Friday, May 27, 2011

Summer's Best Lips & Cheeks

Whether you prefer lipstick or lip balm, blush or bronzer, there's something on this list of summer's best lips and cheeks that's sure to please anyone!  From the latest lip balm/lipstick combo innovation to a mood-elevating violet scented blush, Applied Glamour's guide has got you covered.

summer lips and cheeks
Top row:
Bare Minerals Blush in Fruit Cocktail is the brightest, most vivid pink blush you'll find.  A little goes a long way, so this will last forever!  Orange is a hot color for lips this summer, so you'll be perfectly in style with Topshop's new Lips in Ohh La La.  For a softer, more subtle blush, try Almay's Smart Shade Blush in Pink Rose.  It has great buildable color and magically transforms to your ideal shade of pink!  Too Faced's Leopard Love palette has everything you could possibly want for your cheeks.  Blush, light bronzer, and a deeper bronzer all packed to look like leopard print! 

Middle row:
NARS Velvet Gloss lip pencil in New Lover is golden strawberry shade with amazing texture that's great all over your lips.  Since it's a pencil format, it won't melt in your bag when temperatures heat up!  New this season is MAC's Surf, Baby! collection of summery, beachy shades with lovely surf-inspired packaging.  Naturally Eccentric lustre lipstick is a great nude that will look perfect with a tan.  The latest and greatest lip product this summer is Pixi's Succulent Lip Twin in Pink Peony.  Inside the tube is a pigmented glossy lip balm, while the cap contains a mini lipstick for extra color.  Genius!  For a true gloss, try Korres Cherry Full Color lip gloss.  It's shiny without being sticky and formulated with vitamins C and E for extra moisture and protection. 

Bottom row:
Physician's Formula Happy Glow and Mood Boosting blush does exactly what the name describes.  Use this violet scented, heart bedecked, perfectly pink blush to brighten your complexion and your morning routine!  Sometimes in summer, tinted lip balm is the only sort of lip product that will do.  Burt's Bees just released a new tinted version of their cult favorite lip balm to keep your lips hydrated and smooth without weighing them down with too much product.  Finally, Bella Bamba is the latest to join Benefit's family of gorgeous cheek powders.  It's perfect for contouring sculpted cheekbones (or faking it!).

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Hot Summer Nail Polishes

It's not officially summer till you've got a bright new manicure!  Here are some hot colors to paint your nails in the upcoming months.  What shades have I missed?  Which is your favorite?

summer nails
This bright hot coral shade just screams "summer" to me, I can't get enough!

2.  Essie Smooth Sailing ($8)
A gorgeous pearlized lavender blue from Essie's latest summer collection.  This color is so calm and perfect.

3.  Pop Beauty Nail Glam Turquoise ($10)
Last year powder blue was a huge trend, this year it's turquoise.  I love it!  Grab some turquoise eyeliner and do your eyes to match!

4.  Deborah Lippmann Between The Sheets ($16)
Neon purple in a bottle!  It has enough fuchsia to keep it from looking too goth.

5.  OPI Silver Shatter ($8)
The piece de resistance!  It's like Black Shatter, only...silver!  Perfect for summer.  I can't wait to get this on my nails.  Layer it over Between The Sheets, Smooth Sailing, or even mix it with Black Shatter to see what happens.  Experiment!

6.  Essie Well Red ($8)
You need a gorgeous vampy red no matter what season!  Essie has the best.

7.  Pop Beauty Nail Glam Orange ($10)
Orange always turns up as a hot color for summer, and this year is no exception.  Orange has also recently been spotted on lips and eyes!  This neon shade keeps it unique. 

8.  Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road ($16)
Yellow is another super trendy shade this summer.  It was all over the runways at Chanel and is now appearing everywhere else!  This will look best with a tan and is bright enough so the druggist won't try to sell you anti-fungal cream (always a plus!).

Monday, May 23, 2011

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!
summer beauty essentials
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!!!