The Summer Series: Lips

The third and final part of the "Summer Series" is lips! I have always taken a minimalist approach when it comes to lip products because I just think it is a bit of a hassle to reapply products throughout the day. That being said, I love lip balms, tinted lip balms, and lip stains. They're all perfect for summer.

Posietint and Benetint (by Benefit, $29) are great because as I have mentioned before, they are lip and cheek stains. I like the colors of these two, but if you prefer corals/oranges, Chachatint will work too.

Maybelline's Baby Lips lip balms are great for summer because they have SPF 20 in them, they are less than $5 at drugstores, and they're sold in four sheer colors (of course, this doesn't include the two clear balms in the collection). I have Cherry Me (a sheer berry/red) and Peppermint (clear). My only complaint about Cherry Me is that on my lips and in swatches it looks nothing like it does in the tube. Regardless of that, I still like the way it makes my lips look... it just isn't what I expected.

The final product recommendation I have for summer is the new Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (I have the shade Honey). It's pretty moisturizing and it lasts a couple of hours on my lips (I never believe the "Lasts for X hours" hype...)

Hopefully my Summer Series has been helpful. I enjoyed looking through my collection and finding products that I would personally use for summer and sharing them on this blog. So, that leaves one more thing: what are YOUR top products for summer?

Swatches: Benefit Posietint, Benefit Benetint, Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey

The Summer Series: Eyes

In the summer months, I don't like to wear much eye makeup because I have oily eyelids. When I do wear eye makeup, I try to make sure it is longwearing and very simple. I also think it's fun to add a pop of color here and there, but I can honestly say that most of my collection is neutrals... which means I should probably consider investing in a nice palette with some fun colors, eh? But I digress... this isn't a post about makeup products I want. This is all about the eye makeup products I do wear/will wear during the summer!

I always wear a primer or base under my shadows, especially in the summer when it is hot and humid. I've tried a few throughout the years and in all honesty, I haven't found one I really dislike. I know some people are very picky about their eye primers, but for the most part I've had reasonable luck with the primers I've tried (aside from the L'Oreal one I tried years ago, but I don't even have it anymore. The three eyeshadow primers I use most often are Benefit Stay Don't Stray, Urban Decay Primer Potion, and Too Faced Shadow Insurance. 

I got Benefit Stay Don't Stray in their Big 10 set for Christmas this past year - the full size costs $26. The great thing about this is that it comes in a nude shade that slightly covers the veins in my eyelids, but I don't like the price. 

Probably the best known eyeshadow primer is Urban Decay Primer Potion. It costs $20 for a full sized tube and comes in four shades (Original - a sheer nude, Eden - a matte nude, Sin - a shimmery champagne, and Greed - a shimmery yellow gold). It works wonders for my oily eyelids and has been in a more convenient packaging than what is shown below for at least a year now. I haven't actually tried Eden, Sin, or Greed, (I only have the original) but I am definitely interested in trying them in the future.

The least expensive of the three is Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which costs $18. It is offered in Original (a sheer nude), Lemon Drop (yellow to cover discoloration), Candlelight (what I have pictured below in a sample size, it's a shimmery light gold), and Glitter Glue (colorless, specifically created for loose glitters and pigments). I wear candlelight on its own sometimes and I think it has a very nice effect. I definitely plan on buying the full sized tube of it when I'm out of the sample, but so little product is needed that I'll be working on this tube for a while (since I alternate primers).

I also included the Covergirl Intense ShadowBlast primer and eyeshadow, but for some reason I didn't take a picture of it with the other primers. I have the shade Beige Blaze and it costs around $9 at drugstores.

I always like to wear neutral eyeshadows, so my favorite palette of all time for that is the NYX Champagne & Caviar palette (I think it has since been renamed to Caviar and Bubbles, but I haven't seen that one in person so I can't say for sure). It has ten colors that work with my skin tone and I can just throw it in my makeup bag without worrying about having the right colors for a complete eye look. It also only costs $10 and there are several different palettes, so if these colors don't excite you then there just might be a palette with colors that do.

I still adore my Maybelline Color Tattoos. They give me a no-brainer look. The only problem is that without a primer, they actually do crease a little on very hot days. Regardless of that, I still love them and I still love the price! $6-8 a piece is great for the quality of these products. As I said in my review, I just wish they would release more colors.

Finding an eyeliner that won't smudge on me has been quite the challenge. Even the Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners smudge... in fact, they usually do within the hour. I like the Revlon ColorStay eyeliners a lot. I used to have one in black, but the lid broke in my makeup bag and I haven't gotten around to repurchasing it. Anyway, these don't smudge on me and there are quite a few fun colors. I have Teal and Charcoal and these are about $8 at Ulta. I will say that these eyeliners run on the dry side, but I never have a problem with application or lasting power, so they are great for summer.

Before this year, I have never really found a liquid eyeliner I liked. Brush applicators give me thick lines that look unappealing, so the fact that the Covergirl Lineblast 24 Hour Eyeliner has even stayed in my makeup collection this long is pretty amazing. It only comes in black and brown, but it has a felt tip applicator, it lasts all day, and the pen itself hasn't dried out. It also applies very smoothly and I can really control the thickness of the line. I believe this costs around $8 and it has been worth every penny.

When it comes to mascara, I tend to stick with Maybelline and Covergirl because I think both brands offer great mascaras. The new Maybelline Mega Plush (Volum' Express) is a mousse/gel formula with a big brush that tapers at the end. I find it gives me a natural look and it doesn't clump. Another advantage to this is that although it is new, the waterproof version came out with the washable version (I'm not a fan of waterproof mascara). I bought this at Target for about $7 and I'm pleased with the results. The only problem I have with this mascara is that it does flake a tiny bit by the end of the day, but it doesn't give me raccoon eyes.

The thing about eye makeup is that there are so many products available that it would be difficult for me to cover every single thing that is great for summer. What I choose to use this summer is just my opinion and other people also have valid opinions. That being said, I hope I've been helpful!

The Summer Series: Face

Summer is right around the corner! I have oily skin, so of course the fewer layers I have on my skin, the better. This is especially the case in the summer. Part one of my new summer series is focused on face products!

In the past, I've relied on tinted moisturizers or powder foundations during the summer. This year I've been trying out different BB creams and I'm pretty impressed. I have yet to try an Asian BB cream, but I might do so because I hear they are better than the Western BB creams that have been released. As many people already know, BB cream stands for blemish balm, beauty balm, or beblesh balm. I will link to a more complete history of BB creams at the end of my post because so many other people have written about it and have been using authentic BB creams for a long time. Now, back to face products!

Three items I personally recommend are the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream, the MAC Studio Moisture Tint Tinted Moisturizer, and the Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm. Neither of the BB creams I mention are even close to what I've heard authentic BB creams are like. Apparently the ones I'm mentioning are much more like tinted moisturizers because they do not possess the skin-helping benefits of typical BB creams.

The Smashbox BB cream is probably my favorite face product at the moment. The shade "Fair" is light enough for my very fair skin and it has medium coverage (it also comes in five shades). It is a 5-in-1 product: it moisturizes, primes your skin, perfects your skin, protects your skin from the sun (SPF 35!), and controls oil. It's quite pricey though - $39 for a 1 ounce tube. I have oily skin and I definitely recommend this for other people with oily skin.

The MAC Studio Moisture Tint comes in seven shades and has light to medium coverage... it has more coverage than other tinted moisturizers I have used. It also has SPF 15, which isn't much, but it is better than none. A tube of this costs $30 for 1.3 fluid ounces, so while it is a tad expensive for what it is, it is definitely worth at least getting a sample from the MAC counter. This product is great for normal to dry skin, but it's probably not ideal for somebody with very oily skin (like myself). I actually use this more in the winter, but I know people who love it for the summer.

The Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm was featured in my April Favorites post. I still adore this product because it has light coverage and it gives me a nice glow. The lightest color is a tad too dark for me, but it doesn't look orange. This product comes in four shades and costs $32 for a 1.5 ounce tube, which is a nice value for what it is. It also only has an SPF of 20 and has some light shimmers to it, but when the product is on my face I don't see any shimmer. This can also be used as a primer under foundation.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in Fair, MAC Studio Moisture Tint in Light, and Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm in Vanilla Glow

I don't own a great concealer I can use on my face, but I do have the Revlon PhotoReady concealer, which I use under my eyes. It doesn't cake for me and it has an SPF of 20. It has a little more coverage than my Rimmel concealer, so I've been using this one more often. This can be found at drugstores for $8-10 and comes in 6 shades.

Revlon PhotoReady Concealer in Fair

Urban Decay's De Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray is a product I highly recommend for somebody with oily skin. I didn't expect much when I purchased this because most products I've used in the past just make my skin oilier. I only have the miniature bottle of this, but when I run out I plan on buying the full size (which costs $29). I actually save this for days I know I'll be in a hotter environment for a long period of time because it is expensive for what it is.

Urban Decay De Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray

I don't wear many cheek products because I'm still experimenting with colors and figuring out what really looks good on me, but one thing I have found that I love is the Revlon PhotoReady Sculpting Palette. There are four different palettes from this line and I have it in "Pink" and I am impressed. These cost $10-14 at drugstores. If you already have a favorite blush, then I recommend either Benefit High Beam ($26) or the Maybelline Summer Glow Luminous Glow (I have it in Blissful Pink, but there is a yellowish shade as well - these are $6-8 at drugstores). Both give me a healthy glow without looking like a disco ball. The final cheek product I have to recommend is Benefit Posietint ($29). It lasts all day for me and for those who don't like pinks, there is also the classic red Benetint and the new mango Chachatint.

I honestly do not have any bronzers to recommend because every bronzer I have tried is the wrong color for my skin and I personally don't feel the need to even bother with bronzer. 

Revlon PhotoReady Sculpting Blush Palette (Pink), Benefit High Beam, Benefit Posietint, Maybelline Blissful Pink

I think the fewest layers possible is still very important, but I also think that if at all necessary, a good face powder can make a difference. I love (and have loved) Maybelline Dream Matte Powder for years. It was the first powder I purchased nearly four years ago (back then it has at least 10 shades, but it doesn't offer much coverage so Maybelline now offers this powder in four shades and I believe this wonderful powder costs $6-8). Another great pressed powder is NYC Smooth Skin Pressed Face Powder. It's translucent and only costs $3!

Now, as for an explanation to what a BB cream is, I think Musings of a Muse distinguishes the difference between a BB cream and a tinted moisturizer quite nicely.

The Summer Series: Coming Soon!

Over the next few days I plan to post a few blogs containing (in my opinion) great products to use this summer. My plan is to include face, eyes, and lip products. If there are any particular items I can't find that I consider to be the "best" then I won't include anything. For example, if I don't have an eyeliner that is smudge-proof, I won't include eyeliner (this isn't the case - I've got a couple different eyeliners I want to include!)

I may also be doing a post with my travel makeup bag, but we'll see! :)