Makeup Summer 2012

Summer 2012 is all about red lips, colorful eyes and  bronze everything else. To read about these trends, I would like to send you to the Makeup Geek.

Here I want to discuss what I'm loving this summer. 

FACE:

Let's start with a basic: sunblock. I hate sunblock. It smells terrible, feels terrible and sweats off in less than an hour. Unfortunately, I'm of European descent and flush to a bright red after very little time in the sun. 

For the past few months, I've been dusting on a layer of Bare Escentuals - SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen. I layer it on over makeup if I'm going downtown for the day. I wear it alone when I'm on my day off. It works beautifully as long as I stay dry. Today, I went to the lake and am very very burnt after two hours of fun in the sun. 

I don't add color to my face during the summer time, because I am flushed most days over 70 degrees. Instead, I add color and shimmer with eyeshadow and lipstick. 

EYES: 

For eyes, I like to have different options for the level of maintenance I'm willing to put in that day. 

This year, I've been all about Urban Decay eye shadows. The vintage formula is awesome and the new formula is somehow even better. It's creamier and has better staying powder. It seems to blend better, too.

Pictured Top: X. Bottom left 

to right:  Kush and Last Call

On the kind of day where I'm a little tired and would rather watch Jane by Design on Hulu than fix myself up, I cover my entire lid in Urban Decay eyeshadow X. The color is iridescent and has a nice shimmer. It seems to change from gold to a pale pink. The photo on the left does not do it justice. 

The days where I'm in less of a hurry and haven't worn my usual bright colored outfits, I wear Urban Decay eyeshadow in Last Call and Kush. Sometimes I wear all three shadows together. Sometimes I wear one alone. Sometimes two at a time. The trio blends well together and are well pigmented. Usually if I wear Kush or Last Call "alone," I'll blend using ABC Gum. 

 

LIPS:

During the winter, I use NARS Manhunt to brighten my my pale pale face. In summer, I'm flushed (as stated above). I've been slathering on Fresh - Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 in Sugar Plum. I keep this in my purse to avoid dry, chapped (and sunburned) lips. It adds enough color to boost my natural lip tone without overwhelming my face when wearing bright eyeshadow. 

Confession: I do not have the complexion for a lot of bronzer. Against my skin a lot of bronzer products make me look dirty. (I'm a strong believer in not wearing shimmer on your skin. You don't put glitter on a zit. Matte bronzer is great to layer over blush in winter, but worn alone looks bad on fair skin.) 

To hop on the bronze everywhere for everyone trend, I've purchased NARS (lipstick brand of choice) Hot Voodoo Semi Matte Lipstick. Even the name "Hot Voodoo" is fun! You can't tell from the picture here, but it's a pretty, metallic bronze. The semi matte formula is just sheer enough to see my natural lip color under the tint. It makes a great neutral lip tone and goes with all my eyeshadows (even those not listed in this blog post). I'm in lust.

That's a wrap. I might buy something new sometime this summer, but I feel like I am done. Summer 2012 is the season of shimmer (at least for me!).