It's part two of my summer makeup must haves series! If you missed the first part of this series make sure you check out Summer Makeup Must Haves: Bases.
There are a lot of things in my makeup routine I can skip if I am being lazy or don't want to wear a lot of makeup, such as eye shadow, eyeliner, even foundation. I am fine wearing a little concealer powder and mascara. One step I have a hard time skipping is bronzer and blush. They help give your face dimension, even a little color and life back into it if you are wearing foundation.
I have fair skin, I don't tan much in the summer. It is not that I don't try to, I just tend to only go two colors...red or pale. I still like to get in the summer mood by applying a little bronzer to warm up my face. Finding the right shade of bronzer the suits your skin is important, some bronzers might look great on your friend but on you they may be too orange or muddy or just be too dark or too light. My favorite bronzer is Nars Laguna. I put a light dusting of it where the sun would naturally hit my face, top of my cheeks, tip of my nose and on my hairline. At night I even use it to contour my face a little.
In the summer I tend to switch from powder blushes over to a cream formula, it looks more dewy and natural. NYX Cream Blush is a great drugstore cream blush if you aren't looking to splurge on high end versions. My favorite way to apply cream blush is with my fingers, but you can also achieve a soft wash of color with a stippling brush.
While I always wear a little bronzer and blush, I don't always wear a highlighter. If I am wearing a glowy or shimmery blush then I generally avoid it. But when I do wear a highlighter I like to reach for The-Balm Mary Lou Manizer . It is the perfect champagne shimmer. It isn't glittery, it just creates a glow. I find it best to lightly dust this on with a fan brush, but it is completely up to you.
These are some of my favorites to wear, what is your favorite bronzer, blush or highlighter for the summer?