fresh summer looks

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.discoverbeautywithin.com/ for more fun stuff!

I've done my research! Over three hours of wandering the aisles of two separate San Francisco Walgreens locations with one patient toddler. Here are my favorite finds, my pretty picks and my fresh summer looks!

No. 1: Neon nails. Neon, especially pink, can be found almost anywhere these days, in artwork, on furniture, on jewelry. It has been around for a while, and I don't see it going away any time soon. Neon nails are an effortless way to freshen any look with a crazy-bright pop of color.

Walgreens has a wide selection of neons by Sinful Colors. If you want something slightly more subdued, Sally Hansen polishes in Might Mango no. 420 and Sonic Boom no. 260 are nice picks that pop without the neon. I've been wearing neon orange on my nails for a week and have gotten tons of complements on it!

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No. 2: Red lips. Do you know why I think this idea is fresh for summer? Because not everyone does it. Because when I see a woman wearing red lipstick in the summer, it means she doesn't follow every trend, and that she loves wearing it, and that it works for her. I think a face with scant makeup, a good brow and a red lip is always fresh and in style. Is you face a little darker in the summer, even though I know you are wearing your sunscreen? Good! Try some red lipstick. I bet your teeth and eyes will look nice and bright in contrast. Pretty!

 Look, I'm smiling with my eyes!

A lot of the reds in summer tend to be on the coral side. I'm talking about blue-reds. The two tubes shown above are great blue-reds, Maybelline Red Revival no. 645 (my favorite) and Very Cherry no. 635.

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No. 3: Paint your Band-Aid. Got a banged up toe? Ingrown toenail? Don't be afraid to wear your sandals and flip-flops this summer. Grab a flexible fabric type Band-Aid and include it in your pedicure. I did!

 These are the ones!

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No. 4: Tie it up. Whether your hair is windswept, or just slept on as mine so often is, a nice floppy scarf tied around the head is a great look for summer. When I saw the cool, silky scarf in the hair accessory department of Walgreens in this great polkadot pattern I had to grab it. It's already save the day a few times since I picked it up!

 Also available in "Wild Life"!

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No. 5: Sparkle! Don't be afraid of ersatz gems! I used to be, but I've been around a lot of ladies who love them over the past few years and now I can't get enough. I recently attended a wedding where I felt it might be inappropriate to draw too much attention to myself and didn't wear anything sparkly. I spent the whole night staring at the wrist of the woman sitting across the table from me, jealous of her wide rhinestone cuff. I won't make that mistake again! Especially when the summer sun starts to set. That's when the gems really light up.

 My personal stash of vintage/cheapo rhinestones.

I found a big rack of inexpensive rhinestone pins and barrettes at Walgreens and picked up several pieces to hot glue together to wear in my hair. It really does make you feel special when you're shining. Believe me!

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No. 6: Make waves. With some styling clips like these ones from Conair, you can set your damp hair quickly on the beach or after a shower and have some nice, imperfect, finger-style waves in an hour or so.

Here is the general pattern I use. Starting at the top, clip hair forward. Go down a bit and clip back. Repeat. I don't even use product, just air drying the hair in the clips gives a nice effect. If you are interested in a really great finger wave tutorial, click here. I found this randomly a few months ago, and she really knows what she's doing!

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No. 7: Fake it 'til you make it. False lashes are not for everyone, I know. But look at that photo of me back up in item number four (the scarves). I have almost NO eyelashes! On one of my trips to Walgreens I found a gigantic rack of "falsies". Within that rack, to my delight, I found this very natural looking pair.

These are Ardell Accent Lashes no. 301, just little falsies for the outer part of your eye. Some of you know I wear giant, crazy lashes on a fairly regular basis, for the stage. But these little ones I think I can get away with in a more normal setting. Check out my before and after shots:

 BEFORE: My bare eye in all its glory.

AFTER: Try to stay focused on those lashes. The rest of this photo is a mess!

 For a little help with how to apply false lashes, look here.

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No. 8: Exfoliate everything! Two bucks worth of sugar will exfoliate you all summer. I keep a container of sugar in the bathroom, and when I shower I pour a few handfuls and rub my arms and legs vigorously with it. You could mix it with some baby or coconut oil if you like, but I find if I use one of those oils AFTER my shower, on wet skin, I get the same effect. I always use the sugar treatment before a performance. It really works!

So that's it! If you have some fresh drugstore beauty tips, please leave them in a comment below. I hope you have a really great summer!