One of the best things about summer (and stupid humidity and random thunderstorms and 95 degree temps) is that it gives me an excellent excuse to have crazy hair and wear less makeup.  

I got this little Sonia Kashuk highlighter stick ($10.99, in Persian Sunset, above left) a few weeks ago and it was the first Sonia Kashuk item I’d bought except brushes in years. (Since I got the highlighter stick and liked it so much, I also picked up the liquid tint.) 

This is such a timesaver. It has a little more shimmer than I usually prefer to wear, but it’s summer so what the hell. I put it on my eyes, put a bit on my cheekbones, put a little dab on my forehead and in the corners of my eyes too. Add some mascara and DONE. If I want to wear more makeup, I do all of the above, plus put some darker brown eyeshadow in my eyelid crease and along my lashline. The highlighter looks great combined with a good bronzer or a liquid/cream blush too. 

Have you tried Sonia Kashuk’s Super Sheer Liquid Tint? It’s less than $10 ($9.79) and I picked it up at Target after convincing myself for the millionteeth time that $30 for cheek stain is absurd. I debated which one to choose and then went with Poppy, the more coral-y of three shades available. The packaging feels kind of cheap (ugh) but the formula is fun. It’s very sheer and blends easily. I think it’s hilarious when beauty magazines describe a blush as making you look like you “just got in from the cold” or “just finished a workout,” but those cliches are what I thought of when I first put it on. 

I’ve posted before about Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey and how amazing/magical it is. The Superbalm in Black Honey ($15) is a REVELATION. It’s tons more moisturizing than the Almost Lipstick and is pretty glossy too, but not to a gooped up Lancome Juicy Tubes level. The thing about the Black Honey color is that it looks so intimidating in the tube but is really flattering once applied. The color looks different on everyone. On me it looks fairly sheer/natural, but has a brown/mauve tint. You can tell I’m wearing some color on my lips but it’s not so bold that it’s distracting. I usually hate wearing lip color for that reason—all I see are LIPPY LIPS when I look in the mirror. 

Anyway, it’s great. I’ll buy anything they make in this shade. (Including the nail polish at some point.)

I posted about these two products a couple of months ago in my skincare routine post. I use the Rapid Wrinkle Repair moisturizer (left) and the Rapid Wrinkle Repair eye cream (right) almost every night.

You can take 20% off one of them today at Ulta using code 102029. (The code is valid for 20% off any one item, but these brands are excluded.) 

This has been my quick go-to makeup routine the past few weeks. Once the weather gets hot, I have a feeling I’ll love how light and easy it is too. I apply bareMinerals In the Buff eyeshadow ($14) on my lid and blend up to my brow bone. Then I put on two coats of CoverGirl Lash Blast. I dab a bit of Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Pink Frosting on the apples of my cheeks and blend. I recently tried e.l.f.’s Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder after running out of my other one and like it! I brush on a little bit—not too much—right under my cheekbones and dust a bit on my forehead and chin. Done! 

Any other items I should get for quick makeup jobs?

There’s a caveat to this post: namely, that some of these products might not work on your hair. I can only write about what works for me and I have medium-thick, wavy, color-treated hair. I don’t know much about hair products for naturally curly hair, for example. But, if you have hair similar to mine, you’ll probably have good luck with some of my favorite hair products and tools. 

PRODUCTS

• I’ve tried several different brands of dry shampoo but I always come back to Suave Professionals Keratin ($2.88). It’s obviously inexpensive (A+) and works great for me. I use it after going to the gym, before I put waves or curls into my hair and apply it to the roots if I’m going to put my hair up. 
• It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Plus Keratin ($18) is something my stylist recommended to me a few months ago and I’ve been using it religiously since. For background: I’ve colored my hair for years. I use heat products a lot. I almost never air-dry. I’m basically the poster child for everything beauty editors tell you NOT to do. I used to use another leave-in but I still got split ends and my hair wasn’t super healthy. Not bad, not great. Since using THIS leave-in, it’s like I have a whole new head of hair. I can blow dry my hair in half the time it used to take (a sign of healthy hair, btw) and the strands feel stronger and look shinier. It styles more easily and I don’t have so many flyaways. Worth it. 
• Not Your Mother’s Kinky Moves Curl Defining Cream ($5.99) is another recent find that I like using on the rare occasions I let my hair air dry or decide to use the diffuser. It’s one of the few curl defining products I’ve used that doesn’t turn waves into crunchy mall hair. 
• Around here it’s like living in Satan’s humid armpit come summer and I have a few waves and cowlicks that love to appear at the first sign of sweat. I don’t use John Frieda’s 3-Day Straight styling spray ($9.99) all year, but I most definitely use it in the summer. It can be a little drying to my hair, so I use it only on sections that I know will be most problematic: hair around my face or the nape of my neck. This is a miracle-working product, make no mistake. Once I seal it in with a flat iron after blow drying, my hair is straight, sleek and devoid of frizz. It stays mostly that way—even if it’s 110 degrees outside. I have a friend with naturally curly hair who loves it too, but she also mentioned it could be drying. She used a hair mask once a week to compensate. 
• If you have dyed blond hair or highlights, you have to use Clairol Shimmer Lights shampoo ($18.50). You may not want to use it every day though. Check with your stylist. (You’ll for sure want to use it after a day spent in the sun.) 
• I really started to hate the L’Oreal EverPure shampoo I used to use, but I’m still loving the EverPure Volume Conditioner ($5.97). I only use a tiny amount and it’s enough to hydrate without weighing down my hair or making it difficult to style. 
• I almost never use hairspray, but when I do (usually post-sock bun creation), I like Elnett ($12.97). 
• I don’t use Aveda’s Rosemary Mint shampoo ($12) now, but when I had my hair darker I did. The scent is great and it added a lot of body to my hair. 

TOOLS

• Broken record, I know, but the Conair YouCurl ($22.97) is the curling wand I’ve been using for several years and still love. Yes, there’s a learning curve, but it’s worth it. I will never use a clamping curl iron ever again. I have no use for it. 
• There are tons of good flat iron brands out there, but the CHI is a superb flat iron for the price ($60). A 1-inch flat iron is the best size for almost everyone. I use this both to straighten my hair and to curl it. Flat iron waves are a little more undone and natural-looking than curling wand curls. 
• I have to thank Kim for turning me on to the Conair Infiniti Pro hair dryer ($33.24). It’s such a good dryer and the price is ridiculous. 
• I posted about the Conair Infiniti Pro Spin Brush ($39.97) and called it “the hair gadget that will change your life” and I stand by that 100%. I don’t care how talented you are with a roundbrush and a blow dryer and how meticulously you section your hair before you blow dry, you will NEVER be able to get the kind of blowout doing that as you will with the Spin Brush. 
• A good widetooth comb ($4.52) is necessary for gently combing damp hair after a shower or separating too-tight curls after using a curling wand. 

Do you use any of these? Anything else I should try?

I bought Maybelline’s Dream Bouncy Blush in Pink Frosting ($6.39) last week while I was supposed to be buying allergy meds in Target and I got a little nervous after I got home and read some of the reviews. You all know I’m not a huge fan of applying makeup with fingertips, but whatever. I’m happy to report that I actually really love this stuff. I found the color easy to blend and natural-looking, though it could get a little clown-crazy if you’ve got a heavy hand. My only advice is to apply a small amount and blend fast, apply some more, blend, and so on. It drives quickly to a rock-solid finish and it’s easier to build the color a bit at a time. I applied a tiny smidgen of bronzer over top and liked the way that looked too. I’d buy it again. (As an aside, I want to try Revlon’s PhotoReady cream blush next. I’ve heard GREAT things about it. Have you used it?)

I was not happy when I discovered that L’Oreal discontinued one of my favorite eyeshadow quads—Desert Sunrise (the colors look a little darker in that pic that they actually were in person). I’ve been searching for an inexpensive alternative to Desert Sunrise’s perfect shimmery pink/peach base and the easily blendable darker browns. I picked up Revlon’s ColorStay Quad in Delightful ($3.99) a few weeks ago and may like it even better than the L’Oreal one. The colors are lighter, but they’re better for summer. I’ve been using the top right color as an all-over color on my lid and then I apply the bottom right (the darkest shade) using an eyeliner brush along my top and bottom lash lines and blend. With a bit of blush and good mascara, it’s a super fast and easy summer look that I’ll be repeating a lot over the next few months.