Summer is officially here, and this month's Makeup Menu is all about lightweight, barely-there makeup. When the weather starts to get warm, you really don't want any heavy base makeup, because let me tell you, that does not go well with the excess oil and sweat that's partying it up on your face. I've been absolutely loving the Stila CC Color Correcting Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 20, which I reviewed here. I really didn't expect this to work as well as it does. It doesn't provide much coverage, but does a great job at correcting redness and blurring imperfections. This CC cream does apply well with fingers, but I like to really buff it in with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, as it just applies the product so evenly and does it in seconds. It leaves a very skin-like, natural finish on the skin, and also provides so much radiance, and who doesn't love dewy, glowy skin in the summer? I top it off with a little bit of concealer just to cover up any breakouts or acne scars, a bit of powder down the t-zone, and I basically look like I woke up with flawless skin, which is a success in all my books.
For brows, the Benefit Gimme Brow is the only thing I've used all month. It's a tinted brow gel that basically makes your brow hairs look thicker than they actually are, so you're left with naturally full brows. This product really only works if you already have reasonably full brows and you're satisfied with your natural brow shape. I have pretty full brows naturally thanks to my dad (I'm pretty sure his brow hairs are like an inch long each), so I can get away with just brushing two coats of this stuff through all the hairs. Those with thinner brows, you'll probably want to skip this product and stick with the brow powder or pencils instead. This product can get a little bit messy though, as it's very easy to accidentally dot the product in areas where you don't want it, so keep some cotton buds handy.
On my cheeks, I like to pop a little bit of Tarte Cheek Stain in Flush on the tops of my cheek bones. I like to apply blush to my cheek bones because it helps to lift my face, and I also feel like applying blush to my cheeks just accentuates all the acne scars that I try to hide. When I first swatched the Tarte Cheek Stains, I thought the texture was way too sheer and jelly-like for my liking, but it actually works very well. I've never really seen anything else like it, but it's kind of like a gel-cream blush in a twist-up stick, which sounds so strange but is actually kind of genius. I just run my finger across the top of the stick a few times to distribute pigment, and then tap my finger onto my cheek bones. It can apply sheer, but you can definitely build up colour. The gel-cream formula makes the product so lightweight, you can't feel it at all. Flush is described as a sheer berry, but on my cheeks, it's a really pretty rosy pink.
I've skipped eye makeup since I wear glasses most days, and my big black frames do a great job on their own of pulling attention. The key to the glasses makeup look is to amp it up with lip colour. I'm a big fan of the Fresh Sugar tinted lip balms, and the newly released Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Tulip quickly made it into my daily makeup routine. Tulip is described as a sheer hot pink tint, which I would agree with, but it also has a berry element to it. It's definitely more bold than a nude or peachy pink lip, but still natural. These lip balms are my favourites out of all of the tinted lip balms out there, as they are just so incredibly moisturizing and comfortable to wear. They really feel just like a lip balm. Plus, the signature citrus candy scent is to die for.
What are your summer makeup picks?
