Summer Date Night Beauty Favorites and Clutch Essentials

July 12, 2016

Summer is in full swing and I thought I’d put together a roundup of some date night beauty favorites for the season. I like to keep things on the makeup side soft and shimmery – pretty much the same as everyday kind of colors but add more on the eyes. A good neutral lip can give a nice polished look and will go with every color of outfit. A good classic red, coral or bright pink lip can add more oomph to your look – if you like a good bright classic, I think the best color and formula right now are from the Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips and Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo lines. If you’re a neutral lip lover, read on for my top picks.

First a note on clutches and pouches. Finding a good classic flat zip clutch is harder than you would think.
For as long as I can remember I’ve been into the simple classic
streamlined zip pouch, but being petite at 5’3″ it’s hard for me to find
one that isn’t too large. I’m forever looking for good classic options. The envelope style is pretty chic (one affordable option featured in this post here also eyeing this nude blush one here) but for some reason my heart belong to the flat zip ones.

My two most-used clutches are the Clare V Leopard Clutch (8″ H x 11″ W) and Truffle Privacy Clutch (6 1/2″ H x 10 1/2″ W). Small compact coin purses or card cases are also essentials for me. Any kind of textured leather makes wallets more sturdy and last longer, the Chanel classic quilted caviar is one of my favorites. The Tory Burch Robinson Coin Case is actually more like card case but also works as a more affordable option but still extremely well made and sturdy.

The best date night fragrances for me, some come in the tiny roller ball or small spritzer version to fit inside a clutch:

Diptyque L’Ombre Dans L’Eau which comes in a limited-edition travel size for summer. It’s the fragrance version of Baies candle which I was surprised works well as perfume and has a mix of blackcurrant leaves and rose.
Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb is the ultimate date night fragrance (travel spray was taken with me on my summer trip). For daytime I feel like it’s more of a fall/winter fragrance, but I think it’s amazing for summer nights. It’s a hard one to describe but the notes are bergamot, tea, freesia, jasmine, orange blossom, orchid, rose, patchouli.
Chloé Eau de Parfume is another favorite, I have a small bottle, but you can find it in a travel size as well, it’s another classic floral with notes of Pink Peony, Freesia, Lychee, Magnolia Flower, Lily of the Valley, Rose, Cedarwood, Amber, Honey.
For those who want something more unique, Byredo is always a good option. I bought the Discovery Set over the holiday which has a sampler mix of scents. It’s been discontinued but the current version is the Floral Discovery 6 Piece Set which has Blanche, La Tulipe, Bal D’Afrique, Inflorescence, Flowerhead and Rose Of No Man’s Land. I highly recommend the travel/discovery sets. It’s a great way to try out different ones without having to splurge on the full size bottle. Another option is the Nécessaire de Voyage Eau de Parfum Travel Set which has Black Saffron and Blanche with a case.

For eyes I like shadow sticks because they’re easy to apply and blend with the fingers. They’re great for touch ups or if you’re on the go and compact enough to carry in a clutch if you don’t have time to go back home to fix your makeup for date.

I like a good shimmer for the eyes because it dresses them up a bit whether it’s to add highlight or deepen with a golden smokey shade. Favorites shown and swatched below include:

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Frozen Quartz a metallic high frost cool pink
Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick in Rose Gold my most-worn all over base color that adds a nice sheen to the lids alone
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Shadow Stick in Golden Pink which is indeed long wearing and has a bit more glitz and shimmer compared to the Laura Mercier Rose Gold
Burberry Eye Contour Shadow Stick in Pale Copper which is the perfect warm bronzey shade I’ve ever found
By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock a shimmering purple mauve
Burberry Eye Contour Shadow Stick in Midnight Brown which is a medium to deep shimmering brown with silver shimmer
MAC Pro Longwear Shadow Stick in Soft Steel a shimmering cool brown

For lips, I’m all about the soft pink and peachy shades. Current favorites shown below to mix and match or layer:

Shown above but not swatched:

Dior Addict Lip Glow in Coral (swatched here)
Dior Addict Lip Glow Pomade is pretty much clear on my lips, it didn’t turn my lips pink like the stick version but has a nice moisturizing balmy feel

Swatched below:

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Very Victoria (swatched on lips here)
Tom Ford Ultra Rich Lip Color in Revolve Around Me (review here) is the best nude of the season
YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil in Stick in 44, 47 and 42 (all swatched on lips here)
Edward Bess Deep Shine Lip Gloss in Lover’s Desire is one of the prettiest peachy pinks
Edward Bess Lip Definer in Barely
Edward Bess Lip Definer in Natural
Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo in Script is an effortless neutral (swatches here)

For pressed powders, the two I’ve been reaching for the most include the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Powder in No. 20 and Clinique Stay Matte Sheer Pressed Powder in Stay Neutral. I’ve been on the hunt for a good retractable brush that’s flat but not too small and I finally found one from Hakuhodo which is the H611 Portable Brush. It’s soft and fluffy and super compact. If you don’t need a powder to touch up, but want a good blotting paper to carry to absorb shine, the Tatcha Blotting Papers are the best ones I’ve tried (details on why they’re the best in this review here).

That rounds up my summer date night beauty favorites! As always I’d love to hear what you love to wear and/or carry with you. If you have any favorite clutches or zip pouches – please share! One last note, shoes featured are from Ann Taylor.