My summer beauty heroes
five MVPs of my summer beauty routine. oh, and welcome to Letters We Send Friends!
Hi, hello! Thanks for being here.
Summer skin and hair has been top of mind lately. While I have my staples that are always in rotation, I still love the element of discovery and finding a new product I can rave about. These are the products I’ve recently tried that have passed my (beauty) bar.
1. Crown Affair Air Dry Mousse
As a Crown Affair loyalist, I had very high expectations for their newest drop. And to no surprise, it did not disappoint! This is the ultimate summer hair product of the season. This weightless mousse gives your hair effortless texture + volume, and enhances your waves. Without the crunch. And it smells divine. Winner winner!
I’m lazy when it comes to styling my hair plus I refuse to do anything other than air dry in the summer, so this mousse will be in heavy rotation. After shampoo, conditioner and towel dry (using this towel obviously), I apply a pump to my hair from mid to ends. Next, I twist several sections of my hair and secure them with clips. And that’s it. I do my makeup and get dressed while I let the mousse do its thing. A lazy girl’s dream come true!
2. SaltyFace Tanning Foam
Last summer, I ventured into the world of self-tanning. I’ve held off for years out of pure intimidation, but I knew I wanted a clean, acne-safe formula that’s basically foolproof. Enter, SaltyFace. It was a new-ish brand I discovered through an Instagram ad so of course I had to try it. As a self-tanning newbie, I was pleasantly surprised with how easy and seamless the application was. I used their body brush which made a huge difference. The formula itself is clear and doesn’t smell.
The next day, I had an even, natural-looking tan. My skin looked like it was kissed by the sun. I didn’t expect my first try at self-tanning to be this easy!
I also love their tanning water. You can spray it directly on your face or apply it with the tanning brush for a precise application. It should be the last step in your skin care routine before sunscreen. I haven’t tried any other self-tanning brands besides SaltyFace but honestly, I don’t think I need to try a different brand anytime soon. I’m completely sold on their clean formula and ease of application. Holy grail status.
3. Fara Homidi Essential Face Compact
This indie beauty label has been on top of my beauty wishlist for a while so I finally pulled the trigger when they dropped on Sephora.com. I knew I wanted to get the essential face compact because of the glowing reviews. To give you an idea of why this product is special, may I present the editor’s note on Violet Grey:
“Imagine if your favorite blemish-erasing, melt-into-skin concealer had the stretch of a foundation and you could customize the finish to suit your mood: glowy or matte, sheer or full. The Essential Face Compact is this, exactly.”
I mean, mic drop. I was sold!! It sounded like the ultimate “no-makeup makeup” look will not be a feat using this compact. Also, the best part? It’s refillable!
Here’s the product description for each formula in the compact: the smooth veil and shine baume.
Smooth Veil Soft Matte is an innovative hybrid complexion product that acts as either foundation or concealer. With a skin-like finish and medium buildable coverage, the cushiony cream-to-powder formula expertly disguises imperfections and seamlessly blends into skin.
Shine Baume is a universal translucent highlighter with a glass-like warm champagne sheen. Apply it over, under, or mixed in to Smooth Veil Soft Matte for a custom finish, or wear it alone for dewy radiance.
I also got the buffer brush to achieve that “runway skin” I was aiming for. I was beyond impressed after trying it for the first time. The Smooth Veil seamlessly blended into my skin (I use the shade “Ochre”) and I applied the Shine Baume on the high points of my face. My skin looked even, natural and glowing. Runway skin unlocked.
4. Soft Services Buffing Bar
Soft Services is another brand that’s been on my radar for a while. I got their discovery kit on Sephora a few weeks ago and now I’m officially hooked. The kit includes their award-winning Buffing Bar. It’s not meant to replace your body soap but rather, it’s made for areas of the body that would benefit from weekly moderate-to-intense physical exfoliation (elbows, knees, heels, etc etc). It’s also good for keratosis pilaris (“KP”), stubborn ingrown hairs, and rough, bumpy skin texture.
I love a good exfoliating session and the Buffing Bar exceeded my expectations! I use it on my legs to prep for a SaltyFace self-tan session. It’s very rough so I had to figure out the right amount of pressure in more sensitive areas. Imagine the texture of St.Ives apricot scrub (IYKYK) in bar form. If you’re not into intense physical exfoliants, this product might not be for you. But, if you want the smoothest, softest skin like you just walked out of a Korean wet scrub session, it’s worth a try!
5. Kosas Blush is Life Baked Blush
I had no business adding another blush to my collection, but when Kosas dropped their new baked blush, I had no other choice but to try. To be fair, I don’t have a ton of powder blushes (I only have the Hourglass ones in the leopard compact), so this felt like a legit research project for a blush-aholic like me.
I follow my typical makeup routine (cream products first, then set with powder) and added the baked blush (I use the shade “Blissed”) as a topper to set my cream blush. The smooth powder just melts into my skin and blends seamlessly. The result is a gorgeous, radiant flush of color that looks like skin. You can skip the highlighter when using this blush. It also lasts all day!
If you’re still reading and you’ve made it all the way down here, wow! I’m honored! Thanks for sticking around.
Let me know your thoughts about this newsletter. I’d love to hear what you liked, what didn’t resonate or anything else.
Until next time!
Angela
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