DORÉ

Hi! Today I want to introduce you to our new writer, Lisa. She makes me burst out laughing, spends her time joking about herself and has a very… “fresh” take on beauty (ahahah well, okay, maybe not today ;)… Xo, Garance.

It’s finally warm outside (the last time I was this happy was when I found a tube of my favorite discontinued lipstick on eBay) which means dresses and tank tops and sandals and happiness (and a lot of Ballet Beautiful). It also means that pretty soon everything is going to start melting—the sidewalks, your lipgloss, and, let’s face it: you and your makeup.

But here’s the thing: I LOVE being hot. Ridiculously, uncomfortably hair sticking to the back of my neck hot. I mean, doesn’t everyone look sexier when they’re hot? There’s a reason sex scenes are described as “steamy,” yes? In the deep dark “terrible doesn’t even begin to describe it” winter I would turn my space heater on high, fire all the burners in my kitchen, and picture myself all flushed and tan, lips stained red by the cherry popsicle I just ate, hair piled on top of my head, perfectly relaxed and happy knocking back the most amazing glass of lemonade margarita in the world.

Still. As much as my fiancé tells me I look amazing even with no makeup on (lies) I know better. Which means that even though I practice light handed application in the summer there are still plenty of opportunities for disaster. Like the time I wore a white button up on a 90 degree day (bad idea) and sweated right through the armpits. Or the time my powdered eyebrows smeared all over my face and my mascara pooled into thin little shadows of soot under my eyes. Or the perpetual state of shine my face is in for three solid months.

Learn from my mistakes and stock up on the following:

A hairtie. Or a simple gold barrette by Sylvain Le Hen. Or a really amazing vintage hairclip like the one I saw on a girl sitting outside at a sidewalk café in Brooklyn the other night. Basically anything that helps keep my hair off my neck.

Something to blot that shine. I first discovered that I had “combination skin” in 6th grade when I bought my first issue of Seventeen, which basically meant that my t-zone was a landing strip for oil, which is why me and MAC Cosmetics Blot Powder are likethis all year long—but our real bonding happens in the summer months when my entire face is a t-zone. The powder is like seriously powerful blotting papers, erasing shine without depositing color or cakiness. It’s probably the most understated thing in MAC’s arsenal and, after chapstick, the one makeup product I can’t live without (80+ degree temps or no).

Know what I like about hair powder? Everything. Who cares if it’s kind of impractical? It’s a bangs best friend and it also happens to be the official product of lazy girls everywhere aka me. A couple summers ago I fell pretty hard for Lulu Organics Hair Powder—I was a sucker for its Victorian (?) old timey packaging and my bangs were suckers for the way the stuff would instantly absorb all oil they had absorbed from my forehead.

Primer. I’ve never used it but I hear that Smashbox’s Photo Finish works wonders, evening out imperfections and diffusing light for a soft-focus finish—basically it’s like your favorite Instagram filter (Sierra anyone?) but for your face. It also creates a base for your makeup, which means it’ll last longer, which means you’ll look even better.  Bonus? It’s as light as that tissue thin tank I’m planning on living in all summer long (so, like, really light).

Um. Deodorant. It’s the easiest and cheapest thing in the world. And thanks to a whole bevvy of natural ones, you have no excuse.
There. I’m going to put away my winter coats now and celebrate with an ice cream cone and a new pair of sandals.

Do you have warm weather staples you can’t live without?

Photo: Taea Thale