It’s finally summer! The weather outside has been unbelievably gorgeous, so let’s get inspired and get gorgeous too! This is a makeup tutorial inspired by my day laying around like a lizard on a rock and taking inspiration from the colors around me 😉
People here in Montreal go absolutely crazy in the summer since we spend nine months out of the year in a frozen tundra. The minute the sun peaks out and the gloom starts to lift, everyone flocks outside and stays there. Restaurants move their tables to the sidewalks, cars are eschewed for bikes, and parks are blazing green seas that people congregate in from sunrise to sunset. The smallest patch of grass will have someone laying on it, and every flower is breathed in and appreciated. As a makeup artist I’m always on the lookout for inspiration, and summertime in Montreal is a very rich palette to draw from.
Let’s start with the beautiful blue skies, Etude House Play 101 pencil in #37 is the perfect shade match. A warm blue leaning toward turquoise, it’s a fun way to add some color to your eyes. Do a regular neutral eye with a shimmering gold eye like 3CE Glam Cream Shadow, a quick application with a finger or brush over the eyelid will do. Then use your pencil to draw a thick line along your lid. Blend slightly with your pinky finger using the gentlest of pressure, or lightly buff with a puff or sponge eyeshadow applicator. This will give you a sexy smudge rather than a harsh stripe of color.
I’m a makeup artist, but not necessarily a model. Fortunately, my friend has model behavior and is showing off her fresh Summer Goddess look.
Next, go over the blue line with a thin line of black liner sticking as close to your lashes as possible. If you want it to have a more 1960s flare angle your liner upwards into a cat eye. For the black eyeliner I love Tony Moly Backstage Gel Liner in #01 Black. It’s the most durable, easy-to-work-with gel liner I’ve ever tried and it’s never let me down. Clio Waterproof Pen Liner is also a great product if you prefer liquid, and gives you serious staying power in the sun, carrying you into and through the night.
One of my favorite things to do is lay in the grass at the architecture park behind my apartment building. Here in Montreal we have grass for such a short time, I like to celebrate the lushness with a pretty green shadow. To keep it from falling into the darker autumn category, go with a light and shimmery, airy green, such as Etude House’s new Play Tropical Look At My Eyes Jewel shadow in #GR704. Another option is the more acid green offering from The Face Shop, Lovely Me:ex You & Eyes #15 Green Picnic. This green reminds me of brand new shoots budding from a plant.
And don’t let the heat melt those pretty colors! Lock that shadow in place with Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer. I used to be an Urban Decay Primer Potion devotee until discovering the Proof 10 Eye Primer, now I’m a full convert!
Speaking of night, summer is full of evenings out on the terraces of bars and restaurants in my city. I like to wear a bold, bright lip on nights like these. Clio Lipnicure Glass in Born to Kill with a golden eye make the perfect pairing (almost as perfect as me and a cocktail ;). The golden cream shadow adds a gorgeous gild to your lids, while the deep pinky-red glassy shine of the Lipnicure adds daring sophistication to the lips, calling blooming geraniums to mind.
And finally, what’s summer without a bronzer? Since we’re all good little boys and girls and wear our sunscreen regularly (right? right??) we need a little help from our makeup to get that golden bronze that marks this time of year.
Clio Art Blusher in 03 Light Brown will give your cheeks and forehead a light summery sheen, perfect for reflecting light and shimmering in the sun’s rays. For extra glistening sparkle, add a squirt of  3Ce’s Face Glow in Bondi Beach, a beautiful dewy bronze liquid cream formulation. This creamy highlighter can be applied with a duo fibre stippling brush or with a gentle tapping of your fingers, right along the tops of the cheekbones and orbital bones are great places to highlight.
If you’re looking for a matte option I like both Innisfree Mineral Shading in 08 Choco for a deep, matte shade suitable for both contouring or bronzing, and The Face Shop dual Shading Pact in 01 Dark Brown+Beige Brown.
Contouring can be sort of intimidating. If you want to stick to the basics, buff in a soft swipe of contour in the hollows of your cheeks. To find your hollows suck your cheeks in and make a fishy face, it looks silly but it works 😉 It’s also hard to mess up with these products, they’re not so heavily pigmented that you have to worry about looking like a drag queen in the daytime (unless that’s what you’re going for, then honey, go for it and turn the sidewalks into your runway!). More good news, both options are budget friendly, so you can spend more money on other cosmetic goodies.
The sun is out, and you should be too! Let’s go soak up the sun while looking like the summer goddesses we are.
Love and beauty,
Coco Park <3
Coco Park, a.k.a. The Beauty Wolf, is on the prowl for beauty in all its forms including, but not limited to, makeup, art, and hip-hop. She’s a cityslicker from the South living in Montreal with her family. Catch @thebeautywolf on Instagram.
