Summer Beauty Essentials! (plus a giveaway!)

When the weather heats up, you may need to make a little adjustments to your beauty routine.  Here's how to do it seamlessly and in style!  Applied Glamour presents everything you need for your ultimate summer enjoyment.  Toss everything in a striped tote bag like this one by Kate Spade and you'll be ready for any adventure!

Tinted moisturizer
Foundation is the last thing anyone wants to worry about in hot weather.  A tinted moisturizer will be your best friend during the summer months.  Laura Mercier makes the best of the best with a formula that's oil free, comes in a variety of shades to match any skintone, and is SPF 20.  One tube will last you through September!  Another great place to get tinted moisturizer on the cheap is to scout HauteLook.com for beauty deals.

Makeup setting spray
Urban Decay's All Nighter makeup setting spray is never more essential than in July.  It keeps your makeup from budging through rain, tears, and sweat, and is a face-saver at nighttime parties when you want to look polished.

A great pair of sunglasses
Not only are they incredibly stylish and useful for going incognito, sunglasses prevent you from squinting in bright light, which can cause crows feet and other fine lines around your eyes.   OC Shades has an incredible selection of sunnies priced at only $10-15!  Grab a pair that makes you happy and feel smug, knowing how stylish and wrinkle-free you look!


Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen!
I can't stress the importance of wearing sunscreen enough.  I know too many 20-somethings who are all too eager to spend an hour in a tanning bed.  Please don't do this!  I don't particularly enjoy wearing sunscreen either, but I'd also rather carry a leather handbag when I'm 50, not look like one too!  There are simply too many self tanning formulas on the market today that actually work (see below) to spend another day in the sun or tanning bed without adequate sunscreen.  This concludes your public service announcement!  Now, on to the products...

I'm extremely picky about the sun protection I use on my face, which is why I prefer powder formats.  Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral sunscreen is ready to go, brush and all, perfect for stashing in your beach bag.   For body I really love Coppertone's Continuous Spray: no rubbing in, no greasiness, just amazing sun protection that's ridiculously easy to apply.  Be careful, though, this can burn if you have any cuts!

An amazing self tanner
Self tanning is honestly out of my realm of expertise; I'm about as pale as it gets!  I like it that way, but I know for some lovelies a summer without a tan is sacrilege.  Lucky for you, Elizabeth over at BeautyBets.com put together a guide of this year's best sunless tanning!  She's tried every product you can imagine and I completely trust her endorsements.  Her top pick overall: Clarins Instant Self Tanning Gel.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll pick up some myself!

A gritty exfoliator
I could probably live without Philosophy's Hot Salt Scrub, but I hope I never have to.  This is the best exfoliating scrub I've ever used!  Use it on dry skin right before you shower for the smoothest skin, the closest shave, and the most even self tanning application you'll ever have.  Plus it comes in all sorts of fantastic scents.  This summer I'm especially loving Coconut Frosting!

Insect repellent that isn't gross
Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent is a blend of essential oils that not only smells amazing, but most importantly keeps bugs far away from your skin.  Rosemary, citronella, and lemongrass oils combine for insect protection that works better than the chemical stuff!  The oil blend sounds weird, but you won't smell anything like salad dressing.  Coating yourself with essential oils definitely beats coating your skin with toxic insect repellent any day.    

A hydrating face spray
There is nothing more glamorous than misting your face with a special blend of water and minerals when it's insanely hot outside!  It sounds decadent and a little ridiculous, but remember my review of the Infotone Face Mist?  It's way more than just water, it's a veritable skincare product!  It worked wonders on my complexion, not to mention cooled me off.  And guess what?  I'm giving one away!  Just for you!  


To enter to win your very own Infotone Face Mist, leave a comment and tell me about your summer plans!




For extra entries, you can do one (or more!) of these:
1. Follow Applied Glamour via Google Friend Connect (one extra entry) 

2. Follow @AppliedGlamour via Twitter (leave a comment here letting me know who you are!) (one extra entry)
3. Tweet about the giveaway!  Link back to this page and make sure to cc @AppliedGlamour so I can keep track :)  Spread the word! (two extra entries!)


GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.  Thanks for your entries!  And congratulations to Kylie, you won!!!