Five-Five-One

SUMMER!

This word bombards most of us with a whirlwind of emotions and activities. From extravagant pool parties and beautiful beach vacations to spontaneous outdoor excursions with the kids (or dog, in my case) and sunny days out on the lake, we all have our own busy summertime agendas that leave very little or no time to waste stuck indoors caking our faces with all kinds of makeup.....and who wants to do that anyways when there's a suntan to be gotten?!

While visiting San Diego this past week, my friends and I had so many adventures planned. While we definitely didn't want to spend every bit of our limited time getting ready, we also wanted to wear a bit of makeup. Naturally, this inspired the look I am presenting through this blog today, and I am 100% confident that there is not a single woman that this "look" wouldn't radiate on.

FIVE MINUTES - I literally set my iPhone timer to five minutes, guys....literally.
FIVE PRODUCTS - I only used five makeup products....I promise.
ONE TOOL - I needed one tool to make my face glow like the summer sun....and it wasn't even a brush.

Your tool - the one and only Beauty Blender (I use a dupe from Walgreens - $7)

Step 1: Apply a tinted BB Cream to your entire face, including your lips. This is also your SPF for the day (everyone loves multitasking!).....

I used Benefit's Bigger Than BB "Big Easy" BB Cream: Liquid to Powder with SPF 35. Not only did this product have about a medium coverage, which is perfect for this look, it did not leave my face oily and sweaty, which we all know feels disgusting and doesn't look too enticing, either....

I highly recommend this product, but TONS of cheaper alternatives can be found at a drugstore or Target - Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream, Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream, Rimmel London Tinted BB Cream Beauty Balm, etc. The list really never ends, but remember, you get what you pay for with makeup products.

Go grab a few little samples from Sephora before you spend your entire paycheck on a product - that's what I did here!
Benefit "Big Easy" tinted BB Cream - $38

More BB Cream Options

Step 2: Apply a shimmery (NOT glittery!) skin finish powder to places that you would normally contour and apply blush (just underneath your hairline/top of forehead, around your jawline/chin, down the sides of your nose, underneath and on top of your cheekbones - it needs to be pretty heavy in these two spots as you will see in the pictures - so don't be afraid to load up your blender and press hard multiple times; this is what will create the contoured look to your cheeks). I also dabbed a bit of the shimmery powder to the inside corners of my eye and smeared a tad underneath my brows onto my brow bones - when you use a smaller amount and press softly, this powder serves as a highlight.

I used Mac's Extra Dimension SkinFinish powder in "Superb". I have found this product so incredibly worth what I paid for it, but of course, there are alternatives. Physician's Formula has a pressed powder palette called "Mineral Glow Pearls" in Light Bronze that would also do the trick.

MAC Extra Dimension SkinFinish powder in "Superb" - $30

Steps 3 and 4: 

Apply a liquid liner to your top lid and a bit to your waterline (inside the bottom lid - the "wet" part). If you don't prefer a liquid liner, just use whatever liner you feel most comfortable with. A thin or medium-thickness line looks good with this look since it's overall pretty natural looking. A winged liner technique would also look fabulous (I love a good winged eye, especially when there's no eye shadow involved). Don't put any liner on the bottom lash line, no matter how tempted you are! Finish your eyes off with a black mascara - no falsies needed, girls.

Lorac Multiplex 3D Lashes AKA the only mascara I use - $22

NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker in "Carbon Black" - $9, Target or Walgreens

Step 5: Of course, my personal favorite part every single time, the lip. You have already applied the BB Cream to your lip in step 1 to protect it from the summer sun, so now all that's left is to slap on some color. I considered doing a bold orange lip with this, since an orange lip is a major trend this summer, but I opted out and don't feel bad about it. I ended up going with a nude/neutral color and it looked absolutely gorgeous.

I used the NARS Satin Lip Pencil in "Biscayne Park" and oh....my.....goodness, go spend $25 on one of these bad boys immediately! It's beautiful, feels amazing, and doesn't crack or peel with time. It's totally worth sacrificing two or three lunch/dinner outings or a couple bottles of wine for if you're on a budget (trust me, please!). Not only is this color perfect for this look, but it is perfect for almost any outing you could imagine - first date, wedding, day at work, night out with friends, etc. 

NYX Cosmetics and Elf Cosmetics (both found at Target) have nice alternatives to this pretty nude color if you're not willing to sacrifice your wine for the NARS pencil :)

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in "Biscayne Park" - $25

Final Look in natural sunlight with no added filters!

FIVE-FIVE-ONE and DONE!

-Inspire the Brush MUA