So it seems that we’ve bypassed spring entirely and sprung right into summer! It’s getting hotter, more humid, and I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to sweat pretty profusely in the summer. And let’s face it, we have places to go. People to see. Work, summer classes, summer weddings, cookouts, family get-togethers (I’ve got one coming up in which I’m meeting my husbands HUGE extended family, many for the first time) and we want to look our best! But that’s almost impossible to do when you’ve gone into full on makeup meltdown and it’s just pouring off your face. That is, unless you have the right products.
Now personally, I prefer to wear as little as possible in the summer months, for a few reasons.
- Makeup breakup – unfortunately the more you have on your face, the more likely it is to go slip-sliding around on you.
- It just feels so damn heavy! Don’t get me wrong, I love a full face of makeup when the occasion calls for it, but the weather has to be reasonably comfortable. Fall and winter is when I REALLY get my makeup game on!
- It can oxidize. It gets cakey. Need I go on?
So it’s taken a little playing around, but I’ve managed to get it down to two basic options. One a little more full coverage (but still pretty minimal) than the other. And of course you can tailor this look to your liking with your own colors and such, this is just how I go about it. 5 days out of 7 I’m doing my makeup with my son in my lap, so aside from saying “don’t eat mamas mascara” atleast 6 times, I have to be pretty quick. With that being said, let’s get started!
PREP
I ALWAYS start with clean, moisturizer skin. The ideal time frame is to cleanse and moisturize, and then do your makeup no more than 30-45 minutes after. If you start too early, your moisturizer hasn’t had time to be properly absorbed. Too late, and you may start to get oily. I always cleanse with the Biore Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser and follow up with my Garnier Moisture Refresh Gel-Cream. Then I prime for my primer, using about a dime size amount of Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel. I find that whether or not I use an additional primer, this is a crucial step in keeping my makeup in place. It also smoothes over pores and adds another layer of moisture. And bonus? It helps to reduce redness!
PRIMER
This step isn’t one I use on a regular basis. This is more for going out somewhere like a wedding or family gathering, where I know there will be photos and I want to look good. But since I have dry skin, with an oily t-zone in the summer and can be very sensitive and acne prone, when I DO use primer, I tend to avoid anything that feels very silicone-y. Some of my faves are L’Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer, Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer, and Maybelline Face Studio Master Prime in Blur + Smooth. Applied in a light, thin layer to my t-zone and my cheeks ensures smooth application and dramatically extended wear time. I’m hooked.
CONCEAL
In the summer months, the last thing I want on my face is a layer of foundation, no matter how thin. And frankly, no matter what I do, it ultimately sweats off anyway. So instead, I pulled out a concealer I bought some time ago and initially HATED, only to to rediscover it recently and realize I was using it incorrectly the entire time. Maybelline SuperStay 24 Hour Concealer is a nice little product that packs some serious staying power. It’s a slightly thick formula, but spreads out nicely to leave near flawless coverage. The problem I had at first was that it sets so fast that I found it impossible to blend out. Until, however, I figured out that if you take a beauty sponge (I like Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge because this concealer will stain and I refuse to ruin a $20 Beauty Blender) and dampen it with a light mist of setting spray ( I use ELF Makeup Mist and Set ) and work in small areas at a time, it works wonderfully. For example, when concealing the under eye area, apply and blend to one eye at a time. And so one, like your chin, around your nose, any blemishes, etc. It also makes an incredible eye primer. When applied with a light hand, and blended out thoroughly, it still looks like skin, and it doesn’t budge. Now that’s my kind of makeup!!
BLUSH, BRONZE, & HIGHLIGHT
I tend to go very light on blush, unless I’m going somewhere like a wedding or barbecue or something. But I will be a little more generous with the bronzer. Not so much in the way of contouring ( which if you like to do that for daytime, by all means go for it) but more to just bring color back to the face. My face, neck and chest are typically 3 different colors, and my chest stays a reddish tan year round, so I like to even things out with a good bronzer. While I always have my NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny handy, lately I’ve been reaching for my Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Bronze because it claims to last through heat and humidity, and I find that it lives up to those claims. If I do reach for a blush, it’s usually my Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso because I find that it’s a nice peachy shade that works on every skin tone, and it’s a perfect dupe for the cult classic Nars Orgasm, but a fraction of the price! And since it has the most subtle sheen, you can skip the step of highlighting. However, if you feel you aren’t as luminous and glowy as you’d like to be, then I recommend Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in Tiki, which is nothing like a bronzer at all, but more a dewy, beautiful, subtle highlight that makes you look healthy and like you’re glowing from within. Apply to the tops of your cheekbones, between the brows, down the center of your nose, and on the Cupid’s bow.
EYES
Since we’ve already primed them with our concealer, what comes next is really up to you. For minimal days, I take the same bronzer I used on my cheeks, and on a fluffy blending brush, apply it to the crease and slightly above, blending upward to contour the eye and define it. Then I used the highlight shade and apply it lightly from the tear duct to about halfway on the lid, and just under the arch of the brow to help create a visual lift. Then I use a tinted brow mascara like L’Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Plumper Brow Gel to fill in and set my brows all in one step. After that I curl my lashes and apply a long wearing mascara, like L’Oreal Paris Double Extend Mascara, which actually creates little tubes around the lashes and lengthens them beautifully for that wide eyed look.
LIPS
Now HERE’S where the fun part comes in to play. And because this look is already so neutral, you can really go crazy with different lip looks. Bold, natural, nude, bright, gloss, stain – the options are endless. Personally I like the natural lip look, sort of a ” my lips but better ” or MLBB. And on my quest for the perfect MLBB, which we will address in a future post, I’ve found several that are spot on for me. But when I want the color payoff of a lipstick with the sheerness (is that a word?) or a gloss and the comfort of a balm, I always find my way back to my baby – my “little black dress ” of lip colors, if you will – and that’s Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Pink Truffle, which is just another one of those great with every skin tone kind of colors. I have several backup tubes just in case they decide to discontinue it on me and break my ever lovin’ heart. Insert sad face here.
Now I will say that I’ve worn this look constantly in the recent weeks, once for my stepdaughters birthday party at the beach, several times mowing the lawn and painting, and at the Memorial Day parade I took my son to (hey, mama’s gotta look good for the pics!) and it held up fantastically. It’s something that I absolutely stand by 100 times over and feel comfortable recommending to you guys. So I hope you enjoy!!! Let me know YOUR go to summer makeup products! And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram @dlynnesposito
Xoxo – Donna
Affordable Gorgeous 