Tag Archives: Summer Beauty Wardrobe

Summer Beauty Wardrobe Recap

3 months, 41 products and endless combinations later, here we are.

This beauty wardrobe was so much more than just makeup: it’s like a time capsule and goal-setting expedition all in one. At the start of the season, I shared what my summer had in store: a trip to Sweden and Finland, a wedding/girls trip in Mexico, a momentous birthday, a move (that has been filling my to do list up ever since it happened).

Check. Check. Check and Check.

There was also this momentous hair day I had in Stockholm.

I read 18 books, watched all of Parks and Rec and am fulfilling my last summer goal: volunteering with One Tail at a Time. This one came together at the last possible moment; I start volunteer training in a week! They are doing such amazing work and I cry often out of joy and sadness at what they do for pups (and kitties, too). They just went down to Houston to help with Harvey dogs and I want to do all I can to support their efforts.

Dare I say having a beauty wardrobe helped me focus more on life? I didn’t completely achieve my goal of buying no beauty products but I did way better than I thought I would. I like the structure and being able to really experiment with what’s in my makeup bag. After all, I got it for a reason, yes? Enough looking at pretty things, I want to dirty them up and incorporate them into how I live. I’m in the process of transitioning to my fall beauty wardrobe and am planning on applying the lessons I learned about my beauty habits into the upcoming season.

I think I try to convince myself I like things that I know deep down aren’t for me. For reasons that I’m sure you can relate to: the packaging is pretty, I love the brand, the color is stunning, it works well for other people. Insert ____ reason here. Why do we try to convince ourselves we have needs just because of wants?

LESSONS LEARNED

I prefer black liquid eyeliner. In fact, I really missed mine this season. Don’t get me wrong: my Kat Von D Tattoo liner in that espresso-ish brown got plenty of use but I really love black.  And pencil eyeliner? Nope. Not something I reached for.

Palettes are overwhelming. It’s like option overload and I shut down. I also don’t think a palette that mixes in cream and powder options is for me. The powder gets in the cream and also expire sooner. Guess what? I built this palette. As in, went to a MAC event and got to design this palette at no cost to me. I’m pretty sure deep down I knew I didn’t like mixing these products, yet I did anyway. But why??

I really like complexion products. Complexion options don’t overwhelm me, in fact, it’s comforting. In July, I added in Make Up For Ever’s Ultra HD Foundation when I started working with the brand. It rounded out my options in a way I think I needed all along. Also, I had a late in the season attachment to Too Faced Born This Way concealer.

Trying new mascara is fun. It was time for a new tube in June so instead of replacing my Maybelline Lash Sensational that I started off with, I tried the L’Oreal Lash Paradise and treated myself to the Dior Pump n Volume because self-control is hard, guys. I loved both. Wore them both regularly all summer.

WHAT I USED MOST

My most used are definitely my most loved.

RMS Lip Shine in Honest 4-eva. I will let a out a YAY for nearly finishing it. I’m going to keep it in my purse until it’s gone, it won’t last through fall but for a few more weeks I bet. I think I used this almost every day. I’d say I’d replace it but for now, I’m going to work through some other products I have.

I wore Cloud Paint almost exclusively. Sorry, other blushes. Dusk and Beam were on my face almost every day I wore makeup. I wore them together, separate, mixed in with MAC Strobe Cream, with bronzer and without. I put them on four bridesmaids when I did makeup for my friend’s wedding in Mexico. Somehow, I still have not finished these tubes which goes to show you how necessary owning a tube of Cloud Paint is. (you know I can help you out… glossier.com/reps/laurie if you haven’t gotten the memo!)

It Cosmetics CC Cream is synonymous with summer. I am almost finished with my tube and stand by the assertion that this is the best of any BB or CC cream on the market. I wore Medium, but can also get away with Light.

Rust colored eyeshadow looks good on me. All of the colors I included were in the peachy bronze family and I only wish I had more eyes to wear them all every day. All last week, I wore NARS St Paul de Vence. It started out in the week as a wistful reminder that it was one of my favorites and quickly turned into a challenge. I tried new combos, layering and it cemented its status as one of the best NARS duos I’ve worn.

Having a flesh toned neutral eyeshadow is clutch. One of my most used products wasn’t even in my initial plan: the single MAC eyeshadow in Grain.

Haloscope. That is all. This was one of the products I replaced with a new tube about halfway through the summer. I’m considering just putting this into the ‘staple’ category with my eyelash curler and Boy Brow because there’s no way I’ll ever not include this in future seasons.

WHAT I OVERLOOKED

There’s a theme I’m noticing: I don’t really prime my face with makeup products. Skincare, yes. I mist, tone, serum, moisturize and SPF and by the time that’s all done, I really don’t want to wear any more “base” layers. I did use my Juice Beauty Illuminating Serum on the weekends but on my most days I skipped this step. I think it may be more of a summer phenom. I’m definitely going to try and work in the Juice into my next wardrobe.

I also only wore Glossier Gen G in Leo a handful of times. Every time I wore it, I loved how it looked but I kept forgetting. The lesson here is that less is more when it comes to lips.

WHAT I CHANGED MY MIND ON

Do you ever get it in your head that you really love something and then you have to come with terms that isn’t true once you really try it out. That is me and this Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet foundation. Here’s the thing: the formula is awesome, it makes my skin feel and look flawless but only for a short window of time. It’s so frustrating! I leave the house and I feel great. A few hours later, I look in the mirror and look really blah. This is a tough realization but necessary.

Another item I thought I’d wear nonstop was this Jillian Dempsey Lid Tint in Peach. It’s too orange and the dewy factor fades quickly. I barely had enough eyes to wear my favorite shades much less one I’m just kinda ‘meh’ on.

WHAT NOW?

Some of these products will officially retire. Like my Born This Way concealer, which is leaking from the top so I can’t travel with it. Some will carry over, like Haloscope. Others will go into my my simplified beauty storage, like St Paul de Vence.

My goal is not to start from scratch every season but rotate in things I have and also what’s inspiring me for the season.

I know the idea of capsule living is something a lot of people are experimenting with. I see this sort of in that vein but am inviting frequent change and limiting the rules. I’d be really interested to know how you choose the makeup you wear and if you change it up. Does anyone want to beauty wardrobe with me for fall? I’m going to reveal my plan for fall soon. Can’t wait!

All of the Nail Polish I’m Wearing This Summer

The thing about moving is that it sucks. No matter how much you prepare or get ahead of the packing, it is still a mad dash at the end. About 36 hours after our move, I went to Mexico for a friend’s wedding. During the move, all of my toe nail polish cracked away and at the last minute I had to find where I’d packed it to try and fix. Thankfully I found the polish but not the nail polish remover, so I just refreshed versus starting new. And then I returned from Mexico and the sand and constant soaking in a pool destroyed my color. So, naturally, I just put another coat on top. Currently rolling around town with about six coats of LVX Argonne on my toes. And you know what? It looks alright. Priorities right now.

This begs the question: At what point after a move is it no longer acceptable to be living out of boxes? We are still painting our walls so it all just feels so in-between still. I just want to paint my nails and watch Bravo with a glass of wine like any self-respecting 35 year old. It’s still summer and I’ve got beauty wardrobes to maximize. I extended my makeup wardrobe to my nails. It made instant sense to me to curate a palette for my fingers and toes. I have a lot of polish, much of it goes unused. I’ve set a similar goal with my seasonal nail wardrobe: use it, see if I love it and if not, reconsider the space it takes up in my home. Sometimes polishes go bad, apply unevenly or just aren’t a match. That’s apparent right away with nail polish, I find.

For my peachdrenched summer, I also applied the same color principles to polish. I abandoned the standard summer fare of bright corals and pinks and instead went for subdued peach variations and shades of green. For good measure I added a few nudes. Every season needs at least one.

THE PEACHES

Not a bright in sight. It made for an alternative July — while everyone else was trying to track down a bottle of Essie Clambake, I was opting for OPI Freedom of Peach. It has a muted quality that makes it interesting to me. This color was part of OPI’s Fall 2016 DC collection, a total standout for me. A lot of the colors I chose for summer are from that collection.

I mixed in some pastel for those moments I wanted to feel extra summery. Essie Peach Side Babe has a sheer quality to it but satisfied my craving for “bright.” Same with Jin Soon Vogue Rose – which has a pinkier vibe when on the nails. That latter is something exclusive to this 125th Anniversary Vogue Birchbox collab (a majorly good box!)

THE GREENS

If you haven’t been putting olive green on your toes, you are missing out. I’ve always loved this color but had a mold complex in the context of my feet. It actually looks modern and pairs well with the cognac colored sandals I wear nonstop. LVX Argonne and OPI Suzi The First Lady of Nails are similar but distinct enough that I wanted to include both. Argonne has a creamier more sage hue while OPI is darker. The other green that I love is also from LVX Oasis. The color in the bottle is the color on nails – I really like that about LVX polishes. It’s a vivid hunter green. With other deeper greens I’ve tried in the past, they can almost look black or indistinguishable in indoor lighting.

THE NUDES

I purposefully went for nudes that weren’t the color of my skin. OPI Pale to the Chief is much lighter whereas OPI Inside the Isabelletway is a caramel color. Through nail wardrobe-ing, I’ve realized that Pale to the Chief is probably going to go to a new home. The color just doesn’t do anything for my skin – it draws attention to cuticle imperfections and washed me out. Big fan of Inside the Isabelletway, though. I wore that color a lot last fall and can see myself carrying it over this year, too. Last, and this is a major keeper, is OPI Barefoot in Barcelona. This color has been in the OPI range for a long time and I can totally see why – it’s a pinky nude that has a chameleon quality. It looks good with everything on everyone, I’m convinced.

Of all these shades, only one did not work. I feel pretty satisfied with that conclusion and am going to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure soon with these colors. Because I still don’t know where my nail tools are.

The Summer Eye Makeup I Can’t Stop Wearing

Last week was really comfortable outside so I decided to wear a little more makeup than I typically do to work. It didn’t take much more time to do but it was a noticeably different everyday look. I was getting ready, my makeup was done but I hadn’t done my hair and was still drinking coffee in my pajamas and my boyfriend made a point to call out that he liked what I did with my eyes. He’s not one to comment on my makeup typically so it was sweet that he noticed.

The look began with one of my staple summer beauty wardrobe eyeshadows, Armani Eye Tint in Nude Smoke. It’s the color of cappuccino and the perfect base layer that looks amazing on its own, too. I got this late last summer and knew I didn’t want it to go unused so that’s why I included it for summer. What I forgot to include was the other two Eye Tint colors I also had: a matte brown in the shade Leather Smoke and a shimmery white gold called Gold Ashes. I think I forgot how good these are together. It almost feels like I tore apart an eyeshadow family and they were always destined to reunite. Lesson learned. I also think I was missing a really deep shadow that I could easily use to contour my eyelid and layer along the lower lash line. These shadows are totally summerproof and wear like champs. Plus how fun is the sparkle in Gold Ashes? I love the depth it adds.

There’s been another slight evolution to my beauty wardrobe. Remember how I was trying to find a new mascara? I’ve been trying a few. One that is completely knocking my socks off is the Dior Pump’n’Volume. Why I decided to give it a shot, I’ll never really understand. I know there is a whole world of people that love Diorshow. It wins beauty award after beauty award, but it has never worked for me – smudge city immediately. I wrote off all of Dior mascaras as a result. But, somehow, I got it in my head that this one would be different after reading a few reviews and seeing Bella Hadid’s face plastered everywhere. Well done, Dior. You targeted me well on the internet with this one! But, guess what? It’s incredible and it doesn’t look like the aftermath of me watching too many of The Dodo videos on Facebook. It is different! At least for me. Mascara is so weirdly personal.

The idea with the pump is interesting but I dig it. You squeeze the tube a few times to soften the formula and load the brush – they recommend three squeezes for the most oomph – and then you squeeze the tube as you pull out the wand to remove off any excess. I use a few coats and couldn’t resist curling my lashes after it dried. I say do that with caution so you don’t clump and/or break any lashes off. I’m not worried with this formula – it’s soft and anyway, once you do it there’s no way to unsee that extra volume.