The winter has taken a toll on my spirit and my skin. Not only do I feel pale, dull and dreary but my skin looks it to, which is why I put together some of my favorite items to use to prepare for the warmer weather and get bronzed and beautiful! In New Jersey the weather can be very fickle, one day it is snowing and then the next it’s 60 degrees. All I know is I cannot wait to have some warmer days to get a little tan and feel more youthful and sun kissed. In the meantime these are some of my favorite beauty products to help get ready for the warmer weather and beautiful skin.

I love all things rose gold, pink and glittery so as you can imagine my makeup, perfume and jewelry all follow this palette. I always tend to go more towards gold than silver when it comes to jewelry since it matches and works well with my skin tone, even when I am winter-pale. Right now my favorite perfume to use is Chloe Love Story. It’s got such a pretty scent like the original Chloe but with a subtle softer fragrance. I love this for any time of day and it’s a perfect addition to my collection.

When it comes to bathing suit I always recommend checking out H&M because they always have adorable mix and match pieces for great prices. I got this top at the H&M in Las Vegas when I was there on vacation and it was such a great find. I love that it has removable straps to allow me to sun bathe without tan lines! I also love these aviator shades which I picked up at Forever 21 and I am a big fan of their sunglasses because I tend to either lose mine a lot, scratch them up or break them. At least if they get destroyed I haven’t lost a few hundred dollars down the drain.

I love using the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue either alone as my only foundation routine or a drop mixed in with a more medium to full coverage foundation. This is a tinted moisturizer with SPF broad spectrum which is a must year round. I love how this makes my skin feel moisturized, dewy without looking oily. It also gives me just enough coverage to head to the beach without being “that girl” with a ton of makeup on while sun tanning. As for lipsticks I have been loving the beautiful colors from Colour Pop Cosmetics which are a liquid matte finish. They have a wide range from dark and vampy to light and nude. I have a few of these and they are great to use alone or paired with lip liner.

Next up is from Cocoa Brown and it’s their new products called Golden Goddess and an instant bronzing gel. I have used Cocoa Brown self tanner before and loved the results. I am a big fan of self tanning, which is a rare thing in NJ since we are known for our tanning bed obsessions. I will admit in my 20’s I went for way too many visits to the tanning salon, but in my late 20’s I gave them up. I still wish I never went into any of them, but moving forward I make sure to do my tanning from a tube or from the real sun and always cover my face! These products are great to have a nice glow any time of the year and they don’t have any strong smell or leave any streaks behind.

If you are looking for a bit of highlight on your cheek bones I highly recommend the NYX Liquid Illuminator liquid or High Beam by Benefit Cosmetics. Both work very well and one is found in the drug store and one is a bit pricier but both give off a great glow!

The spring and summer are always a great time to stock up on some sun hats and I love wearing them on the beach or to the park. I usually can find these at a local TJ Maxx or even Forever 21 and love having the option to use these to protect my face from the sun. It’s important to protect your skin from sun damage now, if you don’t you will regret it later that’s for sure. The last item I am loving is the highlighter and illuminating powders by HourGlass Cosmetics. These are absolutely gorgeous for highlight your cheek bones, nose and brow bone. They have the most beautiful glow and look flawless and natural in any light. Their Ambient Light palette is to die for and I am going to add that to my list of ‘must haves’ this year.

I am looking forward to the beach and sun, now all I need is for spring to get here and then the warmer days will be ahead. Until then make sure to take care of your skin, self tan if you’d like to add some color (avoid those beds!) and find makeup that will help to highlight your beautiful skin.

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