My Summer Makeup Routine (under 10 minutes!)

I’ve always been someone who likes to test and try lots of different makeup. I’m more committed to my skincare routine, but my makeup routine changes with the seasons.

Right now, I’m favoring natural, dewy makeup that still looks polished. In the warmer months, a matte finish or heavy eye makeup just looks unnatural — and let’s be honest, I’m just going to sweat it off anyway. Glowy foundation and concealer and cream products are more forgiving in the humid months and are super quick to apply.

My Summer Makeup Routine (under 10 minutes!)

1. SUNSCREEN

My current favorite sunscreens are Beautycounter Daily Sheer Defense SPF and Supergoop Glow Screen. Both are lightweight and don’t make my makeup feel greasy. I am favoring the Glow Screen right now since I love the dewy (but not greasy) finish it gives, with just a little bit of color.

But I use the Daily Sheer SPF on my arms and legs. Yes, it’s a face sunscreen, but it’s lightweight enough and doesn’t smell like sunscreen that it actually gets me to wear sunscreen daily and that’s the most important thing. (My blog post about the Beautycounter Daily Sheer Defense shows how it applies.)

2. CONCEALER

I just got the Tarte Radiant Shape Tape Concealer and absolutely love it. Tarte has lots of concealers, but for my dry, aging skin, the Radiant Finish has been a game changer. It brightens and conceals in one step. I wear shade 22N.

3. FOUNDATION

After concealer, I apply foundation. Below are the two I favor in the warmer months since they’re lightweight and very natural looking.

Tarte Maracuja Juicy Glow Tint – I love love love this foundation. It provides medium coverage and gives the most natural, radiant glow. It also lasts all day, which most dewy foundations don’t! I wear this the vast majority of days. I use this Tarte Blur Brush to blend it. I wear shade 24N.

Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint with SPF – This is like a tinted moisturizer, but I find it provides more slightly coverage than Beautycounter Dew Skin (which I used for years) and it’s MUCH more hydrating. (If you have oily skin, you’d likely prefer Dew Skin. But since I have dry skin, this is my pick. I wear shade STA OR6.

It DOES have a weird smell though (almost like dog food), but it dissipates quickly. I use this when I want a very natural finish but still want to look polished. I tend to wear this when I’m golfing or hiking or just taking the day off work and hanging out with my son (which is most Fridays). I use my hands to blend the Ilia one.

4. EYESHADOW + LINER

In the warmer months, I want a very natural eyeshadow look. I like to have something on my eyes to brighten them and help cover veins and such, and I much prefer cream or cream-like formulas (vs. powder eyeshadow) in the summer.

Chantecaille Eyeshadow in Copper – This isn’t really a cream shadow, but I find it applies more like a cream than a powder. I use my finger to apply and blend just below my brow bone and it makes my green eyes pop.

Beautycounter Cream Eye Shadow – I love the shade Luster. It’s very sheer, but brightens eyes for a no-makeup look that makes me look just a little more alive.

Tarte Quick Stick Shadow and Liner – I have the shade Mauve Luster + Black. After I apply the Beautycounter cream eye shadow, I use the eye shadow end of this just to line my eyes, on the upper and lower lash line. It gives just a little more dimension without a hard finish. It’s not a true liner — it’s eyeshadow in pencil form — but I apply it like a liner.

5. EYELINER

Next, I do a true eyeliner. I tightline my upper lash line — never my lower waterline — since it looks more natural than lining above the lash line. (If you have no clue what I’m talking about, L’Oreal has an easy tightlining tutorial!)

I use the liner end of the Tarte Quick Stick (in mauve luster & black liner) to tightline my upper lash line (just the outer 1/2 to 3/4… not all the way across) to help open my eyes and make my lash line look thicker.

If I want a little more pop of color, I’ll use Chantecaille pencil liner instead of black; I have this in Amethyst. It pairs BEAUTIFULLY with the copper eye shadow.

6. EYELASH CURLER & PRIMER

I curl my lashes everyday and I’ve used this Shu Uemera eyelash curler for almost ten years. It never pinches and creates a long lasting curl.

Most days I wear just mascara, without a primer. If I do want a thicker lash that day for some reason, I love this Tarte Opening Act Lash Primer. I coat my lashes in primer and then add mascara about 1 minute later after the primer sets just a bit but doesn’t completely dry.

7. MASCARA

Most days I skip primer and use just this Tarte Tartelette Mascara only since it gives me long, thick lashes and is one step vs. two, and quick and easy is the name of the game in the warmer months! I have a full review of the Tarte Tartlette Mascara if you want to know why it’s my favorite (and I am a very big mascara snob). But, the bottom line is that it never smudges. Ever.

8. BROW GEL AND PENCIL

I fill my brows in no matter what, even if I’m not doing a full face of makeup. And I even filled them in for the Boston Marathon! I have multiple brow products I like and rotate among them. If you were getting just one, I’d get either Tarte or Beautycounter one since they are the easiest to use.

Beautycounter Brilliant Brow Gel – If you’re new to filling in your brows, this is a great option since it’s the easiest formula to apply of all the ones I’ve used. Choose a shade the same color as or lighter than your haircolor and use a light touch. I use the shade Neutral Deep Brown.

Tarte Busy Gal BROWS Tinted Brow Gel – This is a little harder to use than the Beautycounter one since the formula is a little wetter, but you can be more precise with the tiny brush. I tend to grab this one since I like the precision but if I am in a hurry, I use the Beautycounter one. I use the shade Medium Cool Brown.

9. BRONZER

I’ve gotten on the bronzer train in recent years and always feel better when I use it, particularly around my hairline since I’ve had some hair loss since having my son.

ILIA NightLite Bronzer Powder – this is very matte and very pigmented and it’s easy to go overboard so tread lightly! But once I learned that, I fell in love with it. I use the shade Drawn In.

I also really like the bronzer I have in a Tarte Trio Palette (with bronzer, blush and highlighter) but they don’t have my exact shades right now. The ILIA one seems to be identical though.

10. BLUSH

Depending on my mood, I’ll either use the powder blush in the Tarte Trio Palette (currently unavailable in the shades I like) or a cream blush.

Beautycounter Cheeky Cream Blush – They have lots of shades, but like rosebud, paloma and chai the best, and I rotate among depending on my outfit. If you’re nervous about cream blushes, this is a great option to start with since it’s sheer and buildable and very natural looking.

ILIA Multi Stick – I also like Ilia’s Cream blush but they are slightly drier than Beautycounter’s so just a little harder to blend. But, if you don’t want to use your fingers to blend, this is a good option. This one also has more pigment than most of Beautycounter’s shades. I like shade Tenderly best.

11. HIGHLIGHTER

I do just a tiny bit of highlighter – on my outer cheek bones and my brow bone. That’s it! I love the Beautycounter Highlighting Balm for my cheeks (it reminds me of the Westman Atelier Lit Up Glow Highlighter Stick). It’s so creamy and natural looking. I have shade Lunar.

I like something a little less creamy on my eyes since I don’t want my eye makeup to smudge so I go for the Tarte Maracuja Juicy Glow stick or the highlighter in my Tarte trio face palette.

12. PRESSED POWDER

Tarte Shape Tape™ Glow Powder – If I finish my makeup and I look just a litttttle too glowy, I use this. It still keeps my makeup looking natural and dewy but tones it down just a bit. It also helps set my makeup. I use the shade Starlit.

13. LIPS

I LOVE lipstick and lipgloss. I have tons of different colors and brands, but my current favorites are:

Tarte maracuja juicy lip products (yes all of the different varieties!) – If you prefer a traditional lipstick, you’ll love the Lipstick Creme. If you like gloss but don’t like the messiness of the gloss, you’ll love the plumping or the juicy lip!

Beautycounter Sheer Genius lipstick in Lily – this is the most forgiving color – I don’t even need a mirror to apply! It applies like a balm but looks like a lipstick and is very hydrating and it’s a very natural looking pink.

Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk – this is matte, but is very hydrating and the PERFECT nude color.

I also line my lips almost everyday, since I think it helps them look fuller (and we naturally lose lip definition and fullness as we age.) I like this Chantecaille lip liner in the shade Discreet.

This may seem like it takes forever, but it’s really only 5-10 minutes! This reel shows how I apply it all.

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