My Summer Beauty Essentials

Buongiorno!

I haven’t done a beauty/skincare roundup in a little bit, and love my summer lineup this year. Today I’m sharing the summer beauty essentials I’ve curated from new products to ones I’ve continued to love since last year.  Summer skincare and makeup is my favorite kind because it’s light, natural and always a little glowy.  All of these product will get you there, and if you’re a minimalist (*ahem* and a tad lazy like me) when it comes to summer beauty, you’re in the right place.

1. The Clean Slate | La Bella Figura

I’ve talked about this beautiful balm cleanser before in my green beauty post, but I’ve been using The Clean Slate every day for months now, and I can safely say that it’s my favorite cleanser of all time.  I never dabbled in balm cleansers before, and it was a different concept to wrap my mind around at first.  After experiencing how thoroughly it cleanses, I can’t go back and I’ve never enjoyed taking off my makeup so much.  In addition to knowing that it’s totally safe and great for your skin, you don’t need much (I use a little scoop about the size of a nickel).  I massage in onto either dry or slightly damp skin in the shower, and often let it stay on for a minute like a mini facial.  I love brushing it away with my Clarisonic cleansing brush for the deepest clean of all time —without stripping and drying. Say what? Yup. You need it.

Bonus: It smells like heaven.

2. Lip Crème in Desert Rose | Clove + Hallow

I love a good lip color but get really lazy about lipstick.  I don’t like dealing with it a couple hours into the day, and definitely am not a fan of fighting with it to take it off at the end of the night.  Clove + Hallow lip crèmes are the perfect blend of lip balm and lipstick.  They are made of natural and organic jojoba, castor and sunflower oils so they are super hydrating as well as pigmented.  Desert Rose is a gorgeous natural pinky/nude tone and since it feels light and low maintenance on my lips, I’ve found myself reaching for it on the reg.  The color lasts, and it doesn’t dry out my lips or make a smeared mess as the day goes on.  I’m definitely interested in trying out their bolder shades.

3. Oval Brush Set | My Makeup Brush Set

These are the makeup brushes I’m using and in love with at the moment.  They’re super soft and if you buy a set of 10, you get every shape and size you could ever need.  I have smaller ones for applying eye makeup in just the right places, but for simple summer days I use one of these bigger ones to evenly distribute my tinted moisturizer or pat on my blush. No brush or finger strokes left behind.  The site also has all different kinds of brush sets and beauty accessories.

Bonus: I went for the rose gold set and they look super cute on my vanity table!

4. Filmstar Bronze & Glow Face Sculpt & Highlight | Charlotte Tilbury

This palette is iconic for the “no makeup makeup” loving girl.  It’s so easy to sweep on the contour and highlight and go.  In the fall and winter, I tend to wear a tinted moisturizer or light foundation but in the summer I can’t be bothered.  One thing I love about summer beauty is sweeping on a bronzer, darkening up my cheeks and looking glowy and made up with a light tan.  Love the ease of this palette and the super delicate shimmer to the powders.  Also the packaging is adorable and lives up to its glamorous *filmstar* name.

5. Barbary Fig Seed Oil | La Bella Figura

If you invest in one green beauty product, make it La Bella Figura’s Barbary Fig Seed Oil.  It’s not formulated, just pure oil from barbary figs or “prickly pears” as they’re sometimes called.  The oil is very rich in Vitamin E and has just magical healing properties.  It’s the first thing I put on in the morning and I really rely on it when my skin is acting up.  It’s my base for any makeup and I feel like it’s just repairing my skin every day.  The oil is especially important for before and after sun exposure as the Vitamin E content soothes inflamed skin and helps fight sun damage.

6. Eyeshadow in Sophia | Nars

I am something of a collector of nude and brown eye shadows.  I think I’ve scoured nearly every beauty store and brand out there over time for the best neutral shades and have narrowed it down to a few staples.  If I decide to get fancy with eye makeup (for me that means merely applying eyeshadow), I go for a soft nude all over and a more dramatic shade in my crease, outer corners and lower lash line.  I actually had my makeup done by a Nars makeup artist at an event last summer and she used Sophia on me.  I fell in love.  In all my brown shade hunting, I never had a tone like this that also has hint of eggplant/maroon.  It’s just gorgeous and if you’re into browns like me, it’s a really great subtle twist on the classic neutral shades.

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Of course I have a myriad of highlighters, bronzers, and the other summery makeup and skincare that I rotate through, but these are my staples of the moment.  Have any of you tried these? What is your one summer product you can’t live without??

A presto,
Amanda