It’s a rare day when I can resist a Shimmer Brick, but my willpower for this NEW Beach Shimmer from Bobbi Brown seems to be waning at an alarming rate, even for me!

While other varieties lend looks from candlelit sheen to a soft rose radiance, the mixture of colors and soft shimmer in this one appear to really lend that enviable “day-at-the-beach-glow.” I can’t possibly think of a better illuminator for summer!

Bobbi Brown Beach Shimmer Brick Compact is available from BobbiBrown.com for $38.

This summer, I’m all about the sundresses!

I love this one because it’s not skimpy at all – very Charlotte York! The silhouette is somewhat rigid, but it’s livened up with a super sweet waist tie in a to-die-for shade of dove gray. I love the cool tones of the enlarged weft pattern too – totally cool without trying too hard.

Magnifying Glass Dress is available from Anthropologie for $138.

Helloooo!

Oh how I’ve missed you, my Makeup Bag friends.

Thank you to all my very sweet readers and beauty blogging friends that sent emails and left comments & voice mail messages, wondering where I was and asking if I was okay. (My fave: “Did those pesky teenagers finally do you in?!”)

I am, indeed, okay. I’ve been working my butt off on a sleepy little island in the Pacific, so I’m exhausted and somewhat grouchy—but the weather is gorgeous and my family is healthy, so I truly can’t complain.

If you’ve followed my adventures over the last few years, you might know that my husband and I have a restaurant in Kauai called Kalapaki Joe’s.

Six weeks ago, we opened up a second location in Poipu, Kauai called Kalapaki Joe’s Poipu (clever, aren’t we?)

(Bree, center, with two Kalapaki Joe’s Poipu staffers.)

This project has been all-consuming for me and my husband for the last several months, but I’m finally able to carve some time into my schedule for regular Makeup Bag updates. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME!

If you are reading this now, thank you for coming back to check up on me after all this time! I appreciate your support of Makeup Bag and look forward to sharing daily updates of my beauty favorites with you again.

Much love,

Erika