Summer officially began in June, but we all know that 4th of July weekend is the true kickoff to the summer season! Pool parties, beach days, cookouts, and the celebration of our beautiful country. Independence Day Weekend is one of the best times of the year. As the days get hotter and longer, our calendars fill up with all sorts of fun things to do to celebrate the season. So with the 4th just around the corner, we decided to team up to bring you a fun and festive look from head to toe for barbecues, parties, fun in the sun, and all things America the Beautiful!

Hair

For days spent outside in the summer heat, I don’t want to worry about my hair frizzing or coming undone. So I typically opt for a style that is off my face and out of the way. Not only does this look keep me cool, but it’s completely no-fuss. I don’t need to worry about it all day, and can instead focus more on my summertime plans!

1. Start with dry, unwashed hair (or clean hair with some added texture). Tease hair at the crown of your head with a comb.

2. Gather hair into a high ponytail. Secure with hair elastic. Backcomb the hair at the top of your head for added volume.

3. Twist hair into a messy bun or donut bun. Secure extra pieces with bobby pins. In these pictures, I used a tool similar to this one. Pull ponytail through the opening of the bun helper and and secure all sections of your hair around the piece with bobby pins.

4. Finish with hair spray and a festive bandanna, head band, or hair scarf.

How to fold your banana:

Now that I’ve shown you how to achieve this chic and simple hairstyle, Greta is going to take this look to the next level with a classic red lip!

Makeup

There’s nothing worse than melting makeup in the heat, so I like to keep it easy and go with classic and festive red lip. Here is your step-by-step guide for that perfect red lip:

1. Achieving the classic red lip requires a bit of prep. First, exfoliate your lips to remove any dry or dead skin from the surface. I use e.l.f. Studio Lip Exfoliator, but any product with exfoliating properties will do.

2. Next, you’ll need to line your lips. Red lipstick is a major commitment. Once it’s on, it’s on. If it feathers or bleeds and gets on your skin, it can be an absolute nightmare. To keep this from happening, make sure to line the outside edges of your lips. You can either follow your natural lip line, or overline a little if you feel comfortable enough with lip liner.

3. Once you’ve lined your lips, you’ll want to fill your entire top and bottom lip in with the lip liner as well. This creates a base for your red lipstick, and makes it last significantly longer.

4. For this patriotic look, I chose Tarte Glamazon Lipstick in Fierce. It’s a glossy, highly pigmented red. And with this lipstick’s long-lasting formula, you’ll be patriotic and glam all day long!

Nails

Now that you’ve got your hair and makeup ready, what are you going to do with your nails? This fun and simple nail art will polish off your festive look. All you need is red, white, and blue.

1. First, apply a base coat to your nails. This ensures the red and the blue pigments will not bleed into the nail, and it also keeps the polish chip-free much longer.

2. Paint your four fingers red, leaving your thumb bare for now. Apply two coats on each nail to build up an opaque shade of red. I’m using Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Red My Lips.

3. Next, paint your thumbs with the blue polish. I’m using Color Club in Chelsea Girl. Before proceeding to the next step, wait for your polish to dry.

4. On each of your thumbs, draw a star with white nail polish. To make this easier, apply a dot of white in the middle of your thumbnail. Take a toothpick (or nail tool) and drag out points from the center into a star shape.

5. With a very thin nail art brush in white, paint on some stripes on top of the red. I found that four stripes on each nail worked best for me.

6. Once your nail designs have dried as well, add a top coat. You don’t want your pretty new nails to chip or smudge before you can show them off!

Happy 4th of July!

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Jackie Gill | Beauty Bartender

Jackie is an aspiring blogger living in the sunshine state. In addition to a career in the health and fitness industry, she has started a lifestyle blog, Fresh Fit Florida, to help inspire others to live a healthy lifestyle. When she’s not logging lots of miles training for her first full marathon, you can find Jackie enjoying the beautiful Florida weather, shopping for new beauty products, and spending time with her husband and puppy Macy.

Greta Perez | Beauty Bartender

Greta is a sorority girl in her third year of college with a love for glitter and crafting. Although she’s studying forensic anthropology, she has always had a passion for beauty. Some of her obsessions include YouTube, music, Halloween, and of course, makeup.

Twitter: @gretchenlike | Instagram: @_gretch21

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