Beauty Products:
Maybelline’s Facestudio Master Contour Face Contouring Kit | MUA Pro Double Ended Contour & Highlight Brush | Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Oils | L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara |L’Oreal Colour Riche Monos Eye Shadow | EOS Hand Lotion
Every season I make a few tweaks to my beauty regime, with both skincare and makeup. With the heat and humidity, it only felt natural to hit the refresh button on my daily beauty products. This summer I’ve been focused on letting my skin breathe, and doing very minimal makeup. I think that I can speak on behalf of a lot of women when I say that most of us are striving for that barely there, dewy glow and those no-makeup makeup looks. During the hot summer months, the last thing I wanted to do is put layers upon layers of liquids and powders on my skin, so it could just melt off once I hit outdoors. It is all about playing up your best features to make it look like you put a lot of effort into your look when really you only spent a good 5-10 minutes in front of the mirror. 
Testing out new products to achieve this fresh faced look can be fun, but challenging if you aren’t looking in the right places. As much as I love high-end makeup goodies, nothing beats a great deal and most of the products that I use to achieve my favorite fresh-faced look are from my go-to drugstore – CVS Pharmacy. That is why I am very excited to be partnering with CVS Pharmacy to share with you my fresh summer makeup with my favorite products and to talk about CVS Pharmacy’s ExtraCare Beauty Club Membership offerings. If you are a makeup lover who is obsessed with trying out amazing and affordable products, signing up for the CVS Pharmacy Beauty Club is a necessity. With a CVS Pharmacy Beauty Club membership, these makeup products and some of my tricks, you are bound to breeze through the rest of this season and into the fall in top form!
CVS Pharmacy has always been one of my favorite destinations for beauty essentials. They offer one of the best beauty shopping experiences that are not only convenient, because there are two CVS Pharmacy’s within a 3-mile radius of my home, but also affordable. If you could believe this, I actually bought my first item of makeup at CVS Pharmacy as a young teenager! Fast forward several years later and the beauty shopping experience at CVS Pharmacy has only gotten better (and more fun)! There are aisles and aisles filled with some of the most popular beauty brands in the industry, plus some CVS Pharmacy exclusives like Makeup Academy (MUA) and Beaty360. I highly recommend signing up for the ExtraCare Beauty Club if you are a makeup lover like me because from August 20th through the end of September CVS Pharmacy’s ExtraCare Beauty Club members can get $3 ExtraBucks® Rewards for every $30 cumulatively spent on qualifying beauty products. That is some major savings and you can sign up for the Beauty Club Membership here! I recently took a trip to CVS Pharmacy to stock up on my summer beauty essentials that help me to achieve this fresh faced summer glow! All of the products that I used to create my look for today’s post were all purchased at my local CVS Pharmacy!
Let’s start with one of my newest obsessions, Maybelline’s Facestudio Master Contour Face Contouring Kit. I’ve never been a huge fan of creating a very sharp contour and highlight. My mantra when it comes to makeup is keeping things as natural and as beautiful as possible. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use a contour palette like this to warm up your complexion and give that subtle summer glow. These three flattering powder products are blendable, buildable and add the perfect sun–kissed glow. Maybelline has labeled the products to help you create an easy 3 step look. I use the contour shade to warm up my skin in the hollows of my cheeks, around the hairline and a sweep across the bridge of the nose. I use the second shade, the blush shade, on the apples of my cheeks for a pop of pink. My grandma always says “blush is youth” and it is one of those beauty products that I can’t live without. It helps to brighten up the face and makes you look like you have a youthful glow from within. I apply the highlight shade on the high points of my face- top of the cheekbones and under the brows in a “C” formation, down the bridge of the nose, on the cupids bow and on the inner corners of my eyes. You want to apply a highlight on the high points of the face to accentuate those features and make them appear as if they are higher than the other features on the face. These three products glide on the skin and add just the right amount of color to the apples of my cheeks and a hint of illumination on my cheek bones.
This Maybelline product has a small brush included, which is great if you want more of a precise application. But, my favorite way to apply these products for a more natural look is with the MUA Pro Double Ended Contour & Highlight Brush. I use the angled brush head to apply the bronzer and blush shade. I then use the tapered brush to softly sweep the highlighter on the high points of my face. This fluffy brush helps blend an even amount of product throughout the face and the dual ends make it perfect for travel! Makeup Academy is an exclusive CVS Pharmacy brand that was developed by makeup professionals for beauty experts. MUA’s products are premium quality and they deliver amazing cosmetic and beauty accessories to makeup lovers everywhere. Such a staple brush and super affordable.
No shocker here that I have one of the Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Oils on my list. I have always been a fan of a glossy lip and during the summer there is nothing prettier than glowing skin and a juicy lip. I love the Burt’s Bees shade called ‘Showering Sunset’ because it gives your lips a natural kiss of color while hydrating and smoothing your lips. It is important to keep your lips moisturized during the warm summer season and this non-sticky formula nourishes your lips with a subtle glossy finish in a sheer pink blush shade. The click and twist pen and the soft brush applicator makes application easy, especially when you’re on the go!
I’ve come to the realization there’s one product that remains a staple in nearly every makeup lover’s routine: mascara. It can dramatically change the size of your eyes, bring out their natural contour, and frame your entire face. Now that’s some pretty powerful stuff. My favorite mascara recently has to be the L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara. This mascara delivers volume and length with maximum hold. My lashes are long, but they did not hold a curl very well – until they met this mascara. The soft wavy bristle brush holds the perfect amount of product to give your lashes a lift and the brush manages to coat each individual lash. The waterproof formula glides on effortlessly and lasts all day, which is perfect for those long days at the beach or by the pool. This product is definitely a must-try!
I like to add a subtle swipe of color to the eyelids, and one of my favorite products to do that is the L’Oreal Colour Riche Monos Eye Shadow in the shade ‘Sunset Seine’. This golden bronze shade, with gold flecks, helps to liven up the eyes and create a dreamy angelic look. I recommend applying this product with your ring finger, as it will help to warm up the product and get the most out of the pigment. When you apply this product it is very smooth and feels gel-like. But when it dries it turns into a powder and it leaves you with the most beautiful sparkle to the eyes. It’s not too much for a natural makeup look, trust me. It just brightens up the eyes with a complimentary bronzy tone. Try it, and I know you’ll love it!
I mentioned before how important it is to nourish your lips with moisturizing products during the summer months because the heat and humidity can dry out not only your lips but also your skin! During the summer your skin can get crazy dry, which is why it is important to apply a nourishing hand lotion! I like to use the EOS Hand Lotion in the scent ‘Berry Blossom’ because of the velvety soft formula and the refreshing light fragrance. This lotion is packed with nourishing shea butter, aloe, oats, and antioxidants to keep your hands beautiful and soft all day. I like to work a pea sized amount into the back of my hands and cuticles. This product absorbs pretty quickly into the skin and it doesn’t leave a greasy residue. The best part of this product is that is it only $2.49, which means that if you spend $30 on qualifying beauty products you can use your $3 ExtraBucks Reward points towards this product! Free beauty products? Sign me up!
I like to use EOS Hand Lotion to prep and soothe my skin/cuticles before an at–home manicure. I am the kind of person that likes to have painted nails 24/7 because I think having them painted is the most important part of your beauty routine. One of the questions that I constantly get asked on Instagram is what my go-to nail color is. Hands down, my ride or die nail color is ‘Ballet Slippers’ by Essie. This perfect pale pink color offers the right amount of coverage and compliments your summer glow. I just can’t live without it.
Often in the past, I would use too much makeup when trying to achieve that no-makeup makeup look. But really, the best way to achieve that barely there fresh face is to use just a few beauty essentials! It is all about getting the products right and CVS Pharmacy has everything you need and more to get that minimal look that is so highly coveted. The trick is to not cover everything! We’re not perfect and I am sure all of us have little imperfections in the skin that we chose to cover. Most of the time, nobody can see those imperfections that you may be insecure about. People focus on your eyes and a bright cheerful smile! My mother always told me that I look my best when I have an inner happiness that shows through. Once you get over trying to achieve a flawless complexion, you’ll start to notice how beautiful you are with what you naturally have!
Thank you to CVS Pharmacy for sponsoring this post. I encourage all of you to sign up for their ExtraCare Beauty Club Membership!
I hope you enjoyed this post!
Love,
Liv
