My name is LCF and I am addicted to Bronzer. Or why lips must breathe.
Darlings,
Do you know why am so happy?
It's the FIRST WEEK OF SUMMER.
And all I can say is Thank Goodness. Thank Goodness. Thank Goodness.
You know how I feel about all other seasons - they are just gateway drugs to winter, so I have no time for them.
Part of the reason that I love summer is because it has always been a really special time for me. It's the season I met most of my best friends, began to cultivate my best self and met and married my husband. It is also the season that screams LIFE.
Leave work at 3, go to the beach.
Get a little sunburnt. Take a walk. In flip flops.
Have an ice cream cone...2 days in a row.
Darlings, you get the point.
I also love summer because although I adore makeup and clothing and skin products and shoes, my little secret is that there is honestly nothing that I love more than the feeling of going out to dinner after being at the beach all day with salt and sun styling my hair and the scent of Coppertone on my shoulders. Could it be that I love it even more than a fresh blowout and a cloud of Chanel No. 5? Darlings, I can't answer that. Basically I love summer because I love sun and I also love having an excuse to not wear a face full of makeup and grownup clothes every day. But I also love some of the fun products that I think are made just for summer!
SUMMER SKIN First and foremost.Water Babies.
Question: Does anything smell like summer more than waterbabies? Answer: No.
Question: Does anything elicit a more visceral reaction of being a child than waterbabies? Answer: No way.
Waterbabies comes in many shapes and sizes and SPFs, but my personal favorite is the facestick. As a part of my ongoing attempt to be a better grownup, I've added this SPF 55 facestick into my summer day routine. It smells like summer and it's not greasy, which is unusual and amazing. And it kind of makes you feel like you are in Baywatch, although it doesn't leave a zinc oxide mark, which is unfortunate. It's a nostalgic sensation. To me there is no way to wear it without being back at the Jersey Shore, eating clams and putting on hermit crab weddings (see darlings, I've always loved to plan an event)
SUMMER HAIR
Darlings, you know, my mane is kind of my thing. And it kind of thrives in the summer. But if I were to leave it to it's own devices, it might take over the world. So if you, darlings, were blessed/cursed with hair that kind of goes CUHRAZY in the humidity, I have some great new products for you to try this summer.Obviously I've sung the praises of Bumble and Bumble surf spray in the past - just like everyone else. It's a great product that gets your hair to look as much like Gisele as it ever will without a set of pros surrounding you. The problem was that it was a bit drying and sometimes you could be a victim of that grotesque crunchy hair situation. No one has time for that. Well, the fancy people at B&B solved that with their new product - Surf Infusion. In addition to the wonders of sea water, oil gives the hair a sheen otherwise lost on most surf sprays. This is a great way to keep the mane wild, but pretty. Also, leave it to the king of beach blondes, Mr. John Frieda, to come up with the most fabulous lightweight detangling conditioner.
Smooth seas detangling conditioner. This is the best. Not only is it lightweight, yet nourishing, it smells amazing. Like a sparkling glass of minty bubbles. And it's mint green, which is the color of some of my favorite things like avocado mousse, pistachio macarons and mint chocolate chip ice cream. It also keeps waves in tact, which Sr. Frieda is a maestro at.
SUMMER MAKEUP
Darlings, I really hate wearing makeup in the summer. I feel like my skin is suffocating and I always feel like I look like a clown.
But I also hate being asked the following questions, which I am undoubtedly asked as a female professional without makeup - any time of the year:
"What's wrong?"
"Gosh, you look tired!"
"Are you a little burnt out?"
No, to all of the above. I am an almost 30 year old woman with a demanding job, a puppy who takes up the entirety of my side of the bed and a limited amount of funds to spend on facials and serums.
So in order to adhere to at least some of the societal norms forced upon me, I usually wear makeup to the office in the summer. But I am very particular about what that makeup is.First of all. No foundation. No concealer. Sorry, I'm not sorry. It's too damn hot.What do I wear? A lot of bronzer. So much so, that once someone introduced me to a candidate at the office by saying, "This is Lyndsey. She's very tan."I use two bronzers.MAC bronzer in refined golden and Benefit Hoola. Hoola helps me contour my face a little when I've been enjoying too many carbs. And while we aren't talking Kardashian level contouring (although there is a time and place for that!), this serves it's purpose. It has a nice matte finish that gives me a ruddy, of the Mediterranean feel, and creates cheekbones and slenderizes my nose.On the tip of my nose, my forehead and my cheeks, I use Refined Golden. It has enough of a sheen to balance out all of the bitchy things that come out of my mouth on a daily basis.Once the glow is in tact, I need to get some eye openers on.The fact is darling, most nights in the summer, I will have half a glass too many of Rose (is there such a thing?!) and have to really work to look even 70% the next day. Mascara always helps with that.I love In Extreme Dimension 3D for my top lashes and the Extended Play Gigablack for my lower lashes. Yes, I always use two mascaras. It is important to make a statement with a dramatic upper lash, but in the summer, it might be even more important to give them the whole Bardot on the beach treatment with the lower lashes.
Am I right about Brigitte? Yes, I am always right about Brigitte.
In addition to mascara, I love to smear a little eye paint on my lid. I use my finger and I make it messy (of course).
I prefer the MAC Prolongwear Paint Pot in Ruebenesque.
This is sexy, smudgy and serious. All at the same time. Darlings, It is always important to maintain mystery behind those fabulous shades of yours, am I right?
Which brings me to the arguably most important part of the summer face. The lips. And you know what I say about the lips?
Leave them alone.
Let the lips breathe.
Because darlings, in the summer, you never know when you are going to meet a messy piece of pie to devour...or, even better, a sexy stranger to kiss.
Until next time.
xoxo lcf