Adventures in Polishland

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WalgreensBeauty #CollectiveBias

Happy Wednesday! Today I’m excited to share with you some of my summer beauty essentials in both skincare and hair care. When the weather gets hot and the sun is baring down, I need to make a few changes in my every day routines to ensure that I’m protecting myself from UV rays, and feeling great, too. You all know I love a good drugstore haul, and I headed to Walgreens to pick up a few needed items. The Walgreens location by Union Square is definitely one of my personal favorites. It has an amazing food bar on the first floor where you can get snacks and more (there’s fro-yo available… #winning), and the second floor is home to a huge beauty department. Let me take you on a virtual shopping trip through Walgreens, and share my summer essentials!

LET’S GO SHOPPING!

Here’s my view from the top of the escalator in Walgreens! This is just a snippet of the amazing beauty department. I love this Walgreens because it has tons of limited edition displays and brands I can’t find anywhere else. During this particular shopping trip, I was on the hunt for sunscreen and hairspray.

My first stop was the suncare aisle to find the new Banana Boat Protect & Hydrate SPF 30. I was beyond excited when I found a stack of $1.00 off coupons right in front of the product! Woo hoo!

Finally, I perused the hair care aisle, and grabbed the Mark Hill Fabulous Finish hairspray. I love the Mark Hill line, and it is exclusive to Walgreens!

MY SUMMER SKINCARE ESSENTIALS

Here are four of my favorite skincare products to use in the summer! I’ll tell you a bit about each item, and why I like it!

• Banana Boat Protect & Hydrate SPF 30 – Sun protection is vital, especially in the summer! One reason I avoided sunscreen when I was younger is because it smelled, was greasy, and just a huge mess to put on. This new sunscreen from Banana Boat is anything but those things! It comes it an easy-to-apply spray-on bottle, and does not have that typical “sunscreen” scent. It also dries really fast, and leaves the skin soft and not greasy. In fact, this is a special 2 in 1 formula that includes a moisturizer! That way, you’re applying your aloe before the sun penetrates your skin. No need for a separate moisturizer!
• Maybelline Baby Lips in Quenched –  Did you know your lips can get sunburned, too? Avoid that by using lip products with SPF! I’m addicted to Baby Lips, and my all-time favorite is Quenched, the clear lip balm. It has SPF 20 in it, and moisturizes my lips really well.
• Simple Revitalizing Eye Roll-On – To stay refreshed, I love using this roll-on under my eyes. It has a cool, metal ball that instantly makes me feel more awake. Plus, it contains vitamins to keep your skin looking naturally beautiful. If you need some extra cooling, keep this in the fridge!
• Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes – I love face wipes all year long, but in the summer nothing feels better than cleaning my face with a nice cool wipe! Whether it’s to remove makeup or simply refresh my skin, these Simple wipes are some of my absolute favorite!

MY SUMMER HAIR CARE ESSENTIALS

Now onto my hair care! I switch up my shampoos and conditioners all the time, but here are some things I always need!

• Mark Hill Gorgeous! Fabulous Finish Hairspray – I’m not usually a hairspray girl, but I’m glad I tried out this one from Mark Hill! It’s amazing! It smells great, gives my hair volume, and tames all the fly-aways before the summer humidity takes control. It also doesn’t give my hair that stiff feeling that other hairsprays do. In fact, Mark Hill designed this so it can brush out with ease. Genius!
• Goody Tangle Fix Brush – My go-to summer brush is this one from Goody. It is extremely gentle, and perfect whether your hair is wet from swimming or dry from the heat. If you have this hair like I do, this brush is wonderful. And yes, I got the children’s design because I like purple and leopard print!
• Mark Hill MiracOILicious 2 Minute Intensive Treatment – This is my all-time holy grail hair product, so I had to include it! This treatment contains Moroccan Argan Oil, and makes my hair feel soft and hydrated no matter what time of year. I use it about 2-3 times per week in place of my regular conditioner. It’s better than some of those luxury hair masks at a fraction of the price!
• Psssst! Instant Dry Shampoo – Dry shampoo is also a must. I use it every other day to keep my hair refreshed and grease-free. I recently picked up Psssst!, the original dry shampoo, because I wanted an affordable option. I’m loving it! Not only does it smell amazing, but it gets rid of any oil in a couple minutes.

These are all of my summer skincare and hair care essentials! I hope you found this helpful! Next time you go to Walgreens, be sure to bring THIS coupon. You can get a free gift with any $20 beauty purchase from now until August 30, 2014. Be sure to let me know in the comments what your summer essentials are. I hope you are having a wonderful summer! Stay cool!