The summer season is kicking off this weekend and this the time to start simplifying our beauty routines. We trade in all of our heavy foundations and powders for light bronzers and tinted moisturizers.    It’s also a time to have fun with color, whether it’s bright eyes or bold lips.  So how can we rock these beauty trends without spending a ton of time (and products)?

This is where my friends from Mary Kay come in. Marissa Nemes, Mary Kay’s Glam Squad Celebrity Makeup Artist, gave me some great tips on getting the perfect summer look.  Inspired by the runways of this past Spring’s Fashion Week, she focuses on dewy skin and long lashes for a natural daytime look, adding scarlet red lip color that takes the look straight into evening.  Armed with her product recommendations (and a few tweaks of my own), I put her tips to the test.

Daytime Look

Marissa Says:

• Create a beautiful canvas by highlighting and lightly concealing the under eye area with the Mary Kay Facial Highlighting Pen
• Define and contour the face using Mary Kay Mineral Bronzer in Canyon Gold  then  illuminate the highest plains of the face by applying Mary Kay Mineral Highlighting Powder in Pink Stardust to the cheekbones, bridge of nose, forehead and chin
• For beautiful, angelic lashes, use an eyelash curler and then apply Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara in a zig-zag motion to evenly coat every lash
• Finally, spritz on Mary Kay Makeup Finishing Spray to keep makeup in place and provide a dewy finish

My Thoughts

• I really wanted to use the highlighting pen but the sample I had wasn’t a color match for my skin.  So I improvised with my own concealer, not only concentrating under the eyes but my eye lids and nose as well.  It’s the area of my face that’s the darkest and just doing that instantly brightened up my face.
• I find that my face doesn’t need too much contouring, adding a little of the bronzer right under my cheek bones and on the sides of my nose.  I liked the subtle sparkle it gave my skin as well as evening it out.  Normally I would need foundation and press powder for that!  As for the highlighting powder, also too light for my skin so I had to skip that.
• All I needed was the Mascara to get the long lashes her look called for. I loved the tiny brush because it picked up every lash.
• The finishing spray felt light and dried up quickly, helping my makeup stay put.  I didn’t see much of a dewy finish though.
• I also needed a lip color because I can’t just step out of the house without it!  To keep with the natural look  I had going on, I put on Mary Kay’s Downtown Brown.  It’s a nice brown color with a touch of shimmer.

Night Time Look

Marissa Says:

• Touch up your daytime look, if necessary, and re-illuminate the highest plains of the face using Mineral Highlighting Powder in Pink Stardust
• Apply two more coats of Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara to lashes to build volume
• Sweep Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick in Sizzling Red on lips for a gorgeous bold pout with subtle shine
• Reapply Mary Kay Makeup Finishing Spray to freshen up skin!

My Thoughts

• I kept my look as is, not needing to reapply the bronzer, though I did add one more coat of mascara.
• The lipstick is a-mazing!  The packaging is sleek and modern, unlike any I’ve seen.  The lipstick itself goes on soft and smooth with great pigmentation.  The color is the perfect red, not too bright or too deep that I couldn’t wear it during the day if I wanted to.

Marissa tips were great and I learned that just some concealer and bronzer can give me the same results as my tinted moisturizer and powder.  Definitely saves me time and keeps my skin light in the sweltering heat.  Product wise, the mascara and the lipstick were by far my favorites.  I can see them both becoming a part of my beauty routine this summer!

Are you a fan of Mary Kay?  What are your favorite products?

FTC Disclosure:  Products mentioned in this review, except for the lipstick in Downtown Brown, were received as free samples for review.