Thursday, July 24, 2008

Going to the Beach

Heyy sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I finished Physics! Woohoo! And after that I'm going to mexico for a week. Double woohoo!

Anyway, I decided to make a post on everything beach. Because I know the beach can get messy, and everyone wants to look fabulous (especially if there are cute lifeguards). ;]

The Bikini:
This is basically your main weapon to looking nice on the beach. A cute and well fitted bikini can do wonders. Here are some cute ones (and the price next to it is the price of the top and bottom added together, because i find it quite annoying when stores price both peices seperatly well knowing that you're going to buy both pieces anyhow, haha.)

I basically just put Victoria Scet bathing suits, since they're having a sale and some of them were really cute =]

Victoria's Secret, $33


Victoria's Secret, $33


Victoria's Secret, $30



Victoria's Secret, $32



Victoria's Secret, $33


HAIR: Its going to get wet, so I would suggest to bring an extra towel to dry you hair a bit. But for the time being that you're just eating or hanging out, I would go with either gentle wavy hair, or a messy bun or ponytail. It helps to put your hair up, since with the sun you'll probably start to feel hot if you leave your hair down. Also, at public beaches they sometimes have showers- use them to rinse your hair and get some salt and sand out of it when you finish swimming.

MAKEUP: keep it natural, and to a minimum. Honestly I wouldnt bother putting on makeup if I was planning on swimming at the beach, because with a nude face you wont have to worry about the upkeep of your makeup in the harshest conditions cosmetics have to handle- sweat, sun, and water.

But if you insist, everything should be waterproof. Everything. Any foundation should only be applied under the eyes and on the apples of your cheeks. And mascara must must be waterproof, or when you emerge from out of the water you'll end up looking like a raccoon- which, as cute as raccoons are, is not what you're aiming for. Same goes for eyeliner. For lips, use cherry chapstick (my personal favorite) or a lipgloss with SPF.

SKIN:I can't emphasize this enough- use sunblock! And at the highest SPF you can get it. Honestly, I think people look best with their natural skintones. And most of the time, this holds true. Being tan is glamourous for...what, a week or two until it fades? And skin cancer and wrinkles last for how long? Haha there are so many cons to tanning, that I would only use fake tanner. But even this stuff can end up looking orangey and bad. I have Jergens at home, it seems to work okay, I mean it doesn't look natural when you put too much on, but just a little and it'll bring a little color to your skin tone. It look like this (picture below) and you could probably find it at your local pharmacy. Oh, and remember to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes!

FOOD: So its very tempting to bring chips and soda to the beach, but really, I always stay away from soda when I go to the beach...mostly because it ends up making me look pregnant, haha! Stay away from greasy and gas-y foods, so that you don't end up being overly bloated, which will be pretty conspicious if you're wearing a bikini. Instead, bring sliced fruit, water, lemonade, and maybe nice sandwiches. Oh and this may be common sense, but bring the drinks/fruit in a cooler so that you don't end up drinking warm water.

If you ever feel the need to eat icecream, go for frozen yogurt.

Oh, and make sure to DRINK, DRINK, and DRINK -water, of course! It's easy to become dehydrated at the beach, and you don't want to end up fainting. So just make sure to drink in intervals, even if you don't feel thirsty.

DANGERS: So this is another one of my secrets: I'm a little teensy bit afraid of the ocean. I mean I love the beach, I love bikinis, and I love the shore- but I'm one of those people who worry about the dangers that have %1 chance of happening to me, just because thats the way I am. So I thought I should post them, maybe they'll help someone, you never know =]

SHARKS:

This is my number one fear, and I might even have a mild phobia of them, but that fear is something that has been with me since my father brought me to an aquarium when I was five and lifted me up unnexpectedly right next to the clear glass, finding myself face to face with a shark. I had nightmares for a week, haha. But anyway, they're scary fellows, so try not to get bitten by one.

Areas where the most shark attacks occur in the world:
1. United States (without Hawaii)
2. Australia
3. Africa
4. Pacific Islands & Oceania
5. Asia

Note: these are the countries with the most REPORTED attacks. These statistics are basically pretty useless since I feel like a place like Australia would have more attacks than United States, especially since they're not even counting Hawaii.

In case you were wondering, every year there are about 50 to 70 confirmed shark attacks and 5 to 15 shark-attack fatalities around the world.

And I'm not completely sure about this, but I think the place most at risk for shark attacks in the U.S. are Florida’s New Smyrna Beach the "shark-bite capital of the world" and California’s Tomales Point and Monterey Bay—both are known great white shark hangouts.

How to lessen your chances of getting bitten by a shark:
-Stay out of the water at night, dusk, or dawn. Sharks are most active at night.
-Swim in a group. Sharks prefer to attack lone victims.
-Keep close to shore. It will be easier for help to reach you in an attack.
-Avoid sandbars and sharp drop-offs where fish congregate.
-Stay out of polluted or murky water. (when the water is murky, sharks might bite humans thinking that they are another sea creature)
-Avoid areas being used by fishermen.
-Be wary of feeding birds, or porpoises, which indicate the presence of fish.
-Do not swim if you are bleeding. Sharks can detect tiny amounts of blood. (I've heard this before, and always wondered if that meant I shouldn't swim while on my period? hahah!)
-Do not wear shiny jewelry; underwater it resembles fish scales.
-Avoid bright swimsuits and uneven tanning. Contrasts attract sharks. (well, I guess I'm the devil's advocate since some of the bathing suits I suggested earlier are quite colorful, but oh well. Just try to follow the other safety steps, and I think you'll be okay =])
-Do not splash a lot, since it attracts sharks.
-Keep pets out of the water. Erratic movements attract sharks.
-Never try to touch any type of shark. That's just asking for it.

A few facts about sharks:
-They are made of cartilage. (The stuff of your nose and ears)
-Most sharks live for about 25 years, while some of can live to be a 100.
-Sharks are said to attack more women than men. The reason is still a mystery. (Again, that question about having your period...!)
-Great white sharks can grow about 10 inches every year, so they grow to mature lengths of 12 to 14 feet.

If you see a shark in the water:
Quickly but smoothly swim to shore. If its got your arm/leg in its mouth, then punch its nose/gills/eyes with as much force as you can muster- believe it or not, playing dead when a shark bites you has no effect on the shark. However, punching it will hopefully make the shark release you for a little bit, which gives you time to swim to shore. If you are bleeding (which you probably will be if the shark was just tasting your leg), then make sure to try to swim to shore quickly, because the blood will make the shark try to attack you once again. Unfortunatly, If you can’t get away, and the shark comes back, hitting it on the nose will become less and less effective. Eek.

I honestly tried to keep an open mind about sharks, because I know people who are more fond of the creatures will say "Hey but your chances of getting struck by lightning are greater than getting bitten and sharks are peaceful and blah blah blah". My defense to that arguement is that if I'm running around outside with a radio in my hand while theres thunder and lightning- well yes, I will probably get struck by lightning. The thing that scares me most about sharks is that the beach is a place where thousands of people go and have come to accept as a normal vacation activity- however, the festivities can be cut short when someone is bitten, usually by suprise. I mean, I would feel helpless in the water, humans can't swim half as fast as fish can, and in the water we are almost completely vunerable. Also once you're bitten-even if you don't die- losing an arm makes life never the same. Think about that.

Other dangers
I used to play with jellyfish when I was little, before I knew that they could sting. Haha, thankgoodness those were the ones that didn't sting. Thanks to overfishing, there are fewer predators of jellyfish, and global warming has brought on ideal breeding conditions, all which brin larger and larger populations of jellyfish. The Mediterranean is expected to have the most increase in population, but populations will likely spike in oceans worldwide.

Also, whenever I walk in the ocean, I'm always afraid that the next step I take is going to be on a sting ray. It doesn't help my fear that my uncle stepped on a stingray some years back- supposedly it's the most painful thing he's ever experienced. So try not to step on those, they can be fatal.

Also, watch out for currents...recently on the news, there have been like, what, 7 people who drowned due to currents/rip tides? Its pretty scary, because the current is almost impossible to spot, and most poeple end up panicking, swimming against it, and then tiring out. If you ever get swept by a current, the thing to do is swim parrallel to shore until you are out of the current's reach.

Oh and by the way, for those who read my last post, it might interest you to know that shark attacks are one of those things that the media also like to tamper it, usually not making attacks public and putting them under the rug so that tourism (and money) will continue flowing into the area.

Thanks for reading!
-New York Chique

16 comments:

starbrained said...

I love the Gingham bikini! And all I could think about the whole time I was reading about the sharks, was the movie Jaws! Eek

Unknown said...

haha. i was wondering where you went. hey, i commented like I said on my thread. LOL, I'll be back soon.

Hannah Bee said...

Thanks for all the helpful hints on the sharks. I have the same fear!

Richel said...

woww, i never feared the beach before so much in my life! j/k.
thanks for the helpful hints though, they come in handy!

Anonymous said...

I just discover your blog. I am in love, with your blog. Your blog is very nice in design. You also seems to be very knowledgeable about fashion. What do you do? How do you learn so much? Are you a model, designer, marketer, trendsetter, predictor, or write for a magazine, media company, website, or something?

I also live in New York City. I am a male college student in my 20's. A friend of mine (a girl) about the same age and I kind of thinking of getting involve with the fashion industry. Do you have any advice?

Jaclyn said...

I love the brown and blue bathing suit its really cute. I love Mexico as well, I hope you have a good time there. I wouldn't worry too much about the sharks. And to answer your question sharks are attracted too all types of blood that includes when you have your period.
belle

Anonymous said...

Great post.

Wow, the Victoria's Secret bikinis look gorgeous - of course it helps if you have a body like Alessandra Ambrosio or Adriana Lima... So frustrating (can't spell) haha

AHHH I hate sharks too. My mom always makes me watch all these TV documentaries on shark attacks, they freak me out.

Have a nice vacation! Mexico is gorgeous, have fun! :)

Fashion Tidbits said...

nice tips!!!

..... said...

god what a long and passionate post !!

emsie said...

great tips. i love going to the seaside.

Unknown said...

Hey, just saying thanks for coming back to my blog again. :)

Emmy said...

ah this post was fantastic. excellent information. i like the picture of the raccoon :D

and to answer your question, i will continue to post on my original blog as well as the new one =)

Michelle said...

I'm not brave enough to wear a bikini, but gingham one is really cute!

Robin said...

I would love to go to the beach but the weather here isn't that nice

Terry said...

I love love love your blog!! It's so nice to stumble upon a blog that isn't only fashion-oriented, but also talks about other thing that I'm actually interested in. Love it! Would you like to exchange links?

Buddha Chic said...

You should stick to fashion, your knowledge of sharks leaves something to be desired. Try watching "Shark Water" as your main concern when going to the beach should be sun protection!