Best Summer Beauty Products

Floral Robe (I love this one!) | Lace Cami | Eyeshadow Palette | Eyeshadow Brush | Earrings

Summer and the word “excitement” are pretty much synonymous for me. Summer is the best time of year. It’s fun, it’s carefree, and it’s easy. That makes it a perfect time to step a little outside your comfort zone and try some different things – including beauty products. Here are the must haves for beauty this summer.

So many of you messaged me about the new “clean beauty” seal at Sephora which is exciting! It’s amazing to see brands start to care more about not putting toxic chemicals in their products. One word of caution, still read through the ingredients. I found ingredients from my safe beauty series on the labels of many of the products. It’s not the end of the world, just don’t interpret Sephora’s clean beauty seal as 100% clean. I’d think of it as halfway there! But what’s more important is progress over perfection!

1. Get rid of ashy legs. 

Warmer temperatures mean showing off a little leg for the first time in a while. As someone who used to struggle with ashy legs perpetually, let me let you in on a little secret. Ditch the lotion. Yes, I know it sounds insane. But there’s something better out there. Here’s what you should be doing regularly:

• Use an exfoliating glove with your body wash. This glove shouldn’t be too abrasive but just a gentle exfoliant. Save the high exfoliating for the below.
• Exfoliate in the shower with a good body scrub at least once a week. It’s important to use a body scrub on occasion to really bring on the exfoliation.
• Add a dry brush into your routine once a week (not on the same day as you do your shower scrub). It removes the dead, dry skin and will leave your legs glowing.
• After the shower or every morning, swap out the lotion for body oil. Trust me. It’s a complete game changer and is way more hydrating that body lotion. It’s also packed with nutrients (if you pick the right one) to make your skin look visibly younger. Here are the best body oils I’ve found.
• If you’re not ready to go full body oil yet, pick out a good body butter (try these for $15) and mix it with a few pumps of body oil. This is similar to what you should be doing with face oil in your skincare routine! The Josie Maran body butter is probably my favorite of all time for its simple ingredient list and how well it works when used with a good body oil. It’s significantly more hydrating than other body butters but the addition of body oil works wonders for your skin.

If I had to pick two products that made the most difference, it would be this sugar body scrub and body oil!

2. Protect the hair.

Sun and hot tools aren’t a good mix, at least if your hair is anything like mine. I’m so excited that my (very damaged) hair is finally getting back to normal. I wrote a full post about how to repair damaged hair but something I’ve been loving lately is this Briogeo hair mask. I’m obsessed. It works SO well. Just plan to take a longer shower on days where you use it because the longer you leave it on, the better. I usually use it on days when I’m shaving my legs!

PS. If you aren’t using a men’s razor for shaving your legs, you need to be. They work significantly better!

Give your hair a break and skip the wash too. Try a good dry shampoo instead. That way, you won’t be stripping your hair of its oils.

Speaking of oils, start experimenting with a hair oil! This is my favorite hair oil but I found a few options at Sephora and Nordstrom that are fairly safe. Start off with a tiny bit of product (you need less than you think). If you over oil, your hair will get oily. Only apply to the ends of possible. I like to apply it to both wet and dry hair. I feel like when I apply it to wet hair, my hair feels incredibly healthy.

3. Try the beachy wave.

We all want what we don’t have when it comes to hair, right? As someone with straight hair, I constantly find myself curling my hair. My favorite curling iron is the T3 Micro. Is it worth it? I think so. I wouldn’t bother with the interchangeable kit though. Just get this 1.25” barrel. It’s all you need.

I have been experimenting with different wands and curling irons at all price points over the last month. I left my T3 in a hotel room last December and have kicked myself ever since. I finally got another one 2 weeks ago and boy does it make a difference!

If you have naturally wavy hair, embrace it. If you don’t, the humidity will force you too.

4. SPF.

Everyones favorite subject for summer! I don’t want to look like I’m 60 when I’m 40! Lately, I’ve been using this B.B. cream by 100% Pure as a base before my makeup. It’s tinted so it gives you a little bit of extra color too. It does feel a little sunscreen-y but I’ve found that to be true of every product with SPF in it. If you’re debating between this one and the Beautycounter Dew Skin, go with 100% Pure as it’s a little less thick and therefore, more versatile. Unless, you like to get all your items in one place of course.

I also just found these Sun Silk drops by Coola. Coola is a safer brand with some amazing self tanners and sunscreen products so I’m planning to try this under my makeup this summer.

For beach days, I love to use this sunscreen face stick. It’s so easy to pull out and apply and usually doesn’t take any rubbing in. It also doubles as a chapstick. Don’t forget to protect your lips! Sunburned lips are so uncomfortable and aren’t cute!

Got a sunburn? I just found this soothing aloe which is by Herbivore for your face. I like their packaging and have tried a few of their other products. If you’re looking for a cheaper option for your body, try this one by Burt’s Bees. Matt loves it!

5. Try something new.

Summer is too fun to not try a new beauty product or too. Try a pop of color with an organic lip tint or something entirely new to your routine. These were a few items that looked interesting to me! I’ve been on an eyeshadow binge lately and have been experimenting with a bunch of new looks! It doesn’t have to be crazy, just challenge yourself to do something new!

6. Get yourself some travel sets.

You’re bound to go on at least one weekend trip sometime in your life, right? Get yourself a mini set or a travel collection of your favorite products. It’s so easy to just slip them into your cosmetics bag. No extra effort required! That’s what I did for this trip to New York with this Kopari skincare set.

BONUS: this is a great way to try new products. Collections and sets are usually at a discount so you can test out products without breaking the bank. If I am trying a new brand, I will either order a set or a mini size if available. That way I don’t end up with a huge bottle of something that doesn’t work and I will never use again. If you’re looking for more tips on how to save on safer beauty products, read this!

What are your favorite beauty products for summer? Anything I need to try??