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Edited in June 2018 to add: Since this post, I began switching to natural beauty products (although I still use the RMS Lip2Cheek mentioned). You can find my favorite natural beauty products here.

Summer is a great time to bring in some new beauty products. This time of year is usually filled with plenty of happy events you're going to want to look and feel good for, so if you're having your wedding, baby shower, or attending one, this is for you. Why keep your favorite beauty products a secret? I've added a few game changing products into my routine and I think you're going to love them just as much as I do.

Tarte's Full Coverage Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation is my favorite for when the weather starts warming up and you need something that isn't just going to slide off after a few hours. It does a good job covering redness and feels weightless on the skin. I love feeling like I'm not wearing any heavy makeup on my face, and this does this trick without compromising the benefits of full coverage.

This Pixi Lower Lash Mascara was in my Christmas stocking. It's genius and you need it! No more tarantula bottom lashes for you. And since it's only available at Target, you can go smell the new spring candles and home decor sales with a Starbucks Chai Latte in your hand while you're at it. Go ahead, treat yo self.

I owe the Tarte foundation, this primer spray and the lower lash mascara to my favorite beauty blogger, Kate of The Small Things Blog. She never steers me wrong. Derrik walked by the first time I used the primer spray and said "that smells so good!". That's always a good sign for me. Kate mentioned it's comparable to the Matrix primer spray, but at a lower price point. I tried it on a whim and now I can't go a week without it. It cuts my drying time down in half.

This RMS Lip2Cheek in Demure was my favorite new product throughout winter because it added some much needed moisture to my cheeks. It helps give that dewy glow even if you're dealing with dryness. I'm going to keep wearing it into the summer to see how it wears in warmer weather, but Demure is the perfect pink! It's just the right amount of muted mauve with rosy hues. You can see in the picture above it just adds a fresh flush that looks like it came from your own skin, rather than something powdered on. While it's supposed to work for both cheeks and lips, this particular color looks washed out over my normally rosy lips, so just keep that in mind as you're choosing which color you'd like and whether you want to use it for both. I bought mine from Anthropologie but you can also order it directly from RMS.

Which beauty products are your tried and true favorites? Are there any I should try?

Lake Como is such a beautiful destination! Talk about a dream wedding location. Lake Como is on my list of dream destinations to photograph a wedding, and rightly so. It's incredibly romantic.

Some of the mountains made me feel like I was in Jurassic Park, but with an Italian feel and totally free of dinosaur danger. I went with one of my best friends, Reka, the year before I got married. Derrik and I had been dating a few months at the time. I remember the long list of different international calling apps he looked into so we could stay in touch during my trip. It was so sweet.

One of the best moments was when the ferry dropped us off in Varenna. It was dusk, so the glow of the sky mixed with those classic Lake Como views left us giddy. It was a beautiful introduction. Then we tried to find our hotel...

In retrospect, we probably should have done more research on how long it would take for our ferry to arrive at Varenna. The ferry ride was actually one of my favorite things of the trip, but we weren't expecting for it to last three hours. It ended up taking an hour or two to find our hotel on foot. Reka wasn't phased one bit, while I was the one who needed some reassurance that our evening wouldn't turn into the plot of the Taken movies. We did eventually find the hotel, after walking up roads that placed us well above most of the town (right alongside the lake - so picturesque!). All was right when we woke up to this view...

We stayed at Eremo Gaudio. Simple rooms, great views! Make sure to check if there's air conditioning when you book a hotel (we didn't think to ask and ended up being pretty warm during the night even though it cooled down nicely outside). We were there in August, so it might matter less depending on the time of year.

Don't you just want to jump into that water and splash around?!

The picture above was our daily breakfast view. Not bad, right? It was a peaceful way to start off our adventures.

My biggest regret of my trip to Europe, particularly Italy and France, was not eating enough carbs. There, I said it. I was trying my hand at Paleo at the time (bless you Whole 30 people!). I remember eating boiled eggs, dried out swiss cheese and scraping a tiny Nutella packet clean (not Whole 30 approved) as I took my time savoring that "I'm really here! This is happening!" feeling while I looked out on Lake Como from my hotel patio. I think the moment could have been better with a croissant to give that Nutella a proper job. I digress. I could really eat anything with these views in front of me. My next goal is to go back with Derrik. It's by far the most romantic place I've ever been (even more so than Paris, at least for me).

There are multiple areas on Lake Como to explore. I went to Varenna (furthest from where the ferry rides depart near the train station). By the end, I hope you'll be adding Lake Como to your travel list!