The Must-Haves in My Summer Makeup Bag.

I love keeping a minimal beauty routine in the summer, especially since I'm usually slicked in sweat and carting a toddler around from pool to picnic to park. Most week days I don't wear makeup, but if I'm going somewhere or have a meeting, I will take a few extra minutes to pull myself together. Today I'm sharing a few of the supplies in my makeup bag that I love and use all the time on those makeup days, especially in these summer months.

Skin:
Concealer
Hello, I'm a mom, and I am chronically under slept. I am actually trying to do a better job with my sleep schedule, but I still have those dark undereye circles that just won't quit. I love the Bare Minerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener in the shade Luminous 2. It takes away those eye bags and dark circles with a sweep of the wand. Literal magic.

Powder
To save time, (and also because I like to minimize the amount of face makeup I wear in the summer) and I just use this Bare Minerals Tinted Mineral Veil over my concealer.

Bronzer + Blush
Bronzer can be really intimidating (always so orange, ah!), but I like to use Bare Minerals Warmth to add a little cheekbone definition and color. I almost use this as a contour, just focusing in a diagonal from my ear to my lips. Sometimes, if I want to add some pink to the apples of my cheeks, I'll brush on a tiny bit of Bare Minerals READY Blush in the color The Aphrodisiac.

Eyes:
Brows
I have dark brows, but they tend to be a bit patchy. I have started using Maybelline Brow Drama Palette in Deep Brown and I love the effect. You first apply a dark wax to define, then fill in the gaps with a powder. It's perfect for anyone wanting to define their brows but not actually needing to pencil them in.

Mascara
I have been using Clinique High Impact Mascara in the color Black for 10+ years. I have tried other mascaras but I always come back, because this mascara is the bomb. It lengthens and thickens without making my lashes clumpy. A tried-and-true winner in my book.

Shadow
I don't routinely wear eye shadow in the summer, because I like my skin to breathe as much as possible. But if I'm going on a date and want to amp things up a bit, I've been reaching for this Bare Minerals Shadow in the shade Queen Tiffany because it strikes the right balance of sophisticated and youthful without getting too vampy. P.S. - I apply it with this contour shadow brush. P.P.S. - I am wearing this shade here, so you can get a feel for what it looks like. I think it works well on my olive skin tone.

Lips:
Lip Liner
I have been getting into lip liner lately, because I like defining my lips and then filling them in with the color, treating it almost like a stain. It stays put longer than a gloss and it just makes me feel put together, especially because I usually have pool hair and I'm wearing gym shorts. Lip liner somehow makes me feel like a lady in those moments. I have been wearing this Sonia Kashuk Lip Definer in Nude, and I just ordered a few more shades/brands from Sephora and I'm excited to try some with a bit more color :)

Balm
I am a big fan of the Eos Lip Balms (you can usually get a big pack of them at Costco, score!), and I especially love the passionfruit and summerfruit flavors.

And there you have it! All the tricks in my summertime makeup bag. I tend to wear more makeup in the fall and winter months, because I like to play with colors and, honestly, my skin usually needs a little oomph once I lose that sun-kissed glow. But I especially love how minimal my summertime makeup + beauty routine is, because that leaves more time for fun at the pool!

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For those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, I'd love to hear from you about this kind of content. I've started to incorporate more fashion & beauty posts, and I would love to get some feedback about what you like to read and would like to see more of here in this space! Leave a comment below and tell me what you think! Thanks friends!
 

My Favorite Lip Picks.

Lip Service. At Your Service.

I have had so much fun incorporating a bit more color into my makeup bag over the past year. Since having a baby, I feel like I look tired all the time (probably because I am tired all the time...) so I've started adding a punch of color to the lips. I think it really helps lift the face a bit. And ladies, we will take all the help we can get right?

I thought I would share a few of my rotating favorites. I am not really a serial product tester, so when I say that I use these... I mean that I actually use them! Not just once or twice. Also, these are probably best on olive skin-tone - all you peaches and cream gals, you are so lucky. You can actually wear true reds and pinks and look like movie stars. All of us with yellow faces... we have to get a bit more creative. With orange tinted everything.

EOS Organic Lip Balm in Pomegranate Raspberry

This is my everyday go-to. It's completely clear and natural-looking. I can kiss all over my baby while wearing this balm, and nothing smears or rubs off. Plus, it just does a fantastic job moisturizing. My other favorite flavors are honeydew and passion fruit.

Korres Lip Butter in Quince

I love love love this color. It goes on like a balm but packs a joyful fruity punch of color. I only wish this consistency came in a wand/stick situation. I don't love dipping my finger in the little pot. Just a germophobe pet peeve.

Covergirl Natureluxe Gloss Balm in Coral

I'll go ahead and admit that I bought this one a few years ago, only because Taylor Swift was the cover girl for this line. But it turns out that this color quickly became my favorite! It's carefree and sheer and summery. Just like Taylor in 2012.

Royal Apothic Lip Tintie in Coral

Another coral, another wonderful one. This was a gift from my gal pal Natalie, and it is like a treasure! It comes all wrapped up so cutesy and the color is another coral, but a bit softer and pinkier. It's just lovely. Anthropologie strikes again.

100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze in Vixen

This is my newest favorite shade. Not only is the color a little outside my comfort zone (baby pink!) but it is surprisingly fun and makes me feel like one of the Pink Ladies from Grease. Annndddd this product is literally pure - there are no garbage chemicals in the ingredients. LOVE.

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

Man, I tried this one for the first time in middle school and I thought it was THEEE coolest color. Ever. I tend to rub this one on when Starbucks rolls out it's Pumpkin Spice Latte in late August. It's just a color that screams for autumn and pumpkins and knitted sweaters and colorful hardwood trees. Yum. Now I want a Starbucks.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Strawberry Kisses

This is my go-to date night lip color. It's a stain, so it stays put, and the color is like WOW. It makes me feel modern and ladylike all at once.

An instagram of me in this color.

So there you have it! A peek into my medicine cabinet of lip paraphernalia. Groovy stuff, huh? These just make me happy and remind me of why it's so much fun being a girl. SO MUCH BETTER THAN BEING A BOY.

October Delights List

October List by knhale // 1. Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good Cookbook // 2. Trader Joes Autumn Mums // 3. Urban Outfitters Staring at the Stars Cardigan // 4. Capri Blue Mercury Glass Candle // 5. Urban Outfitters Midi Chain Ring // 6. Kate Spade New York Cedar Street Maise Handbag // 7. Origins Plantscription Serum // 8. Anthropologie Petite silk pants // 9. Paper-Source Gold Confetti Thank You Notes // 10. Christian Dior Miss Dior Fragrance // 11. Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick //

Oh October. 

I really love this month because Autumn begins to set in and I get to celebrate the birth of some of my absolutely favorite people. First my mother in law (she's pure joy, people, seriously) and then both of my gorgeous, talented sisters. It's an absolute thrill gift-shopping for all of them, because it's so much fun to shower the ones you love with treasured surprises. And when you're doing it on a budget, you have to be selective and really think about what they want... which leads to discovering things you kinda want, too. This list is a compilation of a few things I've pick up here here and there and a few things I'm dreaming about. 

With all the wonders of fall comes one not-so-wonderous occurrence: dry skin. I've been using (7) Origins Plantscription Serum and it's really doing the trick. I am no stranger to Origins products, but this one is an especially magical elixir. In excitement for fall, I decorated my outdoor space with a bevy of these (2) fun fall mums in several colors and I ordered a sample of this (10) Christian Dior Miss Dior Fragrance from Sephora (we shall see how it goes, I'm pretty selective about my perfume choices.) I'm getting motivated to start cooking healthy again, so this (1) Gwyneth Paltrow's It's All Good Cookbook is on my list to buy. My adorable god-daughter got me my first Kate Spade bag for my birthday (does that little gal have excellent taste or WHAT?) so it's caused me to stumble over to their site and start drooling over maaaaaany of their gorgeous creations for fall, like (6) Kate Spade New York Cedar Street Maise Handbag. My sweetheart-of-a-sister-in-law got me this truly deliciously-scented (4) Capri Blue Mercury Glass Candle for my birthday, and it's been making my house smell like a masterpiece. Well, actually, it smells like Anthropologie, and that's pretty much my idea of what Heaven smells like. Score. And I might have treated myself to a few little things, like these (5) Urban Outfitters Midi Chain Ring and an old favorite, (11) Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick, but those were just for funsies. And since I've been writing a fair share of thank-you notes this week, these (9) Paper-Source Gold Confetti Thank You Notes have definitely gotten the best of me. They're so delicately pretty it's dangerous. The rest are dream items. Although I'm not totally sure how well I could rock those slouchy silk (8) Anthropologie Petite silk pants (but they are just so darn cute.)

Keep dreaming of lovely Autumn things, dear Oy-sters. The weather is just right for dreaming.