Style File: Coachella Inspiration

Bassnectar's traditional "family photo" taken at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2013, by Drew Ressler, courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

Bassnectar’s traditional “family photo” taken at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2013, by Drew Ressler, courtesy Wikipedia Commons.

To everything there’s a season, and in the California style scene, Coachella musical festival marks the beginning of warm weather style inspiration. Sure,  it’s a ginormous music festival—but it’s also the place where performers, celebs, and concert-goers alike debut their super-stylish looks.

The Jewelry Junkie, courtesy photo.

The Jewelry Junkie, courtesy photo.

Here’s a little bit of Coachella spring/summer inspiration:

The Jewelry Junkie is female-operated, 100% handcrafted in the U.S. brand offering jewelry pieces that are unique, stylish and affordable.  Boho meets elegance with these handcrafted, southern-inspired collections. Whether you prefer statement pieces or dainty touches, The Jewelry Junkie collections have earrings, necklaces, chokers, rings, bracelets and more. Plus, each piece has a unique touch of leather, gemstones, and beads. In addition, The Jewelry Junkie donates more than 10% of all net proceeds of every sale to local and international charities. 

Agabhumi charms from Bali, courtesy photo.

Agabhumi charms from Bali, courtesy photo.

We love these empowering charms from Agabhumi’s hip, designer collection of impeccably-crafted jewelry imported straight from Bali.  Each piece evokes the Indonesian island vibe and collaboration with the artisans of Bali. Co-founder Regina Kirshbaum created this collection to remind us of our power within, these Agabhumi charms provide a perfect message for the feel good festival. 

By Lilla hair ties that double as bracelets, courtesy photo.

By Lilla hair ties that double as bracelets, courtesy photo.

Warmer weather means getting your hair off your neck, which is even easier—and prettier—when you have a stack of By Lilla designs on your arm. A brilliantly simple idea, hair ties that double as beautiful bracelets, these babies are functional yet fashionable. And you can easily stack them up to share with your friends. 

Tonle calf length vest, courtesy photo.

Tonle calf length vest, courtesy photo.

Every thread matters at tonlé, a zero-waste fashion brand that is one-of-a-kind. The reduce, reuse and recycle ethos makes its way into the fashion world with this Cambodia-based clothing line. The sustainable styles of tonlé use remnants discarded by large manufacturers and create beautiful, comfortable clothes, without wasting a single scrap in the process! In just one year, this bold brand has saved 10,000kg of textiles, 70,000kg of CO2, 200kg of pesticides, and 42,296,600 gallons of water—and they’re just getting started. Check out the calf-length vest, hand-woven from a curated mix of remnant cotton jersey and cotton yarn for a great warm weather throw on piece. No two pieces will be exactly the same, making your look truly one-of-a-kind.

Renpure Black Line Coconut Water Replenishing Treatment Mist, courtesy photo.

Renpure Black Line Coconut Water Replenishing Treatment Mist, courtesy photo.

Keep your hair in tip-top condition and lay the foundation for healthy, nourished hair with Renpure products, like Coconut Water Replenishing Treatment Mist, a great portable option for adding softness and shine. Part of their Black Label Coconut collection, this mist utilizes the innate properties of rich and creamy coconut oil to give sun and product damaged hair the hydrating drink it needs to appear healthier and younger, while controlling frizz and preventing breakage and split ends. 

Naked Truth Beauty products, courtesy photo.

Naked Truth Beauty products, courtesy photo.

Outdoor music festivals are the perfect place to let your natural beauty shine. When chemical and toxic ingredients just aren’t gonna cut it—keep it green and clean with Naked Truth Beauty products.   This socially responsible beauty, the eco-friendly line takes the guess work out of choosing safe products by using only simple, high quality ingredients that are from the earth—stripped down for your skin. Stylish lip and cheek all-in-one colors like “as if,” “promise me, rose,” and “Beauregarde” offer great versatility, as well as products you can feel good about using. 

The 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival begins on Friday, April 13 and ends on Sunday, April 22, with headliners including Beyonce, The Weeknd and Eminem, among many, many others. For complete details, click here.

Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on April 9, 2018.

 

Style File: Get Your Glow on With Girlactik

Girlactik lip products, courtesy photo.

Girlactik lip products, courtesy photo.

Developed by former Hollywood makeup artist Galit StruganoGirlactik 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

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.

Style File: Pureology Hydrate Air Dry Cream

Photo courtesy Pureology.

Photo courtesy Pureology.

If you, like me, are part of the one in two women who put down their blow dryers in favor of air dried hairstyles (source: 2012 US Beauty Track Report Women), you’re going to be excited about Pureology’s new Hydrate Air Dry Cream.  This is a great post-shower product for easy, low maintenance styling, and is specially formulated to enhance body and natural texture by locking in moisture while simultaneously delivering a faster air-drying time, frizz control, and hair color protection.

Pureology's Hydrate Air Dry Cream, courtesy photo.

Pureology’s Hydrate Air Dry Cream, courtesy photo.

Plus, Hydrate Air Dry Cream can be applied to hair the night before or directly after shampooing to achieve an effortless yet pulled together look perfect for all occasions.

Hit snooze and now running late for work? Apply a quarter-sized amount of Hydrate Air Dry Cream to damp, freshly shampooed hair and twist strands back on each side of the face and secure. Once at the office, shake hair out for a naturally textured look.

Need a quick style that only looks like it took hours? Before bed, apply a quarter-sized amount of Hydrate Air Dry Cream to damp, freshly shampooed hair and separate hair into four large sections. Twist each section in a tight rope bun and secure with an elastic. In the morning, remove elastics and tousle hair for easy waves.

Love a braid but hate flyaways? Run a dime-sized amount of Hydrate Air Dry Cream through clean, dry hair before styling to keep wispy strands in place without the crunch.

Ready to ramp up second day hair? Apply a dime-sized amount of Hydrate Air Dry Cream to only the ends of dry hair to liven up limp or smooth frizzy ends.

Made with soy, oat and wheat proteins to strengthen, rebuild and repair, and with jojoba, green tea and sage to add condition, Hydrate’s signature aromatherapy blend includes ylang ylang, bergamot, patchouli and grapefruit scents. The company also has a whole line of Hydrate products specially formulated for dry, color-treated hair, including shampoos and conditioners and other styling products.

Visit Pureology.com for more information.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on June 28, 2017.

Seasons Greetings: Reusable Wrapeez

Wrapeez reusable gift wrap is great for the holidays, courtesy photo.

Wrapeez reusable gift wrap is great for the holidays, courtesy photo.

There’s nothing better than a holiday product that keeps on giving, except perhaps one that also saves you time. 

There’s a new invention called Wrapeez, a reusable stretch fabric gift wrap! That’s right, now, you can have a nicely wrapped gift in less than 20 seconds. 

Just stretch it, wrap it, and reuse it. No scissors or tape required. It easily stretches over different shapes and sizes, such as toys, balls, clothing boxes, gift cards, and more.

Simplify your season with Wrapeez reusable gift wrap, courtesy photo.

Simplify your season with Wrapeez reusable gift wrap, courtesy photo.

Not only is it easy to use, there’s no paper waste, the produce is eco-friendly and reusable. Good for the planet, beautiful, and convenient—now that’s what I call a wrap!  

For more information and to purchase Wrapeez, visit www.wrapeez.com or Amazon.com.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on December 10, 2016.

Style File: Yes To Shampoos and Conditioners

Yes To conditionerI try to get my fruits and veggies in wherever I can, and the Yes To line of shampoos, conditioners and skin care products are super clean, widely available, inexpensively priced, top notch natural beauty products. 

I recently tried—and really liked—the Yes To Ultra Moisture Coconut & Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner.Yes To Shampoo

The coconut contains hydrating fatty acids that naturally moisture the hair (and skin), it also smells like a tropical vacation. Other products in the line feature Farmer’s Market staples like tomatoes (for acne prone skin), cucumbers (for sensitive skin), grapefruit (for uneven skintone), blueberries (for fine lines and wrinkles), and carrots (to naturally protect and nourish your skin and hair).

Not only can you feel good about getting your fruits and veggies in this way, the Yes To company also states, “Our products are tested on YES TO employees, friends and family, but never (ever) on animals. We are against animal testing and ensure our manufacturers adhere to this same principle. YES TO believes in safe and effective testing alternatives, while ensuring product and consumer safety. Reinforcing our commitment, we are Cruelty-Free and a certified member of the Leaping Bunny Program, the highest standard for companies committed to no animal testing.”

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on December 3, 2016.

 

Style File: Natura Bissé’s Pure Air = Pure Bliss

Natura Bisse Bubble Pure Air at Bacara Resort & Spa, photo by Savannah Johns-Pedrocchi.

Natura Bisse Bubble Pure Air at Bacara Resort & Spa, photo by Savannah Johns-Pedrocchi.

Bacara Resort & Spa (8301 Hollister Ave., Goleta) recently added Spanish cosmetics brand Natura Bissé to its world-class 42,000-square-foot Spa and Wellness Center, and as a special treat, had a pop-up appearance of Natura Bissé’s infamous Bubble Pure Air last week.

I was one of the lucky ones who got to be the “girl in the plastic bubble,” and my facial was amazing! The bubble creates an exclusive place to perform treatments where according to a company spokeswoman, “the air guests breathe is 99,995 percent pure. The exclusive experience allows spa goers to immerse themselves in a serene environment filled with soft aromatic notes that take guests on an exquisite journey to well-being. It is a singular experience, providing exceptional results that rejuvenate and purify.”

I have to agree: it felt great and my skin has never looked better!

Established in Barcelona, Natura Bissé has become a worldwide success in the cosmetics industry as one of the fastest growing beauty companies with a strong commitment to research and innovation. The Bacara has launched a new treatment line and service menu with Natura Bissé, with special pop-up appearances of the Bubble Pure Air, so stay tuned for your chance to be the next girl (or guy) in the bubble.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on November 12, 2016.

 

Style File: Think Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness Month

lemongrass love by jane iredale October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, which not only helps build awareness about this terrible disease, it also brings a flurry of mostly pink products, specially formulated to help the cause.

One of my favorites is actually not pink: Jane Iredale‘s new limited edition Lemongrass Love Hydration Spray. Produced in collaboration with Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Lemongrass Love is a 100% natural, 30% organic aromatherapy facial spritz that conditions and protects all skin types while leaving skin looking smooth and revitalized. Not only is a pleasant, refreshing way to cool off and condition your skin, 100% of the profits (not just proceeds) from the sales of Lemongrass Love will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a national education and support organization whose mission is to connect people with trusted breast cancer information and a community of support.Charity wrap scarve

The Charity Wrap’s scarves are another great way to do good and look stylish when your outfit calls for a little extra touch of beauty. Made of 100% Viscose, they are long (33” wide x 35” long) and great for layering. Ind addition, The Charity Wrap is offering 20% off with the code fightforpink when you make a purchase through them. 

Mixed ChicksOne my favorite hair products, Mixed Chicks, has a great promotion going on this month. Every year, Mixed Chicks uses pink caps on their leave-in conditioner and for the month of October. One dollar from each sale of leave-in conditioner at mixedchicks.net goes to Save the Ta’Ta’s

Another great hair product, Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray, offers a limited edition pink design was created in partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. Oribe dry texturizing sprayAn alternative to dry shampoo, this invisible dry hair spray builds incredible volume and texture and supports the National Breast Cancer Foundation to increase breast cancer awareness for women across the country.

Want to commemorate your breast cancer recovery date or the date of someone you love with a special memento? During Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, Not Just Any Old Day mark your special cancerversary date with pride and gratitude on a stylish Calendar Key Pendant that features a pink ribbon charm and a Swarovski crystal. Not Just Any Old Day donates a portion of all proceeds to the American Cancer Society.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons on October 6, 2016.

Style File: The Wonder of Wunderbrow

Wunderbrow Eyebrows are the one thing  you can get into shape without exercising, but that doesn’t mean they’re without their own challenges. After trying dozens of shaping and shading products, I’ve finally found something unique: WUNDERBROW semi-permanent eyebrows.

This is a safe, one-step solution to eyebrow shaping with origins in the United Kingdom.  Formulated with “Permafix Gel Technology” and Hair Fiber Complex,  WUNDERBROW creates a perfect set of brows in less than minutes. Instead of just a wand of color, color and fibers are fused together to create a natural look that lasts up to 72 hours.

They are water resistant with impressive staying power. You simply apply the product (the wand is similar to mascara) to clean, dry brows in the direction of hair growth. You can just fill in sparse spots with feathery strokes or apply over the entire brow for a more defined look. WUNDERBROW is designed to remain in place until you are ready to remove.

For more information, visit WUNDER2.com.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on September 29, 2016.

Style File: Chocolate & Roses

Karen Herzog Rose Cream

Karen Herzog Rose Cream

Chocolate and roses are two of my favorite things, and the Karin Herzog Swiss-made line of oxygen skincare products (reportedly favored by none-than supreme English rose herself, Duchess Kate Middleton) offers both—minus the thorns and the calories!

Karin Herzog’s Rose Cream smells ever so sweet and combines the detoxifying and hydrating properties of 1% oxygen with the soothing, toning and brightening effects of rose. It works to deep clean pores, calm and treat skin conditions such as rosacea, blemishes and hyper-pigmentation and has anti-inflammatory properties, inhibiting pigmentation and balancing pH for a fresh, luminous face.

Karin Herzog’s Choco2 boosts moisture and evens skin tone, while pampering the senses with the luxurious scent of Swiss chocolate. The combined power of 2% active oxygen and Swiss chocolate provides vital energy to skin while flushing out debris and toxins.

As well, Karin Herzog’s Chocolate!  anti-oxident intensive moisturizer is formulated with premium Swiss chocolate, avocado and wheat germ, to create an intensive, vitamin-rich facial moisturizer. This nighttime nourishing treatment soothes skin and restores suppleness.  Additional ingredients such as vitamin A help revive and renew dull complexions, while vitamin E soothes irritation and the rich chocolate creates a truly comforting experience.

Karin Herzog 7 Creams of the Week

Karin Herzog 7 Creams of the Week

Still not sure which to try? Karin Herzog also has a fun 7 Creams of the Week sample set available, which includes a travel size collection of these best sellers:

  • Rose Calms and regenerates the skin for radiant complexion.
  • AHA Cream Gently exfoliates with mild fruit acids.
  • Vita-A-Kombi 1 Detoxes, deeply hydrates and fights first signs of aging.
  • Additional Sweet Comforts the skin, protects and locks in the powers of the oxygen.
  • Oxygen Face Treats blemishes and acne and normalizes the skin.
  • Essential Mask Instant Beauty Booster for the weekend.
  • Vitamin H Rich in valuable vitamins and skin nutrients to help the skin regenerate.

All are available at www.karinherzog.com.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on July 19, 2016.