Tag Archives: SB Style File

Style File: Get Your Glow on With Girlactik

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Girlactik lip products, courtesy photo.

Girlactik lip products, courtesy photo.

Developed by former Hollywood makeup artist Galit Strugano, Girlactik cosmetics are designed as an affordable luxury brand that will make you look great. Plus, the products will actually stay on, so that you can get on with your life and not worry about continually retouching your makeup.

We tried an assortment of products—including pigmented, shadows, blushes, glosses, eye shadows, moisturizers and more—I particularly liked the Long Lasting Matte Lip Paint Liquid Lipstick in Playful and Posh shades and the Tinted Moisturizer, as well as the Soft Powder Eyebrow Pencil. 

Cosmetics shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, and this line of products has grown since it was founded in 2000 to become a true affordable luxury cosmetic with a customer demographic ranging from women in their early 20’s up to their 50’s and beyond. Girlactik has even attracted a celebrity following from people like Eva Longoria, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Cindy Crawford, Paris Hilton and more.

Check out this video for the lip paint colors:

Look for the pretty packaging (a soft pink chandelier pattern decorated on shimmering pewter boxes) at local drug stores. As  Galit explains, “I wanted a woman who was sitting at Barney’s for lunch to feel comfortable touching up her lips with a luxury gloss vial and I did just that.”

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on November 18, 2017.

Style File: Beachy Keen Beauty Products

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Now that summer is in full swing, here’s a round-up of our absolute favorite can’t-leave-home-without-them products for the season. Take a peek inside our beach bags before you hit the sand.

Just when  you think you’ve seen everything under the sun in the sunscreen, along comes yet another format: Supergoop! SuperPower Sunscreen Mousse SPF 50 is the first ever sunscreen in a mousse formula! The light as air, quick absorbing, water resistant formula delivers broad spectrum SPF 50 with a smile. Blue Sea Kale provides antioxidant protection, while a blend of Shea butter, olive and avocado oils leaves the skin nourished and moisturized. This complex blend of natural oils acts as a daily moisturizer to rehydrate skin. Available exclusively at Sephora (in Paseo Nuevo) & Sephora.com.

If mousse is not your sunscreen preference, what about powder? Colorescience Brush-On Sunscreen offers powerful SPF 30 UVA/UVB protection, alone or over makeup. You can use it instead of makeup for natural-looking coverage and SPF in one simple, on-the-go application and water-resistant, sweat-resistant sun protection.

Protect your hair from the sun and even undo some of the damage caused by heat styling, humidity and sun with Art Naturals Argan Oil Thermal Shield. This blend of natural extracts provides deep layers of moisture while providing a barrier against heat. Spray it on before outdoor activities and it also works as a natural detangler for unwieldy and thick hair.  Key Ingredients include: Anise, Rosemary, Peach, Thyme, Sage and Ginseng. 

Keeping your nails looking pretty and healthy is even more important during the summer, when toes are exposed much of the time. Surya Brasil’s Exotic Animals Nail Polish Collection is a unique nail collection is inspired by nature’s wonderful colors—and each shade is dedicated to a specific exotic animal from all over the world.

The summer sun can dry out your lips, but butter LONDON’s Sheer Wisdom LUSH Lip Oils will protect, firm and restore your lips with a blend of amino acids and a fusion of botanicals that saturate your lips in lush, sophisticated color for a sheer wash of neutral color in one quick swipe. Available online at www.nordstrom.com.

A day at the beach is great, but it’s easy to leave feeling less than fresh. Want to run errands on-the-go without stopping for a shower? Purequosa Organic Cleansing Body  Spray is a unique product that you spray on the skin to hydrate and help to neutralize odor. The ingredients include Colloidal Silver which has antiviral, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Plus, it’s available in three light scents: Coastal, Desert and Rain.

Sometimes you want to have that beach look without actually getting a tan. True Natural Self Tanners offer safe, non-toxic alternatives to tanning that avoid the dangers of UV rays, tanning beds and spray tanning. These award-winning self-tanners use natural ingredients, including vegetable-derived DHA and Erythrulose, to give your skin a gorgeous, natural tan without sun exposure, resulting in a gorgeous tan after only 3-4 hours that lasts up to a week!

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on July 24, 2017.

SB Style File: Holiday Stress? Try Coloring Inside the Lines!

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Excerpt from "100 Things to Draw With a Triangle," by Sarah Walsh.

Excerpt from “100 Things to Draw With a Triangle,” by Sarah Walsh.

When young children need to “settle down” there’s something very calming about focusing their energies on a coloring book, which is probably why adult coloring and doodling books have become so popular.

I finally got around to trying out some of the coloring books and, I have to say, coloring inside—or outside—the lines really is a great stress reliever. It’s also a fun gift idea.

Here are some of titles to check out, all of which are widely available at local bookstores and craft stores:

20 Ways to Draw a Star and 44 Other Far-Out Wonders from the Sky and Galaxy_cover_web_large

20 Ways to Draw a Star by Studio SSS – A new take on the world of sketching, doodling, and designing that encourages you to take a step-back and think about all the different ways to draw something.

100 Things to Draw with a Triangle_Cover Large

100 Things to Draw with a Triangle by Sarah Walsh – Think of all the possibilities! Stars, snowflakes, trees, gifts and more! Doodle your way to getting into the holiday spirit, this book includes 112 pages of art prompts and inspiration based on one simple geometric shape, a triangle.

adult coloring book

Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Patterns by Blue Star Coloring – A book to let you relax, decompress, and let your inner child out to play for a while.

Change Your Life One Doodle at a Time_Cover_Web_Large

Change Your Life One Doodle at a Time by Salli S. Swindell – Making small changes through this fully illustrated, interactive art doodle journal is about embracing change in many ways, and seeing it as a positive force. Features 150 art prompts.

Portable Color Me Happy_Cover_Large

Color Me Stress-Free, Color Me Fearless, Color Me Calm, Color Me Happy – by Lacy Mucklow and Angela Porter – Organized into therapeutically­ themed chapters, these books examine the benefits of putting pencil (or crayon, marker, and ink) to paper and offers adults an opportunity to channel their anxiety into satisfying, creative accomplishment. Also available in smaller, portable versions that fit perfectly inside a stocking!

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Doodling for Bookworms by Gemma Correll – Your favorite book nerd will love this great activity book filled with literature-themed prompts from Shakespeare, George Orwell, and Jane Austen.

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Doodling for Tree Huggers and Nature Lovers by Gemma Correll – This sassy journal is packed with more than 50 fun and inspirational prompts, doodling exercises, and outdoorsy factoids—perfect for those who love the great wide open.

enchanted_forest

Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford – Fall under the spell of the #1 New York Times Bestseller with a magical coloring book that takes you through an enchanted forest to discover what lies in the castle.

Tangled Gardens

Tangled Gardens Coloring Book by Jane Monk – This book helps you create a warm and inviting garden while you wait for spring to return.

Tangled Treasures Coloring Book_Cover

Tangled Treasures Coloring Book by Jane Monk – Jump into the relaxing spell woven by Zentangles with the meditative action of coloring.

Happy coloring!

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on December 17, 2015.