5 Summer Makeup Staples
If you’re wondering where the hell I’ve been, in short, I’ve been shopping for summer (almost irresponsibly so). And in that time I’ve pushed my heavy creams, foundations and fragrances to one side and made way for a new crop of beauty products. So I thought I’d share with you a few of my favourite beauty launches and makeup staples I’ve been sticking to this summer – crack open a cold one!
Besides Charlotte Tilbury’s Filmstar Bronze and Glow compact, I’m pretty fickle when it comes to bronzers. But since the UK has been blessed with some decent spells of sunshine, Chanel’s Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Makeup Base has been my top pick. The solid cream bronzer which is housed in a rather large plastic tub (but that didn’t stop me from taking it away with me on holiday) can be worn alone or on top of makeup. To apply, I use my Zoeva 122 Petit Stippling Brush, which picks up just the right amount of product (as things can get a little orange-y with a buffing brush) and blend the cream across my cheeks, the bridge of my nose and forehead to mimic where the sun would naturally hit. The finish is a believable bronzed glow, and I like to top it off with a light dusting of contour powder into the hollows of my cheekbones and a touch of highlighter.
Glossier is ever-expanding their line-up of easy, everyday makeup staples and I’m all for it. And their Lash Slick Mascara, which launched in May has pleasantly surprised me with its ability to lengthen, separate and fan-out my lashes. The £14 mascara with Japanese fibre technology, delivers more on length than volume (unlike Lancôme Monsieur Big) and sure, you need few coats to get the full effect (as I find with most mascaras), but it lives up to its claims that it doesn’t smudge or clump. I have, however, on the rare occasion spotted a couple of tiny fibres on the tops of my cheeks, but they easily brush off. And yes, the formulation does wash away with warm water, which is a plus for me, as when I roll through the front door from my commute it makes removing my makeup pretty quick and painless. I’m on my second pink tube already.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow has been my ride or die brow product for a good few years now. But when my angled brow brush got a little dirty, and I quite frankly couldn’t be asked to give it a good clean, I found myself reaching for a miniature Benefit Goof Proof Eyebrow Pencil I had stashed away, and I’ve been using it ever since. Shade 2 (light brown) is a great match for my hair colour, and the finish is far softer than a pomade which compliments my lighter, more natural summer makeup. It’s by far the best brow pencil I’ve used for some time as it’s a little waxier than most and has an angled nib making it the perfect product for the extremely lazy and makeup novices.
I’m a sucker for an eyeshadow palette (my IKEA Alex drawers are a testament to this). So when a new palette launches, it’s usually in my basket within minutes of its release. Yet, I didn’t feel the need to snap this one up in a hot minute as I have neutral eyeshadows plenty. But I did fail to resist soon after (standard), handed over my money and fell head over heels for its assortment of warm browns and peachy shades. And despite not housing anything revolutionary, it’s easily my all-time favourite ABH eyeshadow palette. It’s wearable, blendable, long-lasting and transitions beautifully from day to night. It was also the only palette I packed for my recent trip to Porto Santo.
I tend to sway towards pearl-hued highlighters for an everyday glow as I find they’re more flattering on my fair to medium skin tone. But Fort De France from NARS, soft, light champagne, not only looks beautiful in the pan; it looks gorgeous on my cheekbones too. The sought-after highlighter enhances my skins natural warmth without being too stark, or bright (I’d say it’s somewhere in the middle) and blends seamlessly. It lasts well but isn’t as long-lasting as other highlighters I own and two swift sweeps across the tops of my cheekbones, down my nose, and on top of my brow bone usually does the trick, any more and it has the tendency to exaggerate the texture of my pores.
What are your summer makeup staples?
Emily
