Summer means sun, sand and surf – I live for it, it’s my favorite season and the time when I feel most connected to my true self. As the weather warms and we spend more time outside immersing ourselves in nature, we feed our mind, body and soul – there is nothing more invigorating.
More summer also equals more skin, and I’ve compiled a list of my summer essentials to reveal a more radiant you, a more confident you.
My skin has been very happy this summer, which is not always the case. With travel, exposure to the sun and chlorine pools, my skin tends to become quite stressed. Yet with my current routine and diligence, my skin is thriving through the stressors. I’m always quite regular in my routine, only changing up masks according to my needs and occasionally switching up moisturizers in regard to the days activities. One important change I’ve made is that I’ve ridded my routine of harsh cleansers – anything that makes my skin feel “squeaky clean” is gone from my daily regimen and replaced with only the gentlest and most hydrating options. This has made a tremendous difference in my dry skin, which never feels dry these days but quite dewy actually.
Even though its mid-summer, my skin still craves layers. Ultra nourishing oils, always topped with a water-based moisturizer works best for me.
Meet the new Luminizer X Quad from RMS Beauty. This dreamy quad of highlighters feature four brand new “luminizer” shades, and I have to say, it’s kind of a must-have. I want to go “full-face highlighter challenge” with this baby. If you felt the OG “Living Luminizer” didn’t have enough oomph for you, well then the Luminizer X will help you reach your highlight goals. Then there is the Champagne Fizz with some serious light-reflective shimmer in it. More details of the shades below…
Henné Organics, a brand gaining cult-status for their widely popular lip products, unveils some new beauty, and what you can expect is one seriously pampered pout. It all started with one incredible balm, comprised of all natural ingredients, that is effective as it is luxurious. Now the brand has expanded to include nine fabulous products all targeted to caring for your lips. Just in are some new lip exfoliators that to my surprise are actually not excessive, but completely necessary. Oh.. and they’ve added a tint to their balms!
… all the makings for your healthiest, hydrated lips
Maya Chia’s radiant new releases create the ultimate summer glow from head-to-toe in ultra flattering rose-gold tones. Picture your complexion at sunset, the warm pink and golden rays of the late afternoon sun – well Maya Chia has essentially captured that light and bottled it up in their new Highlight of the Day Illuminating Body Serum* and Highlight of the Day Illuminating Face Serum Makeup*. Going far beyond their illuminating qualities, these serums feature a fully loaded cocktail of powerful and active ingredients for healthy skin.
These days I’ve been a bit more minimalistic with my makeup, opting for easy, fool-proof formulas that enhance the skin. I’ve been on a journey of beauty discovery and have come across some absolute gems that are either new releases, or just new to me. Here’s a look at some products that I’ve been loving lately, with a plentitude of bronze tones and soft pink hues.
Milk Makeup Sunshine Skin Tint SPF30 (Light): Milk Makeup is a brand that has piqued my interest for some time, maybe for its sleek minimalistic packaging and its general “less is more” “girl on the go” vibe, or perhaps because it’s a newer line and as a bona-fide beauty junkie, I must try is all! As an ever curious foundation aficionado, the Sunshine Skin Tint seemed like the best place to start, and it’s love! The Tint is a super lightweight liquid foundation with SPF30 offering light, but not too light, coverage. The rollerball packaging is quite unique, but totally functional. You just pump the bottom to release the product and roll the ball across your face, then blend. It’s vitally effortless in application, with enough courage to balance out your complexion, as it appears to additionally minimize the appearance of pores. The finish is dewy and glowing. It’s perfect for those “no makeup, makeup days” – it just makes the skin look good. I have the shade light, which is a touch too pale for my skin tone, but with its lighter coverage I can get away with it.
Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer (Custard): Ugh, concealers are not an easy area to navigate, they are just all so awful! In fear of more disappointment, it took me a while to warm up to the idea of trying yet another one, but my recent battle with seasonal allergies demanded more coverage. Believe me when I say, the hype is real! The Soft Matte Complete Concealer is the ultimate! My under eye area is generally dry and most concealers just suck all of the moisture out of my skin, leaving my under eyes looking crepey. Nars hit the mark with this new formula which just so beautifully melts into the skin, blending out like a dream with minimal to no creasing. I do set the inner corners of my under eye where I experience the most creasing, but I’m sure that some can skip the powder entirely. I use the shade Custard, which I initially thought would be too deep for me, but it just blends right into my skin.
Maya Chia The Highlight of the Day Illuminating Serum (Golden Hour): Maya Chia, creators of the exquisite line of skincare, released an illuminating serum in two shades: The Golden Hour (warm, champagne gold) and The Happy Hour (cool pink). I’ve been meaning to share a review of this product sooner because I am utterly in love! I picked up The Golden Hour just a few days after it was released and I have been wearing it almost daily. The Illuminating Serum is truly versatile, it works beautifully under, over or even added into your foundation (no matter the formula). However, I do find myself most often opting to add it into my foundation. The Golden Hour is a stunningly beautiful champagne gold that adds a subtle luminosity to the skin, with no discernible shimmer. It is technically skincare and features Maya Chia’s hero ingredient, supercritical chia oil, along with broccoli seed oil, calendula flower extract and rosemary leaf extract. It also has such a beautiful clean scent.
Fitglow Beauty Mineral Blush (Sculpt): I’ve briefly mentioned my love for this contouring powder before, but I thought I would share some more love as its been a staple in my beauty routine. To be totally honest, I’ve packed on a few lbs, which I’m not too happy about. While I’m working on getting that under control, I’ve been sculpting my fuller face to make me feel a bit better about it. The Fitglow Beauty Mineral Blush in Sculpt is the perfect contouring shade for my skin tone, it’s not too cool nor too warm. While it’s not “super” pigmented I feel like that’s a good thing, as it allows me to be more modest in application.
Jillian Dempsey Lid Tint (Bronze): The Lid Tints are cream eye shadows that offer a sheer wash of color and a glossy finish. I utterly love a glossy lid, but I often just can’t deal with the creasing that comes along with it. In comparison to the RMS Eye Polish, I experience far less creasing with the Lid Tints, however, they do not blend as well or offer as much of a wet look. They feel a bit tacky on the lid, but do offer a beautiful glossy effect indeed. The shade Bronze, is a beautiful neutral bronze shade that can be built up for more color payoff.
Olio E Osso Tinted Balm (No. 5): The Olio E Osso Balms are multi-purpose and available in clear or tinted versions. What stands out about the Tinted Balm is its superior hydrating abilities. They have a super short list of ingredients, including organic olive oil, shea oil, beeswax and pink grapefruit essential oils – yes they smell amazing. The tinted versions offer a sheer, dewy wash of color. I personally love using the balm on both my lips and cheeks. When applied to the cheeks, it does remain a bit tacky, which I personally don’t mind. I’m really into that dewy look and it makes the skin look really good, although it does require frequent touch-ups. I have the shade No. 5 Currant, which is a raisin shade that beautifully complements bronze tones.
Kevyn Aucoin Molten Lip Color Topcoat (Cyber Opal): The most recent release from Kevyn Aucoin includes 6 Metallic Liquid Lipsticks and 2 Metallic Lip Color Topcoats. I just picked up the Lip Color Topcoat in Cyber Opal at the recent Sephora VIB Sale – the pink opalescent hue really spoke to me. Cyber Opal is a milky pink with a beautiful opalescent finish. The formula is beautifully smooth and surprisingly pigmented, I need to go a bit light on my application, otherwise this shade is a bit too pale for my complexion, or I pair it with a deeper lip shade. It is truly long-wearing, hydrating and completely odorless – which I love. The doe foot applicator features a curved design, which hugs your lips on application.
Nails INC Mindful Manicure (Better Together): Nails INC infuses their polishes with real gemstones to promote a “spiritual feel” in their most recent nail polish collection. I actually picked up 3 out of the 5 new shade releases. Better Together is my favorite of the bunch, its a soft blush shade with an iridescent finish. It applies beautifully, while I’m not too sure of any enhancements on my aura, they sure are pretty!
Nūdus Australia recently added five new shades to their Lip Euphoria range of lip colors. I’m sure you’ve heard me rave before about this Australian-born line of lipsticks, which contain all-natural, certified organic ingredients in an ultra luxe formula. These boldly pigmented lipsticks provide long, comfortable wear and nourish the lips with a blend of 27 active ingredients.
