I woke up wishing I was on holiday this morning. There weren’t any viruses to worry about, no freaky headlines on the news, or piles laundry to fold, no meals to plan. Ah…

When I dream of vacation, it normally involves a beach, ‘cause I’m a sand, surf and sun girl.

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I like ALL THE tropical PLACES, and I’m equally delighted at remote, out-of-the-way secret beaches that are only easily accessible by rickety rope ladders as I am at Disneyland-like resorty beaches with all the accoutrements, including a big umbrella, a comfy chair, a clean shower room and a snack shack. (Gimme all the snacks!)

Walking down to Hideaways beach on Kauai
A play on sheen, shimmer and shine

You know how when you’re at the beach on a hot day, you’re always kinda sweaty, even if you’re just sipping on strawberry shave ice? Well, that’s what I was aiming for with the base in this look. I wasn’t going for “sweaty” necessarily, but rather glistening. There’s an all-over subtle sheen on the skin (thanks, Charlotte Tilbury flawless Filter), paired with bright, shimmery spots beaming from certain areas — the inner corners of the eyes, in particular, and the bridge of the nose. Then, there’s just the faintest amount of shine on the lips, thanks to a bright reddish coral lippie with a creamy finish.

I know I talk about “Char’s” flawless Filter all the time, but really, it’s that good. I like it just as much as I ever have, and I still routinely say, WHAT THE hell kind of MAGIC is in HERE? when I blend it in and look in a mirror.

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If you’ve tried it and didn’t like it because you felt like the opalescent finish made you look sweaty, try setting it with a face powder that has a matte or demi-matte finish. For this, I’m a massive fan of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. and Chanel’s loose powder is good with flawless Filter, too. Both temper the sheen a tad for a purrfect glow.

Cue the contrast

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Did ya notice the matte lids and lash lines? Yup, that’s on purpose. I wanted a flatter finish on those areas to play against the intense inner corner highlight, and I’m wearing shadows from the new wander appeal Wanderess escape Palette, which has a mix of matte, shimmer and glitter shadows in warm, summer time shades of brown, bronze, gold and peach (there’s also a pop of teal in there). If you’ve ever fallen in love with any of the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess palettes, I think you’ll like it.

Makeup worn in this look

EYES: wander appeal Wanderess escape palette (Sunkissed in crease, nude beach all over lid as base, Overnight smudged on lash lines, Moonlit and Daydream applied wet in the inner corner to highlight), MAC Coffee liner (lash and water lines), Laura Mercier Caviar Mascara

LIPS: urban Decay Vice Lipstick in Tryst

CHEEKS: hourglass Radiant Bronze Light (bronzer), NARS appeal blush (blush), MAC whisper of Gilt extra dimension Skinfnish (highlight on upper cheekbone and down bridge of nose)

BASE: Charlotte Tilbury flawless Filter set with MAC MSF in medium Golden, Estee Lauder double wear 24H Concealer

Your friendly neighborhood appeal addict,

Karen