As you tweak your wardrobe for summer, think about updating your fragrance too. Just as linen feels cool against your skin on a steamy day, so does a spritz of a fresh light scent. “We are creatures of nature,” says Mandy Aftel, a perfumer and author of Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume. “We crave different tastes, textures and smell when it’s hot and humid than we do when it’s cool and dry.”

Summerize a Signature Scent
Summer’s heat and humidity intensifies any fragrance. If you have a signature scent that you stick with year-round, wear a little less of it, or switch from a perfume to a less concentrated eau de toilette formula. “You want something that has a radius of only 1 or 2 feet,” says Adam Eastwood, co-founder of LuckyScent.com, an online fragrance boutique, “rather than a long reach that will diffuse throughout your office.”

Robin Coe-Hutshing -- a veteran Los Angeles fragrance consultant who founded the famed cosmetics emporium Studio BeautyMix at Fred Segal in Santa Monica, Calif. -- says that layering a summer fragrance or body lotion under your heavier gardenia-tuberose or patchouli scent will also make it less overpowering on a sultry day. “It’s like changing the slipcovers with the seasons,” she says, “and a way to hang on to something that pleases you.”

Scent Selection
Choosing a new summer fragrance can be overwhelming. So many gorgeous bottles, so many alluring names! Even before your start sniffing, edit your selections by thinking about where you like to vacation during the summer and what you enjoying eating or drinking. Then, look for scents that contain those notes.

Fresh Squeezed
Citrus notes -- lemon, lime, grapefruit and mandarin -- are refreshing and stimulating … just the thing to keep your energy up on an oppressively hot day. For a touch of summer romance, look for citruses combined with florals, such as lily of the valley, ylang-ylang and hibiscus.

Tropical
Pineapple, coconut, sea spray, gardenia, white musk, jasmine and ginger lilies: These aromatic elements evoke a day at the beach or a walk through a rain forest.

Succulent
Like biting into ripe fruit, fragrances with notes of peach, apricot, melon, honeysuckle and pomegranate serve up the carefree feeling of summer concerts and backyard picnics.

Green
Freshly cut grass, peppermint, green tea, a touch of herbs, verbena, morning dew. Like a perfectly chilled glass of chardonnay at sunset, these notes have a sporty, but refined, appeal.

Shopping Tips
Now that you’ve narrowed down your fragrance choices, here’s how to approach the perfume counter:

1. Arrive Naked.
Don’t wear fragrance -- including scented body cream. Any scent that’s clinging to your skin will mingle with the new ones you’re testing.

2. Practice Restraint.
Resist the temptation to grab every bottle and start spraying -- it’s a sure path to olfactory overload. Instead, sniff the atomizer. If you like what you smell, spray a scent strip. Wait 30 to 60 seconds before sniffing to allow the alcohol to dissipate.

3. Take a Break.
After four to six different scents, clear your nose by sniffing a few coffee beans, the olfactory equivalent of eating sorbet between courses. Fragrance boutiques often provide small dishes of beans on their counter. Or, tote a sweater or scarf; sniffing something made of wool will also clear your nasal palette.

4. Test Drive.
Once you’ve identified a few favorite fragrances, apply them to the pulse points on your wrist or inner elbow. “Skin is where a scent comes alive,” says Coe-Hutshing. “You have to experience how it interacts with the warmth of your skin and your unique body chemistry to tell if it’s a fit.”

Before you purchase the scent, go for a stroll or do some shopping. A fragrance may be released from an atomizer in a single spray, but the molecules unfold over time. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes for the various notes in fragrances to settle down and rearrange themselves into the perfect composition, says Coe-Hutshing.

With all that outdoor play under the midday sun, tennis takes a toll not only on elbows and knees, but also on skin and hair. Today’s younger players in the Women’s Tennis Association seem to be learning from the creased faces and fried hair of their older teammates. At this spring’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., where the dry desert air can feel like a sauna, we saw tennis bags bulging with sunblock and hair conditioner. So we asked the players to share a few beauty and makeup tips.

The Right Sunscreen Formula for Sports
Currently ranked No. 1 in the world, 20-year-old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark has a peaches-and-cream complexion that she intends to keep. “I use a lot of sunscreen because I don’t want to get wrinkles,” she says, adding that she reapplies it to her “shoulders, arms, everything.” The only problem with being so diligent is that it can make her hands slippery. So out comes a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer to dry her palms.

Says dermatologist Jessica Wu, author of Feed Your Face: Younger, Smoother Skin and a Beautiful Body in 28 Delicious Days: “Playing sports outdoors means you’ll most likely be sweating, so look for waterproof formulas that are less likely to melt off in the heat. Swimmers and heavy perspirers might like the new formulas designed to be sprayed onto wet skin. And please remember an SPF lip balm, since that skin is so thin it’s vulnerable to sun damage and skin cancer.”

Scorch-proof Your Hair
Known for her long glossy locks, 26-year-old Jelena Jankovic of Serbia uses a conditioning hair mask twice a week. “I leave it on for 15 minutes so that the moisture sinks in,” she says. “And when I play, I’ll spray a UV protectant on my hair.” Although she pulls her deep-chestnut hair into a high, tight ponytail on the court, we saw no signs of damaged hair or split ends. One possible reason is that darker pigments confer a protective benefit on hair. “Darker shades absorb UV light, unlike lighter shades, which let the hair’s proteins take the full insult,” says Jeni Thomas, principal scientist for Pantene. “In short, darker hair helps preserve hair’s natural strength.”

The surest way to shield hair from the sun’s rays -- whether you’re a brunette, blonde or redhead -- isn’t an option for the WTA players during competition: wearing a wide-brimmed hat. “In addition to regular conditioner and treatment usage, hats offer the best UV protection,” says Thomas.

Sun-smart Foods
No. 5-ranked Victoria Azarenka knows whom to thank for her long, blond locks. “I got good hair from my mom and grandmother, and I’m trying to take care of it,” says the 21-year-old from Belarus. Her healthy hair care regimen includes leave-in conditioner and heat-protectant spray.

Azarenka recently made a few headlines when The Tennis Channel peeked into her tennis bag and saw -- junk food! Fitness-obsessed fans were abuzz. But it brings up an important point: Eating healthy snacks has beauty benefits.

“If you load up on antioxidant-rich foods, particularly fruits and veggies, you’ll be giving your body the weapons it needs to fight the signs of aging and protect itself from UV rays,” says Wu. After all, she explains, the primary function of antioxidants in plants is to keep them from getting sunburned in the field.

While some of Wu’s favorite sources of antioxidants aren’t exactly tote-able to a workout (such as cooked tomatoes), those that are include green tea, apples, citrus fruits, berries and cherries.

Adds Wu: “We’ve all had times when we’ve forgotten to apply or reapply SPF, or we miss a spot, so eating the right foods can give you some backup protection. Just remember: It’s not a substitute for sunscreen.”

Photo: Getty Images

You don’t need a meteorologist to tell you that this winter has created a beauty SOS! Record snowstorms and punishing winds, combined with dry indoor heating, are leaving your hair static-y and dull, and your skin rough, dry and peeling.

What kept your tresses lustrous in summer and your skin dewy in July doesn’t work in February and March. Here’s how to tweak your beauty regimen so you can achieve healthy skin and healthy hair during the frosty season.

Hair

1. Hydrate every time you shampoo.
Switch to moisturizing shampoos and conditioners, and skip at least one day between shampoos so you don’t deplete your scalp of the natural oils it’s able to retain. To fight flat tresses, apply conditioner only from mid-shaft to your ends. Your roots are just a few weeks old and still getting nourished form your scalp’s sebum, so keep them lifted by skipping the added weight of conditioner.

2. Protect against heat damage.
Parched locks are especially vulnerable to the damage caused by hot styling tools. Letting your hair air-dry in the winter is unrealistic, and walking out in near-zero temperatures with a wet head will cause your strands to freeze and lead to damaged hair.

Instead, partially dry your hair by blotting it with a microfiber towel. Then, apply a heat-protecting hair care product before firing up the hair-blower. Or, eliminate blow-drying by shampooing at bedtime, suggests Natasha Sunshine, owner-stylist of the Byu-ti Hair Therapy Salon. In the morning, style your hair with a flat iron or curling iron. Use the lowest heat seating that will still allow you to achieve the styling results you want, and keep the hot tool moving to avoid scorching your strands.

3. Warm up your hair color.
Hair color that worked beautifully against summer’s bronzed skin can look ashy with winter’s paler complexion. Add warmth to your palette by taking blond hair from beige to golden, brunette tresses to chestnut, or chocolate-brown and red hair to copper or auburn.

Skin

1. Modify your skin care routine.
Your summer skin challenge is most likely controlling oil, while during winter, it’s combating dryness. Replace your exfoliating or sudsing cleanser with a milder, non-sudsing one. Ease up on your use of retinoids; switch to a less-concentrated formula or use them only every other night. Moisturize twice a day, in the morning and at night. Consider switching from a light formula, such as a gel-based moisturizer, to a slightly thicker one. Or, boost the potency of the year-round moisturizer you love by layering a serum underneath.

2. Choose the right soaps and moisturizers.
Long, hot showers or baths can feel great on a bone-chilling day, but they’re extremely drying. “The intense heat actually breaks down the lipid barriers in the skin, which leads to a loss of moisture and dehydrates the skin,” says Naomi Donnelley, a dermatologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. “Keep showers and baths short and lukewarm.” Use a soap-free body wash instead of a harsh antibacterial soap. Apply a body moisturizer while still slightly damp for smooth skin. “In general, lotions don’t cut it in winter,” says Donnelley. “Choose a cream, or if your skin is very dry, a petroleum-based product. Some ingredients to look for include ceramides, dimethicone, urea, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, petrolatum and lanolin.”

3. Invest in a humidifier.
If you experience itching or flaking, consider a home humidifier. The extra moisture it pumps into the air not only soothes chapped lips and hands and relieves all-over dry skin, but also helps nourish midwinter’s straw-like damaged hair. Just be sure to clean your humidifier regularly to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria.

Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com/piskunov

With all the great products on the market, it’s easy to amass quite a beauty stash. When they’re kept too long, however, cosmetics can go from enhancing your clear complexion to compromising it with funky colors and smells -- plus they can spread bacteria.

“Over time, preservatives stop working efficiently and it’s possible for staph, fungus and yeast to contaminate makeup that’s been stored past its prime,” says New York City-based dermatologist Francesca Fusco. So resolve to keep your get-glam arsenal well-edited and up-to-date this year.

First thing’s first. These are the key items to have in your makeup bag, says Global Creative Design Director Pat McGrath of Procter & Gamble: foundation, concealer, powder, bronzer or blush, eye shadow, eyeliner, “bold” and “safety” lip colors, and mascara. Now use this cheat sheet to figure out when to toss different beauty products. Begin the countdown when you first open the product.

Foundation: Six Months to 18 Months
If you live in a hot, humid climate, liquid or cream foundation can break down in as little as six months. “Pitch foundation if there is separation or if the liquid starts to get grainy or extra-thick,” says celebrity makeup artist Sue Devitt. Stored in a cool place (not under the lights of your medicine cabinet), liquid foundation can stay fresh for as long as a year.

Powder-formula foundations will last an additional six months, as long as you wash the sponge applicator weekly.

Tip: Sniff your foundation when you buy it. “If the smell changes at all, toss it,” advises celebrity makeup artist Joanna Schlip, who has worked with Sandra Bullock and Sarah Jessica Parker. “It’s not worth holding on to the product and risking a breakout.”

Concealer: Six Months to One Year
Powder and stick concealers last a year, but liquid formulas should be replaced in half that time. Again, watch for shifts in color, consistency or scent.

Pressed Face Powder: Up to Two Years
Moisture or oil from your face can transfer back to the compact as you perfect your complexion, so prolong the life of face powder by cleaning your brush weekly with shampoo or a mild detergent, or replacing sponge or puff applicators when they become soiled from use. While pressed powders can last as long as two years, they should be discarded if a hard film forms on the surface of the powder before then, says Schlip.

Blush/Bronzer: Six Months to Two Years
A powder bronzer or blush will impart pure, true color for up to two years. Consider liquid blush or bronzer to be expired after 12 months. Cream blushes or bronzer often come in a pot or compact that you swipe with your fingers, so be alert to texture changes as soon as six months and discard after a year.

Powder Eye Shadow: Up to Two Years
Like face powder, these can be kept through two birthdays. Just be sure to practice clean-tool maintenance, says Fusco, so you don’t pick up bacteria from the moist eye area and transfer it back to the shadow pot or compact.

Liquid Eyeliner: Three Months to One Year
If your liner is drying out and you can no longer achieve a flirty Bardot cat-eye, you may need to say farewell at the three-month mark. However, liner can safely be used for a full year. “You’ll know it’s still good if it applies smoothly,” Schlip says.

Eye Pencils: One to Two Years
Luckily, your cache of colorful pencils can stick around a while. Most have a wax base, and bacteria can’t grow on wax, notes Devitt. Tip: Sharpen once a week to keep pencils fresh.

Mascara: Three to Six Months
As soon as the smell is off or the wand is nearly dry when you pull it out, it’s time for the heave-ho. “Mascara is the most likely culprit for breeding bacteria,” says Fusco, “because it’s stroked so close to the mucus membrane under the base of the lashes.”

Lipstick: Up to Two Years
Those bold reds and deep berries you save for glamour nights will safely last through a couple of New Year’s Eves or Valentine’s Days, since lipsticks generally contain wax in their base.

Lip Gloss: One Year
Although, with frequent reapplication, you’ll likely go through your favorite shades way before then!

Here’s a no-brainer: If you could tweak your beauty regimen to clear the clutter out of your bathroom cabinets, spend less time getting ready in the morning, and trim some dollars from your budget -- all the while helping the environment -- would you be willing to give it a go?

Well, all that’s possible by following a concept we’ve become very familiar with: multitasking. Choosing products that perform double -- or triple -- duty is a way to make your beauty regimen more eco-conscious, says Jenny Rushmore, global sustainability leader for Procter & Gamble’s beauty and grooming division. The three R’s of sustainability -- reduce, reuse, recycle -- is a catchy reminder of what our priorities should be when it comes to cutting back on waste. “What this means is that recycling is what you do after you’ve already reduced and reused,” says Rushmore. “It’s better not to buy bottled water than to recycle the water bottle, and that same idea applies to beauty products. Reducing the number of products you buy is the best place to start a more eco-friendly beauty regimen.”

Here are seven hardworking beauty products you can easily find on your drugstore shelves.

1. Shampoo-conditioners
These two-in-one formulas will help speed up your showers -- saving an average of 5 gallons of water for every minute you cut from your shower time -- and cut down on packaging. Best of all: Now you can find these double-duty wonders in formulas customized to add volume to fine hair, smooth frizz-prone locks or manage curls.

2. Razors With Built-in Shave Gel
All you’ll need to add is water to get your legs silky smooth. As convenient as that is at home, it’s especially helpful when it comes to getting a close shave when you’re traveling. No need to pack the shave cream: Simply toss a razor with a shave gel bar in your toiletry case.

3. Self-tanning Moisturizing Lotions
Add a glow to your skin as you soften and hydrate it -- without the orange streaks that conventional self-tanners can sometimes leave. To maximize multitasking, choose a facial or body formula with SPF 15.

4. Makeup Foundation With Benefits
Slash your beauty budget and your get-beautiful prep time with a foundation that also treats your skin with anti-acne or anti-aging ingredients, such as youth-restoring antioxidants, peptides, retinols and breakout-busters like salicylic acid.

5. Moisturizing Body Washes
Try these lathering marvels and you can step right out of the shower and into your clothes without having to pause to slather on a hydrating lotion. (Okay, a few seconds spent patting yourself dry with a towel is advisable.) Some advanced products also contain anti-aging ingredients that make fine lines less visible by improving skin’s elasticity, tone and texture.

6. Facial and Body Moisturizers With Sunscreen
With broad-spectrum SPF 15 or 30, these lotions provide the daily sun-shielding protection that dermatologists recommend. You can find formulas that are fast-absorbing and have a lightweight texture, so you’ll never be tempted to skip the sunscreen again. In fact, some facial UV moisturizers are so silky they provide the perfect canvas for your foundation, allowing you to skip the primer. Another step saved!

7. Baby Wipes
If these aren’t in your beauty arsenal, they should be. Unscented, hypoallergenic wipes are a gentle, portable and low-priced makeup remover that will baby your sensitive skin. Cold-weather tip: Stash a packet in your purse or toiletry case during cold and flu season so it’ll be within easy reach for on-the-go hand cleansing.