Summer Beauty Favorites: Skincare, Makeup and Haircare

Summer is in full swing and I’m loving it! But as the mercury level rises, it seems our skin and hair have their own opinions about it; oily skin gets oilier, and dry skin gets patchy, don’t even get me started on hair! Confronted with a the few not-so-fun beauty issues, this beauty faves round-up I’m tackling summer skincare woes and bad hair days with beauty products, so you’ll be set to glow and look flawless all summer long.

Summer Skincare Favourites

The Better Skin Co. Epik C Vitamin C serum $31.50

Vitamin C is one of the products I find that make a huge different to my skin in terms of both tone and texture. Not only that, it acts an an antioxidant and limits the damage induced by UV light exposure. The Epik C Vitamin C serum from Better Skin Co. is a new favourite for me. It’s super lightweight which makes it perfect for summer, and moisturizing without feeling greasy. It leaves my skin feeling smoother, higher and looking more refined. I love the light fresh scent and I noticed my complexion looked glowly and fresh within about a week since I’ve started using it. It played well with my other moisturizers and sunscreens, and didn’t pill when layered with them. The Epic C vitamin C Serum is also paraben free, cruelty free, gluten free, and vegan, which makes it an all around wholesome product.

Omorovicza Acid Fix $150

Too much sun can leave your skin looking tired. But with Omorovicza’s Acid Fix, say bye-bye to that dull skin! It is multi-purpose treatment that exfoliates, peels and resurfaces.  This overnight treatment is designed to give your skin an instant boost by renewing the damaged layers of skin. With a double whammy of AHA and BHA acids, it helps to repair the effects of environmental aggressors such as sunlight and pollution, and any stress and lifestyle bashing. The combination of glycolic, salicylic and lactic acid gets to work immediately to gently scour away those dead and dulling skin cells, allowing for a much fresher and glowy complexion, while also helping with acne and breakouts. It is a potent product so you’ll feel a tingle when you apply it and I like to use it as a once a week treatment since my skin is on the sensitive side. It does carries a hefty price tag, so it’s definitely a splurge product, but definitely delivers in terms of results.

L’Occitane Aqua Réotier Ultra Thirst-Quenching Gel and Cream $34 each

The Réotier Collection is the newest addition to the L’Occitane skincare line. I’ve been using the whole line for the past month and loving it. These products are enriched with Réotier spring water from France which is incredibly rich in minerals. The high calcium content of the spring water helps to maintain the skin’s moisture barrier and when combined with hyaluronic acid it provides thirst quenching moisture that’s as weightless as air. I use the Ultra Thirst-Quenching Gel during the day, and Ultra Thirst-Quenching Cream at night and they are the perfect moisturizers for summer. They’re both oil-free and feel nearly weightless, yet are extremely hydrating, and leave my skin looking plump, full and healthy looking. It’s a bonus that they’re so reasonably priced as well.

Avène Refreshing Eye Contour Cream $24

Avène is a brand thats dedicated to sensitive skin, and this is particularly important to me because I’m extra sensitive to in the eye area. The Refreshing Eye Contour Cream is designed to fight skin fatigue around the eyes like puffiness, dark circles, dehydration lines. I find it very soothing for the eye area and love using the applicator tip to give myself a little eye massage when I apply it.

Elizabeth Grant Green Power C Multi Strength Photo Glow Treatment $30

I’m a huge fan of the Elizabeth Grant Torricelumn line, so it’s not surprise I love their Green Power C line as well. Inspired by superfoods, Elizabeth Grant has developed the Green Power C Multi Strength line as a way to incorporate nutrient-rich ingredients into your skincare regimen. Green Power C Multi Strength Photo Glow Treatment contains an intense complex of algae extract, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and peptides, that work together to diminish the look of dull skin clearing the way for a supple looking complexion to shine through. This potent cocktail helps firm skin, and reduce the look of lines, as well brighten the look of skin while peptides help skin look more supple, plump, and healthy. I love that it’s gentle enough to use daily and makes a great pair with the Elizabeth Grant Green Power Multi Strength Nutri Intense Oil (coming up next!).

Elizabeth Grant Green Power Multi Strength Nutri Intense Oil $60

The Green Power C Multi Strength Solution Nutri Intense Oil infuses the skin with vitamins, fatty acids, and antioxidants that help make the skin look healthy, luminous, smooth, and plump. It’s a light hydrating dry oil that defends the skin against visible signs of premature aging, improving its overall appearance. I found that it absorbs quickly into the skin and didn’t clog my pores or make me break out, which I also worry about when I try skin oils. It leaves my skin with a soft glow which is a look I love.

No. 7 Early Defence Glow Activating Serum $24

There are a ton of skincare lines that are dedicated to anti-aging, but what I love about the No. 7 Early Defence Line is that it targets 25-35 year olds. The line aims to protect and maintain skin, as well as prevent signs of aging. The Early Defence Glow Activating Serum contains ginseng and vitamin C (a fave ingredient for me) that boosts skin’s natural renewal process to clear and refine pores for a glowing complexion. This serum also supports your skin’s natural defenses, calming skin’s reactivity to stress and protecting by neutralizing damaging free radicals caused by the sun & pollution. It’s a nice light serum and applies smoothly and is absorbed quickly so you can layer a moisturizer on almost immediately.

Rodial Dragon’s Blood Lip Masks $45

I find that lips are often ignored when it comes to skincare, and they shouldn’t be. After all we have serums, creams, and masks for almost every other part of the face. We seem to only worry about our lips after we notice they’re dry or chapping. Rodial Dragon’s Blood Lip Masks offer a some TLC for your lips, with restorative and protective dragon’s blood extract and hyaluronic acid to plump lip volume through hydration. It’s the perfect treatment for lips to boost moisture and soothe the delicate area for smoother, younger looking lips. The innovative mask moulds to lips’ natural contour, ensuring that every inch is treated to its smoothing formula taking your lip game to a whole new level.

And since this is a summer beauty post, I can’t go without saying anything about sunscreens… But sunscreens are a whole topic on their own, I’ve actually put together a dedicated post to sunscreens you’ll actually want to wear.

Sumer Makeup and Body Care Favourites

Caryl Baker Visage Colour Free Spirit Palette $65

The Caryl Baker Colour Free Spirit Palette comes in sleek, reusable magnetic mirrored case and contains 8 complementary blushes, eyeshadows and highlighters that are the perfect combination to create natural, glowy summery look.  This is the first time I’ve tried Caryl Baker Visage makeup and was very impressed with the how soft and blendable all the blushes and eye shadows were. They applied well and felt almost creamy when blended into my skin. All the shades in this palette are very wearable with a variety of matte and luminous shades to creating a variety of looks. These shades are perfect for summer with their lightweight texture has made this my go to palette for the season.

Stila Heaven’s Hue Highlighter $42

This Heaven’s Hue Highlighter by Stila has become one a cult favorite for a reason. With a soft touch cream feel that’s buttery smooth, this unique radiance enhancing highlighter melts into skin for a weightless feel.  It has ultrafine, light-diffusing particles that help skin look lit from within resulting in a soft, luminous, natural-looking summer glow. It’s so easy to apply too, just a quick swipe with my fingers and a pat on my cheeks, nose, and cupid bow and I’m ready to go. I also love that it’s not a powder, I’ve had so many bad experiences with highlighters breaking in my bag making such a mess.

Lise Watier Urban Velocity Trio Baked Eyeshadow Palette $44

I generally stick to nudes when it comes to eyeshadows (I still have old pictures with colorful eyeshadows that scar me to this day), but I found this Lise Watier Urban Velocity Trio Baked Eyeshadow  with pink/burgundy tones very wearable while adding a touch of color to my eyes.  The shadows have an ultra-soft creamy-to-powder texture that blends easily and have a soft satin finish to enhance luminosity. I found that the eyeshadows wore well throughout the day and were long lasting without creasing as well.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick $29

I’ve been so into traditional lipsticks the last little while, but this liquid lip broke my streak. The Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick is a creamy-matte, full-coverage lip color that lasts all day long. I love how even the color goes on, and I found Sheer Patina was the perfect lip color that had a slight pink tint, but still very much a neutral for my skin tone. It has a super velvety and gives you some time to get it all in the right place before setting. Plus I found it didn’t dry out my lips like many matte liquids do and stayed comfortable all day long.

Pixi Eye Bright Liner $14 and Eye Define Waterline $14

I love a good eye pencil, but the constant sharpening is a pain. Which is why I love the Pixi Eye Bright and Eye Define Waterline Liners so much. The retractable slim liner goes on creamy and defined and the  waterproof formula stays put all day long. I use the Eye Define Waterline to help emphasize and define my eyes and the Eye Bright Liner to open up and brighten them. They both last all day long and stay put without smudging or fading.

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray $34

So this isn’t quite makeup, but you can’t deny the effect of a good nights sleep on your face, after all they call it beauty sleep for a reason. The Deep Sleep Pilliow Spray has a better effect than makeup, and just few spritz of it on your pillow before bed time that will help you fall asleep faster and sleep better through the night. I was a little skeptical myself, but like its name, this works! It contains a super blend of lavender, vetivert and camomile that calm both mind and body to soothing you to sleep.

Vita Liberata Invisi Foaming Tan Water $41

By now, we are all very aware of how harmful the sun’s rays are and that tanned skin really means damaged skin, but we still love the look of being tanned right?  Well Invisi Foaming Tan Water from Vita Liberata is my new favorite solution. It’s a unique crystal clear foaming self-tanner gives your the perfect skin kissed look with zero risk of transfer thanks to its clear solution. I was worried that it would be hard to get even without a tint to see, but I found that the formula allowed it to spread easily and evenly. Make sure you use the mit that comes with it when you apply! This will help you get an even application. Best of all, I found it had a very minimal self-tanner smell to it.

Summer Haircare Favourites

Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Shampoo and Condition $34 each

I’m pretty mean to my hair, I wash it nearly daily, blow dry it always, and heat style it from curls and back to straight sometimes in the same day, and I don’t even want to mention the amount of product I put in it. I was so amazed how soft the Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Shampoo and Condition left my hair after just one wash and the quality of my hair improved so greatly after a week of use. This luxurious sulfate-free cleanser and condition thoroughly cleanses my hair while restoring moisture and protecting hair from fading color, daily stresses and future damage. The Caviar extract infuses hair with moisture, elasticity and shine, and the Vitamin C prevents damage from styling and daily wear. The line is full of goodness and free of gluten, sulfates, parabens and synthetic color, and never tested on animals.

Design.me Hold.me $22

Remember when you needed a different hair spray for all different hairstyles you wanted to do? Well the Design.me Hold.me is a unique adjustable hairspray that gives you three levels of support with just a little twist of the top. You can easily modify the hold from light, medium and strong, so you can throw out all your other hair sprays because this hairspray can do it all. It provides a long lasting hold that leave your hair shiny while also providing UV protection for your mane.

Design.me Puff.me $19.50

Ever since I’ve cut my hair short, I’m all about volume. The Design.me Puff.me is the first ever volumizing power in a pump, so it doesn’t spray everywhere and goes just where you want it. It provides instant volume that’s perfect for creating all sorts of hairstyles. And don’t be underwhelmed by the tiny bottle, just a little bit goes a long way!

OGX Bodifying + Bamboo Fiber Full Body Renew Dry Shampoo $12

Dry shampoo is must during the summer and this OGX Bodifying + Bamboo Fibre Full Body Renew Dry Shampoo is one of my daily favorites. With bamboo fibers and plant collagen, it provides mega volume as well as hold, so most of the time when I use it I can skip the hairspray or sometimes I even us it in lieu of it. It also does a great job to absorbing oil, and many times I’ll put in my clean hair and even the next day it’s going strong. It’s a bonus that this carries a totally wallet-friendly price tag.

Elizabeth Grant Furever Clean $14.50

Pets deserved to be pampered too! If you have one, I know you’ll agree. Elizabeth Grant Skin Care has developed the Furever Clean 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner for pets. It’s formulated with gentle cleansing ingredients like aloe vera, rosemary and chamomile. After washing my pup, I could immediately feel how soft and and clean she was. The formula creates a velvety lather and it’s not too sudsy so it rinses well too.  It has a light fresh scent that’s not over powering and her fur feels so soft and clean after I just can’t stop cuddling her. It’s also a bonus that this is a product also gives back. With every purchase, Elizabeth Grant International will donate a bottle to pups in need at rescue centres and charitable organizations worldwide so you can feel extra good for spoiling your fur baby.

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XOXO,