What’s your summer go-to special occasion look? Share!
Tom Ford Escapade + Pink Haze eyeshadows, Tom Ford Love Lust, Chanel Dragon or Guerlain Gems lipstick.
Thanks to Meghan for today’s questions! Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Bobbi Brown Sand palette, YSL Saharienne Bronzer, Clinique Peach Pop, MAC Relentlessly Red
1.) MAC Maria Moretti lipstick, Clinique Cola Pop w/ MAC Summer Wind on cheeks, pin-up cut-crease look using MAC Orb , Soft Brown, Arena , Brown Script and Folie. And MUFE ME-512 Golden Beige too.
2.) UD After Dark or MAC Diva-ish on lips, UD Rapture on cheeks w/Elf Gotta Glow as highlight, Nars Calisto, Nyx Smoke & Mirrors, ColourPop Hustle and MUFE S-102 Satin Black (or UD Smoulder) and I-528 on eyes.
A contoured eye using matte nude shadows, with black gel liner and waterproof mascara. Bobbi brown long wear foundation. A bright pink or coral lip to add punch (some of the brighter Nars Matte Velvet lip pencil shades are lovely for this). Add bronzer and a pop of cheek stain so it will last in the heat – I like josie maran or Becca for stains. Set it with Rouge Bunny Rouge loose powder, which is whisper light and virtually invisible. Pretty much a go anywhere look that will withstand the heat.
Definitely a bright coral lippie 🙂
I did a bold lip with a subtle neutral smoky look for my 30th birthday, but in retrospect a crisp eyeliner look would have probably worked better. Face was mainly bronzer and highlight with just a dab of blush.
eyes – Makeup Geek Cosmopolitan + MUFE M600 + KVD Tattoo liner
Cheeks – Bobbi Brown Blush Nude Peach + Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight + Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting powder
Lip – Nars Audacious Lana or YSL Pur Couture#23 Corail Poetique
IT CC Your Skin But Better, Cola Pop, Mary Loumanizer (and mascara, concealor etc). BTW I hear all these raves about Tom Ford cream E/S but I can never find them. Thoughts?
Laura Mercier stick shadow in Sand Glow, Stila shadow in Wheat, Diorshow Blackout mascara
MAC Peaches, MAC beauty powder in Sunsparked Pearl
Dior Mayday or Guerlain Love Kiss
—– OR —–
Smoky eye (I play with different things but for a go-to, it always involves UD Naked Basics & Kat von D Tattoo liner)
Physicians Formula Airbrush bronzer in Light Bronze, neutral blush (eg Too Faced Baby Love or MAC Mocha), Benefit Girl Meets Pearl
YSL Sheer Candy in Sweet Fig or Dior Addict Extreme in Cherie Bow
Hard one to answer since in summer especially, a special occasion could be a day-time outdoor event – anything from a graduation to a wedding – or it could be an evening event (special date or indoor night time wedding reception. I’d probably go with Lorac Pro 2 for eyes (Beige all over mobile lid, Light brown as a transition colour and one of the deeper shades, depending on what I was wearing, in the outer corner and crease), Marc Jacobs Brownout liner, MAC Sweet Sentiment blush and UD Manic lipstick.
my go-to eyeshadows are clinique’s wear everyday nudes. admittedly i use them all year but they look great in the summer topped up with black or brown liner. my favorites in that palette are the rose gold and copper colors.
i like nyx’s terra cotta blush with that and i always wear nude lipstick because i can’t pull off bright summer colors and nude lipstick doesn’t look horrible if it fades!
I can honestly say I don’t have a go to look. I like to change up my eye, blush and lip color almost everyday depending on my mood, what I am wearing to work/weekends, how much effort I want to put in.
I can say I tend to stay away from darker lip colors in the summer though.
I like to do a chocolate smokey eye with nude lipstick, or a wine red lip with some UD Smog on the lid. That’s pretty good for all seasons though lol…
Eyes:
A matte brightened coral-orange color in the crease and above crease.
Matte dark purple in the deep crease and outer eye lid.
Frosted warm, coppery brown on the eye lid.
bright yellow gold around the inner tear duct
Line black or brown around the eyes.
Lips: A bright coral or pink lipstick!
Cheeks: Golden pink color, lots of bronzer!
Nude beige lid with navy liner (UD liquid liner in Sabbath), peach cheeks, and coral lips (Bobbi Brown Guava or MAC Make Me Gorgeous).
My go-to lip would be either red-coral or fuchsia. The rest would depend on the occasion and where I would be going, weather (heat, humidity, rain) conditions, whether it would be day- or night-time, and whether it would be indoors or outdoors.
I don’t really have one special “go-to” look. I think it depends on the situation. I tend to go with a coral or red lip (something like MAC Crosswires or Charlotte Tilbury’s 1975, respectively), either a muted blush like Tarte’s Exposed, a coral one like Benefit’s Coralista or a more luminous one like Hourglass’s Incandescent Electra, and a pretty mellow base (usually Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation). Eyes vary a heck of a lot depending on the function, but lately I’ve been absolutely loving Charlotte Tilbury’s Eyes to Mesmerize cream eyeshadows (I only have Bette but a bunch of others are on my list), or I just go in to my MAC palette and see what speaks to me.
My special occasion summer look would depend upon what I am wearing – if it is blues – then using the colours in my Les Gris eye shadow palette or if I am wearing greens – Charlotte Tilbury’s the Rebel eye shadow palette. With a peachy blush and Elizabeth Arden’s ginger kiss lipstick. For mint colours I love Benefit’s Mint single.
Foundation – I always use Rimmel’s Match Perfection foundation in light porcelain.
Oh, I don’t have one. I browse my stash of makeup in the morning, or whenever I’m going to do my makeup and decide what I want for the day. It depends on my mood, and of course on my clothes. I have no musts and really no absolute no’s either.
Now I feel a bit boring 🙂
I don’t that is boring as that is what I do. I think it just means you are having fun with your makeup.
Good to hear I’m not alone! Yes, the day makeup isn’t fun anymore I’l start using a BB creme and nothing else 🙂
I’m super duper pale and don’t do bronzer (ROCK THAT PALE PRINCESS VIBE) so I do one of two options, always with a matte foundation:
bold eye: MAC Silver Ring on lid, SugarPill Poison Plum in crease and lots of black eyeliner, then top eyeliner with Urban Decay Blackheart from Naked 3 palette and smoke it out. MAC cremecup lipstick, lots of Becca pressed skin perfector in Moonstone, a tiny bit of Clinique Melon Pop to cheeks
Bold lip: Kat Von D backstage Bambi liquid lipstick, MAC Bamboo to the lid, Brown Script and Swiss chocolate mixed in the crease and Embark as outer V and liner. Then MAC warm Soul on the cheeks and a metric butt ton of Becca Moonstone.
A clean, natural complexion made flawless with a light application of foundation and undereye concealer set with powder and misted over with rosewater, lots of mascara, and a bright, bold lip. I’ve worn purple, orange and nearly neon fuschia lips. I know trends like this come and go, but I wish the bright lip was a trend that could turn into a classic.
A coral brown smoky eye and coral or nude lips.