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Please tell me I am not the only one whose face {ok, entire body} is NOT a fan of 90% humidity for days on end?!? I get it, it’s the Midwest in the middle of Summer, but for the love! The heat is my favorite–give me 85* year-round and I’d be thrilled–however, the humidity is a total buzzkill. The damp, basically sauna-feeling air makes my face greasy, my hair go flat in seconds, and my mood unusually cranky. While I have not found a great solution in the hair department to keep my curls lasting all day, I have discovered some must-have makeup products to keep your look bright & fresh regardless of what the thermostat says!

By NO means am I even remotely close to being an expert in the vast realm of all things makeup {I’ve honestly worn legit foundation 2x in my entire life}, I do know what works for me personally, so that has to count for something. Right?! 🙂 These 5 items are my personal ‘Summer Staples’ and take me from work to date night to weekend activities:

1) Laura Mercier ‘Radiance’ Primer – Never have I ever worn a Primer, until I got a sample of this and became addicted. It gives your face a soft glow and provides a smooth base for the tinted moisturizer. It seems to prevent my face from getting shiny by afternoon!

2) Laura Mercier’s Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer in Sand – I love how lightweight this is its subtle hint of color, plus it has SPF 20 in it. Doubling-up on sunscreen from my usual morning moisturizer  and this ‘foundation’ in the Summer is a must. 

3) NARS Multiple Stick in Orgasm – The name–YIKES–but this stick is FABULOUS. I use it as a cheek stain most of the time, but love how it looks on my brow bone and on my lips. The color is perfect for summer and gives a little bit of a glimmer to brighten up your face!

4) Urban Decay Perversion Mascara – Finding a mascara you love is not an easy task, so I always try samples for at least a week before purchasing a full-sized version. This particular mascara has great color, makes my lashes look super long, and isn’t sticky or clumpy. My favorite part has to be the lack of ‘bleeding’ in the corners of my eyes when it’s 100*! {when I need a more dramatic eye–which is rarely–I smudge a little of this eyeliner in the corners of each eye)

5) MAC Lipstick – The texture of this lipstick is phenomenal! My 3 go to colors are Half-and-Half (for work), Candy Yum-Yum (for weekend fun) and Plumful (for a bold statement). MAC lipsticks and lip glosses don’t require numerous re-applications and they don’t leave my lips insanely dry–winner in my book!

Three other ‘Summer Runners-up’ include Evian Mist (hello, hydration!) for a quick pick-me-up, Eye Makeup Remover to wipe away all leftover mascara/eyeliner, and Oil-Removing wipes because nobody wants a greasy face. Ever.