Summer Cheek Challenge 2025: A Song & A Slay

[danielledanielle]

Sun's out, whether you're outside with easy breezy beach vibes, camp vibes, OOO vibes, staycation status..... Or all of the above, we're going to blush, bronze and highlight through it allllllllll.  So whether you're shopping your stash, tipping your temples into draping, or justifying your 10000000th blush, please join in. 

 

This time, I want YOUR SWATCH SONG. 
THAT'S right.  I want your songs of summer and your blush look.  And, I know you're gonna slay it.

But, danielledanielle that doesn't make any sense.  These are two separate things, like whyyyyy?  

Well, I'm at this point, you haven't figured out that I'm open for all interpretation, but okay okayyyy

For each challenge, I want a song that just gives you that summer vibe.  Bonus if you can give me a playlist and post to either BIC Playlist and/or 🎶✨Song of the Day and Music Thread!✨🎶 
Red and Ready\RED-dy (June 16-22): Juneteenth Week
(Read up on Juneteenth and why this is typically it's more of an independence day than independence day 😑)
But, embrace that red blush trend and give me a song that gets you RED-dy for the summer.  It can be a muted red as well, I.e., something with green tint/tone to it.

Staycation Radiostation (June 23-29): the vibe is, I'm home, and home is the best club.  What are we wearing, what are we listening to?

Highlight on the Horizon Hotlist (Jun 30-Jul 5): What is the song you'd connect with sunset blush?  Give me your tunes and your favorite blush + highlight combo. 

Bronzed Up Beats (July 6-12) Sun and fun, what's your favorite uptempo song and what's your current bronzer situation? Powder, creme, liquid...all the above?  Bonus if we're also using bronzer for contour.  (I'm not saying these are interchangeable.  But, yes, you can contour with bronzer, and for some undertones/overtones it works out much better 🙋🏽‍♀️💚🩶)

Camp Crescendo (July 13-19): Bonfire and a bop... What's the look for a day of glamping/camping? If you don't camp/glamp and glam, feel free to drop the skincare/SPF routine.

Top Tier Top 5 (July 20-26)
What are your favorites for cheek combos?  USE THEM this week.  This is my "use your pretty things" year and this is the week I'm doing it.  You trying to pan? GO.  You have a drawer of blushing spilling out? Go wild!  Give me your top five songs and top five cheek products.

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BONUS WEEK!

Jul 28-Aug 3: Take it back, waaaaaaaaaaay back...back into time

If you're catching up, or just loving on something, give me your favorite from this Cheek Challenge and your favorite throwback tune of the summer

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Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti...... Let's goooooo

[lmaster]

Gorgeous blush!! @Cissy63 

[Cissy63]

@lmaster  Thank you very much 😃

[danielledanielle]

Hey, girl hey!  @Cissy63 Looking rosy & fresh with that Basma, and I like any bespoke mixing..how is the texture on that elf tint?  Like is it super thin, or kind of mousse like or something akin to Rare Beauty blush?

[Cissy63]

@danielledanielle  Thank you very much.  I learned mixing from you 😊❤️.  The elf is very thin.  But the color is concentrated. I think I used 2-3 dots and applied it directly to my cheeks.  Unlike the Rare Beauty. Blush which I have to apply to the back of my hand then tap it on my cheek.  Oh, I also bought the elf brush that goes along with the cheek stain.  Made blending easy. 

[makeitup305]

@Cissy63 Basma has a great blush formula and it looks beautiful on you. Hope you're having a great summer!

[Cissy63]

@makeitup305  Thank you so much 😎.  Having a good summer, hope you too👍

[itsfi]

It's always so good to see you online @Cissy63! Hope you've been well. Ahhhh, BASMA! 😍 I've have my eye on their blush a few times - that's a beautiful combo you curated here. 

[Cissy63]

@itsfi  Thank you so much ☺️.  It’s good to be back😎

[itsfi]

Camp Crescendo: Bonfire and a bop...

I don't think I've ever gone camping, at least not real camping. I'm not even sure I've been on a full-on glamping adventure. 🤔 I do recall in college going to a campground - something that would probably fall between camping and glamping. It was like The Parent Trap's Camp Walden (a la the Lindsay Lohan version) but with less-fancy cabins and amenities. And, without the discovering the identical twin separated at birth while fencing and then being banished to the cabin for a time-out with said long-lost twin. 🤺🏠🤣 So, with that as my point of reference, I tried a couple of looks this week along the camping - glamping spectrum ~ 

Camping:

I'd (try to) keep it simple if I were going camping, at least camping in the way some friends I know would do it, so earlier this week I went with:

• ISDIN Eryfotona Ageless Ultralight Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 because the tint on this one will give me some warmth and color and the UV filters will protect me from the sun. 
• HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer with Fermented Arnica - a fave find from last year's makeup capsule challenge and a good one for both blemishes and under eyes. 😘
• CAY SKIN Isle Lip Balm SPF 30 with Sea Moss and Aloe Stem Cells - wanna remember sunscreen for the lips; this one also comes in a few tints that are gorgeous! 

Glamping:

Same as camping but with a few extras - that's feels like glamping in my mind (says someome who's never been, hahaha!) My extras include:

• MAKEUP BY MARIO SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer® for a little more warmth and color
• HAUS LABS BY LADY GAGA Color Fuse Longwear Hydrating Glassy Lip + Cheek Blush Balm Stick Glassy Clove for tht blush + bronzer look. Her lip + cheek blush balm sticks are lovely, especially the four recently released shades. 😘
• Huda Beauty Lip Contour Stain (doesn't want to be tagged) stays put once set and sets pretty quickly. This has been the surprise hit of the year for me so far. I wasn't expecting it to perform as well as it has or that I would like it as much as I do. 
• Danessa Myricks ColorFix Eyeshadow Stix (also not tagging 😣) is fantastic!! ⭐ Shouldn't be surprising as this is from Daness Myricks! I have it in Duo 6 - Celeste / Nova and it is magnificent. Love the taupe-y Celeste shade for a one-and-done lid color, and the foil Nova shade glides on and leaves a more subdued (in a good way) finish and color when applied on my cheeks. This will not be the only DM ColorFix Stix in my collection. 

Song-wise, I have a few bops for the bonfire - I've done more bonfires on the beach than campfires. S'mores at both though, of course!!! 😉 

• Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks - takes me back to my high school days
• Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond - because the "ba ba ba" (or "bum bum bum" depending on how you sing it) chorus just gives off some feel good vibes
• Count on Me by Bruno Mars - because a summer playlist is incomplete without a beat from Bruno Mars

[lmaster]

Definitely great color choices 🤩 @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@lmaster, thank you; lots of goodies this summer to choose from.

[Cissy63]

@itsfi   Such lovely choices for both camping and glamping! 🏕️💄.   Your songs are enjoyable too, got to have some Neil Diamond Sweet Caroline for sing along.  Oh and Cay Skin lip spf is a favorite of mine too!

[itsfi]

@Cissy63, I've never done full-on camping but I've done s'mores and songs around a campfire 😅. Sweet Caroline is a classic and I know when to jump in for the ba-ba-ba parts, ha! I love a good lip balm with SPF - it keeps my lips from getting chapped and sunburned, which has happened to me a lot in the past.

[makeitup305]

@itsfi I love your choices! You've got so many products I haven't tried. Sounds like you chose some good ones for your (pretend) camping trip. Great song choices, too!

[itsfi]

@makeitup305, thank you; if camping/glamping just happens in my head, I'm all set. 🤣

[mrkang]

hhh

Lancôme Lip Idôle Squalane-12 Butterglow™ Hydrating Lip Balm 

@itsfi @PDXXXX 

[itsfi]

@mrkang, the Cay Skin Irie Rose shade is very pretty. Sometimes, I mix it with the deeper brown tint, Cocoa Cabana. 

[PDXXXX]

@itsfi you sold me on the Cay Skin in Ire Rose and I'm loving it! It's a gorgeous shade and I'm pleasantly surprised with how long the color lasts. Thank you!

[PDXXXX]

I love the "Parent Trap" reference and was cracking up reading it @itsfi ! Very cool how you separated this into a camping vs glamping product profile as well. I've been so curious about the Huda lip tint: it's nice to get your thoughts on it. Yes - I am definitely down for the s'mores and campfire even if not the camping too - sign me up!

[itsfi]

Yes to s'mores and a campfire @PDXXXX, camping optional. 😉 I like that; we like options. Ha! You know, if someone I really cared for wanted me to go camping, I would really consider it. 😂🤣😂 It's an activity that is fraught with trouble, or something going awry, with me involved in the mix. Referencing back to The Parent Trap, I wouldn't be the Meredith character in terms of my comfort with camping but I also wouldn't be any of the other characters who were so at home camping. 😆

Ooouh, the Huda lip contour stain is great! I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I do. It dries down fairly quickly but doesn't leave my lips feeling overly dry or tight. There's a slight dryness but and here's the part that really got me, once it's set, I can apply a balm or lip oil over it to some hydration, and the color, the stain does not come off when I press or tap a paper napkin or tissue to it. WHAAAT?!! I then tried rubbing my lips with the napkin and literally, just the teeeeensiest bit of color came off - I could see the balm/oil come off, but the color, it was a little dusting on the paper napkin. 😍 She released three lip oils with these stains, to add some hydration, and for a glossy lip look, but I did the test with the napkin and tissue with a different lip oil. 

All the shades are pretty neutral leaning, even "Warm Brown". Rosewood is more pink than I expected. 

[makeitup305]

gorgeous @itsfi ! Thanks for the swatches. These didn't call to me at all but now I'm intrigued.