05-07-2025
27 Lightweight Beauty Products For The Summer
CoverGirl's Yummy Blur Lipstick, which is designed to roll on as a balm and dry matte, giving you the best of both lippie worlds. This gives a smooth, diffused finish for a step above the "no makeup makeup" look. If you're going for a minimalist, easy-to-maintain summer beauty routine, this is a must!
And a tinted lip balm that's eerily close to the same magic as "Black Honey," TikTok's beloved $25 ~universal shade~ from Clinique, that it will genuinely startle you — especially when you see the price. This is a perfect, non-sticky "go-to" lippie, giving the perfect subtly polished effect.
Catrice "Instant Awake" Under Eye Brightener, which became the internet's holy grail — now in four shades! — for concealing and brightening dark circles under your eyes so fast that everyone's old concealers are doing double takes. This lightweight color-adapting formula is designed for truly ~invisible~ coverage that makes a drastic difference.
E.l.f.'s Holy Hydration! Thirst Burst Drops, another home run from the brand's moisturizing "Holy Hydration" line that reviewers are comparing to the $35 Watermelon Dew Drops from Glow Recipe. This lightweight formula is designed to brighten and plump skin for a dewy effect, whether you're wearing it alone, applying it under your makeup, or mixing it with your foundation.
A travel-friendly SPF 50 Airy Sunstick Smoothing Bar, a K-beauty staple with a curved balm stick style that makes it super easy to apply, and a nonsticky, white cast–free formula that plays ABSURDLY well with makeup. If you're looking for a lightweight "soft matte" sunscreen to protect your skin, this is your new BFF.
And La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 40 Tinted Sunscreen, aka the "holy grail" of tinted sunscreens — reviewers love this lightweight, buildable formula so much that a lot of them replaced their foundation with it altogether. If you're in the market for some subtle but effective coverage that won't get goopy or settle in pores, this is your sunscreen match made in heaven.
Plus Hawaiian Tropic's SPF 30 Mineral Powder Sunscreen Brush, aka your scalp's BFF this summer — reviewers don't just swear by this for face coverage and a protective setting powder, but for protecting their hairline without their hair getting goopy from sunscreen scalp sprays or regular sunscreen lotion. Bonus — this is a heck of a lot cheaper than its competitors, like the $35 Supergoop and $36 Brush On Block!
A cult-favorite Persian Garden fragrance rollerball with warm florals, ocean air, and light amber that reviewers compare to Glossier's $78 "You." This is from TikTok-famous small business brand Kuumba Made, known for its luxury scents at ridiculously affordable prices, so you know they're on their game — reviewers especially love how clean and long-lasting this sweet but elevated fragrance feels, and how nicely it plays with other scents!
E.l.f. Sheer For It Blush Tint, the $5 answer to the beloved $26 Benetint that does just as brilliant of a job despite costing five times less. This flush of pigment for your lips and cheeks is perfect for those lightweight, "no makeup makeup" looks that are especially key on a day when the sun is showing no mercy.
And a multipurpose blush stick reviewers compare to the $18 Pixi Beauty version — this version may be cheaper, but it's also easily buildable, blendable, and perfect for that light, dewy, "kissed by a happy pink cloud" look.
MagicMinerals AirBrush Foundation, which lives up to its name and THEN some — one quick spray of the foundation on the included brush, and it glides so smoothly and subtly over your skin texture that you'll feel like a makeup artist did it for you. Reviewers in their thirties, forties, and up especially swear by this lightweight but effective formula, and love that it's ridiculously easy to use.
Laneige's Neo Blurring Powder absorbs oil and blurs pores so effectively that you'll be like, " Might be the only explanation for how this can matte-ify your complexion while still keeping it radiant and glowy ✨.
Billion Dollar Brows Eyebrow Powder fills in your brows as naturally and realistically as the $23 Anastasia Brow Duo version for less than half the price. Reviewers are stunned by how effective this is and how long it lasts, especially at such a low price point.
First Aid Beauty's Facial Radiance Pads, a set of compostable (!!) beauty prep pads you can use before putting on makeup to gently tone and exfoliate your skin, making it the ultimate primer for getting the most out of your foundation. Bonus — unlike a lot of toning products, these are super gentle and sensitive skin-friendly!
Live Tinted's Huestick Corrector, which is a 4-in-1 eye, lip, and cheek multistick designed to neutralize dark spots and circles to help even out your skin tone before you use concealer or foundation. You can also use it as a buildable blush or lip color because it is truly a beauty MVP.
L'Oréal Paris Makeup True Match Lumi Glotion designed to enhance your skin's natural glow ✨ — perfect for anyone who wants a lightweight alternative to foundation or just a lil' extra low-effort, ethereal shimmer in their lives.
And Essence's Drop of Sunshine Bronzing Drops, aka the more affordable version of the beloved $39 Drunk Elephant version. This buildable, hydrating formula is an easy way to add a ~sunkissed touch~ to your beauty routine without breaking the bank (or compromising your skin!).
L'Oreal Paris Infallible 3-Second Setting Spray Mist so darn phenomenal at its job that one reviewer calls it "hairspray for your face," and several compare it to the $34 One/Size setting spray at triple the price. This ultra-fine formula sprays on lightly and leaves a natural finish, but just one spray is designed to LOCK IN your look for 36 hours.
Catrice's Magic Shaper Face Cream Palette as an $8 alternative to the $88 (!!) Makeup Forever Palette. This includes a range of highly-pigmented, super blendable shades to help you contour, highlight, and bronze on days when your Gcal just say "GO GO GO" all the way down. (Psst — this is the same brand behind the TikTok-famous $6 Under Eye Brightener, so you know they mean business!)
A limited edition (!!) Eos Marshmallow "Super Balm" lip treatment from the brand's "secret menu" so good that reviewers say it's better than Carmex for healing and better than Summer Fridays for quality. Lip care that also tastes like you're perpetually eating a s'more for less than $5?? My friends, life is good.
E.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter that looked at the iconic (and expensive) $49 Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter and said, "Game on, pal." Not only does this give that dewy, soft, "barely there" finish, but it's designed to hydrate your skin with hyaluronic acid, helping improve your moisture barrier for long-term glowiness, too.
And Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind concealer, an inexpensive lightweight concealer for anyone who wants to quickly touch up before meetings or walks around the neighborhood, but doesn't want to commit to a whole layer of foundation. This also helps cover dark circles without caking and reduces puffiness.
The iconic Alleyoop Pen Pal, which features four quick, easy-to-use products in one tiny package. Each of the three pens comes with a curated color palette of four retractable colors to touch up brows, eyeliner, lips, and highlights, so you've got an entire quick makeup arsenal in the palm of your hand.
L'Oréal Paris BB Cream, a FAST-acting, anti-redness moisturizer with results that feel like legitimate magic — especially considering its competitor, the Dr Jart+ Cicapair Color Correcting Cream, is over twice as expensive. Reviewers especially love this as a base for their makeup, because it leaves skin super soft and primed.
A reviewer-beloved Mane Club 10-in-1 leave-in spray that honestly deserves its own theme song, for the amount of work it's putting in. Its unique formula of cannabis sativa seed oil helps it condition, detangle, heat protect, prevent breakage, hydrate, smooth, soften, control frizz, boost shine, and strengthen your hair, and keeps it nongreasy to boot.
Wet n Wild's Megaglo Blushlighter, the ultimate in two-for-one deals — the luminous shades of this combined blush and highlighter are designed to perfectly complement each other, so you don't have to do any color calculating yourself.
Essence's "What the Fake!" Plumping Lip Filler to give your lips a lil' extra ~vavoom~ — this tingly formula not only volumizes your lips, but it's made with hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to leave them extra moisturized and hydrated.
