It’s officially summer and hot as hell. Friday in NYC it was over 102 degrees, therefore everyone in the city is sweating their balls off. Including having a fans in the subway, people are really stressing the heat this year. I’m dealing with the heat in a different way: I’m not wearing making during the day. So shocking! *Gasp* Yes, I am not wearing much makeup at all actually. Mostly because every time I go outside it ends up running down my face. Plus, along with sweat, makeup can clog pores and create breakouts.

Along with wearing no makeup, I am keeping my skin clear this summer with some of my favorite Sephora products. First, blotting sheets. An essential to every purse during the hot summer days, blotting sheets are the best way to keep oil off your face while sweating. I like to use Boscia Green Tea Blotting Liners. A cheep version is also available at drug stores: Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets.

My second favorite product for the summer is Murad’s Clarifying Cleanser with 1.5% Salicylic Acid for Acne. I really like this cleanser because it really keeps my face clean and I haven’t had one pimple since using it. The cleanser “treats and prevents acne breakouts with time-released medication that remains active for hours, even after rinsing.” It has a chilly tingling feeling while washing your face that cools off your face after a long hot day.

Finally, my new favorite moisturizer, Philosophy’s Take a Deep Breath. It is an oil-free energizing oxygen gel cream moisturizer, and it’s unlike any moisturizer you’ve used. It doesn’t clog your pores at all and feels light while really deeply moisturizing my dry skin. Philosophy says, “Environmental factors such as sun, smog and pollution can cloud a completion.” This oxygenating moisturizer keeps your skin clear while cleanly moisturizing your face.

To achieve my wide awake look, the first thing you must acquire is a great under eye concealer. My two personal favorites are Boi-ing by Benefit and a Line Smoothing Concealer by Clinique. The second essential is smooth waterproof eyeliner, like Stila’s. To achieve the “wide awake” look, you must only use the eyeliner on the outside part of your eye. This creates the illusion that your eyes are more open then they actually are. My third recommendation is adding just a bit of mascara to the outside edge of your eye, like the liner. This completes your look to appear more alert.

I was so excited for EDC NY that I forgot to post about the makeup I specially bought for it. I made a special trip to Sephora to purchase makeup for the music festival. I bought Stila’s After Glow Lip Color in Festive Fuchsia that glows under black light and Stila’s Countless Color Pigments in Finale. This helped me achieve the look that I wanted for EDC, and it even matched my outfit.

P.S. Many apologies for the background, I was in a hurry to post today.

I know many people are interested in how to create a natural, “No Makeup,” look. It takes a fine eye to make sure you’re not wearing enough makeup. In this post, I describe my way of creating a natural look.

I use a BB Cream and a light powder as a foundation base. I then choose three neutral eye shadow shades to use. Lightest on top, then middle in the crease and the darkest brown on your lid. I use a brush to lightly apply blush. Make sure you don’t use too much, otherwise you’ll loose the “natural” look. I then lightly contour under the blush and around my chin and forehead. I then use a light under eye concealer in order to diminish my dark circles. Finally, I finish my look with a lightly pink nude lip. Remember to take tissue paper and dab the extra lipstick off your lips.

It may not show in these pictures, but I actually am wearing a lot of makeup. Its all about making it look like your not wearing anything at all.

This bracelet is inspired by the designer Chan Luu. Her bracelets are really pretty, but quite expensive for what they are. So, I decided to see if I could replicate her design, and I think I was pretty successful. I bought the beads and other materials at Fire Mountain Gems, and I followed this tutorial.

Have fun!

Here is my first attempt at gold glitter ombre nails. I used Sephora Only Gold for Me nail polish. It didn’t go on as smoothly as I expected, and was disappointed with the results. I am not the best nail artist out there, trust me, but this glitter nail polish was very hard to apply. I will definitely try again with another brand soon.