During the summer months, I start wearing less makeup. In the bright sunshine outside, a lot of product on the face will look really unnatural, so I tend to stick with some essential products and skip the rest.

Depending on activity, I will either wear tinted moisturizer or else just a little concealer. If I’m doing a lot of stuff outdoors I just wear sunscreen and concealer (and I’m super-vigilant about my skincare to try to keep things blemish-free). If I’m going to be in and out (or at work) I’ll wear tinted moisturizer. I’m in love with Stila’s Oil Free SPF 30 formula. It looks very natural on the skin, not “makeup-y” at all.

Summer is my favorite time to wear cream blush. Unlike powders which can seem to “sit” on the skin (and look particularly unnatural in bright sunshine), cream blushes blend in seamlessly and look very natural. Nyx makes a nice one, as does Shiseido and Becca.  Cheek stains would also look nice, but I haven’t explored them much.

I always have to have mascara, so after curling my lashes I apply Bourjois Yes to Volume.  This is probably my favorite mascara of all time! The comb separates the lashes so they look perfect. This mascara is my secret weapon for making my eyes look bigger.

I like to wear lip gloss or tinted lip balms in the summer, so I swipe on Sally Hansen Lip Butter or any of the gazillion glosses I own. I usually stick to sheer pinks, peaches, or berry shades. Nothing too dramatic, but I still like some color on my otherwise pale lips.

Sometimes I like to sweep Stila’s Illuminating Finishing Powder over my face for extra fun. The sparkles catch the light but aren’t too crazy. I usually avoid my beloved Clarins loose powder because again, too much powder looks unnatural in bright sunlight. But the sparkles in the Stila powder are fun and it’s not very “powdery” but rather just a sheer veil.

Summer makeup is fun, but I’m looking forward to fall. A lot of the new fall colors are starting to come in, so look for an excited Claire squeal-fest about those soon!

I am in love. ecoTOOLS are a new line of makeup brushes that are affordable, made with renewable resources, and are great quality. What’s not to love?

The brushes in question are made with bamboo handles. In addition to looking cool, bamboo has a low impact on the earth’s resources, since it is a highly sustainable plant that can grow up to 4 feet daily. The ferrules (the metal part connecting the bristles to the handle) are made from recycled aluminum cans. The bristles are made of synthetic taklon fibers.

The important factor for me is the fact that the bristles are cut properly to apply makeup evenly. I didn’t used to prefer synthetic bristles – I was always in the “animal hair is better” camp. But I think the ecoTOOLS powder brush has convinced me otherwise.  It is a soft as silk (my animal hair brushes are starting to get rough) and applies powder as evenly as my animal hair brush.

The foundation brush is really great too. Most foundation brushes are made with synthetic bristles anyway, so why pay more for a similar brush that isn’t made from renewable resources?

All together, the ecoTOOLS line is definitely worth investing in, and you can’t beat the price. I think they are truly the first line of makeup brushes I’ve found at drugstore prices that are worth buying (most of them are not worth even the low prices they sell at). You can find them at Walgreens (and for you other Oregon gals, Fred Meyer).

Poor blog… it’s been neglected again, since I got really busy with work. I’ve also been exercising more regularly, a habit that is also taking up more of my time. But regular exercise makes us more healthy, and a healthy Claire is a more beautiful Claire, so I’m doing a 5 things: workout version.

Here are five things I’m finding indispensible in this new venture.

1. An Enell sports bra. I can’t remember where I heard about Enell, but let me tell you this is the sports bra to end all sports bra. It’s totally indispensible to large-busted gals like myself. Nothing else comes remotely close to providing the support this bra does.

2. rykä shoes. rykä makes shoes specifically for women, and they rock. No squished up toes, no slipping in the heels. I have the Intensity X13 model and they’re great.

3. Suave deodorant/antiperspirant. The invisible solid formula works like a charm, is really inexpensive, and the Tropical Paradise scent smells really good.  I’m not a stinky beast at the end of my workout.

4. Good music. Right now I have Andy Hunter’s Life album on my MP3 player. It totally rocks – the fast beat and great melodies really make it easy to push myself while doing cardio.  The Pet Shop Boys make good music to work out to also. Actually, any dance music with a good beat is awesome.

5. Earphones that actually STAY on my ears. The ones I use aren’t expensive (I’m sweating all over them, after all) but they are effective. I have these Sony ones.