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9 Summer Beauty Tips

Beating the heat is no sweat with these makeup tricks from the pros


spinner image Christie Brinkley glows and does up eyes, adds glossy lips; Elizabeth Hurley in white pantsuit; Bette Midler gleams gorgeously.
Christie Brinkley glows and does up eyes, adds glossy lips; Elizabeth Hurley in white pantsuit; Bette Midler gleams gorgeously.
Bruce Glikas/WireImage; Karwai Tang/WireImage; Mike Coppola/WireImage

1. Don't fight the weather, work with it. Celebrity makeup artist Sandy Linter (coauthor of our best-selling beauty book The Makeup Wakeup) has worked with clients like Christie BrinkleyBette Midler and Elizabeth Hurley. “The trick to summer is really all about keeping your skin looking fresh as possible,” says Linter. “Let the glow work for you. Use cream or gel stick blushes and bronzers to give skin a healthy, luminous sheen.” And don't forget tinted moisturizers to warm up skin tone and provide just enough sun-warmed color.

spinner image Jennifer Lopez knows moisture plus makeup equal success; Nicole Kidman has cared for skin, for sure; Angela Bassett has a flawless-looking complexion... Wonder what's her secret?
Nicole Kidman has cared for skin, for sure; Jennifer Lopez knows moisture plus makeup equal success; Angela Bassett has a flawless-looking complexion... Wonder what's her secret?
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Andrew Toth/Getty Images; Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Max Mara

2. Get dewy not sticky. Update to a fast-track formula that absorbs instantly with no greasy residue, like a gel-cream or whipped oil-free blend. While you still do need moisturizer to keep 50-plus skin hydrated and lines plumped up “skip moisturizers that leave your skin feeling damp to the touch and never apply moisturizer to eyelids!” Linter says. 

spinner image Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Gel- Cream for Extra Dry Skin; Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb; Olay Regenerist Whip Face Moisturizer  SPF 25; Clinique Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto- Replenishing Hydrator
Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Gel- Cream for Extra Dry Skin; Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb; Olay Regenerist Whip Face Moisturizer SPF 25; Clinique Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto- Replenishing Hydrator
Neutrogena; Garnier; Olay; Clinique

Look for one with hyaluronic acid — a humectant that attracts and holds water to the skin like a sponge — such as Neutrogena Hydro-Boost Gel-Cream for extra dry skin ($23, ulta.com) or Garnier SkinActive Moisture Bomb, the Antioxidant Super Moisturizer ($17, ulta.com). Also keep an eye out for products with water high up on the ingredients list but rich in extra skin boosters like antioxidants and peptides, including Clinique Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator ($39, sephora.com) or Olay Regenerist Whip Face Moisturizer SPF 25 ($39, ulta.com).

spinner image Dermablend Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation; Dermablend Illuminating Banana Powder
Dermablend Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation; Dermablend Illuminating Banana Powder
Dermablend

3. Fake it, but make it look real. For women who like more coverage in the summer Linter has three suggestions she uses on clients: “Apply a primer first; choose a transfer-resistant makeup [like Dermablend Smooth Liquid Camo Foundation ($38, ulta.com)]; and [here's the surprise!] add a light-reflecting, loose-setting powder [like Dermablend Illuminating Banana Powder ($29, ulta.com)] to brighten and prevent makeup from creasing.” 

spinner image Bo Derek still luminous in full makeup; Paula Abdul looks lit from within even with real makeup.
Bo Derek still luminous in full makeup; Paula Abdul looks lit from within even with real makeup.
Getty Images; Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Choose primer that's not too slick and be stingy about foundation. Work in thin layers. The goal is not to totally camouflage every brown spot and discoloration but to blur them and minimize the contrast with your overall complexion for a more even yet still natural look that lasts.

spinner image Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick; Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Lip Color; Physicians Formula Velvet Liquid Lip
Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Lip Color; Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick; Physicians Formula Velvet Liquid Lip
Ulta; Maybelline; Physicians Formula

 4. Keep eyes and lips simple. Think easy and low-maintenance here. Use a primer or cream shadow in a color close to your skin tone as a base to give powder shadow and/or pencil a grip. Save the razzle-dazzle smoky eye for later and stick to a lighter neutral eye that depends on liner and mascara for shape. Swipe on lip balm since your kisser is vulnerable to the drying effects of sun and heat — it also works as a primer to avoid lipstick melting in nooks and crannies or caking — and Linter suggests a sheer or liquid lipstick rather than a full-coverage one.

spinner image Julia Louis- Dreyfus hair wavy and casually pulled back, simple soft makeup; Viola Davis glowing skin, glossy red lips, natural textured curls...fabulous; Helen Mirren in glow-y skin, rosy lips, cream blush.
Julia Louis- Dreyfus' hair wavy and casually pulled back, simple soft makeup; Viola Davis glowing skin, glossy red lips, natural textured curls...fabulous; Helen Mirren in glowy skin, rosy lips, cream blush.
Getty Images (3); Theo Wargo; Rich Fury

“I'm using Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick ($22, ulta.com) on lots of my mature celebrity clients; it stays fresh for many hours,” she says. My suggestions include Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Lip Color ($7-9, target.com) or Physicians Formula Velvet Liquid Lip ($8, target.com) in garden-like nude pinks, mauves, roses or reds. A bonus: The skinny tip makes liner totally unnecessary.

spinner image Susan Sarandon in air-dried wavy lob, white wrap top; Supermodel Christy Turlington looks radiant in natural makeup, simple lob hair; Olivia Colman in a chic short curly no-care crop; Geena Davis in a carefree choppy end lob.
Susan Sarandon in air-dried wavy lob, white wrap top; Supermodel Christy Turlington looks radiant in natural makeup, simple lob hair; Olivia Colman in a chic short no-care crop; Geena Davis in a carefree choppy end lob.
Noam Galai/Getty Images; Getty Images; Getty Images; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Bentonville Film Festival

5. Find a drip-dry haircut. Mark Garrison — an A-list hair stylist with his own eponymous NYC salon — has worked with grownup glamazons including Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Sandra Bullock. “Summer is perfect to find a new hair strategy — one that requires minimum heat styling and looks just as great with your natural texture. If you've been blow-drying and flat-ironing smooth, relaxing or doing keratin for a straighter look — stop. It may take time to get the right cut and get used to more bend, wave, curl or texture but this is where women — especially those with fine or thinning hair — benefit,” he says. “Step away from peer pressure and your past and get that high-maintenance hair idea out of your system.”

spinner image Cindy Crawford in subtle makeup and subtle highlights carries her broad brim straw too!; Paulina Porizkova in long natural hair- a grey-blonde mix; Vivica A. Fox in extra long faux braid- hair pulled into a topknot.
Cindy Crawford in subtle makeup and subtle highlights carries her broad brim straw too!; Paulina Porizkova in long natural hair – a grey-blonde mix; Vivica A. Fox in extra long faux braid- hair pulled into a topknot.
Getty Images (3); Rich Fury (r)

6. Keep those trims coming. If you're growing out your hair or already have long hair, summer can be a challenge. Hair is always driest at the ends, where splits actually move faster than growth at the roots, fraying further up the hair shaft in a matter of weeks. Pull medium to long hair back in a ponytail or knot at the nape using a hair-toned elastic or scrunchie (trendy again!) or plunk on a woven fedora or panama for style and sun control. And for a quick fix, just smooth all your hair back or up and add a fake braid — this year's must-have for sure.

spinner image Sandra Bullock shines in balayage highlights; Michelle Pfeiffer in natural wavy hair, ombre blonde darker at roots, scrambled part, white blouse.
Sandra Bullock shines in balayage highlights; Michelle Pfeiffer in natural wavy hair, ombre blonde darker at roots, scrambled part, white blouse.
Getty Images (2)

7. Get over your roots. "You shouldn't be chasing root regrowth every four weeks,” Garrison says. “Modern-looking hair color should look a little rooty and not one seamless color scalp to ends. Pros call it ‘color melt,’ where there's no obvious line. Balayage, or hand-painted highlights, keep darker tones at the roots, lighter toward the tips. They keep hair looking fuller and healthier while allowing roots to come in gracefully and stretching time between color procedures. They're also a smart alternative to all-over color and don't stress weakened fine hair but do still add physical bulk to the hair shaft for a thicker look and feel. You can also use the summer to embrace your silver and start the growing-out process — a real trend I'm seeing more."

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spinner image Jamie Lee Curtis in white hair that contrasts with her golden beige skin-tone; Halle Berry’s tousled hair is loosely pulled back with caramel balayage streaks; Kyra Sedgwick in casually pulled back hair- balayage honey blonde streaks.
Jamie Lee Curtis in white hair that contrasts with her golden skin-tone; Halle Berry’s tousled, loosely pulled back hair with caramel balayage streaks; Kyra Sedgwick in pulled back hair, balayage honey blonde streaks.
Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage; Amy Sussman/Getty Images; David Becker/Getty Images for Rand Luxury

8. Keep contrast between hair color and skin. When skin and hair color are similar in depth, you look washed out and features lose definition, a common issue in the summer. “If you color your hair and it fades from UV rays (important for blondes or grays with lighter skin tones) or you're a brunette and use self-tanner and bronzer, don't let your hair color match your skin,” Garrison says. You'll know when you're piling on more makeup, like brighter lips and more blush, to look good that the hair/skin tone is out of whack.

spinner image Julia Roberts in bendy tousled lob, glowing natural makeup and rose-tinted aviators; Julianne Moore, center part lob with choppy ends, sunglasses and black blouson summer dress.
Julia Roberts in bendy tousled lob, glowing natural makeup and rose-tinted aviators; Julianne Moore, center part lob with choppy ends, sunglasses and black blouson summer dress.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Jacopo Raule/GC Images

9. Use sunglasses as eye makeup. While a slightly shimmery eye in shades of bronze or golden taupe can restore a twinkle, don't be afraid to swap the waterproof mascara and crease-proof shadows for new lightweight frames with rosy or blue tinted lenses. Let the UV protection keep lids and corneas safe and add a major dose of cosmetic-like style in seconds. Donate old outdated frames (I don't care if they are Chanel or Dior) at any LensCrafters or Costco to recycle for those in need.

For more beauty and style tips for women age 50-plus, check out The Makeup Wakeup: Revitalizing Your look at Any Age by Lois Joy Johnson and Sandy Linter

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