Must-Know Beauty: How to Look Sexy—All Summer Long

From: Cosmopolitan

This is the best-ever season, but the high temps and humidity can bring challenges. Just in time, superfast solutions for common beauty bummers.

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There are a million things to love about the steamiest, sexiest months of the year: bare skin, natural highlights, vacation flings....But sometimes, scorching weather and frizz-inducing humidity can kill your looks. Keep your cool: We have the fixes for the seven most annoying only-in-the-summer beauty issues, including everything from smudgy makeup to super-rebellious hair.

1. Limp Locks

Your strands go all stringy...and stick to your skin like glue.

Fast fix: Mist on a dry shampoo that soaks up excess moisture. Look for an easy-to-use aerosol spray version, and aim the nozzle at your roots to give your tresses an extra lift. We like Samy Dry Shampoo.

Prevention plan:

• Oil spreads through our hair faster in the summer, so use a shampoo that controls moisture, like Biolage Scalptherapie Cooling Mint Shampoo. Blow-dry, then rub on hair powder with a nonsticky finish. Aveda Pure Abundance Hair Potion, builds volume and matte texture with silica granules, says NYC hairstylist Jim Crawford.
• Pat your neck and shoulders with an oil-free toner. It'll absorb sweat so your hair won't stick to your body, says Giorgio Armani Beauty national creative director Tim Quinn.

 

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2. Chia-Pet Hair

It just grows...and grows...and grows in the humidity.

Fast fix: Touch up the frizzy spots with a dab of leave-in conditioner or pat on a silicone infused hair sheet — both will tame the dryness that makes hair puff up, Crawford says.

Prevention plan:

• Rub a hair serum or jojoba oil onto your strands at night. Even if you shampoo it out in the morning, the extra conditioning treatment will keep your locks sleeker all day. 
• Use an antifrizz spray before and after blow-drying so it really penetrates. "This will form a protective wrap around the shaft so that wetness can't get in and make strands swell up," explains celeb hairstylist Samy. "New formulas with ingredients like wheat proteins are extra moisturizing but light enough for multiple applications."

 

3. Bunch Bangs

Your bangs clump in weird ways, thanks to the humidity.

Fast fix: "If your bangs are driving you crazy, get them off your face," advises Crawford. "Pull
them back with a headband, then twist the ends into the rest of your hair and mist with hair spray to blend everything in."

Prevention plan:

• Comb an alcohol-based gel through your bangs postshower. It'll give them hold, plus the alcohol will nix grease that makes them stick, says celeb stylist Adir Abergel. 
• Tame the tips. "A little product, like a  lightweight wax, pinched on just the ends of your bangs will act like an anchor, keeping them from forking in the middle or going all wonky midday," explains Crawford.

 

4. Makeup Meltdown

Whatever you applied to your face earlier starts to streak by afternoon.

Fast fix: "Use an oil blotter to absorb sweat where it shows without wrecking the rest of your makeup," advises L.A. makeup artist Jake Bailey.
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Prevention plan:

Rub on makeup primer as your skin lotion. It'll smooth any creases on your face, and gel formulas actually cool your skin on contact as they wick away oil, says Quinn. Try Smashbox Anti-Shine. Use an extra layer on areas that tend to get greasy, like your forehead and nose. 

 

Make your foundation work harder. The new "whipped" formulas go on superlight but last all day (without settling into pores or turning sticky). Top that off with a light dusting of a sporty face powder that absorbs perspiration, like Prescriptives Magic Liquid Powder. 

 

Now is not the time to go nuts with products. Just keep things simple: You can skip the cream-based eye shadows since they have a tendency to Instead, blend a navy or olive eyeliner out from the bases of your lashes over your lids. "The wax helps color stay put," says Quinn. Coat on waterproof mascara or just dab some clear lip balm on your lashes to make them glisten subtly.

 

5. Stubborn Body Shimmer

You wanted to look hot in a skin-baring dress, so you went a little overboard on the sparkles.

Fast fix: When the shimmer won't budge, blot skin with a damp paper towel to wash away as much as possible. Next, when skin is totally dry, press a piece of adhesive tape over the area to pick up the sparkly particles. Finally, buff your skin with a clean powder brush to redistribute and fan out any leftover glitter so it isn't as noticeable, advises Quinn.

Prevention plan:

• Choose shimmer with light-reflecting particles (mentioned on the label) as opposed to glitter. "Your skin will dazzle, but it will look believably lit up from within, not covered in obvious speckles," says Quinn. 
• Mix a bit of luminizing fluid into your body moisturizer or sunscreen. "This hides imperfections but looks sheer, natural, and just sexy enough," explains Quinn. Smooth it over legs and arms before getting dressed.

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6. Boob Breakouts

You have some unsexy acne right in your cleavage.

Fast fix: If you're in a low top, cover blemishes using a concealer with zit-busting salicylic acid.

Prevention plan:

• Don't let sweat pool between or under your breasts, since that's the primary cause of zits in the summer, explains NYC dermatologist Heidi Waldorf. "In the shower, wash with a soap containing salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to blast away the bumps," she adds. 
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• Apply a light layer of acne-fighting cream or gel before bed, when it has a chance to sink in. Concentrate on breakout-prone areas (such as under your breasts and in the middle, where your bra sits).

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7. Stinky Feet

You've had shoes on all day, and your feet are hot and smelly.

Fast fix: Sprinkle on an absorbent powder, like Certain Dri Feet Microsponge Powder. If you don't have it handy, a bit of face powder or baby powder will do the trick too.

Prevention plan:

• Carry a cooling foot gel, and massage it on a few times a day while taking a break from shoes. You can also pat your feet with a face-blotting sheet in the bathroom, explains Dr. Waldorf. Look for a blotter with a subtle fragrance to counteract any stench! 
•  Apply your underarm antiperspirant on your soles at night (when your skin will best absorb the ingredients) to reduce sweating the next  day, recommends Dr. Waldorf.

 

See more at: Cosmopolitan