Summer is my favorite season of the year, even though I complain incessantly about the heat and humidity I secretly love every second of it. Summer always makes me smile more, maybe its the warmth of the sun beaming down on my face, the free movement of my body without the constraints of cumbersome clothing or maybe its just the beauty of life in bloom. Whatever it is summer always feels like the most wonderful time to the year for me. So as the unofficial kick up to summer know as Memorial Day approached my wife and kids decided to take a trip to Long Island to visit my in-laws for some BBQ fun.
I love watching my boys enjoy life and be happy, it’s one of my joys in life. I love seeing how carefree they are and the huge smiles on their faces, it’s one of the best parts of being a mom. And of course there are all the laughs I have as a mom because children are so honest and they have no filter. Listening to their conversations is always entertaining. While we chatting and enjoying some drinks with brother-in-law while he was eating a lobster my 6-year old son, Jacob shouted “Sick! You’re going to eat that!” and covered his eyes. It was just one of those moments where you had to laugh and a proud moment for me his vegetarian mom!
Before I headed out to “the island” as us city folks call it, I swapped out a few of my old beauty products and added some new ones. It’s been so humid in New York City lately that giving my beauty routine an overhaul was completely necessary. This weekend was my final reminder that its time to to lighten up my beauty routine and add a fresh new look. These are a few of my summer beauty tips to get you through the warm weather.
1. Use sunscreen – While using sunscreen is always a must and should be on your daily beauty checklist so be sure to stock up on sunscreen that is noncomedogenic so that it won’t clog your pores. Lately I’ve been using Badger Damascus Rose Sunscreen because it’s made specifically for your face; it’s lightweight enough to wear underneath my makeup and almost invisible after application. Its offer full spectrum SPF 16, I just wish that it provided a little higher SPF but overall its a great choice.
2. Keep makeup minimal – During humid summer weather you’ll want to keep your makeup light and your skin clear. I have oily skin that seems to get oilier by the second during warmer months so I like to keep my beauty routine light and pretty. I apply an oil-free tinted moisturizer for light coverage or I use a liquid or cream bronzer if I want to achieve more of a sun-kissed look. Right now I’m loving Stila One Step Bronze it primes, illuminates, bronzes and nourishes the skin all in the same product. It’s oil-free and blends seamlessly onto your skin leaving it glowy and beautiful.
When hot weather hits that’s when I reach for my waterproof mascara, which is necessary to avoid tragedies of course. Imagine a scorching 95 degree summer day, sweat begins to drip down your face and seeps into your eye. You squint, barely able to see out of your one good eye functioning when your suddenly your blinded by suns’ rays and you stumble down a busy Manhattan street landing your racoon inspired eye makeup disaster right on the lapel of Karl Lagerfeld’s custom-made suit. See. Tragedy.
But what if I want to wear my favorite mascara and it’s not waterproof? That’s when I reach for Anastasia of Beverly Hills Lash Genius, a clear waterproof topcoat that you can add to any mascara to instantly waterproof it. I just add this on top of my Anastasia of Beverly Hills Lash Lifting Mascara (or any other mascara) and voilà no panda eyes!
On my lips I need a color with staying power, I like to use Stila Long Wear Lip Color, the hue that I’m loving now is Flushed. This lippy is a combination of lipstick and lip gloss, it’s very creamy and it keeps lips soft and the color doesn’t fade.
On my eyes I completely skip pencil liners and opt for liquid, if any at all. I like to keep my hues neutral and use a single color of cream eyeshadow (with a little bit of primer) and that lasts all day long. I’ve been using Kevyn Aucoin The Prime Color Creme Eye Shadow in Decadent. I must confess that I use this eyeshadow all year long because the color looks great for day or evening, it’s super easy to apply and it last forever, which I’m grateful for because I often forget to use primer.
3. Drink lots of water – While drinking water daily is a given, my tip is to drink water first thing in the morning, there are many health benefits to drinking water in the morning like a boost in metabolism and helping your kidneys eliminate toxins better. Plus your body hasn’t received any hydration for almost eight hours so do yourself a favor a drink lots of water to keep hydrated.
Sure navigating the summer months on the streets of New York City is a daily obstacle course in itself. But armed with the right beauty products will keep you looking hot during the hot summer months! What changes do you make to your beauty routine during the warmer months?
