Beating Summer Beauty Blunders

I can’t say it enough, summer is my absolute favorite time of the year; School is out, there’s lots of adventures to be had, and as you may know, I love going to the beach. However, to look sassy and classy through the summer months there’s a lot of heat and humidity-induced hurdles we have to overcome. I’d like to share some of my favorite beauty solutions to the common problems we face in the heat of summer. Makeup Meltdown: The most obvious foe of summer beauty is the sun. Although we worship at its altar in the name of a good tan, there’s a lot of icky stuff that comes along with that bronzed look. So, sunscreen is an absolute must! Many moisturizers and foundations include it as an ingredient, so check there first to make sure you are protecting that beautiful face, and if it’s not, be sure to pick up some type of SPF pronto! After you’ve applied your sunscreen, you should work on keeping your makeup intact in spite of your sweat…ahem, glow. The first tip is to keep it light. Tinted moisturizers are my pick for summer but if you are particularly prone to slickness, a powder foundation might be better. If you’re going swimming or spending a day at the beach, finding the right waterproof liner is also a must! Samantha Ravndahl (known to Instagram and reddit as Ssssamanthaa) recently recommended Benefit’s They’re Real push-up liner as the most securely waterproof. Because I had the product already, I tried it and it definitely works! Then top it off with a finishing spray like Urban Decay’s All-Nighter and voila! TAKE COMFORT IN KNOWING YOU LOOK AND FEEL FLAWLESS! Chafing: Love wearing cute dresses to keep cool but hate thigh chafe? I used to think the only options were to avoid dresses and skirts or just suffer through it. But there’s actually lots of solutions to choose from! My personal pick is to wear a pair of bike shorts under the dress, that way you are safe from chafe and mischievous breezes. And if you are in a pinch, men’s boxer-briefs work just as well. However, if you’re out in your favorite micro-mini or prefer to skip the extra layer of underthings, there are products that actually absorb or block the sweat that causes chafe in the first place. They come in various forms too, including powders like Anti-Monkey-Butt powder (funny name but serious results!) and sticks like BodyGlide. Hairdos and don’ts: If chafing is the most uncomfortable summer beauty woe then a decent hair style is the most difficult to solve. There are two primary culprits: heat and humidity. If humidity causes frizz then you might use products to combat it (I like Beyond the Zone’s Smooth Criminal Blow Out Balm), but that adds extra oils to your hair, and if your hair is anything like mine, once you add in the sweat from the heat it looks like a grease slick in no time flat. What I have found actually works best might seem counter-intuitive. Using a good dry shampoo on your roots as you style and before your hair even starts to look slick will generally prevent it from looking like you’ve made a failed attempt at the “wet” look. Now that you’re all prepped and ready to put your best face (and hair and thighs…) forward this summer, get out there! Attend that outdoor graduation, birthday, or beach party with the confidence of knowing you look and feel flawless!