Five summer beauty tips

Hot Mama Daily enlisted the expertise of makeup maven and fellow beauty blogger Felicia Walker Benson, editor of ThisThatBeauty, for the skinny on the hottest summer makeup trends.

Here are Felicia’s tips:

1. “B” is for “Bronzer”:
Consider giving your liquid foundation, tinted moisturizer, or cream to powder formula a break for the summer months ahead. Instead, try bronzer.  Using bronzer is a quick and easy way to add warmth and highlight to your face with the use of just one product.

Try a few strokes of bronzer across the areas of the face where the sun naturally hits. If you love that lit from within look that’s so popular on the red carpet, try using bronzer and a little concealer under the eyes. Dust the cheeks, then lightly across the forehead, and brush a tad on the chin.

ThisThatBeauty’s picks: Wet & Wild Compact Bronzer, Iman Sheer Finishing Bronzing Powder, Prescriptives Mineral Bronzer

2. Have fun with color:

Summer’s the perfect time of year to add a perky punch of color to the lips or a wonderful wash of brightness to the eyes. Embrace the fun and lighthearted energy of summer. I love to dress lips in soft luscious colors that are flirty and on trend. When applying brightness to the eyes, focus on the lower lid area. Keep the wash of color soft and modern. Apply with a light touch and load up on the mascara. Choose, however, to focus the color on eyes or lips — not both.

ThisThatBeauty’s picks: Lipstick Queen’s Chinatown collection is a great example of interpreting a trend (i.e. neon colors) and making it wearable for the consumer. Chinatown features five amazing gloss pencils that appear neon and vibrant in the tube, but go on unbelievably sheer.

3. Awww, you’re blushing:

Blush, done right, is an amazing pick-me-up. Summer’s the perfect time to incorporate a sheer flush of color to the cheeks. For women of color, the shade options are limitless. Sheer shades of berry, mauve, apricot, and bronze all work beautifully on women of color. Start at the apple of the cheeks with a light dab of color. Then pat until the color is softly blended. Applied too much?  Simply go over your cheeks with a light loose powder.

ThisThatBeauty’s pick: MAC Just a Pinch Gel Blush

4. If you’ve got it, highlight it:

If your skin is feeling a little lackluster , find a great highlighting product to give you a healthy glow.  But remember, a tiny dose of highlighter goes a long way. My favorite highlighter hot spots include the inner tear duct, high point of cheekbone, brow bone, outer eye area near the hairline (in a backwards “c” motion).

ThisThatBeauty’s picks: Smashbox Untamed Double Ended Eye Brightener; this unique double-ended pencil highlights and brightens in one quick step.