Making excuses to not book those 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. classes is a little too easy. I know, I know: You won’t have enough time to get ready for work, and it’s too much work to get ready outside of your home, and the idea of having even semi-wet hair in 20 degree weather is enough to make you hit snooze. But it’s time to stop wimping out. With holiday party season in full swing, squeezing your workouts in in the morning is the only failproof way to make sure an unpredictable evening schedule doesn’t get in the way of your sweat sessions. As a bari veteran (and one with a “9 to 5” — who actually leaves at 5 p.m.?), here are my tips to get ready quickly, yet still look put together by the time you get to the office.

plan ahead: The night before your early bari class, pick out your outfit and have it perfectly laid out and ready for you. Everything you plan to wear (socks, underwear, bra, etc.) should be there; you don’t want to waste your time searching for matching socks in the morning. Also have your work outfit packed as much as possible without causing wrinkles.

less is more: Think of ways to simplify your beauty routine. With your makeup, do you really need to spend as much time as you currently do primping? Perhaps you can spend less time on your eyeliner and still look completely presentable for work. If you can get away with a lighter face, go for it, you’ll probably get compliments on your natural look! Get a good tinted moisturizer, and you’ll look fresh-faced in seconds. If you’re the type who gets red-faced after a workout, try a face spray to instantly add moisture and brighten up your skin.

hair time savers: If you’re used to blow drying and ironing your hair each morning, try a new (and quicker) look for morning gym days. If you are always fighting your curly hair, try to tame and embrace your natural hair. If you aren’t going for the curly/wavy look, try a sock bun. When done correctly this looks super buttoned up, but it’s a quick style. I’m also a fan of the fishtail braid, which takes no more than a few minutes to pull together. No time to wash your hair? If it looks clean enough but just needs a little something, spray in some dry shampoo, add a headband and head out the door. In case you do want to blow out your hair though, bari’s got you covered with our Harry Josh hair dryer and flat iron.

Another secret to early bird workout success? Having a well-stocked gym bag. Here are some basic items that we recommend:

1. travel-sized toiletries: bari has you covered on many of the essentials, but if you prefer your own face wash or day creams, mini travel-sized bottles that you can just keep in your gym bag come in handy so that you don’t have to remember to take them out or repack when you shower at home.
2. downy wrinkle release: In the name of keeping things professional, let’s plan for a few unexpected wrinkles. When you’re packing your clothes the night before and carrying them with you, sometimes wrinkles, and this little bottle of magic will save you every time.
3. hair brush/comb: Essentials. Keep an extra set in your gym bag.
4. lint roller: Just like the wrinkle release, you never know what is going to happen to your clothes when you are packing them and traveling with them, so it’s best to be prepared.
5. makeup bag: Consider storing an extra set of your essentials in a small makeup bag so you’re never stranded without your faves.

Work on this routine and see what works for you. Over time you’ll figure out ways to shorten your get-ready-for-work moves, and you’ll be an early bird bari rockstar.

Mark your calendars, Tribe! Our friends at Moms for Moms will be hosting an incredible trunk show at Bari on April 2nd. They have some amazing stuff lined up — including VPL’s new workout line — and the trunk show will benefit The River Project.

Mark your calendars, Tribe! Our friends at Moms for Moms will be hosting an incredible trunk show at Bari on April 2nd. They have some amazing stuff lined up — including VPL’s new workout line — and the trunk show will benefit The River Project.

We’re so thrilled to be an official sponsor of Orange County Fashion Week! Check out the premier episode of O.C. Fashion Week’s HauteWire series, which features an interview with Alexandra and a quick Bari demo.

The absolute worst part — and possibly the only bad part — of growing up on Caribbean beaches is when my mother would lather my entire body with thick sunscreen only to throw a shirt over it. It’s incredible how vividly I remember this. (Or… maybe it’s because I was about 17 years old when she finally let me do it myself?)

The first time I actually cared about sunscreen, I was about 7 or 8 years old. I wanted to smell like coconut all day, and Hawaiian Tropic helped me accomplish that goal. So I carried it with me everywhere. And sometimes also applied it to my sister’s Barbies.

Then, I became a teenager, and this song came out. I loved this song, and it would have been perfect if I could have just cut that first line out. I was walking into a decade where the tanner I got, the cooler I thought I was. Why did I think that, you might be wondering? Because it was true. Tanning was cool. So for a good seven years sunblock was a joke to me — and also my arch nemesis.

Then one day, after I had graduated college, I realized that my skin had changed. Just like that. One day I looked at it, and it just wasn’t the same. It had lines that obviously would turn into crazy wrinkles. And sun spots. You know when you look at one star in the sky and all of a sudden more and more start appearing? That’s what it felt like. Except the multiplying stars were on my face — and way less exciting than stars.

So naturally, I had to take matters into my own hands. I was only 22 or 23. Way too young to be seeing lines on my face and definitely too young to be seeing sunspots. So I went to a spa — because I still couldn’t face a dermatologist — got a facial (and maybe a massage) and asked them to tell me exactly what to do. I would do anything, buy anything, just give me lotions or cut or laser them off. Just give me a game plan.

“Wear sunscreen every day. That’s all you have to do.”

Right, I know that. The song from when I was a teenager taught me that, but I would like to unnecessarily spend some money — or lots of money — on creams and lotions and potions.

“No, you don’t need anything. Just wear sunscreen.”

That song was right. And here I am — 5 or 6 or 7 years later (I’ll never tell) — officially sunscreen obsessed. I’ll never know exactly when this became a thing because I didn’t write about this exact moment in my diary. (I don’t even have a diary. And if I did, it’d obviously be a secret Google doc.) But here I am, years later, with lots of sunscreen research under my belt.

One big takeaway I’ve learned: If you’re going to wear excessive sunscreen for one month out of the year, my dear Tribe, August is the month to do it. The month that Ibiza turns up the music, that all of Europe is on vacation, the month that you’re taking a week off with your family, the month you’re going to work out a little bit less because summer Fridays just pull you out to the Frying Pan. Or the Hamptons. So many decisions. I know you. This is your month.

Here are some things you should know about wearing sunscreen:

• UVA and UVB are not the same thing, and you need to be protected from both. You don’t have to know how they’re different, just know that you need both in your sunscreen, a.k.a. Broad Spectrum protection. (If you really need to know, UVB rays are the ones that cause sunburn and contribute to skin cancer and UVA rays go deeper, resulting in the aging of the skin and giving us those ugly spots… oh yeah, and also contribute to skin cancer!)

• Here in the U.S., the FDA is limiting your access to the world’s best sunscreen. #justsayin

• Experts say there are diminishing returns of protection for SPFs over 50, and that the claims for these sunscreens are largely exaggerated. Stick to anything between 30 and 50 for as good of a Sun Protection Factor as you’re going to get.

• Need second opinions? Check out the Environmental Working Group’s list of safest sunscreens. In order to make the list, a sunscreen must be broad spectrum, have a SPF of 50 or below and be free of both oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate.

• Vitamin A is an antioxidant used in many anti-aging skin products but studies have shown that it can speed up the development of cancer when applied to skin that is exposed to the sun. Avoid using sunscreens that list Retinyl Palmitate as an ingredient. (This is a vitamin A compound.)

To those who avoid the sun all together, please beware. This may have adverse effects because sunshine serves a critical function in producing vitamin D for the body.

Here are my top picks. Love them or love them. If I’m missing something you’re loving, don’t be selfish — share it with me! After 5, 6 or 7 years of excessive sunscreen use, I’m just getting started.

1. Activated Sun Protector Sunscreen for Body SPF 50 by Kiehl’s: I love this sunscreen for my body because it’s really light and non-greasy so it leaves my skin smooth. This is particularly impressive for such a high SPF. It also contains some anti-aging antioxidants.

$25 for 5 ounces

2. Sublime Sun Advanced Sunscreen Oil Spray by L’Oreal: Oil, you say? As in tanning? No! This oil spray will hydrate your skin and leave it glowing for a natural beach look. It also includes vitamin E, argan oil, shea butter oil, grapeseed oil and sunflower oil for improved moisture. And you can spray it on. What more could you ask for?

$10.99 for 5 ounces

3. Sport UV Defense SPF 50 by SkinCeuticals: Because if Bari’s not in your vacation destination spot, you need to take your workout outside. We get it. (And encourage it!) Enhanced with a plankton extract, this stuff will take the sun to war… and win. This is super water resistant, and - for this reason - I only use it when I’m working out outdoors. (Not the lightest of them all!)

$40.00 for 3 ounces

4. New Anthelios 50 Mineral by La Roche Posay: This is my daily go-to. This “barely there but still there” light formula (it’s a thing, don’t worry) also includes a combination of powerful antioxidants that further protect your skin.

$33.50 for 1.7 ounces.

5. UV Clear SPF 46 by Elta MD: If your skin is feeling especially irritated, oily or is acting up, this is the one to grab. It’s the most lightweight of them all. (You won’t even believe you’re wearing sunscreen. But you are.)

$30.00 for 1.7 ounces

6. Mineral Crème SPF 50 by MD Solar Sciences: This one is also good for oily and acne/prone skin, but it also has a subtle tint to help smooth out the look of your skin. Packed with additional antioxidant protection, I find it to be more waterproof than the Elta MD formula. But don’t quote me on this one — test them yourself! (I can’t do all the work, guys.)

$30.00 for 1.7 ounces

The absolute worst part — and possibly the only bad part — of growing up on Caribbean beaches is when my mother would lather my entire body with thick sunscreen only to throw a shirt over it. It’s incredible how vividly I remember this. (Or… maybe it’s because I was about 17 years old when she finally let me do it myself?)

The first time I actually cared about sunscreen, I was about 7 or 8 years old. I wanted to smell like coconut all day, and Hawaiian Tropic helped me accomplish that goal. So I carried it with me everywhere. And sometimes also applied it to my sister’s Barbies.

Then, I became a teenager, and this song came out. I loved this song, and it would have been perfect if I could have just cut that first line out. I was walking into a decade where the tanner I got, the cooler I thought I was. Why did I think that, you might be wondering? Because it was true. Tanning was cool. So for a good seven years sunblock was a joke to me — and also my arch nemesis.

Then one day, after I had graduated college, I realized that my skin had changed. Just like that. One day I looked at it, and it just wasn’t the same. It had lines that obviously would turn into crazy wrinkles. And sun spots. You know when you look at one star in the sky and all of a sudden more and more start appearing? That’s what it felt like. Except the multiplying stars were on my face — and way less exciting than stars.

So naturally, I had to take matters into my own hands. I was only 22 or 23. Way too young to be seeing lines on my face and definitely too young to be seeing sunspots. So I went to a spa — because I still couldn’t face a dermatologist — got a facial (and maybe a massage) and asked them to tell me exactly what to do. I would do anything, buy anything, just give me lotions or cut or laser them off. Just give me a game plan.

“Wear sunscreen every day. That’s all you have to do.”

Right, I know that. The song from when I was a teenager taught me that, but I would like to unnecessarily spend some money — or lots of money — on creams and lotions and potions.

“No, you don’t need anything. Just wear sunscreen.”

That song was right. And here I am — 5 or 6 or 7 years later (I’ll never tell) — officially sunscreen obsessed. I’ll never know exactly when this became a thing because I didn’t write about this exact moment in my diary. (I don’t even have a diary. And if I did, it’d obviously be a secret Google doc.) But here I am, years later, with lots of sunscreen research under my belt.

One big takeaway I’ve learned: If you’re going to wear excessive sunscreen for one month out of the year, my dear Tribe, August is the month to do it. The month that Ibiza turns up the music, that all of Europe is on vacation, the month that you’re taking a week off with your family, the month you’re going to work out a little bit less because summer Fridays just pull you out to the Frying Pan. Or the Hamptons. So many decisions. I know you. This is your month.

Here are some things you should know about wearing sunscreen:

• UVA and UVB are not the same thing, and you need to be protected from both. You don’t have to know how they’re different, just know that you need both in your sunscreen, a.k.a. Broad Spectrum protection. (If you really need to know, UVB rays are the ones that cause sunburn and contribute to skin cancer and UVA rays go deeper, resulting in the aging of the skin and giving us those ugly spots… oh yeah, and also contribute to skin cancer!)

• Here in the U.S., the FDA is limiting your access to the world’s best sunscreen. #justsayin

• Experts say there are diminishing returns of protection for SPFs over 50, and that the claims for these sunscreens are largely exaggerated. Stick to anything between 30 and 50 for as good of a Sun Protection Factor as you’re going to get.

• Need second opinions? Check out the Environmental Working Group’s list of safest sunscreens. In order to make the list, a sunscreen must be broad spectrum, have a SPF of 50 or below and be free of both oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate.

• Vitamin A is an antioxidant used in many anti-aging skin products but studies have shown that it can speed up the development of cancer when applied to skin that is exposed to the sun. Avoid using sunscreens that list Retinyl Palmitate as an ingredient. (This is a vitamin A compound.)

To those who avoid the sun all together, please beware. This may have adverse effects because sunshine serves a critical function in producing vitamin D for the body.

Here are my top picks. Love them or love them. If I’m missing something you’re loving, don’t be selfish — share it with me! After 5, 6 or 7 years of excessive sunscreen use, I’m just getting started.

1. Activated Sun Protector Sunscreen for Body SPF 50 by Kiehl’s: I love this sunscreen for my body because it’s really light and non-greasy so it leaves my skin smooth. This is particularly impressive for such a high SPF. It also contains some anti-aging antioxidants.

$25 for 5 ounces

2. Sublime Sun Advanced Sunscreen Oil Spray by L’Oreal: Oil, you say? As in tanning? No! This oil spray will hydrate your skin and leave it glowing for a natural beach look. It also includes vitamin E, argan oil, shea butter oil, grapeseed oil and sunflower oil for improved moisture. And you can spray it on. What more could you ask for?

$10.99 for 5 ounces

3. Sport UV Defense SPF 50 by SkinCeuticals: Because if Bari’s not in your vacation destination spot, you need to take your workout outside. We get it. (And encourage it!) Enhanced with a plankton extract, this stuff will take the sun to war… and win. This is super water resistant, and - for this reason - I only use it when I’m working out outdoors. (Not the lightest of them all!)

$40.00 for 3 ounces

4. New Anthelios 50 Mineral by La Roche Posay: This is my daily go-to. This “barely there but still there” light formula (it’s a thing, don’t worry) also includes a combination of powerful antioxidants that further protect your skin.

$33.50 for 1.7 ounces.

5. UV Clear SPF 46 by Elta MD: If your skin is feeling especially irritated, oily or is acting up, this is the one to grab. It’s the most lightweight of them all. (You won’t even believe you’re wearing sunscreen. But you are.)

$30.00 for 1.7 ounces

6. Mineral Crème SPF 50 by MD Solar Sciences: This one is also good for oily and acne/prone skin, but it also has a subtle tint to help smooth out the look of your skin. Packed with additional antioxidant protection, I find it to be more waterproof than the Elta MD formula. But don’t quote me on this one — test them yourself! (I can’t do all the work, guys.)

$30.00 for 1.7 ounces

This week we had our neighbors from Lululemon Soho stop by for a BariMACRO with Brice. We already loved Lulu for so many different reasons but getting to know the crew from the Soho store took it to another level. It’s so special to feel support from local businesses, specially when it comes from people that share our passion for fitness and health.
We were true to both the Bari Code and the Lululemon Manifesto - we worked hard, but we played harder. We danced and sang, and our heart followed our body.

Thanks to WardIII for the best cocktails and bartenders and to Euphoria for those amazing oxygen treatments. Hope we can do it again soon!

Looking for a trendy, lightweight and unique bag to throw your essentials in and hit the city on those hot summer days? We have the perfect solution. Our original Bari Totes are individually hand-crafted and designed to be both functional and attractive. In true collaborative fashion, these designer totes were conceived and hand-stitched by NYC designer Veronica Menendez and illustrated by resident NYC artist Chris Choi.

The totes were approached as blank canvases, simple and ready for a new, hip look. The same girl who graces the Bari Tribe wall served as the inspiration for the design and the studio logo was mirrored behind the drawing of the girl on each bag. Though the black and white paintings hung in the studio became the base for the artwork on the totes, some signature Bari blue was added to give a dash of life to the picture. A hint of pink also adds a feminine touch to balance the striking, powerful lines of Chris’ drawing.

Comprised of recycled polyester and recycled cotton, the fabric for these totes came from an organic textile company called Near Sea Naturals, located in New Mexico. Paint markers were the tool of choice, with color placement left completely up to Chris in the moment of design. This is what contributes to the individuality of each tote- while all seemingly alike they each still have an element that’s completely one-of-a-kind. Trimmed with rope handles and silver hardware at the ends, the total package is contemporary, artistic, environmentally- friendly and completely Bari. These gems are a must-have addition to your summer wardrobe, daily workouts, and weekends in the Hamptons. Love it.

Bags are available for purchase at Bari Studio… stop buy and pick one up today!