The weather is New York City has been bleak. The rain and gray skies have got me feeling down, so to brighten my spirits, I’ve started doing my summer makeup routine early.
For the summer, it’s all about glowy, dewy skin, flushed cheeks and glossy lips. What I love most about summer makeup is how effortless it is. With the right skin prep and a few key products, you can have perfect glowing makeup all day.
I like to consider myself somewhat of an expert in summer makeup: I got married in Antigua on the beach, which required me to know how to make my makeup not completely melt off my face in the humid weather. I also just went to Joshua Tree and Palms Springs — the literal desert — and was able to maintain dewy makeup in the driest of conditions.
Here are my tips and product recommendations for perfect summer makeup:
Prep your skin for a flawless base
If you want a glowy look, starting with hydrated, moisturized skin is a must. To achieve this, use a lightweight moisturizer or serum. When I was going out for a day and night of partying in the desert, I started with the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream (which I also used on my wedding day). I swear by this product and have been using it under makeup for years. I also really like the the Magic Serum. These products are pricey; a little goes a long way and I always get the mini sizes.
Because Joshua Tree and Palm Springs are extremely dry, I doubled up on the moisture, spritzing on the Sioris Time Is Running Out Mist, which is seriously an underrated gem for $24. It has macadamia seed oil, jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and organic plum water and makes my skin super bouncy and moisturized. It’s been a regular part of my skincare routine during the winter.
Remember — you don’t need to buy all these products. It’s totally fine to use what you already have!
Sunscreen is not negotiable
If you only take one thing away from this blog, please let it be this. You must wear sunscreen! I’m personally not a fan of foundations with sunscreen in them because they usually give a really bad flashback in photos. I prefer to put my makeup on top of my sunscreen or just mix my preferred sunscreen into my foundation.
I’ve really been loving the Kopari Sun Shield On-The-Glow Sunscreen Stick. It’s moisturizing but not greasy and gives you subtle sparkly glow.
Don’t be heavy handed with the foundation
Summer is not the time to cake on the foundation. Less is more. Sometimes, I don’t even wear foundation, just concealer under my eyes and on areas that need a little more help. I really like the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Concealer for this. It gives great coverage!
If I want more coverage, my go-to in the summer is the Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint. I’ve been using this product since it came out and I won’t stop anytime soon. The coverage is light but buildable.
Don’t be shy with blush
I feel like we went through a period of time in like 2016-2018 where wearing blush wasn’t cool. I’m glad we’re over that! The summer is the perfect time to experiment with different hues of blush.
Sunset blush is trending but that doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy a bunch of new stuff. Just mix a pinkish blush with a more orange one! My favorite blushes are a classic, NARS Orgasm Blush, and a new orange one that has become my daily blush, the Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Blurring Balm in Golden Hour.
Bronze away
Bronzer was made for the summer! I like to highlight my cheekbones, jawline, and hairline lightly with bronzer. If you want staying power, layer powder bronzer on top of liquid. The two I love are the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream Bronzer and the Benefit Hoola Bronzer.
Set your makeup in place
This is your final and probably most important step! Setting your makeup is an absolute must, especially in the summer. I recently bought the Iconic London Prep-Set-Glow Hydrating Glowy Setting Spray and I wish I had known about this before! This is the setting spray you need for your summer makeup. It’s super hydrating and literally makes you sparkle.
After all this work to look dewy, I still use powder to get rid of any excessive shine and to set my makeup firmly in place. I like to use the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder on my T-Zone (nose and forehead).
Don’t forget lip gloss!
Summer is lip gloss season. Any gloss will do but I’ve been really liking cherry glosses lately — especially the Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm in Thrill!
I can’t wait for rooftop drinks, picnics, and beach days. Until the weather cooperates, summer makeup will have to do.
This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. Please note that I only recommend products that I personally use and believe in.
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