Women Campus | Hello beautiful!: The Best Spring Break Beauty Tips For Before & During Your Trip - Part-I

You've spent the last two months admirably persevering through winter weather and midterms, neither of which exactly translates into looking like a wanton beach goddess. It's time to toss aside your tights and brandish your bikini, but don't panic if you're not yet in full bloom.

HC interrogated a myriad of beauty experts from makeup artist and creator of PIXI cosmetics Petra Stand, to Director of Skincare Education at Sanítas boutique skincare Krista Eichten, LE, to craft your all-inclusive, time-sensitive spring break beauty plan. With a clever mix of preparation and execution (and incandescent skin and playful makeup), you'll be the one making the cabana boys sweat.

Skin

Before Your Trip:

Start using eye cream containing caffeine, such as Garnier Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller ($13, Walgreens) which tightens skin and increases circulation to decrease puffing. Pack it along for your trip and apply morning and night: late nights, lack of sleep, and salty margaritas are a prescription for dark under-eye bags.
Hours in sun, sand, and saltwater often cause redness in skin, and nothing looks worse in tagged photos than your lobster-face. Stop using skin medications containing retinols like Differin and Retin-A a few days before you leave. "They make your skin more susceptible to UV damage," says Krista Eichten, LE. If you're pimple-prone, reach for products like the Tea Tree Mask which contain tea tree oil and clay to "tighten pores, control oil, and heal blemishes" and are safe for use in the sun.
Invest in a full-spectrum UVA, UVB, and UVC-blocking sunblock. "Most consumers don't know that sunblocks are physical blockers, while most sunscreens you'd find at a drugstore use chemicals that allow skin to absorb the sun's rays and just not burn. These chemicals are basically free radicals, that oxidize and cause loss of skin elasticity over time," explains Eichten. Sanítas Solar Block is an oil-free sunblock that contains zinc-oxide, a super healing antioxidant that also neutralizes redness.

During Your Trip:

Stay on a regimen. When you get back for the night, use a gentle cleanser and "avoid alpha hydroxy and salicylic acids—they're too aggressive," informs Eichten. Finish with a great moisturizer brimming with antioxidants, not waxes: "Antioxidant vitamins (like Vitamins C, E, and D) are our bodies' own way of sun protection and help reverse the damage."
Using and reapplying sunblock every few hours is imperative and non-negotiable. "You may not see the damage today or tomorrow, but UV rays accelerate your aging, cause hyperpigmentation, fine lines, and wrinkles. The tone and texture will also change. It's not a question of if, it's when," warns Eichten.

Body

Before Your Trip:

Even the most adorable bikini looks pitiful next to scaly skin, and dead cells inhibit the absorption of ingredients during waxing, moisturizing, and self-tanning. Try a full-body exfoliator like Caress Evenly Gorgeous (Kmart, $5) in the shower to get even, and work it all the way down to your feet for soft soles.
Hair removal is best done a couple days before you strip down to your bathing suit, to allow for healing. Schedule your wax or shave two days before you plan to depart, then soothe irritation by applying a cortisone cream.
You now possess the perfect canvas to paint on your faux-St. Bart's glow. Fair skin tones can build color gradually by applying Jergens Natural Glow Revitalizing Daily Moisturizer (Walgreens, $8). Then the night before you leave, apply a foolproof tinted self-tanner and allow it to dry before getting into bed. Beach Sexy Sunkissed Bronze Instant Self Tan Lotion with Tint (Victoria's Secret, $12) imparts immediate color for even application and develops into a long-lasting tan.

During Your Trip:

Conceal tan lines and maintain your self-tan with a body bronzer. Lorac's TANtalizer Award Show Glow Firming Body Mousse (Ulta, $33) bestows a seriously gorgeous glow that is neither sticky nor shimmery and contains a cocktail of firming ingredients. Blend it over tan lines, along your collarbones, and down your legs to diffuse imperfections.