Summer Beauty Favorites

I’ve been on a major beauty product kick lately. My favorite brands have been knocking it out of the park with their new releases, and I have found so many new products that are absolutely incredible over the past month. If you’re looking for a few new additions to your summer beauty routine, this post showcases the best new products on the market. Keep reading to see my June beauty favorites!

Essie Nail Polish in Coconut Cove*:  White nail polish is my go-to shade for summer, but it’s hard to find a formula that isn’t sheer and streaky. Coconut Cove by Essie is absolutely perfect. It’s a creamy white polish that’s opaque in two coats, and the staying power has been great so far. I love it so much that I’ve re-painted my nails three weeks in a row with this shade! It’s also available in a set of mini polishes if you’d like to have more variety.

Essie Nail Polish in Berried Treasures*: If color is more your thing, Berried Treasures is the perfect summer berry shade for you. It’s a pink-toned berry that’s bright enough to be bold without being over-the-top neon. It’s been my favorite pedicure color over the past month, and I think it will look equally beautiful in fall and winter.

Essie First Base Nail Base Coat*: I’m not sure why, but I’ve never tried Essie base or top coats until recently, and I definitely didn’t know what I was missing. First Base is a clear base coat that really grabs onto your polish. I’ve noticed that my manicures and pedicures are lasting longer than usual when I use this base coat in combination with the Gel Setter top coat.

Essie Gel Setter Top Coat*: This top coat has already made it to my top shelf! The thick gel formula glides on easily and leaves a shiny, gel-like finish that dries quickly.

SHOP NAIL POLISH

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop: When this product launched last year, I didn’t buy into the hype. The color didn’t seem too appealing to me online, and I was already in love with the other shades in the line. I have to admit that I was completely wrong. This highlighter is so beautiful, so universally-flattering, and so necessary for every woman’s makeup collection. I would bathe in this highlighter if I could. Ok, I might be exaggerating, but I am buying it for every woman in my family this Christmas!

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey*, Peach Glow, and Charming Pink: Can you tell I’ve been on a bit of a highlighter kick lately? I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Laura Geller in person earlier this year, and I fell in love with her and her brand. Laura is such an amazing woman, and her products are equally incredible. Gilded Honey deserves every bit of its hype, and after using it for a few days, I ran to Ulta and picked up two other shades in the collection: Peach Glow and Charming Pink. All three of these highlighters provide a heavenly glow, and they’re wonderful on their own or layered over a cream highlight. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they’re absolutely beautiful!

Marc Jacobs Beauty Glow Stick Glistening Illuminator in Spotlight*: Just as I thought I’d completed my highlighter collection, this bad boy came in the mail from Influenster. It’s honestly the strangest looking packaging. The highlighter looks like a tiny stick of very sparkly deodorant, but it’s absolutely beautiful. The cream texture isn’t too wet or sticky, and it blends seamlessly into your skin. It looks angelic on its own, but your highlight will shine to the heavens if you use this product underneath one of the two powder highlighters I just mentioned. Great formula, great packaging, great product!

Luxie Beauty Large Angled Face Brush #504*: I received this Luxie brush in a Glossybox a few months back, and it was love at first use. The pink and rose gold packaging is absolute perfection, and the bristles are supremely soft and expertly shaped. Since then, I’ve acquired a few additional Luxie brushes, and I’ve been impressed with each and everyone. I’ll do a full review soon, but until then, this angled face brush is my favorite. It’s the perfect size for blush and highlighter.

SHOP HIGHLIGHTERS

Sleek Highlighting Palette in Solstice*: It seems like EVERYONE is raving about this highlighting palette on YouTube, and I have to say…believe the hype! Sleek is a British drugstore makeup brand that ships to the US, and the quality and price point of their products are incredible. I’ve been impressed with almost everything I’ve used from their line, but this palette is on another level. The palette includes a champagne cream highlight, and three powder highlights in lavender, light gold, and peach. The texture and pigmentation are superb among all four shades, and each color can also double as an eye shadow. This palette is a fantastic value for the price point!

It Cosmetics Live, Love, Laugh Vitality Face Disc: You need this palette. Let me repeat myself. You NEED this palette. I received the Vitality Face Disc from It Cosmetics at last year’s The Blog Society’s conference in Charleston, and I haven’t stopped using it ever since. The bronzer gives you the most natural glow, and it blends like a dream. The blush is the perfect shimmery shade that mimics the natural flush of my cheeks, and the highlighter is what dreams are made of. My first Vitality Face Disc was so well-loved that I ended up using the entire bronzer and nearly all of the blush and highlight. As soon as the last bit of powder started crumbling, I ran to Ulta and bought a fresh new palette. While this product is amazing for your everyday makeup look, it’s absolutely perfect for travel! The bronzer and highlight can double as eyeshadow, so you really only need to bring foundation and mascara. Trust me, this palette needs to be in your collection!

bareMinerals bareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer*: Let me start off by saying that I don’t normally use liquid bronzers. In fact, I tend to avoid cream products; however, this serum bronzer is ah-mazing. Yes, it’s so good that it needs to be pronounced in two syllables: ah-mazing. bareMinerals has managed to bottle up the sun and put it in a pretty little tube. I apply a few drops of this serum bronzer to the back of my hand and use a small brush to buff it around the edges of my face, along the sides of my nose, and underneath my cheekbones. The sheer bronze shades adds the perfect summer glow and a natural contouring effect. The finish is so natural that you almost can’t tell you’re wearing makeup. You just look healthy, glowy, and tan. I’ve also had success mixing this bronzer into my liquid foundation for an extra boost of bronze on summer days. Bravo, bareMinerals!

The Estée Edit by Estée Lauder Flash Illuminator in Sunlight*: The Estée Edit is a new cosmetic range by Estée Lauder aimed at the millenial crowd, and I’ve been really impressed with everything that I’ve tried from the collection so far. The Flash Illuminator is a cream highlighter that can be applied on its own or mixed into your foundation. I’ve loved mixing the Sunlight shade into my foundation with a few drops of the bareMinerals bareSkin Sheer Sun Serum Bronzer. This combination somehow manages to replicate the effects of a day in the sun. While this product is lovely mixed into foundation, it’s equally beautiful worn as a primer underneath foundation or applied on top of foundation as a highlight. I am such a fan of this product, and I’m anxious to try the other colors!

Too Faced Sweethearts Bronzer: When summer begins, I go through bronzer like nobody’s business. I’m a naturally fair girl, so I like to acquire anything/everything that will help me achieve the perfect summer tan without the damaging effects of the sun. This bronzer completely surprised me. I was immediately turned off by the shimmery appearance online, but I saw so many of my favorite YouTubers raving about this product. I headed to Sephora to swatch the product for myself, and it was love at first swatch. While the color seems shimmery in the pan, it doesn’t translate on your face. It simply leaves a natural-looking tan with the slightest bit of natural radiance. Seriously, such a bronzer.

Becca Luminous Blush in Camellia: Becca has done it once again. Their Luminous Blush range is just as smooth and pigmented as their famous highlighters, and I have fallen in love with the shade Camellia. It’s the perfect mid-toned pink, and it instantly brightens your complexion. I’m head over heels for the formula, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the other shades will be in my next Sephora order.

SHOP BRONZERS AND BLUSHES

It Cosmetics Serum Collagen Veil Anti-Aging Primer*: This primer was another product that I discovered at The Blog Society’s conference last year. This primer has the most delicious orange blossom scent, and the formula leaves your skin feeling velvety soft. While it does makes your foundation apply like a dream, it’s also packed with amazing skincare ingredients. If you’re in the market for an A+ anti-aging product that works well under makeup, you need this primer!

It Cosmetics CC+ Cream Illumination SPF 50+: The original It Cosmetics CC+ Cream is one of my holy grail foundations, and I nearly lost my mind when I saw that they’d launched an illuminating version as well. I immediately grabbed a tube when I saw it on display at Ulta, and I’m so happy that this product is in my collection. It has everything that I love about the original formula (great coverage, SPF 50+, beautiful finish) plus a bit of extra luminosity. This product is fantastic for everyday wear, and it really shines on summer vacations. I wore the It Cosmetics CC+ cream every day on a recent Caribbean cruise, and my face was smooth and sunburn-free even after long hours in the sun!

Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer: This foundation might be my new favorite at the drugstore. It’s insanely pigmented, and the packaging is perfection. Makeup brands, please take note: put a pump on your foundations like Milani! I like to mix one pump of this product with a moisturizer or the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue to achieve a slightly more natural look, but it’s amazing on its own when you need full coverage. I’m really, really impressed with this foundation.

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream in Wheat*: I’ve loved using this product over the past year, but I was thrilled to see that they recently added new shades to the collection. The new shade in Wheat is a perfect color match for me at the moment, and the lightest gel cream texture couldn’t be better for summer. This tinted moisturizer provides light coverage to slightly blur your skin’s imperfections, SPF 30, and a cooling gel texture that’s addictive. I love wearing it on its own, underneath powder foundation, or mixed with a high coverage foundation. This product is definitely a must-have for summer days where I want to wear natural makeup!

SHOP FOUNDATIONS

Fiona Stiles Artist Eye Shadow Quad in Topanga*: As soon as I saw the Fiona Stiles line released at Ulta, I was dying to try out a few things from the line. I was thrilled when I received this eye shadow quad in a surprise shipment from Ulta! This eye shadow quad features four of my favorite colors for summer: a slightly pearlescent cream, a subtle taupe shimmer, a darker russet brown, and a deep burgundy/bronze shimmer. The deepest shade is a bit powdery, but honestly, the color is worth the extra trouble! The other three shades have a really great texture, and I love the finished look. I took this palette with me on vacation, and I was able to create several beautiful looks. You can combine the two lightest shades for a natural daytime look, the two darkest shades for a russet bronze smoky eye, or all four shades to create your own custom look. I’ll definitely be checking out the other quads in the line!

Stila Tartelette in Bloom Eye Shadow Palette: Michelle, you were right. My dearest cousin kept telling me to buy this palette, and I kept resisting because I already owned the original Tartelette palette. The Tartelette in Bloom palette couldn’t be more different, but it’s equally awesome to its sister palette. The quality of the shadows is incredible, and the shade selection is phenomenal. The metallic shades seriously made me gasp the first time I swatched them. This palette creates everything from the most natural no-makeup makeup to a dramatic smoky eye. It’s perfect.

The Estée Edit by Estée Lauder The Blackest Liner*: I will always be a felt-tip liquid liner kind of gal. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t get into applying liquid liner with a brush. Especially when this felt-tip version makes the process so easy! This liquid liner’s marker format makes creating a cat eye a piece of cake, and the formula dries to a matte finish in seconds. The finished look doesn’t budge all day long, but it can be removed easily with makeup remover at night. This liner gets an A from me!

Benefit Gimme Brow: This product is a longtime favorite that’s been repurchased at least two times. My brows are naturally full, but I have a few random bald spots that I like to camouflage. This tinted gel cream features the perfect amount of pigment mixed with fibers to fill in bald spots and tame your brows without leaving a crunchy residue. It might be the world’s perfect brow product. Heads up – the packaging recently changed, so it will look different in stores.

It Cosmetics Superhero Elastic Stretch Volumizing Mascara: I am very skeptical when it comes to mascaras. We’ve all seen the ads where mascaras claim to increase the volume of your lashes by 3000%, and it’s always obvious that the model is wearing false lashes in the ad. Well, I stumbled across this mascara on a recent trip to Ulta, and the before and after picture was impressive – but believable. I’ve had such a fantastic experience with all of the It Cosmetics products I’ve tried in the best, so I decided to give this product a try. This mascara works wonders, and it deserves it’s Superhero name. If you like thick, long, and dramatic lashes, this is the mascara for you. I’ll be doing a round-up of my favorite mascaras with before and after pictures next week, so you’ll be able to see this bad boy in action!

It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe No-Tug Dual Eyeshadow Brush*: This brush was another find from The Blog Society’s conference, and it’s since become a daily necessity in my beauty routine. The fluffy side of the brush creates a flawlessly blended crease, and the short side of the brush is perfect for lining the upper and lower lash lines and adding intensity to the outer corner of your eye. I can’t live without it!

SHOP EYE MAKEUP

It Cosmetics for Ulta Live Beauty Fully All-Over Powder Brush #211: Can you tell that I’m a fan of the It Cosmetics brushes? Their All-Over Powder Brush is another brush that is a beauty routine essential. It applies powder unlike any other brush that I’ve ever tried, and the bristles are so soft you’ll want to blend your makeup for hours. I swear it makes any powder work twice as well!

Laura Geller Double Take Baked Versatile Powder Foundation in Light: Speaking of powder foundations, this new release from Laura Geller is my all-time favorite. You can see full review of the formula and photos of the medium shade here, but I recently picked up the light shade as well. While this product is a powder foundation, it does not leave a powdery finish. It smooths in your skin and leaves behind the most beautiful finish. I like to apply it with the It Cosmetics All-Over Powder Brush for a lighter coverage, but you can also apply it wet or dry with the included sponge for a full-coverage finish. SO good!

It Cosmetics CC+ Airbrush Perfecting Powder SPF 50+ in Light: This product is my second favorite powder of all-time. It provides sheer to full coverage depending on how you apply the powder, and I love that you get SPF 50+ protection with each application. I keep it in my purse at all times, so I can always get an extra boost of coverage and sun protection. This product is a lifesaver during the summer!

Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Ashley*:  I had an immediate connection with this lipgloss based on its fabulous name, but the formula and color are solid too! I’ve always loved the Buxom lip range, and the shade Ashley doesn’t disappoints. It’s a sandy nude lipgloss packed with shimmer, and it’s perfect for plumping up the center of your lips or adding an extra dose of pizzazz to a matte lipstick. In addition to being a gorgeous gloss, it also provides a light cooling sensation and gives off a delicious caramel scent.

Buxom Full-On Lip Cream in Bellini: The Buxom Full-On Lip Cream formula is creamy and smooth as butter on your lips. The shade Bellini is a gorgeous peachy nude that plumps your lips, and I’ve been wearing it non-stop this month. It has the same cooling sensation as the Lip Polish, but the scent is lighter and a bit more fruity. If you’re looking for the perfect nude gloss, this product is for you.

It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush in Je Ne Sais Quoi: The Vitality Lip Flush was the first It Cosmetics product that I ever tried, and I’ve been hooked ever since. This product is an intensely hyrdating lip balm that nourishes your lips, and Je Ne Sais Quoi is a clear shade that transforms into your perfect pink. After the balm wears off, you’re left with a pretty pink stain that lasts for hours. You can also re-apply the product later in the day, and you’ll get a slightly darker pink shade. I wear this product all the time, and without fail, someone always asks me what lipstick I’m wearing. I’m on my second tube, and I’m sure it won’t be my last!

*: You can listen to me rave about this product and share swatches of every color in the collection here, but in summary: these are gorgeous, highly-pigmented liquid lipsticks that smell like butterscotch. They’re gorgeous!

SHOP LIP PRODUCTS

The cutest makeup brush holder from Target – it shows a blushing girl with fluttery eyelashes! So cute! | Summer Beauty Favorites by beauty blogger Ashley Brooke Nicholas

Threshold Ceramic Cup Pencil Holder Trinket Dish: Last, but certainly not least, is this cute little gal from Target. I saw her blushing cheeks and fluttery eyelashes in the office department, but I knew she was really meant to hold makeup brushes. She’s so cute!

As you can see, I’ve really been loving these products over the past month! If you’re looking for a few new additions to your summer beauty routine, I think that you’ll love any/all of the items I mentioned in today’s post. Be on the lookout for a post on my skincare favorites next week!

What are your June beauty favorites?

SHOP MY BEAUTY FAVORITES:

Products marked with an * were sent by PR for consideration, and affiliate links are used in this post. As always, I only share products that I truly love!