TWE’s Beach Day Beauty Haul
By Malcia Greene
Beach days, simply put, are the best. An ideal afternoon spent on the sand is different for everyone. For some, it’s soaking up rays with a steamy romantasy in hand. For others, it’s body surfing the waves or hopping on a jet ski with a friend. But no matter how you choose to spend your beach day, the real non-negotiable is UV protection.
Certified esthetician and Celebrity Facialist Vee Mistry breaks it down for us. “When hormones fluctuate, we can become prone to not just sun damage, but melasma. Reapply SPF every hour—no matter how much makeup you have on. That’s non-negotiable,” Mistry says. “If pigmentation starts to show, focus on keeping skin cool, hydrated and nourished. Avoid exfoliating, peeling, frying—any of those harsh treatments.”
Broken down into five categories, the knitty-gritty of market knowledge is simple. We’ve rounded up our favorite beach-ready beauty products to make the most of your next day in the sun. Here’s what you actually should be investing in.
Pre-Beach
Body Oil (SPF): Lux Unfiltered N°30 High Gloss SPF 30 Oil, $44
The Holy Grail of hydration lies within Lux Unfiltered‘s N°30 High Gloss SPF 30 Oil’s formula. Fortified with natural moisturizers like jojoba and grapeseed, its mission to moisten is met with a sun shield of shimmer in glowy, bronzing fun. Not to mention, its neroli scent with notes of flower and driftwood is next-level, alongside Lux’s award-winning profile of active ingredients, such as avobenzone and octocrylene.
Deodorant: Glossier Deodorant, $23
Let’s call a spade a spade: au naturale antiperspirants are not for everyone. Nor are they beating the out-of-service allegations anytime soon, either. That being said, the Glossier Deodorant needs to be on your radar — and it’s not up for debate. In signature scent Glossier You, this lightweight and airy aroma actually works, as supported by superfruit elderberry extract and coconut oil. Plus, its unique potato starch ingredient is key in the sped-up moisture absorption process, leaving sweat smelling seaside.
Fragrance: Essential Faith Essential Faith Oil, $65
For some, less is more. For others, too much is never enough. With this in mind, Essential Faith’s namesake oil has earned its title as the Goldilocks of light fragrances. Difficult to detail yet impossible to forget, Essential Faith’s small but mighty hit of an aromatic Indonesian stimulant is equal parts clean, musky and adjacent to amber. (In short, it’s the ‘IYKYK’ of scents, in perfumey-perfection form.)
Skin
Cleanser: Cellcosmet Gentle Purifying Cleanser, $75
Post-beach, our skin is often muddled with SPF, saltwater and sun damage. (And any other arbitrary substances float in the sea). All this to say, Cellcosmet’s luxury Gentle Purifying Cleanser will meet your post-jet ski riding needs with ease. Standing out with the aid of actives like witch hazel hydrogel and yellow sweet clover extract, these pore-purifiers reduce redness while also softening skin. Chef’s kiss to this liquid bliss (which does, in fact, double as makeup remover too).
Liquid gold this, lightweight powers that. Hear ye, hear ye: yes, SEKKISEI’s really is all that. Their dermatologist-recommended Herbal UV Defense Gel is the premiere, paraben-free Korean SPF for fighting high sun rays with causal yet kick-butt force. Courtesy of main ingredients such as an enriching aloe-base, SEKKISEI’s formula is bewildering, blendable and also acts as a primer.
Tinted Moisturizer: Isle of Paradis Sunny Serum , $25
Sunburns aren’t chic. Shining like the North Star, on the other hand, is. For the days when your skin needs an extra dose of TLC, let Isle of Paradise’s Sunny Serum take it away. Formulated for an immediate air dry with niacinamide and squalane to moisten and shield during application, the serum’s radiant glow offers a beautiful bronze with a noncommittal attachment to high UVs.
Facial Mist: GLASSFX DUOHYDRAfx Double Layer Serum Mist, $72
Glass skin isn’t a trend, it’s a way of life. GLASSFX’s DUOHYDRAfx packaging holds the imaginary keys to an energized, youthful dewy glow. For best results, shake and spray directly onto bare skin, and watch as key ingredients like glycerin hydrates while panthenol seals the skin barrier. Be wow’d by crystal-ball-clear skin so dewey, passerbyers will assume you’re coming from a luminosity lab.
Makeup
Eye Corrector: DRMTLGY Luminous Eye Corrector SPF 41, $44
On mornings you’d rather roll out of bed with little-to-no glam, do it with DRMTLGY’S Luminous Eye Corrector SPF 41. Forget sporadic rituals involving ice rollers, gua shas and patches, as DRMTLGY’s metal applicator cools to reduce an un-zhuzhed under-eye with less than a pea-sized amount. Blend with a finger to correct any blemishes that your beauty sleep didn’t cover to enjoy a moment of mineral-infused magic, ridding Sunday Scaries with sun protection.
Mascara: Too Faced Travel Size Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara, $16
Tried and true, the Too Faced Travel Size Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara is exceptional near a pool. Over a decade old, this antique volumizer lengthens without confronting clumpy chaos, while each lash into a voluminous vortex of stretch. Made using porcelain flower extract, omegas to condition and peptides to darken color, this mascara is it.
Blush: SACHEU Beauty CHEEK STAY-N All-Day Liquid Blush, $18
Obviously, the best blush is a subtle sunkissed, just slightly sunburnt-glow. The second is SACHEU Beauty’s Cheek STAY-N, sold in six different shades, being the unofficial (official) solution to sticky cheeks with a pop of pigment. Smear half a dot on one side while using the tip to blend on the other. Lovely for quick touch up prior to a coastal photo-op, SACHEU stands out with its no-frills, spongy applicator and mess-free routine. Perfect for minimalists and low-lift beauty gurus looking to add an extra oomph.
Highlighter: MERIT Day Glow Highlighting Balm, $32
Say you’re already smothered in sparkles and are in need of a more understated detail to complete the look; that’s where MERIT’s Day Glow Highlight Balm comes in. The Day Glow’s cherry-on-top, butter-like texture is the missing ingredient in your sack of staples. Bonus points for its vegan, cruelty-free formula with a vitamin-heavy base to fortify your skin barrier. Popular use includes the near tip of nose, corners of eye, cupid’s bow for optimal satisfaction.
Setting Spray: Urban Deca All Nighter Waterproof Makeup Setting Spray, $34
Memories frozen in time extend beyond just pictures, they’re also remembering that mascara wasn’t running down your cheeks during a round of chicken fights. Urban Decay’s All Nighter Waterproof Makeup Setting Spray is the all-encompassing version of an IRL laminator. Apart from its 24-hour smudgeproof, crackproof and transfer-resistant capabilities, the spritz of light mist locks in all products while lessening the overkill of a wet look. Infused with glycerin to hydrate and film formers to grip, this dewy magnificence will be sure to hook you.
Lip: Rhode Peptide Lip Tint, $20
Make no mistake: Rhode is always a good idea, and for good reason. Beyond its celebrity-adored founder, Hailey Bieber, genius marketing campaigns and appeal to lip-lovers everywhere, the limited-edition Peptide Lip Tint in Lemontini is the stick of the season. Its citrus flavor leaves a glistening finish with peptides — amino acids that hydrate and reduce fine lines, shea butter and vitamin E. Not only is Rhode’s latest launch a masterpiece, but its convenient packaging and narrow applicator make it perfect for a post-dip touch-up.
Lip (SPF): Supergoop! Glow Gloss Lip Balm SPF 40, $22
Plumping, protective and positively yummy, the Supergoop! Glow Gloss Lip Balm SPF 40 is the ultimate silky shae butter. Suggested to reapply every couple of hours for a non-sticky yet smooth finish.
Hair
Brush: Bur Bur The Mermaid Mini Brush, $54
Yes, you read that right. This tool was designed for mermaids and beach-goers alike. Bur Bur’s cute-as-a-button Mermaid Mini Brush Wet Dentangling Brush is the first choice for those always on-foot (or rather, fin, in this scenario). Perhaps you’d like to demat a poolside ponytail, do a saltwater-sponsored slickback or curate a DIY curl routine at the beach. Whatever the case, Bur Bur’s state-of-the art gentle nylon bristles on eco-friendly beech wood is the grab-and-go top-choice (and chic, to say the least). Not all hairbrushes are created equally, which is why Bur Bur’s reigns supreme.
Clip: Emi Jay Custom Big Effing Clip, $88
If it’s not custom, it’s not comin’ with. On that note, messy buns are born, not made. And what better way to make way — while making waves — in the sand than with the Emi Jay Custom Big Effing Clip? Bedazzled to the nines, have a ball while decked out in personalized bling and shine. Designed with Swarovski crystals in the option of six colorways, this clip is the sh*t.
Oil: Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil, $46
Alexa, play Honey by Mariah Carrey. Gisou’s Honey Infused Hair Oil with mirsaheli honey and bee garden oils is the ultimate hydration due; promised to curb breakage and ensure a glimmery finish. Rub a dash in your hands before applying and massage the rest into your ends. After all, actions speak louder than words, and Gisou’s results are fool-proof.
Post-Beach
Dry Brush: Sephora Collection Dry Body Brush, $16
Everyone knows that the highlight of a beach day is once it wraps. Everything showers — a wash in which you exfoliate, scrub, shave and clean every square inch of your body — is a sacred system reset. But before any of that happens, dry brushing must. SEPHORA COLLECTION’s Dry Body Brush exfoliates to remove dead skin through brushing upstream and in circular motions for better circulation and softer skin.
Scrub: OUAI Scalp and Body Scrub, $46
The multifaceted body scrub you’ve been waiting for is here, thanks to OUAI’s Scalp & Body Scrub. Sugar and sweet, this dual scrub’s profile of sugar, coconut oil and panthenol is fit for all hair types and skin textures. It’s not skin-shredding like others on the market, and truly rivals a St. Bart’s vacay, or should I say, OUAI-cay? Let the exotic fruits and a light amber aroma.
Grooming: Gillette Venus MoistureGlide with Argan Oil, $18.29
Last but not least, and certainly very chic, the Gillette Venus MosistureGlide with Argan Oil not only shaves, but lathers, too — nixing the cost and need for shaving creams for compact cleaning purposes. Watch everything wash away and enjoy your baby-smooth skin.
Lotion: Iota Oishii Berry Body Lotion, $38
You may recognize Oishii from its claim to fame for its viral Omakase Berry, inspired by the original grown and farmed in the Japanese Alps, but what you’re likely unaware of is the iota X Oishii Berry Body Lotion enriched with rambutan for anti-aging and niacinamide alongside a hit of caffeine, vitamin C to soothe, plump and nourish, while being both dermatologist-tested and hydrating for an for a soothing, skin hydration sesh. If you fancy fluffy, rich formulas, then this moisturizing magic is the move.
All this to say, every beach bum’s needs should be tailored accordingly. So fill your Chloé Banana Bag or Trader Joe’s tote with items that bring glee. It could be Swedish Fish, or loads of SPF beauty tchotchkes. As long as it absolutely includes sunscreen.
