13 Beauty Mantras for Summer

If you have an especially difficult time with your beauty regimen during the summertime, here are 13 quick tips to help you coast through the hottest months of the year.

1) HAVE A GOOD FOUNDATION
Along with a season change, I recommend that you adjust the color and texture of your foundation accordingly. Warm-weather foundations tend to have sheerer textures and are often deeper in tone, while lighter shades offering heavier coverage are often preferred in cold-weather months.

The right foundation should balance your skin tone and make your face come alive. The wrong foundation... well, we all know how unnatural a too-light or too-dark foundation can look!

To find the right foundation for your skin tone:

• Apply a thin streak of the foundation on your jaw line
• Check the color in natural light

The foundation color should blend perfectly with your skin tone—be sure to avoid any obvious color differences between face and neck.

2) DO SOME BROWS-ING
Eyebrows vary in shape, size, length and color with each individual—the shape of your face, cheekbones and nose all help define your ideal brow shape.

However, here’s a universal truths: the perfect brow is a very well-groomed, natural arch that enhances all your features and softens your look.

If plucking your brows is not your forte, seek help from an expert and then work on maintaining that arch.

3) LASH-OUT
This season, there’s an emphasis on eyelashes—loud, must-notice-me lashes. Lashes can highlight your eyes as much as liner or shadow can. However, Asian lashes tend to be naturally straight.

Try the following steps to add some more excitement to your lashes:

• Curl your lashes
• Use a primer
• Apply mascara -- the key to making your lashes look full, thick and long.

4) DUMP THE CLUMP
After you apply your mascara, remember to comb through your lashes—especially if you are using mascara formulated to thicken and/or lengthen your lashes. It’s the best way to keep your lashes looking natural.

5) KNOW YOUR LIGHTING
Adjust your makeup according to the lighting in your environment. For example, natural sunlight is flattering, so you can look good while wearing less. However, you can go for a little bit more drama in candlelight.

6) MAKE A FEATURE PRESENTATION
Pay attention to the compliment that you’ve received all your life on your starring facial feature. “Your eyes are so beautiful!” or “Your lips have that perfect pout!” Whatever it may be, let that feature take the spotlight and play it up!

7) GLOSS ALL OVER
It’s that simple! Lip gloss is the easiest way to update your look and make it modern, youthful and sexy.

8) BLEND IN
Whether it’s foundation, blush or eye shadow, you must blend! There is nothing worse than a harsh or uneven line of color.

9) TAKE FIVE
Your time is too precious to waste on hours of getting ready! Learn how to take your makeup from day to night in a matter of minutes, with just a few simple steps and key products:

• Create a smoky eye with a black kohl eyeliner pencil
• Glam it up with a sweep of bronzy shimmer blush
• Top it all off with a sweep of lip gloss

10) WHEN IN DOUBT, GO WITHOUT
If you think that you’re wearing too much makeup, then you probably are. A helpful rule of thumb is to play up just one feature at a time:

• Balance a dramatic eye with a clear or neutral gloss
• Complement a strong lip with mascara and a natural tone shimmer shadow on the eyes

Whatever feature you choose to highlight, keep the rest of your face fresh and simple

11) BLUSH ON, NOT OFF
Whether it’s a cream, gel or powder, blush is every woman’s the secret weapon—it’s the fastest way to look healthier, younger and more refreshed.

The best way to apply is to smile and dot blush on the apples of your cheeks. Peach shimmers, soft corals and light pinks look good on every skin tone

12) IT’S TIME TO TOSS
Every product eventually expires. Basically, you should toss your product when it develops a sharp cosmetic smell. Here’s the breakdown:

• 3 months: mascara
• 6 months: foundation
• 1 year: powder products such as eye shadow, blush and facial powder

13) KNOW YOUR TOOLS
The better the tools, the easier the application. So, don’t skimp on your brushes—spend a little extra on durable, high-quality products.

Also, remember to clean your brushes once a week. It’s quite simple:

• Rinse with a mild shampoo
• Squeeze out any excess water
• Lay out your brushes to dry flat

written by JOANNA SCHLIP