Streamlined Vacation Makeup

I've been getting more and more excited as the week goes on because I'm going on vacation with my family on Saturday! I've been thinking about what beauty products I'm going to pack all week, and I've decided I'm going to pack just a streamlined edit of makeup essentials. I've been wearing pretty much the same look every day for the past month, and it all fits in one Glossier pink pouch, so why mess with what's working? A lot of the products I'm going to mentioned are from Glossier because they really are the perfect, fuss-free products for every day, so if you're interested you can get 20% off your first Glossier purchase here.

In past years I've brought multiple foundations - a lighter tinted moisturizer or two, and then something with heavier coverage. Year after year I never once reach for the heavier base, so this year I'm only bringing the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint in Light. It doesn't cover up every little thing, but it just makes your skin look good. Plus since it's sheer coverage, the shade is more forgiving if I happen to get a little bit of a tan (haha yeah right). I've got a similar mindset with concealer - rather than bringing multiple products, I'm going for one that I can use everywhere. My go-to as of late has been the Milk Makeup Flex Concealer. It's lightweight and slightly dewy, and it has a good amount of coverage.

My brows will be taken care of by my usual combination of Glossier Boy Brow in Brown and the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe. I apply the Boy Brow first to get my brows looking nice and bushy, and then I use the pencil to fill in any gaps. In years past I've brought large eyeshadow palettes thinking I'll want to do a more put-together look, but this year I'm just bringing one cream eyeshadow that I can't stop using lately. I've sung the praises of the Giorgio Armani Eye Tints a lot, but I've gone back to them, specifically the shade Cold Copper (9). It's a perfect neutral/slightly cool bronze shade that looks dewy rather than shimmery. They also set and do not budge on my eyelids. For mascara I'll be taking my newly discovered favorite, the Givenchy Noir Couture 4-in-1 Mascara.* One coat gives a really natural, fanned-out effect, but adding more coats amps up the drama without being clumpy.

For cheeks I'll be bringing all Glossier products - I've recently found my favorite bronzer combo of the moment by mixing a bit of the Haloscope in Topaz with the Cloud Paint in Dusk. It makes the most beautiful glowy bronze shade that will make it look like I'm actually getting a tan despite camping out under an umbrella every day on the beach. Blush will be taken care of by my favorite Cloud Paint in Puff. It's the most flattering on my skintone and gives a very natural rosy flush to the cheeks. I haven't been able to stray from the Haloscope in Quartz as my everyday highlight for long since it launched, so it's only fitting that it's the only highlight I'm bringing. It's my favorite shade of the three and gives a beautifully dewy champagne glow to the face.

I'm hoping I'll be able to keep the lip picks to a minimum, because that's always where I go really overboard. As much as I'd like to wear a bold red lip paired with dewy skin and minimal makeup, it's just not practical for stuffing myself with lobster rolls and ice cream. Right now I'm telling myself I'm only packing a couple low-maintenance products - the Glossier Generation G in Like and the Nudestix Gel Color Lip + Cheek Balm in Pulse. That way I'll have a perfect "my lips but better" shade whether I want a matte lip or a shiny finish.

I'm really hoping I don't panic at the last minute and stuff in a bunch of products I don't need, because right now I'm really happy with this selection. Skincare is another story - the house we've rented for the weeks has the most beautiful marble bathrooms, so I want to take advantage and bring lots of products for prime Shelfie opportunities.

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MAC x Fleur, Samantha, & Alessandra | Review, Swatches, & Dupes

When I heard that MAC was doing a collection of lipsticks created by influencers around the world, I was all ears. And then I found out that each lipstick was only available in the influencer's home country, meaning the three I was most excited about, Fleur de Force, Samantha Ravndahl, and Alessandra Steinherr, were inaccessible to me. I ended up messaging a couple people and trading a few Glossier goodies with them to get my hands on all three. They're all lovely everyday shades, but I got to picking through my collection to see if I could find some similar shades to talk about, since these lipsticks are now gone for good.

Alessandra, Role Play, White Russian, Strip

MAC x Alessandra | MJ Role Play, Buxom White Russian, BareMinerals Strip | The Alessandra lipstick is my favorite of the three. It's a Lustre finish, which is my favorite by MAC, so it gives a more sheer wash of a rosy nude pink. It's incredibly flattering and just the kind of thing I love. I found a few similar shades (I swear they look more similar in person!) in the Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Gel Lipstick in Role Play, Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick in White Russian, and BareMinerals Gen Nude Radiant Lipstick in Strip. Role Play is a tiny bit darker and more pigmented, White Russian is slightly lighter but has the same rosy tone, and Strip is slightly warmer but has a similar formula.

Samantha, Patisserie, Dolce Vita, Nude Pop

MAC x Samantha Ravndahl | MAC Patisserie, NARS Dolce Vita, Clinique Nude Pop | I've been getting into paler nude lipsticks lately - I love the look when they're dabbed into the lips. The MAC x Sam Ravndahl lipstick is a beautiful nude pink in a Creamsheen formula - it goes with pretty much any look. It's fitting, because it's Sam's videos that got me into this kind of shade. Similar shades in my collection are the MAC Lipstick in Patisserie, NARS Lipstick in Dolce Vita, and Clinique Pop Lip Colour + Primer in Nude Pop. Patisserie is more rosy (I built up the swatch a little too much here) and is a Lustre formula, NARS Dolce Vita is pretty spot on in color but is more sheer in pigmentation, and Clinique Nude Pop is an almost perfect match in both color and formula.

Fleur, Adrienne, Sunday Vibe, Intriguing

MAC x Fleur de Force | Chanel Adrienne, Estee Edit Sunday Vibe, NARS Intriguing | Fleur de Force was one of the first beauty YouTubers I ever watched (which is what got me really into beauty), so hers was probably the lipstick I was most excited about in the collection. It's a really pretty pinky brown shade in a Creamsheen finish that's a bit warmer than what I usually go for. It's super lovely and warms up my complexion. I had a harder time finding close enough shades, but in the end I found that the Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in Adrienne, The Estee Edit Mattified Lipstick in Sunday Vibe, and NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Intriguing. Chanel Adrienne is almost the same shade and a similar formula but is a tad lighter, Estee Edit is a very close match but is ever-so-slightly more cool/gray-toned, and NARS Intriguing has the same depth and warmth, but is more rosy and more matte.

Did you get your hands on any of the lipsticks in this MAC collection?

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The Summer Skincare Edit

I wrote about my Summer Makeup Picks last week, so it was only fair that I started off this week with my top skincare picks. I narrowed this down a lot - I'm having a moment with my skincare collection lately and there were so many more products I wanted to mention. If it's not too redundant I think I'll pop up a couple other skincare posts that are more in-depth to give all the products I want to mention some love.

My number one must-have when summer rolls around is a gel moisturizer. My skin is still a little too dry to use one as my sole moisturizer, but they really soothe, plump, and prep my skin for another moisturizer. I use them more as serums. My favorite one is the Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel - it's the most hydrating one that I've tried, it's really lightweight, and it leaves my skin feeling incredibly smooth.

Speaking of smooth skin, I also love opting for a powder cleanser a few times a week in the summer. I just recently got the Origins Clear Improvement Exfoliating Cleansing Powder,* and it's been a godsend recently to help clear up my breakouts. Like the wildly popular Clear Improvement mask, the cleansing powder uses the power of activated charcoal to help clear out and clarify the skin. I found the mask a little too drying for my skin, but the cleansing powder is perfect. It leaves my skin feeling super clean and like my pores have been cleared out. It's great at the end of a hot summer day when my skin is feeling a little clogged up with melty makeup, and I like mixing it into my Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser.

I've been loving the Youth to the People Age Prevention Superfood Mask* a couple times per week to help keep my skin clear as well. It's a creamy mask and smells like fresh cut grass, and it doesn't dry down or crack on the skin. It leaves my skin super plump and glowing after I remove it, and it feels cleansing as well, though not like how traditional clay masks feel. You know how you get a clean but nourished feeling from a really good cleansing oil? This is what this mask feels like. It seems to be really helping my breakouts too.

To really hydrate my skin in the mornings, if I don't use a gel moisturizer I've been relying on a mist + serum + light moisturizer combination. My face mist of choice is the Saturday Skin Daily Dew Essence Mist. It feels like it really does something and refreshes and hydrates the skin. My new go-to serum, and a perfect one for summer, is the Dr Roebuck's Ultimate Hydrating Serum.* A hydrating serum is a must for me in the summer to provide some lightweight hydration - I rely on light layers to give me the same amount of moisture I get from a heavy cream in the winter. The Dr Roebuck's serum has a thick consistency out of the bottle, but it sinks in quickly and instantly plumps and hydrates. It's been my go-to in the mornings because it makes a perfect, smooth base for makeup. My favorite, holy grail moisturizer is still the Glossier Priming Moisturizer (20% off) (insert "it's been 84 years" gif here). I just love this stuff and have gone through countless bottles. It manages to feel super lightweight and yet keep my skin hydrated all day. It also gives my skin the best dewy glow out of any I've tried.

My last must-have for summer is a good everyday sunscreen. I've finally gotten into the habit of wearing sunscreen every day, and it's down to these two products. The Glossier Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen+ (review | 20% off) really changed the game for me - the clear watergel formula feels weightless and sinks into the skin right away. My issue with sunscreens was that they left my skin feeling clogged and greasy, but this just feels like another light hydrating product. I've already got two bottles on deck, because I really don't want to be without this. I've also really been loving the Farmacy Green Screen Daily Environmental Protector.* I use them interchangeably - the Farmacy is a light lotion texture that doesn't leave a white cast or feel thick despite being a physical sunscreen. It makes a nice base for makeup as well, although it does make my face a little matte. This will probably be the one I use as my base sunscreen when I'm at the beach next week (I top up with a higher SPF face mist every hour - don't worry!), just because it does have that slightly more matte finish on the skin. I'm working on a post talking about a few more of my favorite everyday sunscreens as well, because it's just so, so important that you use one every day.

What are your go-to summer skincare products? And would you still want to see a few more summer skincare posts? I'm thinking one focusing on more masks and one on sunscreens. Let me know!

*Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

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