Glamour tips for a week at the beach in Maine

The Maine Event--You've Earned It!

1. Do not get a manicure before you go. Your first (if not second, third or fourth) lobster dinner will completely trash it. There is a lot of crustacean excavation required on site and manicures have no business here.

2. Do get a pre-trip pedicure for color but the beach is going to offer lots of supplemental pedicure treatment for free--exfoliation, smoothing, soothing; you can get your feet warm in the sand and then plunge them into the ocean or a little tidal pool to cool them off. Such services could get a little pricey at Elizabeth Arden but here they are just another beach benny.

3. Do not use tan in a can products before the trip, especially the partial leg shorts tan. When the real tan catches up with you in your real bathing suit, it just looks stupid.

4.  Do not bring your hair straightening iron and your smoothing gels. These things are useless in the face of the sea air. Surrender to the waves and the waves.

5. Do not take much jewelry. You won't need it.

6. To avoid gaining weight on your vacation, do the following--sleep late, exercise soon after that, eat breakfast late and SKIP LUNCH. That way you are not only deserving of but ready for the Maine event, the lobstah dinnah.

7. Do not over pack. You won't need as many outfit changes as you think. You may succumb to the purchase of a local t-shirt or sweatshirt. It is perfectly acceptable to wear the same outfit more than once. We are at the beach on vacation for God's sake.