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Celeb Makeup Artist Carrie LaMarca's Top Summer Beauty Hacks

Summer is hands down the best (and betchiest) season for many reasons: day drinking, tans, cute summer clothes—I don’t need to convince you. But let’s be honest, summer has its downsides. It’s the little things, like feeling the need to shave every five seconds because your legs are always on display, and then shaving so much you end up irritating your skin, and having those awful bumps around your bikini area. The worst. It can also be really tricky to navigate how much makeup is too much at a beach party. Also, a sun-kissed glow may be easy for some to achieve naturally, but for others, it can end in a disaster (sunburn). I am the latter. Since we deserve to flaunt what we’ve got in the summer without botching our skin, we asked celebrity makeup artist Carrie LaMarca, who has worked with top models like Ashley Graham and Emily Ratajkowski, for her best summer beauty hacks.

What are your top tips for achieving glowing, smooth skin?
Glowing skin is my favorite, and there are several steps I take to achieve that. One: drinking lots of water is key! Second, I strongly advise using a power serum. Mad Hippie’s Vitamin C serum is my current must-have product. It evens out your skin tone and brightens and plumps fine lines all in one, leaving your skin supple and glowing. Finally, I always make sure that my face is free of any “peach fuzz,” because this helps your foundation to go on super smooth and even. For this, I love the Clio Beautytrim, a personal facial groomer, which is super gentle and small enough to keep in my makeup bag. 

What’s the one thing we should be doing this summer to avoid ingrown hairs, bumps, and redness?
A big way to avoid ingrown hairs is to exfoliate before you shave. It helps to soften and loosen the hair, making it easier to get a clean, smooth shave. For bumps and redness, it helps if you use witch hazel on the area after shaving, and follow up with a light moisturizer.

What’s the one item you have to have in your beauty bag when working with celebs?
My number one, can’t-live-without item is the Cle De Peau concealer sticks. They are expensive but worth every penny! They work wonders on covering any red spots and under eye circles and are so lightweight and smooth that they look like your skin. 

What’s the craziest beauty bind you’ve gotten into behind the scenes at a Sports Illustrated shoot, and how did you fix it?
This wasn’t a Sports Illustrated shoot, but it was a swimwear shoot, and somehow the model didn’t get the memo and showed up unshaven “down there!” Thankfully, I always keep the Clio bikini trimmer in my kit! I make sure to pack it for swim or underwear shoots because it quickly removes hair, but doesn’t leave any redness or irritation that shaving with a razor can cause. I was able to clean her up quickly and got her right on set to start shooting. Crisis averted!

Any cool summer beauty hacks you can share for those of us who will be showing off our legs all summer?
A tan always makes your legs look better, so I’d recommend using a self-tanner like St. Tropez—one of my faves. But if you are too scared to commit to tanning yourself, or if you’re in a last minute pinch, mix some of your foundation with your body lotion, and it works great for evening out the skin tone on your legs and covering up any redness. 

As a top celebrity makeup artist and skincare expert, Carrie LaMarca has worked to prep top models like Nina Agdal, Ashley Graham, and Emily Ratajkowski for their close-ups. From shoots on exotic beaches to the catwalk, Carrie is a pro when it comes to grooming and keeping the skin looking camera-ready.