Beauty Box 5

The kids should be out of school soon and the temperature is rising…summer is definitely upon us! Here are some essential products and suggestions that will keep you looking cool, calm and collected as summer 2012 heats up!

BB Cream:

Short for “Beauty Balm” or “Blemish Balm,” this combination treatment/moisturizer/makeup is the perfect product for healthy summer skin; it’s nourishing, soothing, correcting and hydrating…and also doubles as a lightweight foundation. While some come without SPF, I would recommend the SPF-positive versions like Boscia B.B. Cream with SPF 27 PA ++ and Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Beauty Balm.

Black Liquid Eyeliner:

Vintage glamour is totally hot this summer and statement liner is a complete necessity! The easiest way to accomplish this look is, of course, liquid or gel liner. So here’s my advice… Gel liner, that you use with a brush, tends to be a bit easier for the novice liquid liner user. Makeup Forever Aqua Creamliner and Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner are both great options, come in an array of colors and tend to stay put. If you have any issues, try using an eye primer like Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion before you give up on your liner. (Oily eyelids will ruin a good gel liner.) Option #2 is the traditional liquid liner. Kat Von D Autograph Eyeliner (carried only at Sephora) is one of my faves. My go-to liquid liner however is Mirabella Magic Marker Eyeliner. The marker-like component makes it super easy to use and the color is a true black with lots of pigment.

I pulled this image from Beautylish the other day and it’s some of the best eyeliner work I’ve ever seen. The best way to learn, is to do my BB5 beauties! Get out your liquid liner and get to work! :)

Brow Powder & Wax:

When it comes to brows this summer, you need to be thinking Brook Shields a la Blue Lagoon. So while you’re waiting for these babies to fill out, I recommend investing in a brow powder and wax. The wax is great for filling in sparse brows and for grooming those crazy fly-aways once you’ve made it to summer 2012 brow bliss. For filling in, just lay down a small amount of the wax where your brow needs some love and follow with the powder in hair-like strokes. As most of you know, Smashbox’s Brow Tech is my absolute favorite brow powder and it comes in a wide variety of shades (typically two in one container) and you don’t have to buy a separate wax. Another great option, especially if you’re trying to make a major brow change is the Anastasia 5-Element Brow Kit. Along with all the implements you need to fill in and groom your brow, this set includes 5 different brow stencils. All you do is place them over your existing brow and fill in…they make a great guide for changing your overall brow shape!

Great brows from the Diane Von Furstenberg summer 2012 runway show.

Bright Colored & Metallic Eye Shadows:

Bright hues and rich golds are everywhere this summer and your eyes should be no exception. A soft aqua, light mint green, lilac or bright coral and a glittery gold should be somewhere in your summer shadow repertoire. If color is what you seek, look no further than the Sephora + Pantone Universe Shades of Nature Eye Shadow Palette; it has 35 sizzling summer shades to suite every summer style. If you’re more of a metal-toned maven, the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette is what you need. (It’s great for the smoky looks from the summer runway as well!)

A pop of color from the Louise Gray summer 2012 show.

Metallic eyes from the Just Cavalli summer 2012 show.

Illuminating Powder:

The “fresh face” is in this summer and lets face it (ha ha), summer time and makeup are in a total love/hate relationship. Warm temperatures, swimming pools and days at the beach make it rough to keep up that full-face and unless you’re blessed with ageless skin, going bare-faced can be cause undue stress! Luckily, regardless of your skin type, tone and texture, a little illumination is great for anyone; it brightens the skin, defines facial features AND minimizes the appearance of skin imperfections…that whole light-reflective thing. ;) Just keep in mind that to much illuminating powder can be a bad thing. You’ll want to lightly dust it on the high areas of the face (forehead, cheek bones, nose and chin), not really all over. Korres Wild Rose Mineral Illuminating Powder is a lovely option for a soft glow where the new (limited edition) Lancome “La Roseraie” Illuminating Powder will give more of a “dewy” finish.

Glowing skin from the Stella McCartney 2012 summer show.

Lip Stain:

Wine kissed lips were all over the summer runway and for good reason, they look great, wear well and hold up in the summer heat during all your outdoor activities! If something more balmy is what you desire, the entire line of LipSurgence from Tarte is amazing and comes in gloss, matte and luster textures. For the more traditional stain, give the Josie Maran Magic Marker Lip Stain w/ Argan Color Stick a try…it’s easy to apply and the color stick keeps lips tinted and hydrated.

Gorgeous stained lip from the Giles summer 2012 show.

Well I think that about covers it my BB5 beauties. As always, let me know if you have questions, tips or tricks you’d like to share!

Peace, Love & Samples,

Felicity