Just like your wardrobe, your beauty routine probably changes with the seasons. In wintertime, don’t we all find ourselves drawn to jewel-toned nails and wine-red lips? As a Florida native and beauty-obsessed editor, I think summer beauty should lean into looking like you’ve been on a tropical vacation and laid out in the sun, without actually letting a single UV ray have access to your skin. Your products should stay put no matter how hot and humid it gets. They should be travel-friendly, able to tag along on flights, beach trips, and everything in between. Most importantly, they should not be fussy — “summertime and the living’s easy,” remember? We don’t want to be reapplying blush or checking for mascara smudges in the mirror all day.
These are the tried-and-true products I’ll be reaching for all summer (I know because I’ve leaned on them in many summers past) to make me look like I just spent two weeks in Tahiti, when actually I’ve been standing in my backyard near a sprinkler, at best.
A Gorgeous Summer Fragrance I Keep In My Pool Bag
You’ve probably seen Vacation’s very cool, nostalgic sunscreen packaging in your Instagram feed by now. If you’ve never tried anything from the brand, I say start with their Grande Cuvée body mist. It’s slightly warm and sweet, but elevated and just unlike anything else I’ve smelled. It boasts notes of argan, chardonnay, vanilla bean, sun-washed sails, cognac, and amber. I keep it in my beach bag to spritz on when I’m sweaty after being outdoors all day and we’re stopping for dinner on the way home (the slim bottle and sprayer design is perfect for on the go).
A Big Bottle Of Toner… For Your Armpits
If you haven’t seen people doing it on TikTok yet, many swear by using this stuff on a cotton pad and dabbing it under your arms to reduce discoloration, ingrowns, and body odor. You should definitely patch-test a small area if you want to try it, but I have found this trick drastically improved the razor bumps I always get in my armpits. Plus, anything that kills bacteria will help tamp down the stink when you’re sweating, and this seems to help on that front too.
A Gripping Skin Tint That Stays All Day
Summer makeup is all about two things for me: It should make me look fresh, sun-kissed, and glowy, and it should stay put through sweat and humidity. Milk Makeups Hydro Grip gel skin tint is my go-to most days, but especially in the summer. It’s a long-wearing formula that looks like your skin but better, and the coverage is buildable. I have to wear it a pretty long time for it to crease in my smile lines, but even then it’s only a little, and I can tap it out with my fingertips to fix. It’s just a solid, reliable product I reach for again and again.
The only downside is the packaging — it dribbles a continuous stream of skin tint, so you have to cap it immediately to prevent leaks. The fact that I continue to use it so often despite the annoying user experience should tell you everything you need to know about how good it is.
This Sunscreen Stick That Lives In My Purse
As fair-skinned Florida residents, we wear a lot of sunscreen in my family. This Sun Bum stick lives in my purse so I can pop it onto my son’s cheeks (and my own) when we make a spontaneous stop at the playground. It’s the perfect size and shape to apply to small nooks and crannies of the face but wide enough to handle the back of the neck in a few swipes, and is perfectly clear so there are no white streaks left behind. It doesn’t sting my sensitive eyes, smells like bubblegum, and is just all around the best — it has been to every theme park visit, beach day, or pool hang we have since I discovered it.
A Spray That’s Part Tanning Water, Part Skincare
Mine Tan’s Dark Ash is my holy grail fake tanning product, and they just released what is now my very favorite product for tanning the face. This mist is the first of its kind, a “bi-phased” blend of blue tansy oil and hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin beautifully and a cool-toned tanning water for a natural, orange-free glow. I’ve used it many times already this spring, and it’s so easy. There’s no buffing or brushing; just spritz evenly over the face and it’ll do the rest.
This Tanning Lotion That Provides Super Even Color
While the aforementioned gray-based tan works well on my super fair, cool-toned skin, I want to shout out the Loving Tan Express Tanning Lotion for those of you with warmer tones. This stuff applies so evenly — even the areas where you might normally struggle to get an even tan (like the hands, feet, and ankles), this stuff makes it happen. I love that it develops in two hours so I can pop it on after my kid goes to bed and rinse before my bedtime, then be tan and ready for a vacay or beach day by morning. It wears off really evenly too, so you won’t be patchy after you shower.
A Foaming Shave Oil For Barbie Legs
I’m a huge fan of shave oils over creams to get shiny, super-smooth legs (I call them Barbie legs) — the hydration from the oils is a huge help if that’s your goal. I love the Tree Hut shave oils, but this new product from Billie has stolen their spot in my shower. I love that it thickens up a bit and you can see where you’ve shaved (no more missed spots!), and it clings to the skin instead of disappearing off your thigh while you were focused on your shins. The coconut vanilla smell is so yummy for summer, too.
A Sunburnt Blush
We’re not getting real sunburns anymore, OK? We’ve outgrown that. However, there’s something about looking like you got a little sun that defines summer beauty. To get the look without the sun damage, I reach for a terracotta-colored blush to make me look more bronzed and sun-kissed than the usual cool-toned blushes I wear. Patrick Ta’s blush duos have incredible cream and powder formulas in one compact, which is ideal for traveling — it’s the blush I pack for any trip. In the past, I’ve also really enjoyed Saie’s liquid blushes (I think the shade Spicy would be perfect for a sunburn shade), and e.l.f.’s Putty Blush in the color Bali (which is only $8).
This Product For Perfectly Soft, Smooth Sandal Feet
I have been using Baby Foot for over a decade at this point, and I can’t recommend it enough — I use one every spring before sandal season fully kicks into gear. It’s basically two plastic booties filled with a jelly. You pop them on your feet and wear for an hour, and all the calluses, rough patches, and thickened skin on your heels will literally peel and slough off over the next week or two. I live for it every year.
One note: There are a ton of counterfeit Baby Foot peels on Amazon, so I suggest buying directly from the manufacturer’s website.
The Best Highlighter I’ve Ever Used For Face & Body
I have tried a thousand highlighting, glowy products, and none have ever compared to this bad boy. First of all the bottle is huge, so that $29 is going to last you, I promise. This illuminator is invisible on the skin but makes you look so healthy and glowy in the most natural, gorgeous way. I love wearing it under makeup or on its own, and in the summer, I rub it all over my chest and shoulders when I’m in a tank top or sundress.
A Roll-On Ingrown Hair Preventer I Swear By
I have never known anyone who gets more ingrown hairs than I do. If I shave my legs, I’m getting like 10, and let’s not even discuss my underarms and bikini line. But this roll-on tonic from Topicals actually prevents them — I have repurchased it many, many times over the years, and I rely on it year-round but especially in the summer, when I am, well, keeping my bikini line in order more frequently. It takes seconds to apply and dry down, and works to reduce dark spots and scarring as well (bless).
A Creamy Bronzer Stick In A Travel-Friendly Size
I’ve said before that Well People’s formulas are designed to look good on adult women’s skin, and this creamy bronzer is no exception. It blends out so easily, and the way it melts into the skin makes it look like a natural kiss from the sun. The size of the tube is so perfect for travel too — it requires very little room in your toiletry bag.
An Antiperspirant That Just Plain Works
Yeah, so ever since that whole aluminum-in-deodorant-causes-breast-cancer shtick was debunked, I have never given natural deodorants another chance to disappoint me. All I use — especially in the thick, soupy days of summer — is Secret Clinical Strength. It just works, keeping me drier and less stinky for longer compared to other brands I’ve tried. If you are tired of smelling like patchouli and armpit, come back to the aluminum, friend.
This Award-Winning Tubing Mascara That’s Flake-Free & Smudge-Proof
Look, when you’re sweating or near water, your mascara is just going to smudge. If I’m not sure where a summer day will take me, I lean on this tubing mascara instead of a traditional formula. It comes off cleanly and easily with just water, so if my neighbors invite us over to the pool and we hop in, so be it. It doesn’t smudge on my upper or lower lids either, so I can rely on it to look good throughout a summer night of patio margs with the girls.
Another On-The-Go Purse Essential For Moms
TMI alert, but those of us who struggle with body acne even at our big age know that a good hypochlorous acid spray is *the* way to keep it at bay. This new one from Pipette is a great size to keep in your bag so that when you’re sweaty, you can step into the restroom and spritz it on your torso to nuke acne-causing bacteria trapped between your skin and your godforsaken, soaking wet bra. It’s also great to have on hand for scraped knees and boo-boos.
A Workhorse Primer With SPF To Keep Your Skin Protected
Ciele’s products all include SPF, which I absolutely love and appreciate as someone whose loved ones have had skin cancer scares on their faces. This primer is something I’m keeping on my vanity this summer to pop on under any makeup I already own that doesn’t include SPF, which is honestly most products on the market. It’s available in glowing bronze and champagne shades, as well as a natural finish, so you can pick your preference — they’re all fantastic at helping your makeup stay in place all day.
A Plumping Lip Gloss With SPF, Because Your Pout Needs Protection Too
I started using this lip gloss last year, and it’s a forever repurchase for me now. I wear SPF on my face daily, but somehow had never thought about protecting my lips before! This gloss plumps and pulls circulation into the lips so it naturally amps up their color too. Also, the fact that it smells like watermelon candy is too perfect for summer.
