Blog Posts by Beyond the Beauty Pages, SELF Magazine

What it is: Lifetherapy created the first eco friendly hand creams that will leave your skin silky smooth and take you back to summer vacays.

Why it's cool: The brand launched their hand creams in three different fragrances: vacation, play and escape. Play, a youthful scent of grass, jasmine and orange hints to a sunny day spent outside, while escape is a blend of pineapple, gardenia and bark that alludes to a perfect for a getaway. My fave, vacation is a mix of coconut, white orchid and sandalwood, which brings to mind a warm, sunny day on the beach.

Where to find it: To choose your favorite mood-matching scent, click here.

Note to SELF: According to the Taste & Smell Foundation, fragrance memories are stored more deeply than visual memories. That's why a whiff of "Play" may take you back to your parent's back yard faster than a photo. Which scent brings you back the most? -- Lindsay Leff

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I recently read about a woman who has vowed to wear the same dress for a year in an effort to expose our wasteful, over-consuming generation AND raise money for children's school uniforms and supplies in the slums of India. Her name is Sheena Matheiken and her challenge is called The Uniform Project. She had a friend design a dress inspired by one of her favorite styles-- it can be worn front, back or even as a tunic. Now don't worry, she had 7 versions of the dress made for hygiene's sake. She is giving a dollar a day during the year to her charity, the Akanksha Foundation, to show that $360 pays for one child's education. She is totally inspiring me to find new ways to wear things I already own. You can follow her snazzy and creative styling daily. Some of my faves are below:

Are you guilty of owning too many clothes? Half of which you never even wear?

-Audra

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• Healthy Beauty Awards: 86 top buys for skin, hair

What it is: Shira was flipping through our July issue of SELF and came across an ad for the new Garnier Fructis Wonder Waves collection, featuring a model with gorgeous, full hair. After staring at Garnier's model, her very own hair looked exactly like the before shot! She rushed to a drugstore later that day and bought the entire line, super anxious to see if it would actually work on her hair. Using all four products the following morning, Shira left for work with her hair dripping wet. After air-drying throughout the morning, one look in the mirror revealed smoother, frizz-free waves!

Easy tips for great-looking hair!

Why she likes it: "They were super affordable, really easy to use and actually do what the ad promises. My waves are tighter, shiner and less frizzy! My hair was soft (not crunchy) and I've gotten more compliments in the last two days than I ever imaged!! I usually straighten my hair when I want it to look nice, so it's good to know I can finally wear it natural and

This just in from our Creative Director, Cindy Searight:
"The other day in an art meeting the topic of pedicures came up and 3 people starting wildly RAVING about Sally Hansen "Insta-Dry" nail polishes so much so that I felt I just HAD to try them. A Paula Derrow practically jumped off the couch with enthusiasm over the product!

I bought it, tried it last night, and I have to say, quite impressive !! (Although the brush is tricky to handle and you need to get the hang of it.)"

Nail-care tips: Flawless nails, now!As the resident beauty director here at the magazine I love when this happens, the nail polish won May's Healthy Beauty Awards for the best new nail polish, and I raved about it on various TV segments over and over and finally, A the people speak. It's so fun when a favorite makes the headlines with people you respect.
And that reminds me, my toes need a touch up, insta-dry here I come. Did I mention that the brush is designed so that with one stroke you cover your whole

Yesterday, I popped by an event where up-and-coming makeup artists and hair stylists gave me their best tips and advice, plus some fabulous primping. When I sat down at the chair of Emily Kate Warren (she's a fantastic makeup artist who we have quoted many times in SELF), she asked, "So, I'm thinking about doing blue eyes on you-how do you feel about that?" Always up for a new challenges and makeup adventures, I replied, "Of course!" And I'm now so excited that I did. She swept on a royal blue shade mixed with teal tones to create marine-inspired eyes that look as vibrant and multidimensional as the ocean-perfect for a summer night out!

See our tips: Easy makeup tweaks for gorgeous eyes

A couple of her genius tips:
*When doing a high-drama eye, stick to sheer, subtle shades of pinks and corals on your lips and cheeks.
*Put on your shadow and liner BEFORE you put on your foundation, blush, etc. Because some flecks of the bright color will inevitably fall, it's best to do your eyes,

I don't usually turn to the guys of SNL for beauty advice, but last night Will Ferrell debuted his new line of sun block on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and I had to share the SPF with anyone who missed.

The broad spectrum SPF 30+ -- which will be available on Amazon.com -- is paba, alcohol and fragrance free, and donates 100% of proceeds to the Cancer for College Scholarship Fund. While I haven't heard anything about the non-greasy formula, I may have to buy one of the three variations on packaging alone!

Here they are (from left to right): Sun Stroke, Forbidden Fruit and Sexy Hot Tan, $12 each.


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• Subscribe to Self for less than $1 an issue. Get a FREE

I'll admit it; I have a nail polish addiction. I have been known to give myself a manicure every other day to try every great new color I see. Lately, I have been really into summer's bright colored nail trend; hot pinks, greens and blues shades look striking and fun everywhere! But after a day on the beach, my DIY manicure looks dull, faded and chipped.

So what is a nail polish perfectionist like me to do? I asked Elsbeth, a celebrity nail artist and consultant to Nailtini for tips on how to beach-proof my manicure.

Nail-care tips: Flawless nails, now!

Before the beach, prep your manicure with two coats of your top coat. "Applying the last stroke of top coat horizontally across the free edge of the nail helps prevent chipping even more", says Elsbeth.

Once at the beach, slather on your sunscreen, especially to hands since they are the first place to see telltale signs of aging. But sunscreen is known to discolor polish, so make sure you wipe your nails clean after applying.

After

Today's beauty find: Get your daily (or hourly) beauty fix with the new ShopStyle application for iPhone.

What it is: If getting the weather, checking your Twitter and running your own spa from your iPhone aren't enough, now you can shop for your favorite beauty goods on the go.

Why it's cool: There is no need to run to a computer or Sephora every time you want to buy a new shade of nail polish or replace your favorite lipstick. This app lets you search and buy all your beauty-musts from the biggest department stores and sites directly from your iPhone. That's not all. If you download the application before June 11 you can win a DVF bag or a $500 Barneys New York shopping spree!

Where to find it: Click here to download the app and sign up for the contest.

Note to SELF: Looking for more iPhone beauty apps? Check out MakeUp from Modi Face to try on hundreds of different looks and iStylist Makeover for a new hairstyle. --Posted by Alessandra Foresto

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