Creature of Habit: Everyday Summer Routine ♡

Hello cuties! It has been far too long. Forgive me, I implore you. It's summer now and thus begins a period of extreme boredom and binge drinking coffee beverages and of course I am now feeling so alive and ready to make blog posts again! After I sold my soul to university I was free to explore my makeup collection that I left back home, and I have been having a ball trying things out. As is my custom, though, I've fallen into a routine and I'm here to share it with you.
Here are some vitals about where I live in the summertime:

• It is hotter than hell.
• Seriously hot.
• Like, Satan's ass-crack hot.
• It is dry, thus, my skin is dry.

I've had to alter my usual routine to accommodate for that heat and dryness, and I'll explain that as we go along.

Base

   Since I routinely change colors in the summer time, using any foundation for longer than a week is highly improbable. Especially since coming back from Washington fish-belly pale, it's been a pain trying to mix and alter all my bases as I crisp up in the heat. My go-to "big kid playing dress-up" foundation these days has been Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NC 20. This foundation actually breaks me out to no end because my skin is so sensitive, so I can't wear it for long. I slap this on when I need to look absolutely 100% perfect. Most of the time, though I have trouble giving enough of a damn to wear it. This suits me in the summer because it manages to retain the demi-matte finish for as long as possible. It goes virtually nowhere as I begin to slowly melt and atomize, which I appreciate.

   When I give decidedly less of a damn, I will just hit it with some concealer and powder foundation. My dynamic duo is the Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Concealer in Fair/Light and Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation in Fair-Light Neutral (which is the most convoluted and ridiculous shade name I have ever read). The concealer has a shockingly nice natural finish and very good coverage of my acne and coinciding acne scars, and it covers dark circles under my eyes well enough for me. That Tarte foundation is an absolute delight and it doesn't break me out even a little. Not even one blocked pore from this little guy and I am ecstatic about it. However, it gets that very dewy finish within a couple hours, and I have to blot it every now and again.

Blush and Contour

   I normally reserve a contour for the winter months, because I end up ~bronzed~ enough by the bitter, unrelenting sun (I'm clearly not resenting this sunburn). When I do contour, however, I slap a little of the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny which is a two dollar miracle. I have yellow tones in my skin, so this clearly warm-toned bronzer doesn't look as shockingly orange on me as it can on someone with cooler tones. I dig it, dudes. I dig it.

   Blush is my greatest hassle because I am constantly forgetting about it. If I'm wearing a bright lip of any kind, I forsake blush completely. If I'm doing something more neutral in the mouth zone (for the love of god nobody quote me on that), I will wear Sephora Collection Colorful Blush in No. 12 Raspberry Sheen. The website describes this color as something along the lines of ~rosy brown with silver shimmer~ and I don't know about it being brown, because it presents on my skin as more of a peach color. But whatever, I'm into it.

Eyes and Brows

   In the summer time, I let my eyebrows go feral and untouched. Partly to indulge some sort of bastardized "natural look", partly because everything I put in my eyebrows dribbles right down my face by the end of the day anyway. So eyebrows are natural and virginal and blonde. Hooray!

   It'll be easiest to demonstrate the eye look as it progresses picture by picture, so that's what I'm going to do for you down below, but if you would rather just read it, the photos will be captioned for your literary pleasure. 

Bare-eyed and bare-browed.

Sometimes I will prime, but mostly it's too much of a pain in my ass. As you can see my eyelashes and eyebrows are very fair. This will be relevant later, probably.

 Step One:
I applied a light brown eyeshadow with gold shimmer all over the lid and blended like my life depended on it.
I did not extend into the crease, but brought a small amount onto the first quarter of my lower lash line.
Product Used: Laura Geller Sugar Baked Eyeshadow in Praline

Step Two:
The picture didn't render, which is pretty crappy, but I blended the two darker shades from the trio linked below into the crease, and brought the medium brown all the way to the tear duct on the lower lash line.
Product Used: Laura Geller Baked ImPRESSions Matte Eye Palette in Espresso Yourself.

This provides a better visual of the crease contour.

Step Three:

I applied an inner corner highlight that is a pink/gold duo-chrome. This adds a delicious burnished gold light exactly where I look the most deprived of sleep.

Product Used: bareMinerals eyeshadow in Antique Pearl

Step Four:

Eyeliner time! Yes, I see that gap. Yes, I fixed it. Don't worry. This wing is teeny tiny, and basically just serves like a push-up bra for my eyelashes.

Product Used: Maybelline Line Stiletto in Black

Step Five:

Finishing touches are always mascara-oriented. This is two coats of my current favorite, Covergirl Clump Crusher.

Not too shabby for my first walkthrough, right?

Your hair looks good today, cutie. Stay hydrated little beans.

love, lex