Summer Beauty Edit with The Guilty Girl

Hello, lovely Grace of Beauty readers! My name is Tami, and I blog over at The Guilty Girl. I'm so delighted that Grace was looking for guest bloggers and kindly accepted my offer - I'm a follower of her blog myself, coming here for my beauty fix as I'm sure you all do too! I figured a little delve into my beauty bag was in order, and what better way to kick off some long-anticipated warm weather in England (FINALLY!), than to bring you a summer beauty edit!

First up on the summer roster - glowing, healthy skin. It's time to cast out those heavy coverage foundations and rotate to something a little simpler and lighter - no one wants to be a sweaty mess with colour running down their face, am I right? 

I have been LOVING (read: obsessed with) this Dior NudeSkin BB Cream, I have the shade 02, which I was worried would be a little too yellow for my skintone but it sank into my skin and blended beautifully, just with fingers. The actual 'skincare benefits' of this BB cream are still dubious but as soon as I put this on my face, it sank in and within about 2 minutes, I forgot I was wearing anything at all. If you want to see it in action, I took anInstagram of my mug! It really is such a gorgeous finish - not too 'radiant', not too matte. Oily skinned gals might want to keep a little translucent powder nearby for T-Zone later in the day, though.

Another must-wear for summer is a good bronzer, to amp up summer tans or create non-existent ones (thank you, rainy June). My vice of choice is the much-blogged Nars bronzer in Laguna which provides just the right amount of bronzey glow without too much shimmer, making it a great contour shade too.

I like to keep my eyes simple and create most of the 'drama' (who really wants drama when the temperatures are scorching, anyway?) with a pop of colour on my lips. My selection has been all drugstore (yay!) and all-brights, with a beautiful pop of corally pink from Kate Moss for Rimmel #16 - an opaque, statement lip. Beware girls with no stomach for scent - this one is quite heavily perfumed. I don't mind it, but I could see it being a problem for some.

Who doesn't love a Revlon Lip Butter? These babies have been flying off shelves and these two new offerings from their Spring/Summer collection made it into my handbag staples within a week of their release. The beautiful, orangey-red of Wild Watermelon can be a sheer wash or a pigmented pop of colour depending on how much you build it up, whilst Juicy Papaya really does make your lips look juicy, full and adds a coral/orange hint. Perfect for off-duty, lazy days by the beach/in the park with a big pair of shades.

I'm consistently striving for that California girl, beach babe, shaggy hair and, whilst my hair is quite thick and well-nourished (thank you, genes), it doesn't hold style or texture very well as a result. Enter Bumble and Bumble's Surf Spray, a salt spray which can give a matte, mussed-up texture to even my unruly locks. I didn't really understand how to use this to its best for a while, so if you're struggling with it - here's what I've found: apply it to the ends of hair and scrunch liberally, mess your hair around, flip it upside down and boom. Your name is Kate Bosworth. Where is your surfboard, girl?

After said messing around of hair, things can get a little bit, well... knotty. My Tangle Teezer never goes far from my side, for use right after swimming to brushing out product easily. I've never known a brush like it for getting through my very thick hair completely painlessly. Holy grail status.

And to conclude, a *slightly arty* picture of Essie's Sunday Funday, my nail colour of choice this summer. Sported on my toes and tips, this has it all. Neon? Check. Coral? Check. Glitter? Check. And not chunky, horrible, hard to remove glitter. Beautiful, subtle, shimmer-in-the-light glitter. Hence the artsy photo. I had to show how the glitter runs through in daylight... Not my beautiful new cacti. Promise.

I hope this has given you some summer inspiration for your make up bag and that wherever you are, you're having a great July. Remember: the only summer essential you REALLY need is a big smile. And SPF. Wear sunscreen, ladies.

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