It’s hard enough to abstain from anything, let alone the sun. The feeling of those rays warming your shoulders is just too good to resist. So, if you’re going to be outside, be smart about it and protect yourself. I’ve combed through tons of new formulas and chosen my summer sunblock picks that will have you covered from head to toe. Check out my favorites in my TV segment that aired on WGN’s and CLTV’s Living Healthy Chicago. Need a cheat sheet? Here’s a roundup of my sunblock picks. Whether you have oily skin or are a sweat machine, this list has a formula for everyone. FACE Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50 It’s lightweight, oil free and has a matte finish so you can easily layer with makeup. Vichy Normaderm Pro Mat SPF 15 We tend to look shiny and greasy in the heat. This formula solves that problem by absorbing excess oil on our skin. Aveeno Positively Ageless Has antioxidants such as feverfew and soy that repair skin and offers protection as high as SPF 100. BG TIP Even though it offers a high SPF, it’s important to apply a teaspoon worth of product to your face to get the proper protection. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Powerful Sun Protection SPF 30 These individual towelettes are one of my all-time favorites. They’re great for face and body when you’re on-the-go. Supergoop! SPF 30 Sunscreen Wipes These wipes contain a physical blocking agent (zinc oxide) so they’re gentle for sensitive skin types and kiddies. Clarins Sunscreen Wrinkle Control Eye SPF 30 Has plant-based extracts so it will protect without irritating your eyes. Want to try this product for free? Check back tomorrow. I’ll be giving away 3! LIPS Benefit Benetint Lip Balm SPF 15 This beautiful cheery balm is perfect to slick on at the beach because it adds a pinch of color without looking like you’re trying too hard. Clinique Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 Available in an array of juicy shades. Avon Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick SPF 15 in fuchsia fun. Love this hot pink for daytime, and I recommend pairing with a golden eye. Tarte Natural Lip Sheer SPF 15 Get the benefits of a lip conditioner, plus a hint of color. Kinerase Ultimate Volume Lip Conditioner SPF 20 Plumps, repairs and protects your pucker. What more could a girl want! BODY La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 60 The cult favorite Anthelios franchise that used to only be available abroad has landed in the US. This formula retains its SPF for an additional 40 minutes post swim and sweat. Mission Skincare All Sport Premium Sunscreen SPF 30 Formulated with athletes in mind, this spray is ultra sweatproof and a dream at the beach because the spray application makes reapplying sand-free. Neutrogena UltraSheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 70 Say bah-bye to tacky, greasy sunblock. This formula absorbs in a jiffy and feels invisible on skin. HAIR The below products contain UV blocking agents. Mists: L’Oreal EverPure UV Protect Spray and Kerastase Soleil Micro-Voile Protecteur. Styling aide: Goldwell Sun Reflects Shimmer Gel. Treatment: Leonor Greyl Huile de Palme Before Shampoo Treatment for Dry Hair.
Become a Beauty & Style Insider!
For more info. or to book Nicole for your party or consult, email info@thebeautygirl.com or call 773-698-8103. PERSONAL CONSULTATION: Don’t let the salesperson behind the counter bully you into buying that eye shadow. Nicole acts as your personal beauty stylist/shopper during your one-on-one personal consultation. She’s worked with people of all ages from 13 to 60s. She’ll edit your makeup bag, offer personalized application tips and show you what’s worth it from each brand to help you shop smart so you have the best look and routine that works for you. THE BEAUTY GIRL PARTIES: Nicole will come to your event and reveal Hot Tips, Backstage Secrets, Product Picks, Fashion & Beauty Trends, celeb makeup artist tricks, skincare must-haves and more! Plus, find out what really goes on behind the scenes at top fashion magazines from Nicole Pearl, The Beauty Girl , whose early days at a New York City fashion magazine mimicked the escapades recorded in The Devil Wears Prada. Nicole, who has written for mags including Cosmopolitan, Allure, Seventeen and Self and can be seen on TV networks such as WGN, FOX and NBC, offers unique entertainment that’s customized for your guests so you can enjoy one-on-one time with a beauty editor. The parties are fun for any occasion (think bachelorette parties, bridal and baby showers, sweet sixteens, bat mitzvahs, b-day parties, corporate events, girl’s nights out) and include product giveaways and gift bags for all attendees. Add-on options for beauty services are available as well. BOOK YOURS TODAY! SCROLL DOWN FOR SPECIALTY PACKAGES.
What’s Included:
Pre-Party Phone Convo: Every party is one-of-a-kind.
Swag Bag: Editors never leave a fabulous party without a Gift Bag, so you and your guests won’t either.
Add-on Services: Spray tans, manicures, hair styling, makeup application, photo sessions and other fun options are available.
SPECIALTY BEAUTY GIRL PARTY PACKAGES!
SPA PARTY Who doesn’t love makeup and massages! This party package includes spa treatments, gift bags and The Beauty Girl’s best secrets. All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the pampering!
SAVE YOUR FACE PARTY Grab your friends and enjoy an evening of cocktails, food, OXYGEN FACIALS and BOTOX 
during this Beauty Girl Party, held at the MedSpa Cellular Intelligence in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Along with my beauty tips and secrets, you’ll choose between two of the most popular anti aging treatments celebrities like Madonna swear by before hitting the red carpet, and you’ll get 10% off the entire CI product line.
FITNESS & BEAUTY PARTY This package takes place at Chicago’s Exhale Spa where you and your guests will enjoy popular fitness classes such as yoga and core fusion followed by a beauty bonanza! In addition to great gift bags, this package offers significant discounts on all Exhale services including classes, spa, retail items and party rental discounts.
Still on the fence? Here’s what previous clients are saying:
“Having Nicole speak at the bridal shower I hosted was like a breath of fresh air! All of the attendees, from age 26 to 76, found her helpful insights into the world of beauty and fashion, both interesting and fun! Everyone loved her little “giveaways” too! She was the perfect entertainment for the shower and everyone is still talking about her!” — Reva Nathan, founder of Reva Nathan & Associates
“Nicole provided her services at my baby shower. She was extremely professional and really enhanced the entertainment by teaching my guests the latest in beauty care. I highly recommend her. She was awesome! In addition, the guests each walked away with a customized beauty gift bag. Nice touch.” — Dusi Lettvin
“I so appreciate the time you spent with me and the tips and recommendations that you shared. I am grateful for the suggestions. You’re a gem and I was inspired by your approach, expertise, wisdom, humor and you made make-up less complicated, great fun, and refreshing — just what I needed.” — Marcey
For more information or to book Nicole for your party or event, email info@thebeautygirl.com or call 773-698-8103.
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The Beauty Girl on TV: How To Wear Makeup To Look Younger
Looking younger can be as simple as choosing the right makeup. Watch my latest TV segment on WGN’s and CLTV’s Living Healthy Chicago for age-defying makeup tips. Now that you’re equipped with the best tips, here are my product picks: Prep the skin with a Primer: Lorac aquaPRIME, $30, is oil-free so it’s great for sensitive skin. Get flawless skin with a semi-matte Foundation: MAC Mineralize SatinFinish SPF 15 Foundation, $29.50 Keep Eye Shadows neutral: I like the following shades: Napoleon Perdis Ultra Pearl in #28 or #46, $18 each; Pixi Fair Light Solos Eye Shadow, $14; www.target.com JK Jemma Kidd I-Design Eye Color in Vanity Fair, $16; www.target.com Laura Mercier Eye Colour in Burnished, $22; Curl lashes with a Lash Curler: Shu Uemura, $19 Hide dark circles with an Undereye Concealer: Bobbi Brown Brightening Spot Treatment Corrector SPF 25, $35 Fill cheeks with Blush: If you prefer a cream formula, try Maybelline Dream Mouse Blush in Peach Satin or Rose Petal $5.99; drugstores nationwide. If you prefer a powder, try Maybelline Expert Wear Blush in Precious Pink, $4.49; drugstores nationwide. Get luminous skin with a Highlighter: DuWop Doubleglow 7, $25 Enhance Lips with light Gloss. I like Rimmel Royal Gloss, $4.99; drugstores nationwide and Stila Lip Glaze in Papaya, $22.
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Trend To Try: Turquoise Eye Makeup
Nanette Lepore 2010 Spring Fashion Show
Second chances don’t come often. If you missed the turquoise boat last summer, get on board now. It’s a look that’s really never gone out of style (in 1810 Napoleon gave his second wife Marie Louise a crown of turquoise as a wedding gift). This season, the blue-green hue is back on the runways, shown as the standout bright adorning model’s lids.
Gucci 2009 Spring Fashion Show
“It’s a bold color that works with any skin tone, eye color and hair color. It can add a little flare to the most neutral makeup and is popular during summer because it’s a gorgeous accent to bronze skin.” says Jerrod Blandino, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Too Faced cosmetics. 
Do wear turquoise as an accent color on your eyes or nails. Don’t match your makeup to your outfit. Hot Picks 
Too Faced Eye Shadow in Neptune. “This shade reminds me of a mermaid tail and can be applied as a liner or shadow,” says Blandino. 
Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream Shadow: The new smudge-proof, tear-proof and crease-proof formula comes in a gorgeous sea-blue with shimmery undertones that makes lids look like they’ve been swept up in a wave. Love it for beach days. 
Wet n Wild Mega Liner Liquid Eyeliner: Drag this green-based turquoise along the upper lash line and wing it out to create a sexy cat eye. BG TIP: to form a cat eye, place a credit card at the outer corner of your eye at a 45-degree angle and draw the line along its edge. 
Make Up For Ever Professional Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil: For a pop of color that won’t run, rim lower lash lines in this vibrant shade as seen at the Nanette Lepore runway show. 
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Calypso Blue: This perky polish adds personality to any getup be it black, neutral or a rainbow shade.
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Bridal Makeup Beauty Tips
(That’s me on my wedding day)
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Get Skinny for Summer & The Skinny On Degree Natureffects
Do you recognize any of these scenarios? 1. You tell yourself you’ll go to the gym tomorrow and then a few too many tomorrow’s later your time has run out and the big event is here. 2. You’ll be shedding your sweaters before you know it (I pray) and have realized that all those Home Run Inn pizzas you scarfed down when you were too lazy to bare the cold are starting to show. Suck in! 3. Your days are filled to the brim so there’s no time for a sweat session. Whatever your reason (ahem) excuse for not working out, The Biggest Loser’s ball buster Jillian Michaels has an at-home workout video that makes it impossible to justify not getting in shape. 
I first heard about her 30 Day Shred DVD ($10.99) from a friend of mine who is a new mom (she did the video 3 times in one week and lost 5 lbs!). My friend heard about it from her friend who said it helped her lose her baby weight. Having discovered a workout video that only takes 20 minutes and is actually making a difference, it’s no surprise that word is quickly spreading from the playground to girls around town. I was sold by the idea of being able to exercise in less time then it takes to get a mani and tried the workout for the first time with my sister, who of all things, is also a new mom to her second son Luke. The video has three levels (we challenged ourselves starting on level 2). My initial thought was, “It’s ONLY 20 minutes. I can handle it.” Once we got into it I soon realized how the combo of strength, cardio and ab training for 20 minutes nonstop can kick your ass. I wouldn’t call it fun (I’m not the type who would ever describe a workout as “fun”) but it is efficient and effective. Like any workout DVD, it can start to feel monotonous, but no one ever said losing weight was all that and a bag of chips. 
On that note, if you’re like me and don’t wake up motivated to work off the calories, here’s some food for thought. Degree’s new Natureffects deodorant claims to put a positive spin on your mood. The deodorant comes in three scents (honeysuckle and tea tree oil, orange flower and cranberry and olive leaf and pink pepper), and according to a Degree Women Survey, these nature-inspired scents are uplifting and can relieve stress. So, the next time you need some help turning your pre-workout frown upside down, it may just be worth giving these sticks a try.
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Top 5 Spring Fashion Trends
I anticipate the coming of spring as I did my wedding day. I can’t wait for it, I’m so excited for it and I don’t want it to end. Call it a bit premature (it’s a balmy 35 degrees in Chicago), but I’m not alone when I say that tanks and tulips are on my mind. The peeps at Bluefly are gearing up for spring and introducing their top trends for the season. I spoke with their head stylist Tanesha Smith and found out her picks for the hottest trends. 1. Feathers
Accessories are a great way to stay on trend without killing your budget
2.Pastels
Sorbet shades are the perfect spring treat
3. Military
Skip the head-to-toe uniform and stick with separates
4. Tie-dye
Unless you’re in the circus, only wear one dip-dyed piece per outing
5. Nudes
Naked never looked so good
Now that you’re hooked up with the latest trends, here are some of Tanesha’s best in-case-of-emergency tips worth keeping in your back pocket.
“I keep shout wipes in my purse — no lie — and always pull a snag in, not out. Also, double stick tape is not just for the professionals and J.lo. Once you buy some, you will find yourself using it more than you ever imagined!”
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A Beautiful Skin Roundup
When I come up from air from The Beauty Girl, I dive right back in and spit out a few freelance stories here and there. You can find the latest skin-centric batch on Total Beauty. Want million-dollar skin using drugstore products? Click here. To find out what she’s doing to look so hot, click here. To learn the beauty secrets of put-together women, click here.
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Heidi Montag’s Plastic Surgery Obsession
My mantra is “beauty shouldn’t be a bitch”, and poor Heidi Montag had to go and make it one. This is what happens when a sweet Colorado girl gets swept up in Hollywood. She literally physically lost her identity. After undergoing a sickening 10 plastic surgeries in one go (she had her boobs and nose first done in 2007), the 23 year old landed the cover of People for all the wrong reasons. She’s looking more like a combo of Cher and other celeb’s body parts (see the resemblance to Angelina Jolie in her brows?) than herself. While she believes these changes will only help achieve her dream of becoming a pop star, the reality star, who clearly isn’t in touch with reality, neglected to realize that paying for Dolly Parton-size bosoms doesn’t mean she’ll suddenly have talent like Dolly’s. That $30,000 wasted on “improvements” would have been more wisely spent on intense therapy sessions, vocal lessons and dance classes. 
This poll is now closed
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Phish-ing for Compliments
If you’re looking to swim in a sea of dudes, go to a Phish show. I went to my second one this week (my first was in June) and once again it was raining men. However, there is one caveat: don’t expect any chivalry here. Phish shows are sacred grounds where men retreat to their boyhood. They push and shove, they break into their own trance dance without an ounce of self-consciousness and brace yourselves—they wear headbands. It’s hard to believe that the manband could be worse than a guy wearing a shell necklace…but it is. Apparently, I didn’t get the memo about wearing headgear to the show, but if I did, I would have burned it for the good of the male species. 
Mario Lopez is a double miss in a headband and wifebeater
Don’t: Whether you’re bald as a baby or you’ve got a mop, this isn’t a sexy look. It doesn’t work on Mario, and it won’t come off any less cheesy if you’re name is Mark, Mike or any other shmo. Leaving the house with any version of a doo rag is a telltale sign you’re a douchebag. So guys, step away from the headband and leave the hair decoration to the ladies.
Natalie Portman wearing Jennifer Behr’s crystal twist headband
Do: Wear a headband if you don’t have a Y chromosome. It’s the finishing touch to any outfit from a swimsuit to a business suit. Here are some of my favorite brands: Goody (the styles look way more expensive than the drugstore prices), Jennifer Behr, a favorite of celebrities and beauty editors, and Susan Daniels (I especially love her feather headband, which is very similar to the one Jessica Alba wore when photographed with her daughter Honor in LA).
What’s your take? It’s hard not to harp on these guys for committing such a fashion no-no. If anyone wants to come to their defense so I can try to understand the reasoning behind this fashion doozy, I invite you to make a comment.
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Go Phish
While everyone is talking about what songs Phish did or didn’t play during this weekend’s shows at Alpine Valley, I got hooked on something else. I left the concert with a new appreciation for the band’s musical prowess, a beaded necklace—and a boatload of material for Beauty Don’ts. Phish fans may be loyal and committed to spreading warm fuzzies, but when it comes to grooming, they need some tough love. 
Among the balloons and glow sticks floating through the crowd, I wouldn’t be surprised if lice were also hopscotching from one set of dreads to the next. The biggest Beauty Don’t: Dry, Mangled Hair. It’s understandable that after all the bouncing around at the concert, most fans leave looking like they’ve been through the dryer. But, what about a wash?! It’d do a lot of Phishheads’ heads good. Beauty Do: Clean, shiny hair. The clean part is self-explanatory. Any shampoo will suffice. The shine component is where I come into play. For hair that’s dull, brittle, tangled, frizzy, or, in a nutshell, hardly picture perfect, a little drop of Moroccanoil ($39) is your magic potion. 
At the heart of the earth-friendly formula is hydrating Argan oil as well as other proteins and vitamins that your mane will sop up. Stylists are obsessed with it because it makes their jobs easier. The oil, which isn’t greasy, protects strands from hot styling tools, adds vibrancy to colored-treated hair and softens and smooths hair texture to make blow-drying a cinch. Now it’s your turn to try. I just can’t promise you won’t get addicted. *Tip: To determine if your hair needs some conditioning, wrap it in a bun and tuck in the ends. If your locks slip out, you’re golden. If the bun stays in place on its own, break out the Moroccanoil.
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Nicole Pearl, The Beauty Girl, has written for national publications including Allure, Cosmo, Marie Claire, Self, In Style, Seventeen, and more. She appears as a beauty and style expert on TV for shows like TODAY, Windy City LIVE, and more. She's covered NYC and LA Fashion Weeks, has been a guest speaker for corporations, hosts events and offers services. The Beauty Girl blog is Nicole's exclusive insider notebook, sharing her V.I.P. access to the latest in beauty. Welcome! Still curious about Nicole? Click here.
To book this beauty expert for parties, events, TV segments, media tours, personal consultations and appearances, email info@thebeautygirl.com
