For Glamour, by Petra Guglielmetti.
This summer, our beauty vibe is basically J.Crew model meets Brigitte Bardot: undone waves with subtle highlights, sun-kissed skin, and a flawless cat eye and red lip—even on the beach. Ha! Just kidding. As always, we daydreamed of such things in April only to realize that frizz + humidity + sunscreen is still a proven recipe for hot mess. And let’s be honest, when our calendar’s lit up with fun plans, the last thing we want to do is sit inside operating hot tools and applying makeup. So our new plan is to embrace a lazier approach ― and cheat our way to pretty using these no-stress summer beauty hacks.
1. Start the day with an all-in-one tinted moisturizer with broad-spectrum sunscreen, like Aveeno Positively Radiant CC Cream, a bargain one we love. Whatever version you choose (tinted SPF moisturizer, BB cream, CC cream), a good one will even out your skin tone quickly and lightly, replacing the need to layer on separate moisturizer, sunscreen, and foundation. Toss a sunscreen powder in your purse so you can reapply protection later in the day without losing your tint; focus on areas like your cheekbones, nose, upper lip, and hairline, which get the most direct exposure.
2. If you wear your hair wavy, swap the curling iron for some seriously-so-easy DIY salt spray. Or just buy some if you’re too lazy for that (Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray is a proven winner). The salt helps weigh frizz down while enhancing waves and giving you a sexy texture with way less work (just scrunch a little). If your hair’s really fine, try a little dry shampoo instead. Got curls? Here’s how to work your texture vs. fight it this season.
3. Keep your hands looking high-maintenance with almost no effort by nixing bright polish, which shows chips instantly, and neutrals that can yellow and peel in the sun. Instead, swipe on Dior Nail Glow, which is like clear nail polish only way better, in that it makes your nail bed slightly rosy and your tips slightly brighter.
4. At bedtime, apply foot cream with lactic acid and/or urea in it, like Clarisonic Pedi Buff. Sleep with socks on if not too torturous for you. In just a week or so, your feet will be noticeably smoother, and you won’t have to pumice nearly as much. You can do the same thing to smooth dry elbows and knees.
5. Try setting your hair after a shower. Let it air-dry about 75 percent, then twist it and pin into a bun, or several, depending on thickness. Wear it this way all day and/or sleep like this; when you unwind your hair, you’ll have smoothed-out curls. For a crimped texture, put your hair in two or three braids instead (depending on thickness again).
6. Fair-skinned and craving some color? Skip self-tanner if you don’t have the patience and try an easy, stay-put body bronzer like Benefit Hoola Zero Tanlines. For your face, add a couple of drops of a liquid bronzer to your moisturizer for subtle, natural sun-kissed color. If you DO want to go the semi-permanent route, save time while shopping while choosing from these eight self-tanners we guarantee will not turn you orange.
7. Upgrade your buns and ponytails by positioning them more deliberately, at the chicest and most face-flattering spot. Pretend you’re drawing a line tracing the angle of your cheekbone, and put your ponytail on that line (use a boar-bristle brush and a little styling balm to get the top smooth). It’ll enhance your bone structure and look more polished than a pony that’s just thrown in wherever.
8. Add glow with blush. A flush of coral on your cheeks lends any skin tone day-in-the-sun vibes takes just seconds to apply. Try Urban Decay Naked Flush palette, which also includes highlighter and bronzer for summer-friendly, lazy contouring, should the mood strike. Alternate strategy: Swipe on a pretty berry lipstick straight from the tube. Either makeup strategy will free up extra pool time, compared with doing dramatic eye makeup.
9. Ditch the bangs and definitely don’t cut new ones right before summer. The urge to change things up this season is real, but learning to style new bangs amidst summer humidity and atop a sticky forehead can be enough to drive a girl off the brink of sanity. Wait till fall! If you already have bangs, give yourself a break by twisting and pin them back on hot days. Looks cute, and no sweat.
10. Find a hat you love. You’ll spare yourself so much sun damage between now and September (any dermatologist will tell you that sunscreen alone is just not enough). But most important, a hat makes frizz a nonissue.
And on days when even under-eye concealer feels like an epic chore, remember: oversize sunglasses. (These other summer beauty hacks work too.)
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