With summer well and truly here, it’s time to reevaluate the makeup bag. The warmer months have always suited the minimalist look; think barely-there makeup to enhance the features and recreate a flawless, youthfully glowing complexion.

For a daytime look, pretty pastels are in and darker, deeper shades are best saved up for the cooler months. This look requires lightly done eyes, a barely-there lippy, but if there’s one thing you can play up on, its your blush: the perfect ‘flash of color’!

Why use blush you ask?

• When used correctly, using a blush gives the complexion an added glow. One clever sweep can literally take years off your face!
• Using blush is a great way to contour the face, and make it look slimmer than it really is.
• Blushes accentuate the cheekbones thereby giving the facial features more definition.

Being a makeup junkie, I am spontaneously using three different blushes, and love each one of them for their versatility. Here’s a look at what’s making me blush this summer:

Benefit Majorette

What’s not to love about Benefit products? Their packaging is so pretty! I’ve used a number of Benefit blushes in the past, all of which come in cardboard boxes. With their latest addition, Benefit has really upped the game with this super cute, macaroon-like plastic packaging. I raved about the Benefit Majorette packaging on Instagram when I just bought it, and I still think its way too adorable!

But how is the product itself you ask?

Majorette comes in one shade that goes with all complexions. It’s a lovely peachy-pink, and the color intensity can be done up or down depending on application.

I love its cream-to-blush formulation. It glides onto the skin beautifully, and turns into a light powdery form almost instantly.

Best of all, it smells amazing! Scented with pomegranate and peach, this blush is so girly-girl and as its compact enough to carry everywhere, it made it to my Khorfakkan trip last month 🙂

Guerlain Terracotta Terre D’Ete Tan Enhancing Bronzer

I’ve used the giant Guerlain bronzers before. I love the giant size of the compact, and even after my last one finished, it continued to live in my handbag as a handy mirror.

I recently upgraded to the Guerlain Terracotta Terre D’Ete Tan Enhancing Bronzer which is a Summer 2015 limited edition.

‘But this is a bronzer!’ you say. The debate over bronzers and blushes is never-ending. I belong to the camp that believes they are but the same, and only differ by color. A blush is essentially deeper, pinker/redder and go well on the cheeks whereas a bronzer tends to be lighter, have a hint of shimmer, and can be used for contouring all over the face and decolletage.

I for one am a big fan of products that can multi-task, and therefore like to pick shades that can be both a bronzer and a blush for me.

The Guerlain Terracotta Terre D’Ete Tan Enhancing Bronzer comes in one color palette, and it includes a subtle pink, a light brown and a hint of golden.

The white packaging was a bit of a shock for me. My last Guerlain compact was a translucent dark brown, more apt with the tanning capabilities of the product. The white packaging must be the brand’s new look for Summer 2015 as it translates into many of the other make-up products this season.

The compact has a characteristic Guerlain scent that to me resembles opulence, freshness and a woman ready to take on the world.

The light shimmery hue is ideal for daytime use, and for the office. And ofcourse, the huge mirror is a bonus in the bag!

YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush

A product that can multi-task? Yes please!

Yves Saint Laurent’s Baby Doll Kiss & Blush is an all in one lip color and blush.

This product comes in a number of shades, but I opted for the vividly pink in shade 3. I’ve been on a bright lippy high of-late, so this comparatively paler shade of pink is rather new to me and I’m loving it. I think it works wonderfully for the ‘barely-there’ summer look.

The YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush is a lazy girl’s dream come true. It glides on like a gloss and dries into a matt powdery finish that lasts beyond lunchtime.

Add a few dabs to the cheeks and voila! A blush as well! The versatility of the YSL Baby Doll Kiss & Blush makes it the perfect travel companion. I’m already contemplating on getting another shade!