With summer just around the corner, I figured I would share a few of the make-up essentials I love for this time of year (although I do wear a number of these products year round). To give a little background of my make-up history, I actually began wearing make-up about 2 years ago and probably similar to a lot of other people, I started off with a little mascara and eyeliner and slowly built up my collection over that 2 year time period. Although I do find myself testing new products and adding/replacing items in my routine every so often, I still tend to stick with the basic cosmetics to keep things minimal and natural looking. You may notice that I did not include any foundation in this post and that is because during the summer months, I like to wear as little face make-up as possible (cause the less I put on, the less will melt off my face during the 90 degree temperatures), so I often skip foundation and only wear concealer when its needed. However, I do recommend a tinted moisturizer if you would like some coverage, especially one with spf!
Lets get started, shall we?
1. Concealer - Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (Ginger) - I don't use this concealer on a day to day basis, but it is included in this post because it comes in quite handy when I need to cover the blemishes I get from eating too much chocolate in one sitting or the under eye dark circles that coincidentally are in sync with the Netflix binge periods of my life. P.S., I also do not use it as often as I should because the color is way to dark for me and I don't feel like shelling out another $30 for this concealer, so I recommend getting color matched by one of those lovely ladies who work at Sephora!
2. Eyebrows - Anastasia Dip Brow (Dark Brown) - I absolutely love this product and I use it all year round! After all, eyebrows do accentuate and frame your face. Before my friend introduced me to this holy grail brow product, I use to use the Anastasia Brow Wiz and although I liked it, I feel that the Brow Wiz gave me less control and I found myself having to repurchase it every 3 months. Currently, I have been using the same Dip Brow for about 5-6 months now and have barely made a dent. I swear this thing will last you well over a year, so it is totally worth the money!
3. Perfume - Oh Lola! Marc Jacobs - I know, technically this isn't make-up, but in the summer I wear this perfume every day. I actually stole this from my sister (sorry Em) because I did not have a floral scented perfume in my collection and I switch off between this and my beloved Chloe perfume.
4. Lipstick - M.A.C Matte Lipstick (Mehr) - This is the perfect everyday, work appropriate lipstick color and it looks amazing on nearly every skin tone, so I highly advise everyone to at least give this a try. It is a nude mauve matte color shade, however it does tend to dry out my lips, so I recommend applying a lip balm before wearing this lipstick. Also, a dupe for this color is the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Sultry ;)
5. Lipstick - M.A.C. Matte Lipstick (in Pink Pigeon) - A hot pink matte lipstick is always a must for a pop of color in the summer :) Need I say more?
Blush, Bronzer, Highlighter, Oh My! (Featuring Penny)
6. Bronzer - Tarte Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer (Park Ave Princess) - Bronzers are a great addition to your cosmetics bag in the summer because it just adds a little color and dimension to your face. I started wearing bronzer a couple of weeks ago after Jess introduced me to her Chanel bronzer when I visited her in D.C. and I have been obsessed ever since. This Tarte bronzer is not as pigmented as other bronzers, but it is buildable and if you are looking for a more natural bronzer shade, this is definitely a winner!
7. Blush - Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush (Fanciful) - A light pink matte blush that gets the job done.
8. Highlighter - Becca Cosmetics - Shimmering Skin Perfector Opal Glow On the Go - This gives a little sparkle to my face to contrast all the matte make-up I wear and I absolutely love it. I actually bought this during the Sephora VIB sale back in December and the set came with the travel size shimmering skin perfector powder as well as the liquid highlight. I use the powder on my cheekbones and the liquid counterpart for the inner corners of my eye and my cupid's bow. Although these products are quite steep, I say they are 100% worth the price and totally live up to the the hype!
Eyes Are The Window To The Soul
9. Eyelash Curler - Tarte Be Charmed - For all those people who used to tell me that drugstore eyelash curlers do just as well as a job as the more expensive lash curlers, I cannot disagree more. I used to use Shiseido's lash curlers and although they did a much better job then the drugstore brand ones did, they simply cannot compete with Tarte's curler. The curler has a great spring to it and it fits very comfortably both in my hand and on my lashes. It curls my short, stubby Asian lashes so wonderfully that I do not need to go back and curl it agin after applying mascara (I know, using the eyelash curler after applying mascara is basically death to your lashes, but I use to do it all the time... but now I don't have to!)
10. Mascara - Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-1 - This mascara is amazing, it holds my lashes all day and the wand is pretty long and thin, so I don't find my lashes clumping as much as they do when I use a different mascara.
11. Eyeliner - Stila Stay All Day Liner - This eyeliner has been with me since the start of my make-up days and like the name states, it pretty much stays on your face all day until it is removed with make-up remover. I'm not much of a make-up guru, so I really appreciate the felt tip which makes it so easy to apply this liner --> basically a perfect wing every. single. time. Now who wouldn't want that?
Thank you for reading and I would love to hear what make-up essentials you live for during the summer!
Here are a few shots of my everyday make-up look!
