Lit From Within: The Summer Glow

As much focus as there is on makeup most of the fun and attention goes towards color. Its all about the precise shade of eyeshadow, the lipstick of the moment (Peter Som for Lancôme if you must know) anything bright and bold that catches our eyes and gets us excited. Color is king - cosmetics collections are called color stories for a reason. And the right shade of lipstick/eyeshadow or blush is the cosmetic equivalent to that scene in The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy's world goes from bleak beige to glittering technicolor.

But here's the kicker - color means nothing without skin. Your skin is the canvas on which you apply your color so if its not looking good all the trendy shades in the world will not look their best.

Now since its summer everyone on earth is going to tell you to worry about blotting and stopping shine but as appealing as that may seem there is nothing natural about a completely matte face in the middle of a heatwave. Being overly powdered is just as bad as looking greasy - the goal should be a healthy glow that appears to come from within. A since every good look requires a little bit of effort here are the tools you'll need to recreate the look yourselves - along with a few of our favorite products.

1. PRIMER | NARS PRIMER SPF 20

Primer is key it sets up your whole look and makes everything nice and smooth for when you apply your makeup. I find its far better to use a primer that keeps you matte and makes your makeup last than to worry about reapplying my powder throughout the day. Also remember to use an SPF to protect yourself - an SPF guide like the one at Banana Boat can be helpful in finding just how much coverage you need.


2. CONCEALER | DIOR SKINFLASH
   Personally I despise the feel of foundation on a warm day. Its just too much for me - as such I prefer to merely use a concealer to target specific problems. I like using a pen concealer like YSL Touche Eclat or Dior's Skinflash to cover up dark circles and any other little imperfections.
   


3. POWDER | SUE DEVITT C-WEED POWDER

Loose powder is great to just even out the skintone - even when its too hot for foundation and the whole nine yards you can dust on a bit of powder in the morning to look polished. Search for a powder with light reflecting particles that brighten your complexion.


4. LUMINIZER | MAC MINERALIZE SKINFINISHES

Shimmer is a tricky thing - there is a fine line between glowing and florescent and if you have oily or combination skin it can be hard to gage just what is right. The best trick I've learned for this is to use a very light hand and a good brush. Dust your luminizer wherever light hits naturally; the bridge of the nose, cheekbones, browbones and then set with a little spritz of H2O to keep things looking natural.

MAC's Skinfinishes are the best luminizers I've tried thus far - unfortunately they're limited edition (what is with MAC and limited editions) so snap them up quickly before they're gone again for another six months!


5. BLUSH | CARGO BLUSH

And now we reach the fun part - a good blush is your best friend. It will make you appear well rested and chipper on the most grim days. Nothing screams healthy more than that "I just pinched my cheeks" flush. The right shade of blush is usually the shade your cheeks take on when you actually blush. When buying look for shades with a good amount of pigment - they'll last longer and look better. I like Cargo's blushes and NARS' as well - they both have a wide array of shades suitable for all skin tones.

Which products do you use to make your skin glow? Again I'm quite partial to those Skinfinishes - Global Glow might just be my holy grail.