As summer comes to an end, I thought I'd share the beauty products that I clung to these past few months.
Aside from the day I took my bridal portraits and the day of our wedding, I didn't wear that much makeup this summer. I spent most of my days around the house working on wedding-related things. If I did wear makeup it was minimal.
1.
Maybelline Colossal Mascara For less than $6 this stuff is amazing. It offers great volume and fullness, it lengthens, and it's cheap. I've tried a couple high-end mascaras that Sephora recommends, but honestly, none of them do the job as well as this guy.
2. MAC Lipglass Viva Glam V & VI (it's hard to find a good link for this -
find a MAC counter near you) I went to the MAC counter at a Belk in Savannah and asked the lady for a neutral lipstick. She asked if I was against lipgloss, I said no, and she brought both of these samples to me. Thank God for this lady. These two shades are amazing. The V is the perfect neutral; it gives your lips a subtle pop. The VI is basically the same, but with a hint of pink/red. I was weary of VI initially because I am not someone who wears any type of color on my lips - my lips are plump, so bright colors tend to make me look like a clown without the rainbow wig - don't get me wrong, I do love my plump lips, but just not with a lot of bright colors. Bottom line: these two are perfect if you want a gloss that is neutral and subtle. Aside from the perfect color, this gloss stays on for a
very long time. Go try it out.
3.
VS Good Day Sunshine Sheer Mist This scent worked perfectly for summer. It's a light fragrance that combines peach and freesia, and it's just a happy aroma. The name of this scent is kind of perfect.
4.
Crest 3D White Strips with Advanced Professional Seal These things work and they work fast. You use them once a day, for 30 minutes, for however many days it takes you to get the shade you want. It's pricey, but you get a lot of strips and within days you have a prettier smile. These were exceptionally helpful the week before the wedding!
5.
DDF Enhancing Sun Protection This stuff. My favorite of all. It's a UV moisturizer with SPF 30. I put it on every morning no matter what season. It has moisturizer, sun protection, and self blending spheres that give your face a glow and evens out your skin tone. I especially loved this for summer because most days I would just rub it on, slap on a bit of blush, mascara, and lip gloss, and I was good to go. Love, love, love.
6.
Salon Grafix Dry Shampoo I try my best not to wash my hair two days in a row. It's not as healthy as you would think to wash your hair everyday - this process strips natural oils your hair and skin need. I try my best to wait two to three days before washing - and what gets me through these few days? Dry Shampoo! I mostly only have to use it on the hair around my face (which I touch the most) and sometimes around the crown. SG makes invisible dry shampoo, but also makes some that coordinate with your hair color - I actually like the brunette dry shampoo better than the invisible. I know for sure Ulta carries the colored ones. I've only used SG dry shampoo - mostly because I know it works and it's not as costly as other brands, but I hope to try different brands eventually. Dry shampoo also helps with styling. If I'm doing an up-do or a half up-do, I'll usually spray a bit of dry shampoo on a section of hair before teasing it. It seems to help hold the tease.
7.
Bare Minerals Tinted Mineral Veil Mineral Veil is made to kind of give you that photo-finish soft look after you've applied all your makeup. I used regular MV throughout the year, but I like using the tinted MV in the summer for that sun-kissed glow and the extra SPF protection.
8.
Bare Minerals Naughty Naughty Blush If you look at this product online, do not be alarmed by the color it appears to be - for some reason most online site depict this blush to be more of a brownish/bronze color - and it is not. It's a wonderful shade of a dusty pink rose. It is a darker blush, but I think light pink blushes should be saved for winter. The darker pinks give the sun kissed cheek we want for summer. I first got this blush in a
BM Moxi Kit - and before I keep going, I have to say, this was the best kit ever. You get three versatile brushes, the tinted mineral veil, this blush, an all over face radiance color, and two eye colors that compliment each other perfectly. When I bought this kit it was about $50 and now you can get it for under $25 - that's not a deal, y'all, that's a steal. The Moxi kit is an exceptional purchase for summer - you like how this whole #8 thing has gone in a completely different directions? Point is: Naughty, Naughty is in the kit - you might as well pay the extra five bucks and just get the kit - unless you just need blush. It's up to you.
