I was never a girl who wears makeup to the beach. But since my obsession with makeup progresses, I started thinking, why not? It takes only a few minutes to do a light beach makeup that will elevate your entire look. If you know how to choose the right waterproof and sweatproof makeup, beach makeup is super simple and lasts all day long.
In this post, I share some of my tips as well as favorite products that will help you to create your best beach makeup ever!
Never Forget Sunscreen
I might sound like a broken record, but if there is just one thing you learn from reading this blog is to always wear SPF and with no exceptions. It’s the most recommended strategy by every dermatologist that I’ve talked too and for a good reason. Basically, without wearing sunscreen, your skin ages faster — and who wants that?
I know that for many people avoiding sunscreen, the main excuse is that SPF products are greasy. My response to it would be, if you think, so you just haven’t found the right product for your skin.
For the last decade, I’ve experimented with so many sun-protective lotions, sprays, and serums that I feel confident recommending you some of my all-time favorites. But again, it’s up to you to re-apply SPF every few hours.
High-end sunscreens that are worth your attention:
My favorite drugstore sunscreens:
Powder Your T-Zone
I’m not using blotting paper that much, but I always have a mineral powder on hand. The powder works the same in terms of absorbing the oil.
I love the idea that a mineral powder contains SPF which adds an additional level of sun protection and looks so much better in photos.
Mineral powders to try:
Skip on Blush, Use a Bronzer Instead
I used to avoid a bronzer at all costs as it often looks muddy on my paper white skin. Instead, I would apply blush with sun-reflecting pigments. Lately, I’ve changed my strategy because wearing too much blush on the beach looks unnatural.
In fact, every time I look back on my old beach photos, it looks like my cheeks are burned. Because of the amount of blush that I’m wearing. This time around, I’m all about bronzers—but very light ones, that are designed specifically for pale skin girls like me.
Best bronzers for pale skin girls:
- Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer in Hoola Light
- Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzer in Light
- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Nude Bronze Light
Ditch Eyeshadow, Go Big on Lashes
Another makeup product that you don’t necessarily need on the beach is an eyeshadow. I know, it looks so pretty when you match the color of your swimsuit with an eyeshadow. But with all the swimming and re-applying sunscreen, wearing eyeshadow is just not practical.
This vacation season, I’m skipping on the eyeshadow at all and concentrate on finding the best volumizing waterproof mascara. Big lashes are always a great idea, and it’s an even better one when we are talking about the beach beauty.
My favorite waterproof mascaras:
The Eye Brow Strategy
Finally, the only feature of your face that is worth applying full makeup on is eyebrows. Trust me: even if you are not wearing eye makeup at all and don’t bother to apply lipstick, defined eyebrows will make your entire face look fresher and put together.
There are not many waterproof brow products out there, but I rounded up a few that proved to work for me. I hope you find on this list some of your new favorites.
These are my go-to durable brow products:
And if you are looking for a clear brow gel, consider one of these:
Avoid Lip Gloss, Use Tinted Balm Instead
One of the major beauty pet peeves for me is a sticky lip gloss. Especially, when I’m wearing my hair down. I just can’t stand when my hair sticks to my lips and ruins both my makeup and a hairstyle. It’s a bit too much to wear liquid lipstick on the beach though so I found the solution to avoid both of those lip products.
This vacation season, I’m wearing either a non-sticky tinted lip balm or a lip stain that looks more natural than a lipstick and doesn’t leave a weird sticky finish at all.
Lip balms to consider:
Illuminate Strategically
In my humble opinion, there is no better place to wear highlighter than the beach. This illuminating beauty product brings the dimension to your face and makes it look naturally glowing and illuminated.
The trick here, of course, to find the right type of highlighter that looks great in natural lighting and offers a beautiful, subtle glow. No worries though, after years of experimenting I finally found a few that work perfectly in natural lighting conditions.
These highlighters look great:
- Pixi Beauty Glow-y Powder in Santorini Sunset
- Benefit Watt’s Up! Cream-to-Powder Highlighter
- Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Duo
That was is with my best tips and tricks on what type of makeup to wear on the beach. I hope these recommendations were helpful for you and you were able to learn a trick or two. Let’s discuss any beach beauty tips and tricks that you know in the comments.
