Got a day at the beach planned? Start your adventure preparations by packing a beach bag with everything you’ll need to enjoy the surf, sand, and sun.

For years, bathing suit options were limited to tiny bikinis or matronly one-pieces, but this year, designers are finally offering up some more exciting options for all body types. The year’s best one-piece swimsuits are cute, yet practical, says Catina Coats, owner of Catina Couture in Lake Charles. 

We’ve all seen the ads and the displays at the local pharmacies -- dozens of brands, all claiming to do one thing: make your teeth whiter. Some advertise themselves as the easiest or fastest, while others claim to be as good as the service your dentist offers.

So what’s the truth? In short, there are two basic types of teeth whiteners: at-home, unsupervised methods, and methods either supervised by a dentist or done entirely in a dentist’s office. Deciding which is better for you depends on several factors.

The Kentucky Derby is known for two things: fast horses and fancy hats. But believe it or not, the nearly 150-year old race hasn’t always been the classy event we think of today. In the race’s first year, organizers worried that upper-class women wouldn’t want to be associated with racing, gambling and drinking, so to address fears that the derby would devolve into a day of debauchery, the first event required "full morning dress.” For men, the dress code meant waistcoats and trousers; for women, it often meant full on formalwear, complete with a hat to shield sensitive skin from the hot sun. Over the years, Derby hats have become a spectacle of their own, with women outdoing themselves to come up with the most creative headpieces.

It’s been a white winter, full of celebrities dying their hair platinum blonde, and the trend shows signs of powering ahead through spring. White blonde is a great look that works on a lot of different skin tones. It also lends a classic-Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe touch of femininity to any hairstyle, whether it’s long waves or a chopped pixie. But going platinum blonde takes a lot of effort and patience. Here’s what to know before taking the plunge.

Lake Charles native Jessika See grew up participating in the pageant scene and has always been interested in make-up, beauty, and style. Two years ago, her Aunt Val, nearing the end of her battle with cancer, asked Jessika for a special favor. She wanted a make-over . . . hair, make-up, a new outfit. Jessika was glad to grant her aunt’s final request. "She was so happy, it was like a breath of fresh air had been breathed into her ailing body,” says Jessika. "She smiled from ear to ear and had a blast posing in front of the camera. She told me I have a gift for making women feel beautiful.” Soon after, Jessika decided to make a career as a professional make-up artist and started her business, J.See Make-Up. She is in high demand and works on location, specializing in weddings. Her business calendar is booked most every weekend of the year. "My goal is to help women feel beautiful from the inside out.”

Anyone who’s ever tried on a billion different shades and brands of foundation before finding a perfect match can tell you there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to cosmetics. But, weirdly enough, when it comes to skincare, many hope a single mask or treatment will solve all their facial woes.

Planning the best outfit for every Christmas party, gift exchange, play, program, and dinner, not to mention finding a New Year’s Eve-worthy look, can leave many of us exhausted before we even step out the door. However, nothing levels up a holiday outfit like a great hairstyle. Here are a few tricks for hair-dos so fun they compete with even your sparkliest Christmas sweater.

Learning how to tie a tie is a rite of passage for a young man. Oscar Wilde felt so strongly about it that he once stated that learning to tie a tie was the first serious step in life. However, even Oscar Wilde could not have foretold the twists and turns that men’s fashion would take in regards to neck-wear. Today, if the idea of wearing the classic tie drives you up the wall, or you are simply longing for some variety, you will be pleased to know there are some alternatives to the traditional tie.

Razor burn, tiny cuts, ingrown hairs . . . mens shaving is an often overlooked pain point in many morning grooming rituals. Lately, scores of men have taken to combating shaving annoyances not by testing out the newest shaving technologies, but by embracing the shave of yesteryear and trying out hundred year old barbershop techniques.

The folks at the Pew Research Center say that the 2016 Presidential Election might be the last election in which seniors cast the most ballots, reports the Association of Mature American Citizens.

Cooler weather comes with all kinds of perks: fun nights out bundled up to cheer local football, roaring bonfires, and a free for all on hot beverages, but all that outdoor fun comes at a cost: scaly winter skin leaves many of us wanting to hide our faces from more than just the wind. If redness and itching are already starting to bother you this fall, here are a few steps toward winterizing your routine.

When we are young, looking older can sometimes be key to feeling sexier and more mature. When we are actually more mature, looking older starts to become less intriguing. Unfortunately, most of us learn to do our makeup during that more is more phase in our teens and twenties, sometimes getting set in looks that become too harsh as skin looses elasticity. But there are some simple tricks to getting back the brightness of youth without all the hassle of acne this time. Who says age does not have its benefits?

Just a few years ago, hair color was pretty straightforward: natural, highlighted or colored, with lowlights available for the most daring among us. Fast forward to the Instagram age, and hair has gotten seriously complicated. Rainbow colors and foreign sounding techniques abound, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. While some of these newer color techniques, like ombre, balayage, and color melting sound confusing, they are actually great for subtle updates to hair color that are stylish without being over the top. Here is a rundown of the differences between the techniques.

Fashion should really be simple: wear what makes you feel good. However, it seems like set in stone fashion rules are everywhere: from beauty magazines to fashion blogs to well meaning but old school friends and family members. For instance, many of us grew up watching the calendar come spring, terrified to pull out our white dresses until Easter Sunday.

Taylor Brown has always had a passion for fashion and retail. She worked in a western store in her hometown, West Monroe, when she was in high school. Six years ago, she moved to Lake Charles to attend McNeese State University and participate on their rodeo team (she is a barrel racer). During college and post graduation, she worked for Baskin s (now Boot Barn). I love dressing people, says this young enthusiastic entrepreneur.

There has never been a better time to wear glasses. Fashion designers and style icons now see eyewear as a must-have accessory that helps define a unique, personalized style.

Dr. Mark Crawford, facial cosmetic specialist with the Aesthetic Center in The Eye Clinic, is the first to offer the new FDA-approved Kybella, the first and only injectable treatment that safely and effectively reduces and improves the appearance of moderate to severe fat below the chin without surgery.

When they were children, both AnnaBeth Scarle and Sarabeth Price, each the youngest sibling in her family, couldn't wait to get their hands on their older sisters' makeup. Twenty-some years later, these budding businesswomen have opened Blush Blow-Dry and Beauty Bar.

Ah, bangs. No other word can strike fear and envy like they can. Often viewed as the holy grail of a hair style, the search for those elusive perfect bangs can seem never ending. There is always the hope that just the right style and stylist who can deliver it for you are just inside the next salon.

This spring, one hairstyle has everyone from Vogue to hipster tastemaker Vice.com in agreement: braids are back on trend for spring 2016. After years of being relegated to elementary school picture day style, braids are popping up on runways at Louis Vuitton and Valentino as well has crowning the heads of celebrities like Taylor Swift.

Since the days of Cleopatra, the smart and sexy smoky eye has delivered many dazzling glances. This highly sought after, infamous look is well known for vamping up a night on the town whether you are in a cocktail dress or jeans.

Lately, make-up colors have been a little bit of a bummer. The vampy purple lips and sultry black kitten eyeliner that seemed super cool in spring 2014 have started to feel a bit…heavy. But lovers of color can rejoice! According to the runways at New York and Paris fashion weeks, bright blue shadows and liners are going to be the next big thing come spring.

Bangs are the opposite of the little black dress. They go in and out of fashion, the trendiest shapes and styles change constantly, and, let’s be real, not every style works for everyone.

Glitter has gotten a bad rap in the past year or so. For example, a website called Ship Your Enemies Glitter launched last year to much fanfare and offered to mail unsuspecting victims a huge mess for a small fee. All this glitter hate seems unfair because, hey, its supposed to be fun.

However, glitter is making a comeback from revenge kitsch to weird and wonderful fashion accessory. Here are a few of the ways that men and women alike are using glitter to make a sartorial statement.

You can’t fight gravity, but you can make sure you have the facts on sagging facial skin and what you can do about it.

Not all hair colors are created equal. If you want to boost your look—whether it’s looking younger, lighter, bolder, or darker—it’s best to know which colors are a yes and which are a no. The first step is knowing your skin tone.

Fashion designer Michael Kors recently Tweeted that "A white blazer in summer is everything.” If you’re wondering how Kors could possibly be suggesting you wrap yourself in fabric during the dog days of summer, you must not work in an office. In the summer, many business places crank up the air conditioning in the name of "comfort,” leaving employees sweating on the front steps and shivering at their desks.

Everyone should have the right to dress him or herself in a way that feels comfortable, but sometimes, our everyday style choices age us in ways we might not notice. There is nothing wrong with aging, and there is nothing wrong with looking your age. However, there are a few common fashion missteps that could actually be moving the clock forward, rather than showcasing timeless style.

If you associate cosmetic contouring with Kim Kardashians caked on make up, you probably think shading is something best left for the red carpet. But contouring does not have to look fake. Real women can absolutely hop on the contouring bandwagon to bring out their best features.

As cosmetic surgeries become less stigmatized and more readily available, looking younger, more symmetrical, or just plain prettier has never been easier. In fact, last year saw more Americans flocking to plastic surgeons to have their derrieres plumped and wrinkles filled than ever before.

Super model Cara Delevingnes gorgeous, bold eyebrows have made some of us rethink our relationship with tweezers. But it can be intimidating to step back from the wax strips and just let our eyebrows grow wild. So if you are looking for a few ways to make your eyebrows more modern without going full on bushy, here are a few pointers.

Reducing wrinkles, fine lines and facial folds were good goals ten years ago; however, today you should be expecting more from injectables. You should be getting balance, proportion and symmetry according to Dr. Christopher Hubbell, board certified dermatologist, dermasurgeon and medical director of a Jeuné and Acadiana Dermatology.

Spring fashions are debuting. Designers ideas come to life on the runway models, showing us what is hot, what is not, and which trend we should follow next.

You can blame the weather or the fact that you have been too busy to schedule a hair cut for your uncontrollable hair, but your hair care habits may actually be the source of those dreaded bad hair days.