First of all you are all so welcome that I scrapped the initial title of this post, which cracked me up but was sure to make all others cringe.  Oh you want to know what it is? Springccessories. Heh. Again, you’re welcome.

Accessories are a great way to go from clothing to an outfit.  A t-shirt and jeans on your way to get a bagel becomes stylish girl goes to the bakery if you add a pair of cute flats and a big necklace.  In fact the smaller your clothing budget the more accessories you should own. What? The less money the more stuff? Not really. Accessories can often be found very cheaply and if you have an arsenal of cute items you can actually spend less money by purchasing more basic clothing which will last through seasons and trends. If the majority of your closet is timeless you can indulge in trends with one or two items each season, most of the time a scarf here and a necklace there will update your look without buying any clothing items at all.  Of course wanting to buy more clothing items each season is another issue entirely. If I figure out how to stop the grabby hands every time the J.Crew or Anthropologie catalogs arrive I’ll be sure to let you know.

This spring I am drawn to floral studs, big necklaces, and scarves.

Left to Right: Gentle Loops Necklace, In the Atmosphere Necklace, Buttercup Earrings, Sky Rockets Scarf, Little Larsen Earrings, all from Anthropologie.

Yup all from Anthropologie, what can I say that happens a lot around here, the grabby hands want what they want.

A note about scarves in warmer weather, the less clothing you are wearing the smaller and lighter weight the scarf should be.  Walking around with a big thick pashmina around ones neck while wearing a tank top and shorts just looks silly.

What accessories are you coveting this season?

Here is the thing about skin: it covers your whole body so you think it would be easy to be aware of what is happening to it but when it is covered in four layers of t-shirts and sweaters for the past 6-7 months you sort of have no idea what the situation is.  If you think you can see what’s what in those brief times of dressing, undressing and showering, you must live somewhere warmer than this little piece of the Northeast.  I assure you we are all in such a mad dash to get clothes back on oh my god I’m freezing, that we have not seen our undressed form since September.  It is no surprise then that when spring arrives and you start peeling layers off you notice first that you are blindingly pasty white (this might just be me) and that your skin looks dry and sad (this is probably not just me).

Here are the five things you need to get yourself back into presentable form, and maybe even show some bare legs and arms:

Scrub: There is no way to rehydrate the dead top layer of flaky skin. You absolutely must scrub that layer off in order to moisturize the underlying layers and give them a fighting chance.  There are many ways to do this from brushes to loofahs to salt scrubs.  Giovanni Cool Mint Lemonade Salt Scrub is a lovely, refreshing path to new skin.  It smells divine, the scrubby bits are effective but not painful, and I don’t feel like it makes the tub as dangerously slippery as most other jar scrubs I’ve encountered. It is really nice to have a product like that in your shower for a treat, but I usually can’t be bothered to add another step to my routine.  I get around this with One With Nature Coco Walnut Soap. Scrub and cleanse in one motion, smells great, rinses clean, and makes me feel good that I’m not creating more garbage since bar soap requires no container.  It is very scrubby so if you have sensitive skin step down to One With Nature Dead Sea Mud Soap, or even more gentle One With Nature Vanilla Oatmeal Soap.

Cream: Now that you have uncovered a new layer of skin you will want to protect and hydrate it with a rich cream.  Weleda Skin Food is the absolute best. Wonderful scent, and while it is thick it sinks in and works better than anything else I’ve tried.  A few nights of Skin Food and you will be ready for sunny weekends in shorts and tanks.

Sunscreen: Yes it is only March but if you aren’t already wearing sunscreen year round (which you really should be) now is the time to start wearing it daily. On all exposed parts of your skin, especially your face. I recommend Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch, which I use for face and body. It doesn’t leave behind a white cast, has a light, non-offensive scent, and dries quickly to a matte finish.

Cleanser: The biggest complaint I hear from women who don’t like wearing sunscreen on a daily basis is that it makes them breakout.  Barring an allergy or sensitivity to a particular ingredient, sunscreen makes us breakout because it is very hard to remove at the end of the day and therefore clogs the pores.  For most of today’s formulas you really need an efficient cleanser such as Philosophy Purity Made Simple.  This non-foaming cleanser breaks down sunscreen, makeup, and dirt and gets you squeaky clean without over drying your skin. It is a bit pricey but my 8 oz. bottle is still more than half full after about 4 months of use. For really stubborn sunscreen or long wearing makeup formulas I suggest the Japanese secret to great skin: double cleansing.  Wash your face once, rinse and repeat.  It sounds strange and takes a couple extra minutes to do but is well worth it to prevent those pesky breakouts and encourage you to keep slathering on the sunscreen.

Vitamin C serum: Dermatologists, my own wonderful doctor included, are now recommending use of a Vitamin C serum under our daily sunscreen.Vitamin C is an antioxidant and increases the effectiveness of your sunscreen of choice.  Kiehl’s Vitamin C Serum is a wonderful place to start. Lightweight, with just enough moisture and a high dose of Vitamin C.  For a more affordable option try Avalon Organics Vitamin C Serum.

What are your spring skin care must-haves?

Even thought most of us are still barely thawed, March is the best time to shop for summer sandals. It is no wonder that by the time I’m ready to enter bare toe territory (uh, July-ish) there are no sandals to be found. So close your eyes, picture 90 degree heat, and pick a few pairs to show off that summer pedicure!