Summer Beauty Discoveries

Ah, summer…the season when blowdrying your hair is about as pleasant as the ninth circle of hell, when fighting frizz becomes a full-time job, and when you really start to relate to Ronald McDonald because your pristine-for-five-minutes makeup is running down your face.  I love the warm weather as much as the next person, but sometimes a girl has to look for extra help when it is extra hot.  Here are a few products (some new, some new-to-me) that have helped me so far this season.

I loved Bumble & Bumble already, but when they came out with this “(h)air styler,” I looked into buying stock in the company.  Normally, air drying results in flyaways that go in every direction and an overall dried-out “meh” look.  However, with a bit of this balm worked into my tresses, I get a much less frizzy look, complete with subtle waves and nice moisturized bounciness.  Win!

I love me some big, matte lipstick, but summer seems like it should be a glossier time.  So how do you get the color to really pop and stick around?  Enter this Clinique lipcolor with primer.  It improves the texture of your lips with every application, and it stays put, even in the heat.  I got it in the Poppy color, and it is super fun for summer nights out.

Okay, this was a bit of a splurge purchase, but it is so hard to find skin products with serious SPF, so I had to give it a go.  I was not disappointed!  This BB brightens and evens tone, and it even comes with a highlighter in the cap for a bit of extra glow and glam.  The feel is lightweight, but it offers substantial coverage and protection.  Definitely worth the bucks.

Here’s the deal: I had been loyal to the stila smudge stick for years, and I had started to be bummed by its staying power (or lack thereof).  My sister told me to try this Smashbox kohl liner, so I gave it a shot.  I think I found my new favorite liner!  It is seriously pigmented and it really lasts, and it comes in a pretty neat self-sharpening case (full disclosure: I couldn’t figure it out at first).  The only downside is that it doesn’t come in as many colors as the smudge sticks.  Maybe soon?

Any other summer stunners you would recommend?