Makeup is a powerful thing. I strongly believe that a fairy who transformed Cinderella into a beautiful princess was in fact a makeup artist (and a bit of a stylist too). The transformational power of makeup borders on being magical. Plus, with a bit of makeup, you can create fantastic looks that compliment your nails! We demonstrated that in our recent ‘Blue Eyeliner’ post and in ‘Summer Style’ post, makeup also played an important role.
Of course, not everyone has the finances to invest in a full set of expensive makeup or the time or inclination to do full on makeup everyday. So here’s our summer makeup essentials guide for real life girls who want to look nice with a minimum effort and very little expense.
The 10 things you’ll need:
- Primer: a good primer makes skin look younger, makeup last longer and foundation look more natural. Try: for dry skin – Laura Mercier Foundation Primer and for oily skin – Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15.
- Sheer Foundation, BB or CC-Cream: if you’re in your 20s and have good skin, the best option would be to skip the foundation for summer and use BB or CC cream. They’re lighter then the usual foundation and still even out skin tone perfectly. Try: MAC Face & Body Foundation or L’Oreal Paris BB Cream.
- Bronzer: if you already have sun-kissed skin then you can skip foundation and just use bronzer to highlight your tan. Using a wide brush, dust it lightly all over your moisturised and primed face Try: Clarins Splendours Summer Bronzing Compact or Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Bronzing Veil.
- Bright Eyeliner or Eye Pencil: Blue eyeliner is hot right now and we showed right here that anyone can wear it. Other great colours are emerald, purple and fuchsia. Try: Lancome Art Liner Sapphire, Maybelline ColorShow Crayon Khol in Turquise Flash or Edgy Emerald.
- Black Easy-To-UseEyeliner: felt eyeliners are much easier to use than the usual liquid eyeliner. Try: Australis Curve Ink Eyeliner or Benefit They’re Real Push-up Liner.
- Bright Lipstick: it’s up to you which bright colour to go for but orange or fuchsia are particularly hot right now. Of course, red is always a winner! Try: Illamasqua Soaked (matte orange) and MAC Russian Red (classic red).
- Nude Lipgloss or Lipstick: perfect for daytime or night if paired with strong bronzer and gold or silver eyeliner. Try: MAC Myth lipgloss, for lipstick – Face of Australia Lip Quench SPF+30 Nude Satin.
- Gold or Silver Eyeliner: a perfect solution for a quick and easy evening makeup, pair it with nude lips and bronzer. Try: Gold – NARS Campo De Fiori or silver – Urban Decay Cuff.
- Bright or pastel eyeshadow palette: if eyes are your best feature, investing in a good palette of bright or pastel eyeshadows is a must! Wear eyeshadow on its own or for a statement look, pair with black eyeliner. Try: Napoleon Perdis Empress Eye Palette or Urban Decay Neon Pigment Palette (super cheap!)
- Concealer or Highlighter: no one is exempt from occasionally having dark circles under the eyes or pimples. That’s where a good concealer or highlighter can come to the rescue! If you want to try oh-so-chic glowing skin look, just add a bit of highlighter on your cheek bones and, if needed, on your forehead and chin. Try: L’Oreal Lumi Magic Highlighter or conceal skin flaws with Hourglass Corrective Concealer.
The items on the list will get you through this summer and be useful for upcoming seasons. They can be used to create an array of looks for day and evening. If you need some inspiration, have a looks at this round-up of makeup trends.
Finally, this list can be adjusted to your own makeup preferences and needs. For instance, if you’re not into eyeliner, just replace it with a black pencil, or skip it completely. Just use this list as a guide to what kind of items can help ensure you look flawlessly chic in the new season – from head to the tips of your nails!
What about you guys, what makeup items will you be adding to your collection this summer? Are you craving anything that is not on the list?
– Maria, xx
Did you enjoy this post?
Then stay in touch by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter or follow us via Bloglovin for daily updates.
