Not All Southern Women Love the Beach—These Summer Beauty Lessons Prove It

By Sid Evans
Hector Manuel Sanchez

This natural stunner always knows how to be ready for beach days

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Heloise McKee

Courtesy of Marsha Evans

Summer has never been my grandmother’s best friend. She doesn’t like going to the beach or sitting by the pool, and she has always avoided the sun like the plague—which is not easy to do in Memphis, where she raised three kids. This is a rare photo of her enjoying the beach at Sea Island, Georgia, in 1965 while hiding behind sunglasses, a head scarf, and a favorite straw hat. “Other people get a nice glow, but all I ever do is get red,” she says—a typical Heloise zinger. Wickedly funny, stylish, and quick to laugh, she has always taken care of herself, which is perhaps why she’s still so beautiful at age 96. 

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Protect Your Skin

Hector Manuel Sanchez

“Anybody with skin as fair as mine—I mean, it’s almost blue—needs to cover up with something,” she says.

Buy It: EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46, $35; dermstore.com

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Nourish Your Nails

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Never a fan of manicures, Heloise always uses something simple for her nails.

Buy It: Inner Strength Nail & Cuticle Renewal Drops, $20; barefootscientist.com

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Don't Overdo Your Lip

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Heloise didn’t like red lipstick, and she said to never trust a man with a red car. Her go-to color for lips was always a soft pinky coral. 

Buy It: Dior Lip Glow in Coral Glow, $34; sephora.com

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Keep Your Strands In Place

Hector Manuel Sanchez

“The wind ruins my hair—blows it all out of place!” she says. Just a spritz of hair spray can fix that.

Buy It: Garnier Fructis Style Full Control Anti-Humidity Ultra Strong Hold Hairspray, $3.42; walmart.com

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Moisturize Before You Tuck In

Hector Manuel Sanchez

The night cream she liked best came from a drugstore in Montgomery, Alabama, where she grew up. Our editors suggest this new mask for a similar effect.

Buy It: Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, $48; sephora.com

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Find Time to Relax

Hector Manuel Sanchez

“A bath was her do-not-disturb-me time,” says her daughter Marion. She uses a Clinique cleanser, one of her all-time favorites, with a soft washrag.

Buy It: Clinique Cleansing Bar for Face and Body, $16.50; dillards.com

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