Tag: La Roche Posay

Tinos Countdown

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In June, I count the days. The days until I am eating a Greek salad and drinking a glass of rosé at my favorite café at the Port of Rafina, in Athens, awaiting the ferry that will take me to my happy place, the island of Tinos. There, for two weeks, I will enjoy the sand, the sun, the sea, I will swim and read and eat and think and write and sleep.

In addition to counting the days, I relish the weeks leading up to that day and the anticipation by preparing for my trip in very specific ways. Here is my vacation preparation routine.

  1. I like to have 5-10 books to read during this two-week period – both fiction and non-fiction, both what one might consider “trash” and business books. On my list so far are The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Who is Rich, In the Name of Gucci, Off the Clock, The Verdun Affair, Principles, and more.
  2. Bathing suits. New year, new bikini. My collection is slowly but surely growing. I love Volcom, VIX, and Roxy.
  3. Even if I have any left from last summer, I purchase new sunscreen every year (it expires and all that). Of course, daily, the Alchimie Forever Daily Defense SPF23. And in addition to that, LaRoche Posay’s Anthelios Nourishing Oil SPF 50+ and Coola Sport Face SPF50 White Tea Organic Sunscreen Lotion.
  4. Beach body. I strive to eat healthy year-round, but in June I pay particular attention. More water, more vegetables, no carbs or sugars (I make an exception for champagne and wine), less cheese. And hopefully a three-day JRINK juice cleanse…
  5. Beauty appointments. The week before I leave, I make sure to get my eyebrows waxed (thank you Erwin and Karma!), have a pedicure (choosing a particularly exotic nail polish shade), and do a full body polish (this, at home, with Aveda Beautifying Radiance Polish).
  6. Every summer has its own playlist, songs to listen to on the road, at the beach, on the balcony. I have not yet started this summer’s playlist… any recommendations?
  7. Goal list. I head to Tinos with a list of goals, usually involving thinking projects, content creation, strategic planning. It’s amazing what happens to my brain when I let go of the daily tasks and activities and make room for the bigger picture.
  8. Don’t bring to Tinos list. I usually get a couple projects done in June that have been on my gameplan for months – because I refuse to “take them” with me to Tinos. Whether it be a project I have been procrastinating on or a random administrative task I have not yet figured out how to delegate and must take care of, it is getting done before I get on that ferry.

Is it June 29 yet?

Beach Beauty

Categories All, Beauty, My life, TravelLeave a Comment on Beach Beauty

The week of July 4th is one of my very favorite weeks of the year – not so much because of Independence Day, but because I spend this week on the Greek island of Tinos. The days are filled with swimming in the very salty sea, sand, rest, rosé wine, and Greek salads. Given that I spend eight hours on average at the beach each day, my beach bag beauty essentials are, well, essential. Here are my must-haves.

Even though I will exclusively be in the shade under an umbrella (except when swimming), I protect my face and body with the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL 50+ sunscreen oil. It smells delicious, has the texture of a dry oil, and is water resistant. On my face, I’ll layer that over the Alchimie Forever prototype of our Daily Defense cream SPF 23 (in the blue bottle), for added antioxidant protection from vitamins C and E, and blueberry and edelweiss extracts.

At the end of the day, when leaving the beach, I’ll slather on my Protective Day Cream, which is lightweight enough for the heat, and our Antioxidant Skin Repair Gel on my body – yes, it is for men, but I love the gel texture and the fresh scent. And all of the anti-inflammatory ingredients are great for post-sun exposure.

To keep my hair frizz-free and to prevent the sun and salt from drying it out, I spray the Aveda Sun Care on a few times per day.

To make my pre-vacation manicure and pedicure last, I carry with me SpaRitual’s Twinkle Shimmer blue (for my toes) and Christian Dior’s Nail Glow (for my fingers) with me (I love that product, it really does make the pink part of my nails pinker, and the white part whiter!).

Finally, I don’t leave the house without my favorite summer product, Huile Prodigieuse by Nuxe. I use it on my face, body, and hair, to nourish my skin and give it a nice glow and prevent dryness from the salt. I even use it in lieu of fragrance, the aroma is so wonderful. No wonder Nuxe sells one of these every 6 seconds!

On that note, I am off to the beach…