Summer Babe: Sharon Tate

Because it’s summer, because I’m forever fascinated by the sex symbols of the sixties/seventies, and because Sharon Tate is well, Sharon Tate (and the inspiration behind the Maui Barbie).

L’Oreal Studio Matt & Messy Salt Spray. This stuff is magical. I suffer from an incessant need for big, messy hair year-round, something that’s not always attainable with my fine hair texture. (And no, it’s not Jersey girl breeding talking, it’s this fascination I have with the 1960s and ’70s!) Enter a few spritzes of this delicious stuff coupled with a bit of tszuj-ing of the roots, et voila! Big, sexy hair for days. I can be a snob when it comes to beauty products, but when there’s drugstore finds that are this good, there’s no need to shell out at least double the bones on a volumizing department store, salt spray equivalent.

Maui Babe Browning Lotion. Despite my mother’s well-meaning protests and the fact that I preach the dangers of sun bathing over at Mario Badescu Skin Care, I am a sun worshipper through and through. Do as I say, but not as I do would be appropriate here. I picked up this bottle on a whim at Ulta, mostly because I couldn’t resist a name like ‘Maui Babe” or a bottle that looked like it came straight out of the ’70s. I used to reach for my beloved bottle of Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Oil (still do for the scent), but this suntan lotion soaks up the sun like no other. It’s the ultimate tanning accelerator that turns you into a real bronzed, beach babe.

Byredo Gypsy Water. If Sharon Tate had a signature scent, it would be this. According to Byredo, Gypsy Water is “a glamorization of the Romany lifestyle, based on a fascination for the myth. The scent of fresh soil, deep forests and campfires illustrates the dream of a free, colorful lifestyle close to nature.” It’s light and wispy—not at all overpowering—but with just enough earthy smokiness that grounds the hippie spirit.

NARS lipstick in Blonde Venus. The perfect peachy-brown nude. Plus, the formula is gorgeous—it’s lightweight with a satin-y matte finish that lends itself perfectly for the pillow-y, Tate pout.

MAC lip pencil in Spice. A gorgeous, deep neutral with just enough brown to add depth to a lipstick like Blonde Venus. A pencil is essential to emulating Sharon Tate and the other sex bombs of the late sixties.

MAC false lashes in No. 42. Ardell’s Demi Wispies work just as well as this MAC version; the key is to open up the center of eyes for a doe-eyed, mod-influenced effect.

NARS Taos blush. Beach babes can’t be bothered with complicated makeup looks. A generous swipe of this burnt, terracotta rose right in the hollows of the cheeks—almost as if in a horizontal line from the center of the cheeks to the ears—acts as a contour, bronzer, and blusher all in one. A tan is essential for this color to work.

Guerlain Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner. I’ve always been fascinated with loose kohl, it’s smoldering and mysterious and sexy when done on the right woman, right. (I’m also in love with the Guerlain packaging, it’s positively luxe.) Unfortunately for me, I’m convinced I don’t have the right eye shape to pull off the lining my entire eye in a smutty black, but I think Sharon Tate would have loved it haphazardly smudged into her lash line.

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