Beach Waves, pt. 2

If you've read any of my previous posts, you know I love wavy, beach hair. It's just so easy and it looks soft, pretty and surfer chic, especially with my long ombre hair.

Well, I have a new favorite product that helps me pull off the look - Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray. I got it last month in a gift bag at work (one of the perks of working in the beauty industry), and now I'm hooked.

Don't go telling everyone you know, but thanks to this product, I've put absolutely zero effort into my hair this summer. Seriously. I step out of the shower, towel dry my hair for a few minutes, spray Oribe and let it air dry. I don't even comb or brush my hair! My hair dries into loose, natural waves and has a pretty sheen (seen above!).

Now for the actual product deets: The directions on the back read, Spray on wet or dry hair. Tousle to taste and let dry in the St. Tropez air. Follow with lipstick and heels. So cheesy. But it works!

The spray has an aerosol pump so I'm able to get the product all through my hair within 10 seconds flat. It smells nice, too. I can't quite put my finger on the smell, but it's really airy. Sort of like a clean beach (duh) or a freshly cut lawn with flowers.

One caveat - I have noticed that it doesn't work as well when I let my hair air dry overnight. It's probably because I toss and turn in bed, but I've woken up with kinky ends. As the directions (sort of) state, I think it really works its best when I let my hair dry outdoors, whether I'm walking my dog on the weekends or letting my hair dry on my way to work. I'm curious to see if I'll love it as much during the fall/winter months when I won't be able to do that anymore.

It takes a lot for me to love a hair product. I get so many freebies at work, I don't like actually spending money on beauty products (especially expensive ones!). But, for the convenience and the results I'm seeing, I think I'll make an exception. Available at Space NK, $35.

Summer Fashions That Leave Me Stumped

All it takes is a stinky, humid heatwave to remind me that NYC living isn't really pleasant in winter OR in summer.

Seriously, it was 102 degrees out when I left work on Friday. You know that feeling when you stand in front of a furnace for a blast of heat on a cold day? Yea, it's like that outside, except completely unwelcome. It feels like my calves are going to burn off every time I walk in the path of a bus' exhaust.

In honor of this beautiful weather, I wanted to take a moment and express my confusion with certain summer fashions I continue to see year after year:

- Gladiator Sandals - This is not Roman times and there is no need for that many straps on your shoe.

- Rompers - Rompers were originally made for toddlers. I'm still not sure how it became acceptable for grown women to wear them. Plus, they make going to the bathroom nearly impossible.

- Visors - Isn't the point of a hat to shade your eyes and protect your scalp? Who's the genius that decided a hat with the top cut off was a good idea?

- Flip flop/Boot Hybrids - Gee, I really love boots, but I want to show off my pedicure, too. Voila! ...FYI, slouchy sacks on your feet with toe cut-outs look strange and are the opposite of flattering.

- Mandals - It does not matter if they are expensive, real leather or "dressy," mandals are not a good look. A better idea: cover up your pale hairy feet with sneakers or boat shoes, or wear regular flip flops.

Stay tuned later this year for round 2 of my opinionated fashion thoughts, winter edition.

american girl's Summer Concert Tour

This american girl was one lucky lady this summer.  I saw four of the biggest concerts to hit New York over the past 3 months:

Read 'em and weep:

5/13/08 - Kanye West, Glow in the Dark Tour (round 1)

6/17/08 - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

7/18/08 - Billy Joel, Last Play at Shea (the real last play)

7/31/08 - Counting Crows and Maroon 5

Here's the skinny on all the awesome concerts you missed this summer, ha.

Kanye - His show really kicked ass, as previously mentioned.  It was pure entertainment and a high energy, rock opera-ish show with the craziest stage set up I've ever seen.  Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe were a great match for Kanye and put on awesome sets as well.  In my book, he lived up to his promotion of the tour and I'll go see him again anytime.

Tom Petty - Don't let his age or his previous, um, habits fool you.  His voice sounded amazinggg and just as it must've in the '70's/80's when my parents loved him (and therefore I loved him by association).  He really rocked out and played all of my favorites, closing with none other than "American Girl!!"  Love him!  

PS - My uncle also told me he saw Tom Petty in the early '80's and it was the best show he ever went to...clearly things haven't changed, so if he comes to your town soon, you should get yourself to his concert.

Billy Joel - As soon as I heard he was coming to Shea, I knew I wanted tickets.  I grew up listening to this guy, the River of Dreams album especially (a favorite of my mom's).  Little did I know it would be the history-making and INSANELY AMAZING performance that it was.  A 3 hour + set list including all the classics (You May Be Right, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, Only the Good Die Young, We Didn't Start the Fire...shall I go on??) combined with all-star guests Steven Tyler, Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, and Roger Daltrey blew me away.  When Paul McCartney joined him on stage at midnight, I lost it.  Lost it!!  I got to hear "Let it Be" live from an actual Beatle...that's not supposed to happen to someone in my generation.  It was magical to say the least.  This is a girl whose favorite movie at age 3 was The Yellow Submarine cartoon and loved to listen to her uncle read The Fat Budgie poem by John Lennon.  So, needless to say, this was the concert of the summer.  Look for it on DVD in the coming months if you missed it!  :)

Counting Crows/Maroon 5 - It's all about the venue, and the Jones Beach Amphitheater was the best venue I've been to so far this summer.  The stage basically looks like it's floating in the water.  Con - it's a national park, so no alcohol is served there, but it's still all open air, which is sort of key to a summer concert.  I went into this concert psyched to see the Counting Crows and happy a good band like Maroon 5 would be there with them...I left the concert affirmed that Maroon 5 was an awesome band, and disappointed in the Counting Crows, mostly Adam Duritz.  He forgot the words to one of his songs...not a good start.  Only playing a few of their major hits was pretty dumb, too in my book.  I've heard from others that the Counting Crows are iffy live-- sometimes great, sometimes not-so-good.  Looks like I got one of the not-so-good shows.  Sadness.  At least Maroon 5 was great; I really loveee their latest CD and Adam Levine isn't so bad to look at either, ha.

To sum up, I basically blew all of my money on concerts this summer, but I saw some amazing performances by many of my all-time favs...and hearing live music and being with friends really is a great way to spend your summer.  Worth every penny!

Maine: Rethink Your Idea of a Beach

I'm a Florida native, so I was born with high standards for beaches and coastline.

So, when I recently spent a week in Belfast, Maine, I was skeptical of what exactly this northern beach town would be like.

So, you ask, what was it like?

Foggy mornings, a sea full of ships, sunny, bright afternoons and lots and lotssss of seafood.

I was pleasantly surprised.  Maine was exactly what I needed.  It was a vacation where I actually - gasp - relaxed.

We went sailing or kayaking in the mornings, napped in the hammocks, took the monsters (my family's two german shepherds) for walks along the water, laid out in the afternoon and read, and ventured into town in the evenings for dinners at Darby's, movies at the kitschy cinema, or community concerts and gallery openings.

The beach was veryyyy different from what I'm used to.  No sandy white beaches here!  It was rocky, jagged and a bit slippery from all the seaweed and moss, making those "long sunset walks on the beach" more challenging.  Though I appreciated the challenge-- it became a sort of sport for me to hike from solid rock to solid rock without slipping and breaking myself. 

Adding to the challenge was the fact that at certain points during the day (aka High Tide), we had no beach!  Early in the week I had found a sweet spot to perch my beach lounger each afternoon and then one day, as I coerced my brother to be my cabana boy and carry the chair down to the shore for me, realized that there was no "beach" for me to go to.  The steps lead right into the lapping water.  Eh, the cute little yard worked out just as well for afternoon reading and sunbathing.

The good, the bad and the ugly of Belfast and Maine in general:

- I could do without the Crocs.  Everyone wears them...in every color.  Why?  Why do you do it to yourselves?  Can someone explain this phenomenon to me?

- Lobster rolls are delicious, yet sort of over-hyped and overpriced.  I waited on line for over an hour at Red's, the famous lobster hut, in the hot baking sun for one of their renowned lobster rolls.  Was it really over a whole lobster's worth of meat (as they claim) on a roll and absolutely amazing?  Yes.  Was it worth my profuse sweating and the grouchy, frustrated attitude I acquired while waiting?  I'm still deciding.

- No matter how "green" New York thinks we are, New England is better.  Everyone is so concerned and attentive about the environment.  Belfast is home to a Co-op organic and local grocery store that sells raw milk and other interesting finds.  BTW, I have no idea how raw milk is made or why it's raw.  I wanted to try it but chickened out/forgot.  

They also have a shop aptly named, The Green Store.  They sell everything and anything green. My mom forgot her toothbrush and seeing as there was no standard pharmacy right in town, she brought a "green" toothbrush there.  Who knew they made those??

- I've found that most beach towns up and down the Atlantic Coast have a sleepy sort of attitude, and not much goes on (excluding the prime party beaches of course, like Belmar). Belfast was an exception.  There were things going on every day and night in this little town. Bike races, Art Walks, movie premieres, concerts...those Maine folks know how to enjoy a summer.  Then again, it's probably because their poor winter lasts for like six months of the year...nooo thank you.

In the end, I think one of the things I appreciated most about Belfast was that it was genuine. You could feel the community vibe pulsing throughout the town, and the locals appreciate tourists but don't thrive on them.  Multiple shop owners and people about town would strike up conversations with us, and each time the same point came up:  Belfast, unlike Camden (their larger and more touristy neighbor), does not have a direct exit off of the interstate.  Meaning there are no huge signs and arrows pointing the herds to town as in Camden.  You can still appreciate the true town in Belfast without the tourism/marketing/phony pop-up ventures that only serve to stereotype destinations and overcharge unknowing visitors.

As much as I'd like to see the world, it's also important to see your own country.  I'm really glad I got to experience Maine...next on the U.S. tour list for me should be Arizona, California and all those other states that look the same in the middle.  Kiddinggg.

Burnt and Burnt Out...Long Beach

Summer is officially here.  Whew, I'm beat.  I took a beating from the sun and got very little sleep this weekend in Long Beach, Long Island and I loved every minute of it.

Long Beach is a fun little beach town in Nassau County of Long Island just about a 20 minute drive (or LIRR trip) from my area of Queens.  It's a cute little town that's nothing like the city...yet it's still just a short commute, and the people there (young and old) love a good time.

Two examples:

1. One night we headed out to Saloon, and were drinking within a mixed crowd of folks in their mid-twenties and some in their mid-fifties.  I'll admit, as part of the mid-twenties grouping, those fifty-something party animals provided a dose of humor for the night, but hey, when I'm around that age, I still want to have places to go out with my friends and have a good time!

2. As we walked back to our car after a weekend of sun and a little too much fun, an old couple sitting on their porch laughed at us and asked if we had a good night last night. What kind of old folks say that?? haha

There's an active boardwalk full of bikers, joggers and walkers, plenty of little coffee shops and restaurants, and even a town parade on Memorial Day.  On the other hand, there's a long strip of bars made for bar-hopping and, this is key, they are all within walking distance from the houses... perfection in my book!

Summer is a celebration in Long Beach, as it should be.  There were constant barbeques to attend, the beach was always lively (but not too packed), and the West End where I stayed had a college-anything goes-laid back vibe.  The houses in the West End are typically small bungalows stacked close together and parking can be difficult, but the bonus lies in their community feel and close proximity to the beach.  Everyone sits out on their porches and chats with neighbors on nice afternoons, and the beach is literally only a block or 2 blocks away.

Things to note when heading to Long Beach:

- You will need to get a  beach pass from a kiosk on the boardwalk to head to the beach for the day (or bum one from a resident in the area with a summer-long beach pass).

- Parking can be tight on the West End near the "state streets" (Indiana Ave., Louisiana St., etc.).

- Breakfast (or lunch or dinner) is cheap and good at the West End Coffee Shop at W. Beech and Georgia Ave.  On busy weekends, expect a bit of a crowd in this cute small town diner.

 

516-432-7147

1042 W. Beech St.

Long Beach, NY 11561

- Bring your volleyball!  Lots of people set up nets on the beach and love joiners interested in a game.

- Saloon at Indiana Ave. and W. Beech St. is a fun bar with a mixed crowd of young and old.  They often times have live music or karaoke.  

 

516-432-9185

1016 W. Beech St.

Long Beach, NY 11561

-Ever wished you could do the Pleasantville-small town stereotype of riding a dainty bike with a basket and a bell?  Now's your chance.  The boardwalk is long and the small alley streets are free from traffic making Long Beach a biker's paradise.

- Minnesota's Restaurant & Tavern at Minnesota Ave. and W. Beech St. is known to have the youngest crowd in Long Beach.  I found it to be a really good time (but then again, I'm only 23!).  

www.minnesotasny.com

959 W. Beech St.

Long Beach, NY 11561

I've only been to Long Beach three times, but I hope to go a lot more this summer.  Anyone else have other places to recommend in the area?