Makeup Bag Musts To Transition From Summer To Fall

Summer may technically still be in effect, but most of us can hear the proverbial fat lady warming up in the wings, ready to belt out the season’s final aria. See, we’re tiptoeing into that transitional period when morning are cool enough to merit a light jacket or sweater and yet afternoons call for playful dresses, rompers, and sandals.

So how do you maneuver through the changing of seasons when it comes to your beauty essentials? What items should you stow away come September and which should you continue to keep handy? Below, you’ll find a list of goodies that work nicely for both summer and fall, making them must-haves in any savvy gal’s makeup bag!

Make Up For Ever Uplight Face Luminizer Gel, $29. Available at Sephora.com

Over the last year, cosmetics companies have been bombarding us with illuminating creams, serums, and tints that promise to deliver a lit-from-within glow. But, even after you’ve turned up your complexion’s dewiness factor with the likes of Estee Lauder’s Idealist Even Skin Tone Illuminator, Tarte’s Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Illuminating Serum, or MAC’s Prep + Prime Beauty Balm, you may want to highlight specific sections of the face for even more radiance. The new Make Up For Ever Uplight Face Luminizer Gel helps you accomplish this feat. Available in eight shades, this oil-free luminizer has a 70% water content, which explains its lightweight consistency and how easily it seems to sink into the skin, so that any color applied to cheeks, lids, lips, or collarbones will easily blend in and yield a seamless effect, as if that were your skin’s were natural tone. The mango butter in the formula, meanwhile, moisturizes and soothes skin.

I’m currently smitten with the Uplight 22, a mauve-tinged light pink color with cool undertones and a nacreous yet milky finish, and Uplight 23, a nacreous nude tone with gold and bronze overtones. Check out swatches of these shades here and light up your life!

Korres Quince Moisturizing Lip Butter Glaze, $14. Available at Sephora.com

I’ve often extolled the wonders of Korres Lip Butters (my obsession with the Korres Jasmine Lip Butter is well documented), so I questioned whether the new Lip Butter Glazes would meet the high standards established by their predecessors — after all, as a  hard-headed Taurus, I can be quite resistant to change. To my surprise, the Lip Butter Glazes actually outshine their lip butter ancestors! Available in Wild Rose, Pomegranate, Jasmine, Quince, and Raspberry, these tinted lip balms come in handy squeeze tubes that make for an easier and more hygienic application process (no more digging into jars with potentially dirty fingers). And, of course, they’re packed with powerful antioxidants, vitamins, and humectants. The Lip Butter Glaze in Quince, for example, features potassium- and calcium-rich sugar cane extract, which helps lips to retain their moisture; anti-inflammatory and hydrating quince extract; and pomegranate fruit sterols to protect your pout from free radical damage. As an extra treat, this particular glaze has a creamy, sheen-packed magenta tint that’s succulent and mouth-watering.

 

Hourglass Cosmetics Prodigy Hydrating Lip Gloss in Heroine, $26. Available at Sephora.com

Not only does the Hourglass Cosmetics Prodigy Lip Gloss come in a futuristic-looking squeeze tube with a sleek metal cap, but it’s also enriched with vitamin E so as to keep your pout soft and supple. The recently introduced Heroine shade packs as much sheen as a mirror tipped towards the sun and the sheer baby pink color perks up any complexion. Check out a swatch of the sheer pink gloss. Don’t you feel like you need a Heroine fix?

 

Yes To Cucumbers Facial Towelettes, $5.99. Available at Walgreens, Target, and Duane Reade

These gentle towelettes feature cooling cucumber extract, soothing green tea, hydrating and calming aloe vera so that they never feel abrasive or irritating, but don’t think they’re too meek to perform their job — thanks to the Dead Sea minerals in the formula, each all-natural, biodegradable, cloth towelette effectively removes sweat, dirt, and makeup, both exfoliating and cleansing skin. Plus, since they’re alcohol-free, they’re suitable for even the most sensitive of skin types.

Bite Beauty SPF 15 Sheer Balm, $19. Available at Sephora.com

Once you’ve tried one of the lip products in the Bite Beauty line, you’ll yearn to sink your teeth into more of these Reservatrol-packed goodies, which boast anti-aging benefits while coating lips with sophisticated, versatile colors in different consistencies, textures, and finishes. When you’re going for an easy breezy natural look, try the Bite Beauty SPF 15 Sheer Balms, which are formulated with cooling organic mint oil and refreshing blood orange oil, a moisture-delivering Liposome complex and, of course, high doses of skin-firming, wrinkle-smoothing Reservatrol. Available in eight shades, I’m currently loving the Burgundy shade, a creamy, semi-sheer wine color with hints of plum; and the Violet hue, a lilac-tinged, ultra-light peony pink shade. Check out these swatches of the Burgundy and Violet balm shades — don’t you want just one more bite?

Beauty For Real Cheek Tint & Luminizer in Goldrush/Afterglow and Get Lit/In The Pink, $35 each. Available at BeautyForReal.com

Each of the two cream-based Beauty For Real Cheek Tint & Luminizer duos in the brand’s Summer Love collection are enriched with anti-aging ingredients like: vitamin E, which delivers free radical protection and conditions skin; grape seed extract, rich in flavonoids that are particularly effective in fending off environmental aggressors and retaining skin’s youthful appearance; pomegranate extract to boost the colors’ longevity and protect their lightweight consistency; and Luminera, a diamond core complex that transforms harsh UV light into blue light, thereby illuminating the skin and reducing the visibility of any wrinkles, fine lines, and discolorations.

The creamy tints are packaged in compacts with swing-out trays and built-in mirrors, so that you can access both shades in each compact simultaneously and mix and match as needed. Though the shades glide onto skin effortlessly due to their ultra-emollient, creamy consistency, they transform into more of a powder substance once they dry on the surface of the skin.

The Goldrush/Afterglow duo features a bronze base (Afterglow) and a gold luminizer (Goldrush), while the In the Pink/Get Lit duo features a rosy pink base (In the Pink) and a soft, nude-ish pink luminizer (Get Lit). You can mix both colors together and apply to cheeks or you can start with a base color and layer the luminizer above it to accentuate cheekbones or the apples of cheeks.

Check out the Afterglow/Goldrush shades here and the In the Pink/Get Lit colors here.

 

Fresh Brown Sugar Lip Polish, $22.50. Available at Sephora.com

Even if you regularly apply the amazing Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment (one of our all-time faves) onto your pout, there are times when everyone’s mouth gets a bit scaly and flaky. To remove these dead skin cells and reveal a smoother pucker, exfoliate lips with the Fresh Sugar Lip Polish, which relies on brown sugar crystals to slough away these pesky flakes. Jojoba seed oil, meadow foam seed oil, and grape seed oil provide free radical protection and condition lips, while shea butter infuses moisture into this tender skin.

Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick, $19. Available at Sephora.com

Those of us who love intense color swear by the Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick range, an ever-expanding collection of matte, pearly, and satin lip colors that contain 50% more pigment than traditional lipstick formulas for a va-va-va-voom effect. Not only are these colors full-bodied and decadently rich, but they last all day thanks to a mix of vegetable waxes like candellia, rice, and beeswax, and they keep your pout moisturized thanks to a combination of ceramides, sterol, and nylon powder, so that lips remain smooth and color retains its vibrancy well after the initial application.

I’ve become a hoarder when it comes to these lipsticks since their pigment pay-off is unparalleled, but my latest obsessions are the No. 36 shade, a creamy magenta pink with a satin finish, an the No. 40 shade, a tangerine orange with a satin finish and an even, all-over sheen.  Check out how deliciously bright the Rouge Artist Intense Lipstick looks in the shades 36 and 40!

Senna Cosmetics Metallic Eye Color in Malachite and Vivid, $16.50 each. Available at SennaCosmetics.com

Technicolor bright shades dominated makeup counters during the summer season, and these two mineral eye shadows perfectly captured the trend. Fortunately, however, you won’t have to stash them away come fall. Because they lean toward the jewel tone range as opposed to the neon spectrum, the Malachite and Vivid eye colors from Senna Cosmetics capture the regal, demure, sophisticated looks of autumn.  The Metallic Eye Color in Malachite is a deep green shade with forest green undertones, while the Metallic Eye Color in Vivid captures the intense purple overtones of the amethyst stone. You’ll fall in love when you check out swatches of these gem-inspired colors.

Colorescience Pro Lip Shine SPF 35 in Coral, $25. Available at Dermstore.com

This apricot-tinged, champagne-meets-copper-meets-coral color complements a wide range of skin tones and works beautifully for natural, neutral-based looks. The zinc oxide in the formula delivers SPF 35 protection, while Palmitoyl Oligopeptide moisturizes and protects lips from free radical damage, and spearmint essential oil cools and soothes. Here’s what the Coral shade looks like on skin!

Burt’s Bees Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm with Kokum Butter, $4. Available at BurtsBees.com

Formulated to deliver four hours of hydration, this new lip balm offering from Burt’s Bees includes a higher ratio of natural butters to vegetable waxes for a stronger moisture power punch. In addition to cocoa and shea butter, this all-natural lip balm features kokum butter, a conditioning and soothing ingredient extracted from the fruit of the kokum (Garcinia Indica) tree found in the central eastern region of India. Rich in palmitic, linoleic, oleic, and stearic acids, kokum butter softens, replenishes, and protects the pout. It may not taste as yummy as the Rejuvenating Lip Balm with Açai or the Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango, it delivers on its “ultra conditioning” promise.

 

Votre Vu Bébé Duette Luxe Lips & Hand Cream 2-Pack, $39.50. Available at VotreVu.com

Between the sweet almond tart smell of the softening and moisturizing Luxe Hands lotion, with its coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, shea butter, grape seed oil, jojoba oil, aloe, and wheat protein content, and the melts-on-your-mouth consistency of the Luxe Lips balm, I can’t get enough of Votre Vu’s travel-sized Bébé Duette. The Bébé Duette’s ingenious packaging make it twice as appealing — after all, the lip balm is pressed inside a second flip-top cap directly attached to the lotion’s own lid.

C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint in Magenta Mint, $7.50. Available at BigelowChemists.com

This mint-infused lip balm not only calms and soothes your pucker, but it freshens your breath, so you’ll never have an awkward pause before a romantic kiss. The sheer magenta tint, meanwhile, draws just the right amount of attention to your supple lips.

Visine Total Eye Soothing Wipes, $6.99. Available at mass food and drug retailers.

If beads of sweat start trickling down the side of your nose; dirt, dust, or sand falls into your eyes; or your eyes feel itchy and irritated, reach for one of these moist, round Visine wipes, which cleanse this sensitive area with Coco-Glucoside, a synthetic surfactant produced by combining substance coconut oil-derived ingredients with and fruit-derived glucose, which effectively sweeps away impurities. A combination of eight moisturizers, meanwhile, hydrate the area around the eyes for greater comfort and relief. Though they can technically be used to remove makeup, I’d suggest using a product billed as a makeup remover for more stubborn cosmetics like waterproof mascara and eyeliner. But, when eyes need some quick relief, look no further!

Senna Cosmetics Light Tricks, $22. Available at SennaCosmetics.com

“Light Tricks” is the perfect name for this dual-ended pencil, which works its magic before you can even utter the words “Alakazam!” One end of the pencil features a thin, pointed, pearly vanilla tip that can be used to line upper or lower lids or to add a hint of illuminating, eye-opening color to the inner corners of eyes. The broader, champagne-colored tip ont he opposite side of the automatic pencil, meanwhile, helps to highlight the brow arch for greater definition.

 

NYX Round Lipstick in Haute Melon, $4. Available at NYXcosmetics.com

Known for high-quality cosmetics at bargain prices, NYX recently released 24 new shades of its best-selling Round Lipstick, a long-lasting, creamy, mineral-based lip color. My favorite new shade is Haute Melon, a cantaloupe-tinged, peach-meets-blood-orange color.

Smashbox Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss SPF 15 in Eternity, $22. Available at Sephora.com

This light bronze lip gloss hue really does pack an eternity’s worth of use — it’s perfect to complement sun-kissed skin during the summer months and ideal for adding some razzle-dazzle during the fall and holiday seasons, when gold, bronze, and copper metallic tones take the throne. As an added plus, the Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss boasts SPF 15 protection, and its slanted, sponge-tip wand makes the application process clean and easy.