The Perfect Makeup Palette: Tinkerbell!

    I'm after "sizing down" my makeup routine to suit my new beachy home and bathroom.  Will the  Perfect Makeup Palette solve the problem of having so many little palettes about?
    Pixi by Petra, found at Target caught me with their new "Tinkerbell" palette!
   Tinkerbell!  Oh how I lived for the yearly holiday black and white TV showing of Peter Pan! I lived for  the moment Tinkerbell appears.  I would be Tinkerbell.  I watched the show dressed in my tutu and ballet shoes!
  Yet, I am no Tinkerbell at an AARP range age, 5'8", with long brown hair and hazel-green eyes.
  Ah, this was my chance of a lifetime not to passed up.  My return to the beach is a return to my childhood dreams.
The makeup is soft and glittery.  In the beachy bright sun would I look like a very sad, down and out Las Vegas-has-been?
  I gave it a go!
  The eye-shadows do tend to float about on the eyelids even with use of a primer.  Yet, I did discover to use a darker shadow over the soft glittery ones to good effect.
  Even better I re-purposed the eye shadows into lipstick!  Just use a lip pencil, then layer on the Tinkerbell eyeshadow, and finish with a layer of the palette's lip-color.  This way the lip-color stays on forever! I did the bronzy gold under a wine color to gorgeous effect!
  I am not a bad-ass, I am a good girl: yet I am not a blush-using girl.  Yet again, I adore the supplied blush used to even the skin-tone.  Just swept everywhere including the eyelids; if forgoing the shadow colors.
  I could travel with this palette and need nothing more than a tinted foundation and mascara.
 Tinkerbell, oh how I've missed you!
 Now I need to find-me a tutu. Ballet slippers too!

Beach Blessings,

Venus and Her Beach Makeup

Sometimes I get a notion to dive into my makeup and find my Summer look. In the past the make-up "dregs and mistakes" did beach time, but never happily. Venus confers a new life, new make-up and thus a new look.

Yet, what works in warm to hot weather with high humidity and still says: Beach Goddess?

Foundation? Not a chance. What is going to work with your ever growing tan and sun-kissed cheeks and nose? A tinted moisturizer can play nicely off what ever color your face has going on: from early season pale-white to late season golden tones.

Eye shadow and mascara: yeah, your eyes that are day-time hidden behind sunglasses want out, bring it on. But forget the smokey eye which looks like you just arrived from "downtown". Seashell shimmer tones work well and say the beach is your playground.

Lipstick: Hell, Yeah! With the big summer hat and sunglasses on what else is there to see? Corals to Pinks to Sandy Beige work wonders. I adore my reds, yet except for Formal State Occasions the reds speak of hard driven ambition and glory: and who cares you are; At The Beach!

Beach Earrings: Lost and Found

The Summer before I entered Kindergarten, my Mom and her girlfriend, whose surgeon spouse would do the surgical-honors, got the notion to do an earring piercing beach-party.

My Dad gifted me with the sweetest earrings I ever did and will ever see: reversible posts: with a 14 carat gold ball on one end and coral ball-bead on the other.

Of course as I leaned over the sink to swab my ears and the earring: the one earring's coral bead landed in the sink and was forever lost to The Ocean, Neptune and Venus.

I was devastated. I swore then to always change my earrings while sitting on my bed. Thus I never have lost a pair of earrings again...... except for the one nuzzled off my ear and chewed by my now-passed Labrador dog.

Yet, almost a year ago, at the beach, I lost a beloved pair of earrings; lever-back drops of Moonstone and with a fringe of Coral Beads. I bought them as a gesture to the ones lost, so long ago and still missed.

How did the earrings get lost? Again I was beyond sad. Had I swiped my hair back after putting them on? Maybe caught in the hair brush? I looked and cleaned the beach cottage for one year with no luck. I kept the one pair as I could not bear to throw it away.

One year later the missing Moonstone and Coral Bead lost-earring was found by my housekeeper, as if thrown up by a high-tide into the wrack-line.

I broke into tears as I put on again my beloved "Beach" earrings.

Neptune and Venus: the Keepers and Givers of Coral: Thank You for the Return.

Beach Blessings,

Venus's Beach-Pedicure: Metallic Wins!

Who else plans their beach pedicure colors weeks in advance? Memorial Day to Labor Day is the window for the Summer Indulgence Whim Colors!

At last I found a color combo that is gorgeous with my tan and defies the sand-abuse! Metal-ics!

I adore O.P.I. and found a pinky-bronze. Then I used their gold glitter top coat which picked up the bronze lighter-notes. Of course a top-coat followed.

Five weeks later there is almost no wear or chips!

Next round I'm going to look for the same theme but in Silver!

Beach Blessings,

Formal Party gets you into The Starboard!

A Summer House Formal Party at the beach? It was all I could do to grab an outfit and work it! The outfit's inspiration was a to-the-max 1980's black beaded collar!

The Lion's Club venue was almost too fancy for us! We lived up to the challenge.

The party always segues to another venue. This time around it would be The Starboard.

Lines, lines, lines: there was NO WAY I was going to wait in line.

Wanna get into The Starboard without a VIP Pass? Formal Wear! is The Pass! The Bouncer hailed us in!

*When you are next at The Starboard and you want to see what truly drives the beat: step into the DJ Booth. Coming of Age Primal Ritual! Look up! Stars? Uh, no. Close! Look again! Only females are invited!

I was invited to Join The Club!

Beach Blessings,

Lucky Magazine: Thrilled; Thank You!

I adore Lucky Magazine. Over ten years of readership has given me oooddles of entertainment and has taught me how to grab anything from my Beach Closet and make it work for almost any occasion. As well, walking Dewey Beach has made me an expert on sandals!

Thus on Facebook I have followed Lucky's Page and postings.

Lucky asked their readers questions! I answered a query on my favorite topic: Summer Sandals!

I am thrilled to report that my quote-quip is in this May issue of Lucky Magazine on page 96! Dewey Beach is the given reader ( c'est moi ) address!

Dewey Beach: you made it into a Fashion magazine!

Beach Blessings,

Sandals and Beach Clothes!

In my next life I am coming back with any foot size as long as it is a "Medium".

Having a 10-AA shoe size makes shoe and sandal shopping an on-going search for Cinderella's Slipper; minus the Fairy Godmother!

Glumly into the "Famous Brand Shoes" store I went. A tiny bit of hope always propels me forward. To my amazement at nose level there were two pairs of edgy but elegant Birkenstocks in my narrow size! I bought them both! Ha, the boxes were marked Medium! They were in wait for me!

Today I started collecting my Beach Clothes Pile for Cottage Opening Day! Just pulling out of the drawers various Summer tees, skirts, jackets and even nightgowns made me slightly giddy!

Giddy with relief of Winter and it's lined-jeans worn with huge socks and even bigger boots!

Flip-flops? Must run now and make certain I know where they are hiding!

Beach Blessings,

What Would Venus Wear 2011?!

Whew...... my beach clothes shopping for 2011 season is nearly done. Luckily it was only a filling-in job of worn out items.

The Delaware sun is hell on clothing fibers. The tee shirts and bathing suits last only a season or two.

The bars and house parties do their damage on cute outfits. It is nearly impossible to avoid spilled beer and last Summer a new cute top left the party with candle wax splatters. Thus I shop looking to pay no more than $15.00 per item!

So what won my cash?

Kohl's did the work for clearance priced tee-shirts and tanks, cute-going-out tops with ruffles and sequins, and a $10.00 crazy funky-punky-girly 40's-ish dress!

LL Bean Outlet yielded up the bathing suits. The LL Bean check-out lady who has helped me for 10 years gave me the news that the outlet closes in April 2011. I told her I was going straight to my vehicle to cry; which I did. LL Bean: You Broke My Heart.

Next on the list: hats and sandals.

Beach Blessings,

Venus and Her Rip Curl Watch!

Today my beloved moon-like-pearl-face, Rip Curl Watch with Automatic Tide System analog Dials returned to me via FEDEX from repair with it's new battery and elegant but girly band.

This watch is so perfect for my beach life, that I forsook my cherished Rado of 20 years, and never looked for the Rado again until the Rip Curl without me headed to California for repair.

My Rip Curl is the only watch I wear at the beach: daytime and going out at night.

I always know the tide; I know where to head for the best beach/surf-action, and I know exactly where to place my beach chair!

I was nearly shaking from withdraw symptoms when opening the returned box. I had lived how many weeks without her on my wrist? I no longer at any time of the day could glance only to know: the tide-high/low, the tide range-highest of highs/lowest of lows, the Moon Phase! The MOON Phase!!!!!

Without my watch I was bereft and separated from a nervous-system connection to my beachy-universe. I still knew by heart and mind the date and current Moon Phase.... but not having the watch's visuals made me anxious and sad.

I bought the watch as I was tired of having a series of Timex's Triathalon Digital Watches drown and die from my swimming and beach life. I had no idea how the Rip Curl would become a gear of my daily beachy-gestalt and provide endless ticking moments of sheer joy.

Beach Blessings,

Sarong Time!

Sarong Time! When the Sarong is put into my beach bag, my Swimming Season begins!

I learned the Ways of The Sarong many lifetimes ago in Hawaii, and then in Fiji.

Mine is a ~ 3 yard swath of India Homespun cotton, nearly neon orange and green stripes, circa 1976! It is slightly faded but otherwise in perfect condition despite three decades of hard labor!

My Sarong goes from a beach coverup, and sometimes serves as an emergency umbrella atop my floppy hat, and then becomes my "towel" wrapping me up before and after my outdoor shower.

So this is how it works:

Keep the Sarong in your beach bag. Then once back at home base, hang it on your outdoor shower hook. Take your outdoor shower, then cover up with the Sarong. Inside the house you go do whatever until you finish getting dressed!

Remember to dry out the wet Sarong on your clothesline! Replace into your beach bag!

Towels be gone.

Sarongs Rule!

Venus Finds her "Cute Beachy Tops"

I laid out all my new clothes for beach-time and saw two missing items: cute-going out tops and tee-shirts.

Yes, I have a PILE of faded ragged tee-shirts...... and yes I am constantly on the hunt for them...... yet I am always short on these.  

I am not about to pay huge $$$$ for a tee-shirt yet I am so fussy as to the cut and fabric feel.  Oh, and the tee should dress up easily!

Thanks to Kohl's, I found a huge stack of soft thin cotton ones with a feminine cut and faded-out water-color patterns.  I bought five!  I am determined to throw out every last one of my yuccky ones......... do you believe me?  Will I succeed?!  OK, one or two old ones will be kept for gardening and Cape Henlopen Trail Days!

Also at Kohl's I found the fun "out at nite tops".  From top to bottom, narrow ridges of tiny ruffles of stretchy material, looking like fish-scales, with graphic prints on a faded background is artful, fun, and make me look like a Mermaid-at-Studio 54!  I bought two!

I have already a selection of soft knit ballet skirts for all of the above!!!

Ta DA! 

 

Beachy-Life and Handbag Logistics!

Oooh, the Summer Handbag Logistics! 

 I've worked it out, but I am always eyeing "street solutions"!

I travel to the cottage with my "everyday" favorite which holds a house and more.

Once at the cottage: out come the selections.  I'm very form follows function....... but the bag has to please and amuse the eye, and be a pleasure to feel and hold.

The vintage-y, almost-preppy flat-bottom straw basket gets tons of use for day-time errand shopping.  It holds my sunglasses, thrown in keys and small wallet, lip balm, and my notepad and pen. 

My minimal-design, smooth-straw, tiny wristlet gets play for fun nights out.  Key here is that it does not need to hold my bulky sunglass case!  The wrist strap can covert end-to end, like a normal bag.  Bonus points here as the handle can be hooked to the bar chair or rail.

The favorite going-out bag, for when it must hold the sunglasses, goes to a sexy-ruched-shaped, soft black leather bag with a tassel trimmed small handle! It fits perfectly under my arm.

Birding and outdoor adventures? It ain't camo-covered, but my hot-pink backpack works!

I do admire the fancy going-out backpack solution........ but it just seems too sweaty for  going-out clothes!

Hung on metal flower hooks, the cute handbags serve double duty decorating my bedroom walls!

Beach Blessings,

What Would Venus Wear? Earrings!

Each new Beach Season I look forward to adding at least one new earring to my collection.

You would think this would be easy..... but I have certain requirements.  The earring must say, "Summer", and signal my boho-glam beach-combing-ethic. 

 As well I need a gold wire earring ( lever-back preferred ) which is easy and light-enough to wear for the travel, hold up to a weekend of activities, and be light-hearted and fun-enough for evening wear.

 The earring must be compelling in beauty but simple in concept.  Anything too glitzed-out just looks like too much make-up piled on under bad lighting.

I'm not looking for anything too expensive in case it is lost to ocean and sand, or would not hold up to the effects of such.

My choices seem to have the color white as a threading theme.  White jade, fresh water pearl, mother-of pearl, rock crystal all speak to that thrill of finding the just found conch shell!  The white color plays nicely off my Summer tan and seem to make my look a bit more crisp even if I'm melting from the humidity.

Venus says: go find your beauty!  Go find your Summer earrings!

Venus Finds her Beach Sandals. Again!

Can a beach sandal change your life?

Purchased from a catalog, ~ 20 years ago, the Sensi Italian-made beach thong-sandal came into my life with promises of travel to distant ocean shores.

The sandal's foot-bed of tiny holes self-drains the sand and water.  Your foot lies flat and secure instead of doing a roller-coaster ride on the mobile sandy layer.

When walking at the waters' edge the foot-bed drains and is not swamped as would be a solid base.  On Summer's hottest days the scorching sand falls away from hot and tender feet.

My ancient hot-pink sandal was so beloved that when I started my "Dewey Beach Life", I only used her as a house slipper.  I knew she was near, "The End".  Last September my Sensi Sandal died.  

Elle est Morte, "I cried".

It was not until the last yard snow patch melted that I bolted to the attention and task of replacement.

Hallelujah!  I found the Sensi website and called!

Imagine my joy that Sensi is alive and well at the spa and resort markets and my favorite style, Monte Carlo, lives on!

To my extreme delight the web-special sale offers this model as three pair for $36.00!  I bought the three!

One pair will live at the beach cottage and the second pair will do extreme labor residing in my vehicle for shoe changes, and impromptu beach walks.   The third pair will reside at my mountain home and will do duty when watering the garden. 

I really did contemplate using only one pair at a time until all pairs wear out. 

 20 years x 3 pairs would suffice............ until I am buried at sea.

Beach Blessings,

New Cell for the Beach! Mermaid Approved!

Venus has a new cell phone! Mermaid approved for beach use!

Every two years I purchase my new cell phone.  The key is matching the cell phone to my lifestyle. Until now, no cell phone happily tolerated wet and salty handling, sweaty ear to the receiver, sand finding it's way into every crevice, or being abandoned to the vehicle's extreme temperatures.

At the Verizon store, I explained in detail my need for a cell to handle the above.  I held my breath while I waited for my "dream-cell wish come true" and there it was: Motorola's Barrage!

It is 100% sealed and handles all detailed above including a 30 minute watery one-meter plunge!

Although the cell has rugged good looks and handling....... Venus asked for the cell in hot pink, shiny fire-engine red, or vibrating purple? Screaming neon yellow?

:-(

Only black is available.

Venus will be on the beach talking away on her cell and then will happily zip it in her soaking wet and sandy beach skirt pocket.

Ta-Da!

Venus Plans Her Summer Pedicure Colors!

Yesterday I had my first of the season Spring pedicure.

What color to choose?!  What would speak SPRING and SUMMER to come soon, sooner, soonest!!!!

As I fell asleep, nightly I contemplated my color pick.

China Glaze's "Poetic", a creamy Lavender on the mauvey-side of pink won.  

Now I am projecting my color picks for the beach season May-October.

I have to start out with Coral.... to connect with the classic beach color of coral-reefs.

       .....  And then I go for Gold, which for some reason makes everyone smile and laugh! James's Bond's Goldfinger!

Next I do Silver...... which I adore, and everyone else just thinks, "Iron Man". 

After Silver I am going to do colors I've never even contemplated: screeching neons: yellow, green, and blue!

Shore Thing, Baby!

What Would Venus Wear 2010?!

I can hardly believe my luck!  Success spells my various shopping expeditions for "What Would Venus Wear at Dewey Beach 2010!

Maybe each season I am getting better at finding what I need?

I invoked Venus and her sensibilities.  Beautiful, lovely, natural but glammy, comfortable, useful, feminine, arty and fun too!

Cotton field-pants for various bird sighting projects: found it at Kohl's!

Nightgowns that can span the season of May to October, can substitute-in for a beach cover up, and is modest enough to dash out the house to set the garbage at the curb: found it at Kohl's!

Fun, flirty going-out-skirts.... that can be dressed up or down... must be cotton, and flowy-comfy: found it at J. Crew!

Bathing suits, two-piece with pull-on mini-skirts with a zip-pocket for the cell phone: found it at LL Bean Outlet!

I'm ready, Dewey Beach 2010!!!

A Swimsuit Is My Daily Dress!

As they say in Pennsylvania, I've been "readying-up" my closets. Three down and three more to go! 

 The purging of my Pennsylvania clothes tells the story of my Before Beach Cottage Life.  Now revealed is my former life, my present life,  what I have and what I need.

Missing are light-weight cotton pants for hiking.  But, I do have piles of crop pants for Summer beach walks and loads of sweat pants for enjoying the late-night bonfires.

Gone are intricate Summer dresses in favor of very comfy cotton tops and full skirts now my weekly "go-to-the-beach" commute uniform.

Gone are fluffy sweaters in favor of Nike techno-jackets for braving the ocean-side winds.

 Appearing out of nowhere are now stacks of  "cute going out tops" ..... now purged according to sun or beer-staining.

Carefully curated very-lady-like handbags are now ignored for ones that are big enough to hold beach commute needs, but whose color and style must shout : I am Going to Dewey Beach!

Gone are my closed-toe and high heel shoes!!!!  My feet could care less for anything but sandals, sandals, sandals, and clogs!

In high Summer my uniform is a two-piece bathing suit topped with a simple cotton seersucker sundress!   Off I go to use the computer at my beloved Rehoboth Library!  Off to Fifer's to get a fruit pie!  And then off to Cape Henlopen State Park for Piping Plover Monitoring and a Swim. 

A Swimsuit As my Daily Dress: silly happy am I.

Beachy Wear Collection and Bathing Suits

Ah, with the larder groceries collected, I now face the beachy-wear collection tasks!

   I had to buy a beach cottage as I need a boat-load of clothes for even a single beach day!  Challenge: Breezy cool for the morning and night....steaming hot in-between and try to look cute and fun when going out?!

But the biggest challenge of all......is facing down that swimsuit.  At a "certain age"..... bikinis are but a distant memory!  What to wear?!  I love to swim, boogie-board, jump the waves....so I need a real swim suit!

LL Bean does the trick.  My modesty picks the two-piece ones with a skirted bottom, fits my long frame, and  I can mix and match tops and bottoms.  These work well!!!

But.. and there is always a butt :-) with swim suits: this is what I have discovered.

Forget the fabric that is anything but smooth....the ridged stuff is the worst  .... otherwise the fabric acts like a sieve and collects flotsam and jetsam!

Sadly the halter plastic slide always breaks mid-Season!

Ha-HA!  The trick is to put it back together with: Dental Floss!!!!

Thus I do this when it is brand-spanking new!  Better to do this now then to come up from a wave without coverage!

Beachy-wear!!! You are at the beach.... no time to waste a moment on endless dressing complications!

Beach & Jewelry: What would Venus Wear?

Why does walking along the beach bring up thoughts of one's own jewelry style?

Venus, who was born from the froth of the ocean, must have emerged with necklace strands of pearls!

Beach-combing is the very activity of reaching for beauty! Adornment... making the object one's own is the next compulsion.

Thus: what is The Perfect Necklace to wear at the beach! 

WHAT WOULD VENUS WEAR in Dewey Beach :-)

It's got to be natural and of organic form and lines.

Venus and us Girls Just Want to Have Fun: so the necklace needs to be lighthearted and fun.  Add in a dose of clever too!

Considering the hot humid weather....needs to be comfortable and hold up to sweat and sea salt.

My daily pick is a sterling silver oxidized flower pendant, of idealized form, with a citrine center hung on a black leather cord.  The cord holds up to the beach life.

Night life.. what to wear?!  All out glitzy just looks awful and out of place.....not "beach-comby".  Just enough glamour is perfect...a necklace of simple forms and just enough flash to signal your Venus style.

My nightly pick ranges from a chain-and-enamel flower belt which I'll hang around my neck to my new found enameled and jointed fish dangling with pearls and peridot from a 30 inch light weight gold chain.  

Next time I'll muse on earrings and bracelets!

The pendant picture is by James Avery!  I LOVE their jewelry!!!!!