Top 5 Beauty Essentials for Summer

I’ve tapped an expert — my friend and professional makeup artist, Kelli (find her on Instagram @kellizbrooks), to give us the scoop on look great at the beach and beyond. Her list may surprise you– there are budget friendly finds as well and splurge worthy items.

With summer only a few weeks away, I’m here to share some of this season’s beauty essentials for summer vacation. Summertime means fun in the sun and possibly tropical or beach vacations, even doing a little Connecticut online gambling from the beach. It’s the first time many of us have considered donning bathing suits or sunscreen in a year! I’m going to give you some tips an tricks to getting the perfect beach style just in time for sun.

Top 5 Beauty Essentials for Summer

Bronzer: This is a great alternative to tanning. Bronzer adds warmth to the face, it can look as if you’ve been relaxing on the beach for weeks at a time. For the most flawess of applications I use a fan brush to lightly hit the forehead, temples, cheekbones and jawline. With the color of your bronzer being a range of 1-3 shades darker than your skin tone, this product can also help to achieve contouring with the hint of sun kissed glow. My go to bronzer is the Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Bronzing Veil in Tropical Days. This ombre color of a golden highlight blended into a matte warm bronze tone is suitable for most skin tones.
Beachy Hair: whether or not your version of spring break brings your toes to the sand, this is just the beginning of beach inspired hair. Though some ladies are lucky enough to use a spritz or two of salt based spray, a few scrunches and go on their way with killer texture, those of us who are less fortunate shouldn’t have to miss out on this flirty fun style. Rather than relying on the perfect spray or paste, I use a hot tool, the Bed Head Deep Waver on dry hair in small sections to have lust worthy waves.
Tinted Lip Balm: Soft lips arent trendy, their a necessity. This is a dry time of year for many of us, coming off of winter weather than leaves our lips flaky and dehydrated (checkout my instagram for more tips to having the smoothest, most kiss worthy lips. IG:@kellizbrooks) I love to have lip balms in every bag I have, my go to are the Maybelline Baby Lips collections. While some my opt for clear to pair with their favorite lipstick, I love the variety of tinted colors, they have the perfect amount of color to make you look effortlessly polished.
Waterproof Mascara: In my experience as a makeup artist, the number one request I receive from my clients is to make their eyes pop. A great way to make this happen with out the fuss or having to travel with too many products is as simple as mascara. More appropriate for humidity, pools or the beach, waterproof mascara. Though I don’t usually recommend it to most for use on a daily basis, its great for long days of laying in the sun or taking a dip in the pool. My go to formula is the Maybelline New York Volume Express Mega Plush Waterproof Mascara. The large brush with soft fluffy bristles was what drew me to the mascara, it gives great volume in few strokes and keeps my lashes soft with a touch of curl.
Dry Shampoo: When I’m on vacation I rely on dry shampoo (probably more than I should) especially when I would rather be out soaking up the sun. Most dry shampoo has the added benefit is adding a bit of texture, so to fake clean, voluminous hair I opt for Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray.

Thank you for taking the time to read about some of my favorite products. I hope this helps you while shopping for summer beauty. Connect with Kelli on Instagram

7 Steps to a Smokey Eye, awesome tips from professional makeup artist Kelli Brooks