My 10 Summer Must Have Beauty Products for Summer

Hi everyone! I was skimming through my blog, and I realized that almost all of my posts are either monthly favorites or hauls. So, today's post is going to be different. Summer is drawing close, and quite frankly, I'm not too upset about it. Summer used to be my favorite season because I would be out of school, and I was always confident about my body. However, since my first year of college, I have gained 30 pounds and I have lost a good chunk of that confidence. I am currently working on an exercise and "diet" plan that is feasible. Once I develop this plan, adhere to it, and (hopefully) see results, I will blog about it. I don't have a specific weight as a goal because I don't want to set myself up for failure and become discouraged. I just want to feel and look healthier, which is far more important than the number that displays on the scale.

Anyway, the main topic of this post is to share my top 10 beauty must haves for summer. I will also include some recommendations.

1) Sunscreen: This should be on everyone's top 10. It is very important to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays. Yes, you can still get a tan wearing sunscreen (just to clear up any misconceptions). Every sunscreen should have SPF, which is the ability of a sunscreen to block UVB rays. Both UVB and UVA rays contribute to skin cancer, but UVB rays are more associated with sunburns. According to WebMD, a suncreen that has an SPF higher than 45 offers just as much protection as a sunscreen with SPF 45. Thus, a sunscreen with SPF 100 offers the same amount of protection as a sunscreen with SPF 45. It's essentially a marketing technique: more people will reach for the sunscreen with SPF 100 because they think they are getting more protection.
Recommendations:
-Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock, SPF 100
-Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion w/ SPF 60
2) Tinted moisturizer: Tinted moisturizers provide coverage (anywhere from sheer to moderate), but are typically more lightweight than foundations.
Recommendations:
-CoverGirl Smoothers SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer
-Aveeno Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer w/ SPF 30
-Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Tinted Moisturizer SPF 50
-Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20
-Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free SPF 15
3) Lip balm w/ SPF: Your face needs protection, and that includes your lips too! During the winter and summer, my lips are constantly chapped and seriously resemble old raisins. That's not appealing. If you want some color on your lips, you can layer a clear lip balm underneath a lipgloss or lipstick, or just wear a tinted lip balm with SPF.
Recommendations:
-Soft Lips Lip Balm w/ SPF 20
-Burts Bees Lip Balm w/ SPF 15
4) Non-sticky lipgloss: I like to wear my hair down and drive with my windows down. Add a sticky lipgloss into that combination and you get a load of unwanted hair in your mouth--eck.
-Avon Glazewear Lipgloss
-Bare Minerals Buxom Lipgloss
5) Coral lipstick: Not everyone is on board with this trend, but I love it. Coral and (muted) orange are my favorite lip colors year round.
Recommendations:
-MAC Vegas Volt
-MAC Morange
-Illamasque Blaze
6) Cream blush: I prefer these over powder blushes during the summer because cream blushes have a longer lasting power. I typically like to set a powder blush on top of a cream blush, but lately, I have just been wearing cream blushes.
Recommendations:
-Sonia Kashuk
-Maybelline Dream Mousse
-NYX
7) Makeup setting spray: Makeup can run or melt off your face in heat. Makeup setting sprays will keep your makeup fixed in place, and I love that refreshing mist on a hot sunny afternoon.
Recommendations:
-Skindinavia
-Evian facial spray
-MAC Fix +
8) Deodorant: Who likes smelly, wet armpits? I don't think anyone does! Deodorant is a necessity, especially if you perspire easily.
Recommendations:
-Dove Antiperspirant & Deodorant
9) Bright eyeliner: Not everyone may be on board with this one either, but I love bright eyeliners for the summer. I like wearing a bright aquamarine or sea green color on my lower lashline for a pop of color. I don't do this everyday, but it's fun every once in a while.
Recommendations:
-Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencils
-Sephora Jumbo Waterproof Liners
10) Face powder: If you have oily skin, this is a must. I have dry skin, but during the summer, I need powder to keep my face makeup in place. I sweat easily too, so I need to blot every now and then to counteract the shine.
Recommendations:
-Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
-Cargo Blu Ray Pressed Powder
-MAC Select Sheer Pressed Powder