Summer beauty products for the most natural glow

A little beauty love letter to the few products that do the most, the ones that feel good, add a natural glow, and go on effortlessly, every single time.

SKIN CARE

When it comes to summer skincare, I’ve found that less truly is more and I like to stick to just three essentials. The first? Rhode Glazing Milk, a bottle I didn’t expect to love, if I’m totally honest. When it first launched, I was skeptical of the hype, but a few months later, I decided to give it a try. Luckily, I did. It’s now a comforting staple in my routine. It preps my skin for maximum hydration, layers like a dream under makeup, and when I follow it up with concealer and foundation, everything melts in and looks effortlessly natural.

I follow it with the Klairs rich soothing cream. It has the perfect in-between texture, not too dewy, not too matte, just skin that looks like… well, good skin. Over the years, I’ve tried many different creams that promised a lot and delivered little. But this one just works. And that’s rare in a skincare world filled with well execute marketing strategies and underwhelming products.

Lastly, there's the Caudalie sunscreen, which adds that final touch of glow. I stumbled upon it by chance in a pharmacy, and two years later, I’m still using it. It has a strong yet pleasant scent, something to keep in mind if you’re sensitive to fragrance. If that’s not your thing, Sun Matters is a great alternative. It has a serum-like texture that melts into the skin instantly, it’s like wearing nothing at all.

MAKE UP

I start my makeup routine by using concealer as my foundation. I love the creamy texture of Kiko’s concealer, and equally, Givenchy’s. Both do a great job at masking imperfections and evening out the skin tone. My go-to companion for concealer is the Hourglass concealer brush, it blends like a dream and makes everything look seamless. After applying concealer, I set it with the same brush using the Hourglass ambient lighting powder which…you guessed it… is super natural. I also love Huda Beauty’s powder, but it feels a bit heavy on the skin, so I usually save it for a night-out look!

Now, onto bronzer, this one goes to Makeup by Mario. The soft sculpt balm bronzer is a dream to use, especially for makeup beginners. It’s forgiving and allows room for mistakes, unlike powder bronzers which can turn patchy if applied wrong.

As for blush, Kiko impressed me again with their bronzer/blush hybrid, shade 03 gives that sun-kissed, “just got back from vacation” kind of look. I usually apply both products with the Haus Labs dual brush, which is a true multitasking gem. Honestly, you can do pretty much everything with this brush, and that’s exactly why I love it.

When it comes to eyes, after four trials, I finally found my treasure, the dream mascara. Zero fallout, beautifully curled lashes, and no irritation. It’s the Benefit mascara. I’ve tried Charlotte Tilbury, Essence, Yves Saint Laurent... alas, none of them stuck. I always ended up looking like a tortured Russian doll after a long night out.

Finally, for the lips, I’ve been loving the ultra-soft feel of the Essence lip oil in Cranberry. And on days when I’m going a bit fancier, I trace my lips with any pencil and layer the Rhode clear lip treatment on top.

And voila! There you have it, my best beauty companions for summer all condensed in this letter xx