“No makeup” makeup menu

Summer is here (well.. almost) and in addition to swapping warm, long layers of clothing for lighter ones I’ll be doing the same with my makeup and go from using thicker and heavier products to light and barely-there looks, as the weather warms up.

One of the products that I’ve been using religiously for the last couple of weeks is also one that I can’t seem to stop talking about: Guerlain Meteorites Baby Glow foundation. There are so any things that I love about this gem; it’s very lightweight, has light coverage, it gives my skin a nice glow, contains SPF25 and makes my skin look flawless, but natural at the same time. Another favorite of mine is Lioele Triple The Solution BB Cream (you can find my review and before/after pictures right here). Unlike the Baby Glow, this BB cream can provide a full coverage. It has SPF30 and leaves my skin feeling incredibly smooth and once again, very natural. Last but not least I have Olay’s Tinted Moisturizer with Sunscreen. This one provides the least amount of coverage out of the three and I love to use it on a good skin day. If you’re lucky enough to have great skin, all you really need is SPF lotion, and a brightening/glow-boosting cream like MAC’s Strobe Cream.

For spot concealing and under eye coverage I like using Sonia Kashuk’s Hidden Agenda Concealing Palette since the concealers in this palette are very light and creamy. When it comes eyes, on my “no-makep” makeup days, I only use a light coat of mascara. “No-makeup” makeup means that I avoid anything that’s very volumizing or “heavy” and stick to products that create a very natural look. Maybelline’s Real Impact mascara by Great Lash is actually one of my least-favorite mascaras because I just don’t feel that it’s very effective (honestly, sometimes I feel like the brush picks up no product, AT ALL). However, this makes it a perfect mascara to use on those minimal makeup days, because it doesn’t clump or flake, doesn’t make my lashes look ridiculously long, but it does help to separate them nicely and darken them up just a little.

Pixi’s Eye Bright Liner is one of my favorite liners. it’s such a great multi-tasker; I use it on my water line, brow bone, in the inner corner of my eyes, or my cupid’s bow or all around my my lips to create an illusion of a bigger pout. Another great and very similar product is NYX’s Wonder Pencil (I use one in the shade “Light”, you can find me review right here).

When it comes to lips, I avoid using a lipstick and stick with a tinted balm or a creamy lipgloss in a natural shade. I find that even some nude lipsticks don’t usually look very natural (duh, they’re not meant to) and can be a bit drying. I love Vaseline’s Rosy Lips lip therapy balm because it’s very moisturizing and adds a very subtle hint of color, same goes for NYX’s Butter Gloss in Eclair and Maybelline’s Pink Bay Lips Balm (although this one is not as moisturizing and can look a bit too pink, so I always apply it on my finger first and then dab it on onto my lips).

Lastly I like to use a little blush to bring some color to my face, but similarly to mascara, I keep things to a minimum. I usually reach for a cream blush, rather than a powder one. Lately I’ve been using Maybelline’s Dream Bouncy Blush in Fresh Pink- it’s very soft, a bit sheer and very natural looking.

What are your “no makeup” favorites?