Spring’s in full swing, and I’m lovin’ almost everything about it. Love the gorgeous green hills, the wildflowers springing up everywhere I turn, the sunny skies, sunsets and longer days, but ah! — that’s not all spring brings. It also brings some seasonal — pardon me — ah-choo! — challenges.

Challenges like…

1. Smudgy eyes

Around this same time every year I develop an inconvenient allergy to nature — pretty much all of it, judging by my watery eyes, itchy throat and incessant sneezing.

Zyrtec usually saves the day, but when it doesn’t, watery eyes often leave me with smudgy eye makeup.

Sure, I could skip wearing eye makeup altogether in spring, but where’s the fun in that?

When my eyes turn to “Aye!” I turn to these time-tested eye makeup-saving tricks…

First, before I apply my makeup, I prime everything — and I mean everything — to lock it down. I apply primer on my lids, in my brows (helps the brow powder stay put), along my lower lash lines and even beneath my eyes. Then, I follow pretty much my regular makeup routine but using long-wearing and/or waterproof eyeshadows, liner and mascara.

2. Fading foundation…

I like these longer days, but the extra sunshine keeps me going from 6 in the morning till 9 at night. My foundation’s gotta last, so again I turn to primer.

Here’s a trick to help your foundation last a little longer: after applying foundation primer, wait 10-15 minutes before blotting with a tissue and applying your foundation.

I’m not exactly sure why, but the extra time seems to help the primer do its thing. My foundation lasts longer before fading, and I find I even use less of it, too.

3. When it comes to hair, wind blows

It’s getting gusty out here in Northern California, and when I wear my shoulder-length hair down, it usually ends up in my gloss. On really windy days, I like headbands, low ponytails and braids.

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Traveling is not one of my favorite things about traveling. I mean, the actual traveling part — the getting there — is not my idea of fun.

The rushing, the waiting, the feeling that I’m always forgetting something, the lugging around of luggage, and that strap from my carry-on bag that digs into my shoulder, the airport security checkpoint, the man who keeps sneezing next to me without covering his mouth (come on, sir!), and oh, they don’t serve food on this flight? No problem, I’ll just eat the kid behind me on the plane who KEEPS KICKING MY CHAIR, GAH!

At least it’s only a five-hour flight…

But one thing I do like about traveling is picking up new travel tricks to make future trips easier.

Over the past few years, I think I’ve gotten pretty good at a few aspects of air travel, like remembering where I parked my car after the return flight (TIP: snap a picture of your parking space with a camera phone) and zipping through the security checkpoint (TIP: wear shoes without buckles or laces that you can easily slip on and off), but packing? — packing is still not one of my strong points.

I over-pack. That’s all there is to it. I’m the girl who brings 15 pairs of underwear for a five-day getaway because you just never know if you’ll need the extra drawers. Like, what if I work out, and I want to change my underwear after? Right? I’d rather have more pairs than less.

But I am getting better at streamlining. I think. And I even learned a few new packing lessons on my recent trip to Kauai…

1. Pack in twos

It seemed counter-intuitive to me at first, but by doubling up on certain pieces of clothing, I had enough to cover my needs.

For example, on this trip I planned/hoped to exercise every day, but instead of packing five sports bras — which was my inclination — I only brought two. I’d work out in the first one, wash it in the hotel room sink, and hang it up on the balcony to dry.

If it was still damp the next day, I’d wear my second bra, and alternate between the two of them like that.

Saved a lot of room in my suitcase.

2. Work those workout clothes

Even if you don’t plan to hit the gym on your trip, bring that workout wear anyway. It’s usually lightweight, comfortable, easy to clean (even in the sink or bath), quick drying, suitable for spontaneous outdoor activities (like hiking, sightseeing, etc.), and wrinkle resistant. Plus, it doesn’t take up much room in your luggage or add a lot of bulk to your bag.

Gray tank top by Zella

I brought a few pieces from Zella on this trip, the in-house Nordstrom brand that’s basically like Lululemon but a little cheaper. I think their stuff is pretty stylish and definitely comfy. Perfect to wear on hikes.

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With what our faces face on a daily basis — sun exposure being the big one — clay masks are a great way to treat common skin challenges. I like to give my face a good detoxing once a week to make up for not taking good care of my skin during the week (I’m definitely guilty of this!).

Take a night, and treat yourself to a nice, calming bentonite clay mask.

Bentonite clay is here to save the day! — scratch that. The week! This soft volcanic clay is suitable for all skin types. It absorbs toxins, draws out blackheads, kills acne-causing bacteria, and it’s great for spot treatments, too (just mix it with a little bit of water). It also has anti-aging benefits, because as it exfoliates the skin, it helps with cell turnover.

So, are you ready to detoxify the bentonite way? If you are, here’s…

What you’ll need

• A few small stalks of sage
• 2 tbsp of bentonite clay powder
  (carried at most health food stores)
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 1 tbsp of coconut oil
• Half a lemon

Sage (enough to fit in a small bowl)

2 tbsp of bentonite clay (available here and here)

1 tbsp of honey

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I’ve been working on switching over to all natural beauty and makeup products for several months now. It’s not an easy transition, and it can be quite expensive.

Growing up, my mom created beauty and health concoctions with plants from her herb garden combined with common pantry items like olive oil, and I thought it was a bit odd. But as a lot of mother-daughter things go, I’ve learned that her practices aren’t so strange: her natural beauty routine is quite admirable – and now I’m following suit! After all, she is in her 60′s and still has fantastic, clear, glowing skin.

So, when life gives you lemons, make all-natural at-home beauty treatments!

Lemons are fruit; they’re natural. They’re inexpensive. Lemon juice has antiseptic, healing and lightening properties, and can also help with acne.

See where I’m going here?

Combined with the right ingredients, lemons can be a staple in many natural DIY skincare treatments. Here are four easy lemon-based beauty recipes: two for face, and two for feet.

And if you’re like me and don’t cook fancy things very often, I picked recipes that call for a small number of common ingredients. I hope you’ll love these inexpensive, surprisingly luxurious beauty treatments as much as I do!

Lemon yogurt peel

For this super-gentle exfoliating mask, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best), 1/4 cup of plain yogurt (I use Greek yogurt), and about 1 tablespoon of honey. Yogurt combined with honey makes a great gentle antibacterial cleanser.

Mix the ingredients together until the mixture is uniform, and apply to clean skin. Leave it on for 10 minutes, and rinse with warm water.

Oh, yeah. And feel free to eat some yogurt and honey if you’re so inclined (it’s one of my favorite treats!).

Sweet honey lemon face scrub

Combine 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and the fresh squeezed juice from a quarter of a lemon. Honey’s natural antibacterial quality gives this nourishing and moisturizing scrub acne fighting properties, and my skin glows after doing this treatment.

This recipe yields about four uses for me. Apply about one quarter of the mixture by gently rubbing it on clean skin, and then leaving it in place for about 5 minutes before rinsing.

You can store the rest of the mixture for later use — just not more often than once every 3 or 4 days.

Oh, and if you happen to accidentally taste the mix, I won’t tell.

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It used to seem like I had endless amounts of time to get all dolled up for different things, like parties, dancing and baby showers, but now? What I wouldn’t give to have a whole afternoon to get ready.

These days, on the rare occasions when I actually do have something to get dressed up for, it seems like I’m always rushing. I’m lucky to have enough time to fill in my brows, let alone do something special with my hair.

Still, even when I am rushing, running ragged and far behind, the last thing I want to do with my ‘do is just throw on a hat and call it a day (although I am totally guilty of doing exactly that more than a few times).

When all I can swing is 5-10 minutes on hair, I’ll shoot for one of these three quick party hairstyles. Each one is light on muss and fuss, and can be done with styling products from the drugstore.

First things first: the prep work.

This stuff is güd

Assuming a shower isn’t completely off the table, I like to start with one, and lately I’ve been bringing two products by güd from Burt’s Bees with me.

I love how citrusy Orange Petalooza Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner smell ($6.99 each), and the combo leaves my hair feeling silky soft, lightweight and conditioned.

If I had my druthers, I’d always air dry my hair, but sometimes that’s not an option. Hair dryers do speed up the process, and when I’m going to use one, I try to work in a heat protecting product, like the new Suave Keratin Infusion Heat Defense Leave-In Conditioner ($3.49), to protect against heat styling damage.

When I can’t squeeze in a shower at all, well, that’s when I turn to dry shampoo. Definitely not ideal, but the good ones do freshen my ‘do and give some lift to my roots. I really like Suave Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo. It’s designed for all hair types and costs just $3.49.

With the prep work done, it’s time to pick our hairstyle!

1. Retro in a rush

I’ve been wearing my hair a lot like this lately. I call it my “Ode to Mad Men,” and it’s kind of a rushed take on an old-school beehive.

I start by parting my bangs to the side, but if you don’t have bangs, just take about a two-inch chunk of hair in that same area, and part it to the side. Then, to get the look of long side-swept bangs, secure the chunk in place with bobby pins, like the Styling Essentials Bobby Pins by Conair ($1.39).

Next, I put my hair into a low ponytail secured with an elastic ponytail holder in a color that matches my mane. I like Goody Ouchless Gentle Hair Elastics, 1) because a pack of 27 costs just $3.99, and 2) they don’t break my strands when I pull them out.

To build some height at my crown, I grab a pencil (here, I’m actually using an eyeliner), stick it into the roots up there, and then gently pull up to loosen the style and create some height.

I don’t usually worry about it looking too neat, because with this style, I kind of like how it looks a little undone.

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