just keep it for the beach, since they are a little bulky, and even match it to your beach bag and swimsuit.

Sunglasses

The beach is the best place to wear shades, because they fit in, they actually serve the purpose of protecting your eyes, and they just make you look so much cooler than everyone else! The key to buying sunglasses is to not just get a frame that you like, but rather a frame that fits your face. Try on different shapes and look at yourself in the mirror. It should be very evident if square vs. cat-eye works better for your face. Plus, try to get darker colored lenses because a lot of the time lighter lenses along with the bright sun and reflective sand can make for an unpleasant beach experience. Lighter lenses tend to intensify brightness, and can sometimes give you a head ache if they make the surroundings too bright. Also, did you know that UV rays can even damage your eyes, not just your skin, so sunglasses also protect your eyes from harmful rays.

Floppy Hat

Floppy hats are a great way to accessorize. They add a personal touch to any outfit and look super cute with shades and a nice swim suit. Also, they shield your face from the sun, which is awesome. Floppy hats also always have unique designs and allow you to show some uniqueness at the beach, and they make for a very classy beach ensemble, something that you would see Jennifer Aniston wearing on her Malibu beach property.