BEAUTY: Summer Beauty Essentials

Awwww yeah - it's officially summer! Just like clothes, food and my general outlook, there are plenty of beauty products I change up just for summer. These picks work great year round, of course, but they keep me smoother, brighter and generally more glowy in these hot summer months. Here's my version of required summer reading, except without all the books and with a bunch of nail polish (but also you should totally read books all summer even though no one is making you write a last minute essay on them).

1. Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Flamingo Pose [$5.49 Here]

This shade just pops off your face! A very pink coral, this lipstick is creamy and opaque and stays put much longer than a lot of my other drugstore lipsticks. Milani knows what's up with lipstick. This color would work on so many skin tones and shines as the focal point of a summer makeup look.

2. Revlon ColorBurst Balm Stain in Smitten [$8.99 Here]

Has there been a better drugstore lip product in recent memory than Revlon balm stains? The answer is no. This shade, a deep raspberry pink, works for seriously anybody. It moisturizes and opaquely colors, while its light mint scent tingles and refreshes. The chubby pencil makes for easy application, even without a mirror, and the buildable color is perfect for someone just dipping their toes into the lipstick world.

3. Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen [$10.49 Here]

This light formula absorbs quickly with no greasy feeling.

SPF is not optional in summer (or really ever) and I like to use a separate one for my face since body sunscreens can be greasy and thick. This light formula sinks into my skin so quickly and doesn't leave an oily feeling or sunscreen scent. It feels more like moisturizer than sunscreen, but the SPF 55 will keep your fragile face protected even in the craziest of summer suns.

4. Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Creme [$9.00 Here]

This stuff is hardcore - it stays all thick and gooey for hours if you let it just absorb.

I am passionate about this stuff - yes, passionate. I sing its praises to all open ears because it is literally the only foot moisturizing product that has ever caused measurable improvement on my dry feet (Mmmm). I will never stray from this if I want to keep my feet in sandals all summer long. NEVER.

5. Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Barely Branded [$6.99 Here]

The hype is real, people! I fell in love with Color Tattoos recently and I fell hard. Application is simple (smush on with fingers!), the color is rich (opaque in one swipe!), and the wear is loooooong, like must-scrub-it-all-off-before-bed long. This shade is soft and shiny, perfect for a light summer 'barely wearing anything' makeup look, but it can also double as a highlighting product! Due to its champagne shade and creaminess, I'm calling this a dupe for Benefit Watt's Up, which is a HUGE compliment. Plus, these babies are waterproof for anyone who doesn't want to give up their beauty routine - even at the beach.

6. Sally Hansen Extreme Wear Nail Color in Lacey Lilac [$2.99 Here]

Pastels are a perennial summer hit and this poppy lavender shade is so pretty you'll want to douse your fingers and toes in it until the leaves start to change. It's somehow soft and pretty while also being bold and interesting. Hands Nails down, the perfect purple. {You can see me use this shade here}

7. Wet n Wild Nail Color in I Need a Refresh-Mint [$2.29 Here]

If I had to pick one polish color for the rest of my life it would be something like this shade. A great formula, wide salon brush, and an absurdly cheap price make this an essential summer polish. This bright turquoise cream works well with many other shades for summer nail art or on its own for an oceanic splash of color. Buy this! {You can see me use this shade here}

8. Sally Hansen Extreme Wear Nail Color in Coral Reef [$2.99 Here]

When I first bought this I was just looking for a coral polish, no big deal. When I applied it and wore it outside I saw that it was, in fact, a very big deal. This shade is SO pretty in the sunlight it almost makes me angry. It's distractingly pretty. Opaque in one coat, this is a very pink coral that's bright and cheery and just the perfect summer shade. I'm getting mad all over again!

9. Mr. Pumice Bar [$2.79 Here]

This goes hand in hand (foot in foot?) with the Burt's Bees foot cream to create the perfect cocktail of smooth, non-wintery feet. The softer side gently rubs off dry skin, while the coarser side hits your feet with fresh pedicure realness for baby feet-like results. The best pumice I've ever used, ever.

10. ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal [$1.00 Here]

There's no better time to glow than summer and this cheap-o highlighter is a great way to get there. I dab a bit of this on my cheek bone with a small stipple brush (love the ELF one) for a shimmery summer look and it stays put all day. You only need a tiny amount to make a difference, and what a difference it makes!

11. Suave Dry Shampoo [$2.89 Here]

Dry shampoo would probably be in my holy beauty trinity if such a thing existed, and this very affordable and very effective Suave version has a permanent place on the top shelf in my bathroom. Top shelf, ladies. I reach for this a lot to spruce up my bangs or perk up my roots, and in summer - when sweaty foreheads and humidity blossom - this is essential to looking normal without having to shower multiple times a day. (Duh, not happening. I have makeup on.)

What are you favorite summer beauty products?

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Watermelon & Coconut Water Cooler

I'm currently drowning in a refrigerator full of farm fresh produce courtesy of my brother, a local farmer. I know, there are much worse things. I am very appreciative to have access to delicious, brightly-colored edibles that I know were grown sans-chemicals a few towns away by the very same guy who used to delight in destroying my beloved Jonathan Taylor Thomas posters. The only hitch is finding enough ways to use up everything before it goes bad, which is why I'm on day five of inventive cucumber salads (so far a basic feta and balsamic mix is the winner).

I'm trying lots of new things, so I wanted to create a simple watermelon drink with stuff I had on hand. I hesitate to call this a "recipe" because it's basically a drawn out set of instructions telling you to put a few things in a blender and push a button, but bear with me, okay?

WHAT YOU NEED

Watermelon  //  Coconut Water  //  Lime Juice  //  Ice  //  Blender

HOW TO MAKE IT

Cube the watermelon and add about 3 cups of it to your blender.

Honestly, when was the last time you saw black seeds in a watermelon?! Pretty much everything from the grocery store has been modified to lose unsightly elements like these, which is really weird to think about.

Add about 1 cup of coconut water to the blender. FYI, Trader Joe's now makes their own coconut water which is pretty delish and pretty cheap, at least in the world of coconut water, which means it's still kind of expensive for the amount you get (mine was $2.99 for 33 oz/1L).

Add a healthy squeeze of lime juice, depending on how much you like, which in my case is QUITE A BIT, THANK YOU. You can obviously also use a real lime which is the better option, but alas I was uncharacteristically lime-less this afternoon. I'm working through it.

Add the ice and blend, baby, blend! 

Enjoy with a color coordinated straw and a sliced watermelon wedge, which is what everyone does naturally and definitely not just because they're taking pictures of their drinks to put on the internet.

It even looks cheerful perched atop my ancient radiator!

The flavor is very distinctly watermelon, but the coconut water is pronounced, as well. That's great unless you don't like coconut water, which it seems plenty of people do not. Well, I do, but if you aren't feeling it, sub in fruit juice or even just more watermelon.

What blender drinks are you mixing lately? Are you still into summer drinks like these or are you like everyone else on my Facebook feed who is losing their minds over the reintroduction of pumpkin drinks already? Doesn't it seem kind of fun to drink a watermelon? (p.s. it is!)

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ROUNDUP: Weekly Links 1/29/12

Here's what I'm rounding up this week:
Paul & Joe Kitten Collection

What's better than a whole beauty collection inspired by and featuring felines? A beauty collection featuring felines in tiny top hats. These blush sticks are so adorable I would literally never be able to use them (isn't that like animal cruelty?). BONUS: There's a gel liner in this collection so you can make the perfect cat eye! I obviously had to do that.  
Stephen Colbert Interviews Maurice Sendak

Where the Wild Things Are author Maurice Sendak proves to be smart, hilarious and a perfect foil to Stephen Colbert's unrelenting character in this highly entertaining interview. Don't miss part two!
Kathleen Hanna Designs ICP Event

Yes, that Kathleen Hanna and that ICP. Hanna is set designing Wicked Clown Love, an experimental performance piece "built around the music and culture of hip-hop duo Insane Clown Posse, their devoted fan base the Juggalos, and other forms of male bonding and ritual." Huh. 
Snow Globe Ring

What an amazing idea!
Coconut Syrup

I've never been to Hawaii, but when I recently tried this coconut syrup on some pancakes I could basically feel the lei hanging around my neck. It's not super coconut-y and is a pleasant switch from the traditional maple variety.


xoxo,
Michelle