Summer is in full bloom now, which means you’ve probably changed up your beauty routine with the weather. Good work! Maybe you swapped heavy lotion for something lighter, or picked a fruity floral perfume instead of a heavy, spicy one. But did you think all that much about your lips?
Your lips are important, girl! You’re gonna use them all summer to flirt, sip drinks, kiss cute boys at weddings and all that fun stuff. In the summer, it’s easier to wear less makeup; I usually do brows, bronzer, a little mascara and a bright lip. That’s it. Maybe you’re wearing more hot pink lipstick to match your tan, but there are a few extra necessary swaps you should know about.
1. Lip balm with SPF. Have you ever sunburned your lips? IT HURTS. Sunburn in general hurts pretty bad, but especially on your mouth. A lot of lip balms do contain SPF, but I don’t want anything too medicinal screwing up my flirting game. If I’m going to the beach, I like to use Hurraw! Tinted Lip Balm in Black Cherry for just a teeny hint of color. Their coconut scent is yummy too, and Hurraw! lip balms are organic, vegan and raw in case that’s a concern for you. Just don’t leave them in your car like I did or they’ll melt everywhere. If you wanna be fancy, I like the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment, also with SPF 15. The berry shade is my favorite, but they come in others like Rose, Honey and basic, colorless Original.
2. Gloss that your hair won’t get caught in while you’re driving with the windows down. Ugh, there is nothing more I hate than goopy, sticky lipgloss. I HATE it. I spent my teenage years slicked down with heavy layers of Lancome Juicy Tubes and Clinique’s nasty-tasting gloss – never again. When I wear gloss now, I’m super picky about it. At the drugstore, I reach for L’Oreal’s Colour Caresse Wet Shine lip stain, which is exactly what it sounds like: a glossy stain that’s a great, cheap dupe for the way-overrated and expensive YSL version. There’s a definite glossy shine with this product, but it won’t grab your hair if it’s flying all over while you’re screaming along to the car radio with the windows down. Revlon’s ColorBurst lip glosses are pretty good dupes for my favorite expensive glosses from NARS, too.
Glossy lips look super sexy with a good tan; my favorite shade is NARS’ pinkish-gold sparkly Super Orgasm, or perhaps the orange-red Wonder when I want a little more color.
3. A weightless, matte liquid lipstick. I can’t handle my favorite Ruby Woo in the summer. Lately I’ve been lovin’ on Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick in Melted Ruby or Melted Berry. They’re really lightweight and heavily pigmented. A teeny dab gives you a sexy “just ate a popsicle” stain and more intense application gives great color that will last for a few hours. This stuff was my lip color of choice at the last wedding I attended, and it got me through the ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner before I needed to reapply. I may have gotten it all over a male wedding guest too …
If you want a lip color that’ll get you through an entire day at the beach, though, you need Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge liquid lipstick. That shit is like PAINT. It will NOT budge no matter what you do with it.
4. A lip exfoliator. You should exfoliate your lips in winter AND summer to keep them soft. Flaky lips don’t look cute. You can do this in a variety of ways: with a wet toothbrush, a damp washcloth, a paste of sugar and coconut oil … otherwise, you can just buy one. I like elf’s super-cheap and functional Lip Exfoliator, which is way cheaper at Target than on Amazon. :) There’s avocado and shea butter in it to moisturize as it sloughs away icky, dry flakes. You’ll be a brand new woman afterward!
5. The classic. In the summer, buy a tube of Bonne Bell Lip Smackers in Dr. Pepper. The adorable little cheapie just SCREAMS summer. Tuck it into your cutoffs and pretend you’re your 12-year-old self running around in the sprinkler. Buy a couple and give them out to your friends; they’ll love the blast of nostalgia. 
