The weather is changing, the tank tops and shorts are being pulled out from under five-pound winter coats and the end of the semester is finally in sight. You just took your last midterm of the week, all your Shein swimsuits are packed and you are officially ready for spring break … or are you? Before you go sip mocktails on that cruise in the Bahamas or go home and boast to your family in New York about how tan you already are because you go to school in Florida, I have one last secret to share to make sure your spring break is the best one yet. Through countless hours on TikTok and many shopping sprees to Sephora and Target, I believe I have finally cracked the code for the ultimate six-step glowy makeup routine. Save some money on that self-tanner and let’s get our shine on.
- the base
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This step is the utmost crucial one because, without a stronghold, you can literally kiss all that makeup product goodbye. For your base, you want the best of the best primers, and for that, I give you e.l.f.’s Power Grip Primer. High tide, low tide, rain or shine, this primer will keep your makeup in place the whole day and may even help your makeup make it to the beloved dinner after that long beach day in the sun. Jump in the ocean and surf, play that competitive game of beach volleyball with complete strangers in the sand, or swim around in the pool playing mermaids with your cousins — that makeup isn’t going anywhere.
- The glow
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The next step is to prep your skin to be the glowiest it can be. To achieve this shimmery glow we all love and adore, I have a few products I would recommend. I start out using e.l.f.’s Halo Glow Liquid Filter in the shade Medium, which gives me the perfect amount of extra color without turning me into an orange Oompa Loompa. Once that is blended in, I apply the L’Oreal Lumi Glotion in the shade Medium to my cheeks, nose and forehead. Then I mix that with my favorite moisturizer by Clinique. By this point, you should be absolutely radiant and practically mirror-like.
- The sculpt
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Now we come to my favorite step: contour. While there are a multitude of products people like to use for this step, my personal favorite, not only because of its performance but also its fabulous price, is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Multi-Use Concealer. While this is technically a concealer, the pro-tip is to get one of the darker shades to act like a contour instead. This product looks almost identical to the Charlotte Tilbury Contour Wand at over half the price. This $8 gem works wonders for my cheekbones and I couldn’t recommend it enough. I prefer using a brush to blend my contour as it leaves more product on the skin to achieve that bronzed, sculpted look.
Following the contour, I like to hit the high points of my face over again with bronzer to further define and sculpt. For this, I love the Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer, which smells like the perfect tropical blend of sunscreen and coconuts. This product has the smoothest application and gives you that extra bit of color we all need after months of being locked up in the house.
- The blush
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Now, who would I be if I decided to write an article about the perfect beachy makeup routine and then left out one of the best parts? This one is for all my girls that want to make it look like they got a little color without having to blankly stare in all their spring break photos with their friends because their cheeks burn far too much to even think about smiling. Ditch the aloe vera gel and instead grab a perfectly pink blush from either Rare Beauty (if you have the money to spend) or No.7 Lip and Cheek Tint (if you are looking for something more affordable). Both products have a plethora of gorgeous shades to help you achieve that perfect little splash of color in your cheeks with absolutely no pain attached.
- The finishing touches
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Next, we have all the products that pull the look together and act like the rainbow sprinkles on the perfectly frosted vanilla cake. For mascara, I recommend the Essence Lash Princess line not only because it makes your eyelashes look unbelievably long but because it is only … drumroll please … five whole dollars! You can find these mascaras (my favorites are the teal and pink bottles) in almost every drugstore without fail.
For my eyebrows, I love a soaped brow look and swear by my Got2B glued gel to keep every little hair in place all day.
Lastly, as far as finishing touches go, I love a little lip oil/gloss moment. My personal favorite right now has got to be the Lip Glow Oil off of Amazon, most famously known as the greatest Dior Lip Oil dupe on the market.
- set before you go
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Before you dash out of the house with your little string bag and flip-flops, this final step is absolutely necessary to ensure you look your best lying on that beach chair with your favorite book in hand. I almost never leave the house without applying the one and only Maybelline Fit Me Powder to my under eyes, nose and anywhere else that my skin is just a bit too glowy and more on the oily side. Wait 10 minutes, brush the powder off, and you are ready to go, my bronzy, glowy friend!
There you have it! Six steps to achieving your glowiest skin of the year. I hope everyone has the very best spring break yet and returns to campus calmer, tanner and most importantly, glowier than when they left!
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