by Charlotte Maddox

Stuck in a beauty quandary? Can't pull yourself out of your fashion rut? Feeling like a Glamour "don't"? E-mail your beauty and fashion questions to our expert beauty consultant, Charlotte Maddox, at ask@thewildwe.com. If we publish your question, we will offer you a free text ad in our newsletter. All questions will be published anonymously.

Does it seem as though you're always on the run? Increasingly we're seeking simple solutions and shortcuts for all aspects of our lives...including our appearance.

An amazingly easy way to look cool during the sustained heat is to pull on a pretty, sleeveless dress and step into matching sandals or slides. Throw on a lightweight sweater or jacket and you can transition to any "micro-climate," including super-air conditioned buildings.

A quick tip for feeling "cool," shower and hydrate beforehand with your favorite scented body wash and moisturizer. A subtle fragrance will waft around you. (Do you need to moisturize during summer ... absolutely!)

For your face, less is more. Half the preparation is cleansing, moisturizing and using a sunscreen or sun block. For a little "polish," apply a light powder or tinted moisturizer (many tinted moisturizers contain sunscreen, saving you a step). To minimize "melt down," "set" your tinted moisturizer or foundation with loose powder and dab, as needed, with Beauty Blotters or Oil Mattifier.

Then add some color. Smooth Eye Primer on your eyelids (for longer-lasting wear) and a single cream eye color in a pastel shade. (Vanillas, pinks, silvers and golds tend make the eyes appear more open.) Rim the upper eyelids with eye liner and follow with mascara. Sweep blush on the apples of your cheeks. Apply lipstick and/or lip gloss and, voila, you're ready for almost anything!

Labels: beauty inside and out