We’ve still got two days left in February, so technically, it ain’t summer yet. But hey, who’s counting?! It's been so hot the past few days that I'd say it's right about time to switch up our make-up routine to make it smudge-proof and sun-proof!

During the hotter summer months, I prefer to take it easy on the heavy make-up and keep au naturel.

Starting with the face, I do a few, light dabs of my Innisfree Long Wear BB Cushion to even out, conceal, and protect it from the harmful rays of the sun. This BB cushion is skincare, sun protection, and make-up in one, so it cuts down prep time significantly. I especially love BB creams or cushions during this time of the year because you get the benefit of several products by using just a single one. Less layers of product = less chance of a make-up meltdown! This brand is only available locally via resellers. I got mine from my trusted online reseller, US Beauty Outlet. They offer a wide array of imported brands at the very best prices! Be sure to check out their Facebook and Instagram pages, you won't be disappointed. :)

I never forget my eyebrows, no matter what time of the year it is. For summer, since I do want as minimal products on my face as possible, I'll just fill-in my brows really lightly with my Happy Skin Eye Love View Eyebrow Duo (pencil side only) Filling in your brows even the tiniest bit makes a huge difference. I really can't stress that enough. It's like night and day!

In the picture below, you can see I've filled in only one brow. (It's my right brow, but when you're looking at the picture, it's on your left.) Cover one half of my face and just look at the side with filled-in brows. Now, do the same to the other side. See how much more defined the side with filled-in brows look? Filled-in brows frame and give more focus to the face!


 After my brows, I'll do my lashes as I normally would. Any eyelash curler will work, just be careful not to squeeze the handle too hard, or you might damage your lashes. Just do a few gentle squeezes on your lashes - one squeeze at the root, one in the middle, and one at the tip of your lashes to get the most natural-looking curl. Once I'm happy with the curl, I'll put on a few coats of my favorite mascara, Maybelline The Falsies Waterproof. The curved brush adds lots of volume and length minus the clumps so you get thick, gorgeous, fluttery lashes. Oh, and it’s waterproof, too! So this will last throughout the heat, sweat, and humidity, and you'll never have to worry about raccoon eyes ever again!

For me anyway, summer ain't summer without bright colors! And since I tend to go light on my make-up, I prefer to do just random pops of color on either my lips or my nails! This way, everything stays nice and light while still being interesting. :) For my lips, I love using my Peripera Tint Markers – I have the hot pink and orange shade. The stain itself is pretty opaque, too, so you get beautifully-tinted lips all day (and night) long! What I love most about these markers is the packaging. You know how they say something is SO KAWAII? These are SO KAWAII, right? Right??? And since it's in marker form, you can totes bring this anywhere with you to retouch, even if it's just in your pocket! The line offers a wide range of colors too, all perfect for the summer, so check them out. This brand is available locally only via resellers, so if you're an Asian beauty junkie like myself, check out Koreana PH on Facebook or Instagram. They carry practically every Korean beauty brand you can think of. :)

 For nails, I go pretty neutral throughout the year with taupes and nudes and tans. Year-round, the color I go back to again and again is Orly Country Club Khaki. Looks boring in the bottle, but looks so good and sophisticated on! If I want something a little bit more glam, I'll go with Orly Rage, which is a gorgeous metallic rose gold. This stuff looks like liquid metal on your nails! Looks so, so glam but still quite neutral. In the summer though, I like to experiment with bright nails. In my mind, it's the only time I can ever justify wearing crazy colors without actually looking crazy. Mint greens and Tiffany blues are always popular during this time of the year. I think it looks so fresh especially when paired with just a plain white tee. My all-time fave bright polish for the summer is China Glaze For Audrey. A lot of brands now have their own version of a Tiffany-blue polish, but For Audrey was one of the first in the market, and is still one of the best for me. It's not too blue, not too green, just purrrfect! So reminiscent of our favorite blue-green box! Check out ZALORA's nail polish in a range of pretty colours. You can find imported brands like Orly, China Glaze, and Sephora there. Imported nail polish brands are pretty accessible locally in stores, but lately, I've been loving doing my shopping online because it's so convenient!

Unfortunately, I can't show you actual swatches of these polishes as I'm still trying to grow my nails out. But I will show you a photo of how the make-up looks on! Natural light, no Camera 360, no filter whatsoever, promise!


You can see that the BB cushion gives medium coverage so that it blurs out my imperfections pretty well, but you're still able to see my skin shining through. The lip tint looks super natural on. I just did a quick swipe for a light, natural, orange tint, but you can certainly build this up for a bolder, brighter look! The best part about this make-up look is that it feels super light! Barely feels like you've got any make-up on, which is what I prefer especially in the hot summer time. And even though it feels like nothing, it's certainly long-wearing. I took this picture after I had been out for three hours running errands, and it looks like I had just put on my make-up! The only part I retouched was my lip color because I had just eaten prior. Zero blotting and retouching on any other part! :)

I hope you're having as much fun as I am ringing in the summer. Have a great weekend! ❤