Five summer essentials you didn't know you needed

MANILA, Philippines - The heat was especially punishing during YStyle’s most recent trip to Batangas for a shoot. “I grew up in the Philippines, but every year, it always shocks me how hot it is each summer,” YStyle editor Bea Ledesma observed. If you’ve toiled in the heat this summer as we did during our shoot, you’ll know what we’re talking about: sweating buckets the moment you step out of the shower, beads of sweat appearing around your hairline and on your top lip as you apply makeup, the shower water from your hair dripping onto your shirt, making the existing pit stains on your blouse look even worse. We’ve all been there. Luckily, we’ve found five ways to make your beauty routine a little bit more sufferable.

Dry hair as you brush

If you want healthy hair, you have to let your hair air-dry. Unfortunately, that’ll leave droplets of water from your hair running down your top. If  you’re not the type to walk out of the house with a towel over your blouse to absorb the moisture while your hair dries (I accept that not everybody has as little dignity as I do), try Goody’s solution that promises to reduce overall drying and styling time. Goody QuikStyle Paddle Brush reduces drying time by 30 percent with its super-absorbent microfiber bristles that wrap around wet hair like a towel to absorb water with every stroke.

BB Cream designed to match your skintone

The more time you spend in front of the mirror applying products on your face, the less fresh you’re going to look by the time you’re out the door. Cut your prep time with Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35. Offered in three natural-looking, skintone-correct shades — Fair, Light and Medium — this lightweight, easily buildable formula evens out and gives skin a lit-from-within glow. Developed for customers who want a product with serious skincare and makeup benefits, this all-in-one cream perfects and smoothes skins instantly and over time. Skin is filled with moisture as oil and shine are kept at bay. Plus, SPF helps protect skin against UVA and UVB damage. In a short while, fine lines and wrinkles appear less noticeable, visible redness is reduced and pores appear more refined.

The most wearable lavender lipstick

Look made-up without going heavy on your makeup by applying a light layer of foundation on strategic areas of your face, then adding a pop of color to your lips. Pop star Nicki Minaj isn’t exactly our peg when it comes to summer beauty — her makeup’s always a little too thick for this humidity — but we can’t help but want to try out her latest shade for MAC. While dark, mulberry lips were seen all over Fashion Week, it’s pretty difficult to pull of in the daytime. However, her limited-edition Viva Glam Nicki 2 lipstick is an amplified pastel lavender pink shade, making it the most wearable hue of purple for summer. As with all Viva Glam collaborations, every cent of this lipstick’s selling price goes toward helping women, men and children living with or are affected by HIV/AIDS.

24-hour foundation

The humidity is a little bit more bearable at nighttime, but a gust of hot wind is enough to make your makeup melt or go oily. Following eight years of research, Lancôme unveils its first 24-hour-wear foundation, so you don’t have to sneak off to the bathroom every three hours to retouch your makeup. The perfect balance between light and satin finish, this long-wear foundation with Aura-Inside technology recreates and boosts your natural light and EternalSoft technology ensures that your complexion stays perfectly even.

The new breed of anti-aging formula

The healthier your skin is, the less makeup you’ll need (and the less oily your face will get mid-day), so pamper your skin before you sleep with Lancôme Advanced Genefique. Encapsulating biotechnologically derived ingredients, its new patented formula also feels incredible to touch, with visible improvement in the 10 measurable clinical signs of aging within seven days. In a week’s time, they promise diminished fine lines, smoothened wrinkles, radiance, clarity, evenness, improved texture, elasticity, tonicity, firmness and reduced sagginess.