Summer Makeup Favorites — Stuff Julia Likes

This summer I knew my makeup routine would have to be easy and bullet proof since I spent most of my time working as a tennis coach at a resort club on the beautiful vacation island of Martha's Vineyard. While many people might be comfortable working barefaced in such an environment, I'm fairly self-conscious about my skin (acne, redness, scaring, pores etc.) and my eyebrows (non-existent) plus makeup is a favorite hobby of mine!

Now that the summer is officially over, it's time to look back on what products I used that kicked butt and made me feel confident as I went about my seaside tennis coaching duties!

About my skin & makeup routine:

I have very oily, acne-prone skin with neutral undertones. I also tan crazy fast and had to update my makeup collection to include some darker shades than I'm used to as I was spending a lot of time working in the sun. On a daily basis, I'd spend about ten minutes in the morning doing minimal (for me) makeup before work and I would wear this face of make up for at least 8-hours.

Primer

The Benefit Porefessional Matte Rescue Primer kicks butt at minimizing my pores and controlling shine throughout the day. It has a slippery, gel consistency that dries down to create a great, lightweight base for foundation. While it may not extend my makeup as long as the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, this primer feels comfortable all day long while I find the Smashbox Photo Finish can feel a little heavy after a long period of wear.

Foundation

I am in love with the L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation. In the winter I typically use shade N2 Classic Ivory, in the spring I repurchased the foundation slightly darker in shade N3.5 Classic Buff, and this summer I primarily used shade N4 Buff Beige. What the heck color even is "buff?"

This foundation is easy to apply, and great for a natural look on this oily girl who loves her full coverage foundations.

I am obsessed with how convenient the packaging of cushion foundations is.

While I love the L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation to bits, when my work days were getting longer, more humid, and sweatier I needed to find something more industrial strength. I picked up the Neutrogena Shine Control Liquid Makeup in Soft Beige. This stuff is incredibly long-lasting and looks super natural on the skin. It also has SPF20 which is great for long days in the sun!

The packaging doesn't have a pump but I think that's totally forgivable considering it costs like $10 and the product is awesome!

In the beginning of the summer I also picked up the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Ivory. While it wasn't hardcore enough to last long days on the tennis court, it was my go-to for a medium-coverage, natural look on most nights out. I love the convenience of using the stick to apply, but sometimes the finish of this foundation can be a little too dewy for my extra oily face.

Now that I'm off the court and my tan is fading I'm back to using this as my everyday foundation.

Powder

To keep my skin looking as matte as possible for as long as possible I would always finish my foundation routine with the Cover FX Perfect Pressed Setting Powder in Light. This powder would also add a little bit more coverage to my foundation as it does have a little color to it. I never looked cakey, and the shine on my skin never surpassed an acceptable amount of dewiness.

This compact also has a convenient mirror inside which makes it great to pack when traveling!

Brows

My ride or die brow pomade this summer was the Benefit Ka-Brow Cream/Gel Eyebrow Color in 03 Medium, even though it totally dried up on me. I would dip the brush into my contact solution before picking up any product to help soften it and then I wouldn't have any problems with patchy application. The color 03 Medium is recommended for red-heads but worked well with my darker blonde hair and tanned complexion.

Lips

I am a lipstick junkie, but wearing a liquid lip or a bold color usually didn't jive with my line of work. Because I knew I wouldn't be wearing any of my usual lip stick favorites and I wanted to protect my lips from being burned, I picked up the Sugar Lip Treatment Sunscreen in Petal. I used it religiously and was not disappointed. I loathe the texture of traditional chapsticks but this lip treatment feels smooth on the lips, smells fruity, and gives a light wash of color that won't rub off onto your water bottle.

This screw-top, metal packaging is stylish and keeps the cap from popping off in your bag.

Eyes

On a normal day I love doing fun eye looks and packing on dark eyeliner, but that wasn't very practical when I had sweat dripping down my face all day. If I did decide to wear eyeliner, however, I would wear my number one favorite, all-time obsession Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner. I've repurchased this eyeliner countless times in a multitude of colors (Damsel and Deep Burgundy are staples) and it never lets me down. Easy to apply and bulletproof, what more could you ask for?

While eyeliner didn't always make it into my routine, I would always put on a quick coat of Too Faced Better Than Sex Waterproof Mascara. The original Better Than Sex Mascara is an almost universal favorite in the beauty community and the waterproof version gives you that extra level of long-wearing protection! It never bled into my eyes or transferred off of my lashes even when I occasionally found myself on the court in the rain.

You can get a mini size too that's great to keep in your purse or to use for travel!

Setting Spray

To finish off my makeup I would always use the Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray. From fraternity formals to finals this setting spray has never let me down and a summer on the tennis court was no exception. It's truly the real deal and once you've used this setting spray to set your makeup you'll never use anything else.

Woah, what a chic packaging update! I still have the old school.

Interested in makeup tutorial/get ready with me videos? Want more in depth reviews? Curious about different brushes or products I have in my makeup collection? Let me know in the comments!