The Actress’ Summer Beauty Essentials

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Rhym GuisseSumma, summa, summa-timmeee! It’s summer time and that bikini beach body is on everyone’s mind. That’s all good and stuff, but let’s focus in on our careers here. Getting in shape for the beach is awesome, but this should really apply to being camera-svelte all year-round.

As actresses we are always conscious of our health and fitness, after all we do want the camera to love us. The meme ‘Eat clean, train dirty’ is everywhere I look…this mantra, along with the cross-fit worshipers has taken health and fitness to a whole new level. While I’m super happy to see that the ‘natural’ look is in and the orange ‘tanning’ is out, there is still much left to be desired in the realm of summer beauty. The current fitness fads such as the squat for that perfect derrière and pole dancing lessons are all the rave, let’s not ignore some basic and new summer beauty routines, shall we?

The Mane

Now this is especially for my fellow beach bums. Ah there’s nothing better than digging your toes into the sun and letting yourself fall asleep to the sound of ocean waves while baking in the sun, right? Well, right, but we also don’t want our hair getting that damaging and drying effect while we’re ‘bout that beach life. Thanks to UVA and UVB rays from sun exposure, you can expect the aforementioned if you don’t shield your hair, because after all who wants to walk into an audition with fried hair?…when the role did NOT call for it. Exactly, so to avoid the frizzy, brittle and dried out look be sure to shield your hair and start incorporating these tips into your hair routine:

  • Steer clear of the popular sun activated hair lightening products- lemon juice and products with high level of alcohol or peroxide in them
  • Keratin-based deep conditioning treatments
  • Use Leave-in conditioners and hair product that have a minimum of SPF 12 in them (consensus is in the range of SPF 10-15)
  • Wear hats! Duh

Driving & the Risk of Skin Cancer?

If you’re anything like the road warrior I am, you’re probably assuming “well I’m running around to auditions mostly in my car so, I don’t have to worry about sun exposure really.” Right? Wrong. Apparently, millions of Americans receive a large portion of their sun exposure in cars. In fact 53% of skin cancers in America occur on the left -drivers’ side- of the body: “The increase in left-sided skin cancers may be from the UV (ultraviolet) exposure we get when driving a car,” said Susan T. Butler, MD, coauthor of the a recent study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

So, make sure to wear sunscreen running to those auditions, although you may think being in the car or running errands in between doesn’t add up it does! And there’s more to convert your car into a sun shielding:

  • Wear sunscreen on your arms, hands, face, and neck of at least SPF 15. And remember there is no such thing as ‘waterproof’ sunscreen. It is to be reapplied every 2 hours and every 40min if you’ve been in water or sweat a lot.
  • Tint your car! Transparent window films screens out almost 100% of the UVB and UVA rays and are available in all 50 states.
  • Keep the Sunscreen in the car, within reach. Be careful not to let it cook in there, with extreme heat the preservative and active ingredients may degrade and won’t be as effective.
  • Add extra sun protection to your wash load. Products like SunGuard provide a protective coating that can block over 96% of the sun’s rays from seeping through fabric.
  • I know they are amazing and you feel super kool, but just say no to convertibles and sunroofs. FYI 82% of skin cancers are found on the heads or necks.
  • And my favorite. DRUMROLL. Eat MORE Chocolate! Yes, you read right. According to a recent study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, eating little bits of 70% dark chocolate or higher throughout the day. The “antioxidant-rich dark chocolate may increase your own UV protection.” Thank you researchers for confirming my suspicions, that chocolate fixes everything.

Makeup Queen Meet MAC PRO

Last but not least for the makeup mavens. Sorry, I don’t have any mind-blowing new makeup guru’s video link. However, I do have one of the best deals around; that I’m surprised hasn’t really been advertised much. While there aren’t any kind of rewards cards for all that makeup you purchase at MAC, there is something called a MAC Pro membership. It allows Performers/On-Air Talent to be able to save 30% on all MAC purchases, and its only $35 for a 1 year membership. Visit the MAC Pro website and get directions on how to sign up, requirements for actors it’s a headshot and resume!: www.maccosmetics.com/macpro