This season the last thing you want to stress over is a complicated beauty routine. Summer is all about ease, and that’s the motto we had when selecting the choice items for our latest curation. Whether you choose the Sunday Riley Light Hearted Broad Spectrum SPF or the MERIT Flush Balm, you’ve already got one crucial part of a naturally glowy and faux sun-kissed minimal makeup regimen to wear every day.

That’s right, it’s possible to create a summer beauty routine with only two products. In fact, minimalism was the goal when MERIT was founded, according to the brand’s SVP of Brand, Growth and Innovation Aila Morin. “MERIT was created to be the antidote to the overwhelming, saturated world of beauty with too many steps and 50 shadow palettes,” she explains. “In the summer, makeup you can live in is our goal: Glowing skin, lashes that don’t smudge, and color that doesn’t leave harsh lines.”

Sunday Riley’s Head of Product Marketing Craig Starling agrees with this feeling of a lightening up for this season. “The changes in the weather over the summer months make us think differently about our beauty routines,” he shares. “I like to mix up my skincare products to best serve my skin during these warmer months. I like to reach for products which feel breathable on my skin.”

Both the Flush Balm and the Light Hearted SPF fit the bill of comfortable-to-wear, foolproof-to-apply products that will give you a naturally pretty everyday look that you can always build onto for a more dramatic effect.Thankfully, mascara, highlighting products, lip oils and more are currently stocked in The Shoppe for all your summer beauty needs.

If you haven’t already signed up to receive our summer curation, which includes your choice of the Flush Balm or Light Hearted SPF, you can head HERE to claim yours before they’re sold out for the season. Our members can also round out their routines with additional skincare products from sundayriley.com and save 25%* with code CURATEUR25 through August 10th, 2022. In the meantime, read ahead for Morin’s and Starling’s tips for a summer beauty look that’s so easy to achieve.

Prime & Protect

Sunscreen is an important part of your everyday skincare routine, but if you pick the right formula, it also can be a great base for your makeup, according to Starling. Case in point, Sunday Riley’s Light Hearted SPF, a mineral-chemical hybrid sunscreen that—as the name suggests—offers lightweight, feel-good protection. “I love recommending Light Hearted as a makeup primer,” Starling says. “Not only is this sunscreen incredibly hydrating, but its velvet finish minimizes the look of pores and helps smooth the appearance of the skin, which is why it’s perfect for those wanting to apply makeup on top. The fact that it’s 99.99% oil-free also helps reduce the chance of makeup sliding around on the skin, especially during the hotter summer months.”

The blend of physical and chemical protection also means you get the best of both worlds: No white cast, and a sensitive skin-friendly formula. “Often we hear shoppers are dissatisfied with a white residue left on the skin after the application of a mineral sunscreen, or some with sensitive skin find that a chemical sunscreen doesn’t always work for them,” Starling explains. “Light Hearted is a hybrid sunscreen which means it’s perfect for all skin types, even those with sensitive skin. Light Hearted provides the protection you need but doesn’t leave that chalky residue on the skin which you might find in a fully mineral sunscreen.”

Use this as the first step in your simple summer beauty routine for a more even complexion (thanks to the turmeric extract) and a hydrated but never greasy finish that plays well with the rest of your makeup.

All-Over Color

A multipurpose pigment that can be used on cheeks, lips, or even eyelids is the next step to this super simple routine. For the summer curation, we chose MERIT’s Flush Balm in Cheeky for this exact reason—plus its luxurious, blendable formula and universally flattering color. “Flush Balm is impossible to mess up and gives a natural wash of color,” Morin shares. “For summer, I apply it both on my cheeks and the tip of my nose for warmth, then blend.”

After applying all-over color to your desired areas, you’re good to go as-is, or you can add a few more touches to get your desired effect. For Morin, that means a bit of MERIT’s The Minimalist in spots she wants to conceal, then a few swipes of Clean Lash tubing mascara, but with this canvas the possibilities to go from day to night or casual to dressy are totally endless.

*Discount excludes eGift Cards. Available through 8/10/22.