Our Girls of Summer Cover Is What Sun-Drenched Beauty Dreams Are Made Of—Here’s Every Product, Tip, and Detail

Summer has almost officially sprung, and to celebrate, we launched a triple threat of a June cover: a special Girls of Summer Issue that’s too beautiful to miss. Actor Ariana Greenblatt, model Alex Consani, and singer-songwriter PinkPantheress each exemplify the dreamy, dewy, sun-flushed aesthetics of our summer beauty dreams with slightly different takes on the overarching inspiration—a sweltering wave. Keep scrolling as we dive into all three covers and the beauty products, tips, and tricks that helped bring each of them to life.

Makeup-melting temperatures and stick-to-the-skin humidity do not always make for a beautiful beauty look, especially when it comes to tackling a well-executed hairstyle. While Greenblatt was in charge of the playlist on set (think Lana Del Rey, Reneé Rapp, and Tyler, the Creator), celebrity hairstylist Glen Oropeza perfected her varying hair looks, all of which, he explains, fell into the same category of “effortless, textured, and shiny.”

For her half-up look, Oropeza started by spraying water on Greenblatt’s strands to dampen her hair and then added Kérastase’s Mousse Bouffante Hair Mousse ($36) from the mid-shafts to the ends. This creates a slight grittiness, which will help hold any additional texture, he explains. Next came a medium-heat blow-dry using a round brush to create extra volume and then a 1.25-inch curling iron used in alternating directions to provide broken-up texture and waves. Oropeza then sectioned the hair and finger-combed it back while leaving the middle part. Finally, he secured the look with a Blax Hair Elastic ($9). To finish the look with lasting texture and hold, Oropeza sprayed through Kérastase’s Volume in Powder Texture Spray ($36) and Laque Couture Hair Spray ($36).

For Greenblatt’s all-down hair looks, Oropeza simply removed the elastic and refortified the actor’s texture with a fresh run-through with the same curling iron. If, like me, you’re dying to take Greenblatt’s pool-soaked vibe for a test-drive this summer, Oropeza simply added a generous amount of Kérastase’s Huile Gloss Réparatrice Intensive Shine Repair Oil ($46) from the roots to end, continuing to add more oil section by section until the hair was fully saturated. To add some sparkle, finish with a shine spray.

For makeup, each of Greenblatt’s looks were strategically built on the one before it, and pops of shimmer and sheeny glow were layered on more heavily to the eyes and lips as the shoot wore on. Greenblatt’s day-to-day aesthetic of glowing skin, flushed cheeks, and a neutral lip served as the must-have backbone. Makeup artist Allan Avendaño started the process by applying Makeup by Mario’s SurrealSkin Liquid Foundation ($42) to perfect Greenblatt’s complexion and L’Oréal’s True Match Radiant Serum Concealer ($16) to help brighten and contour any areas of the face where he wanted there to be more dimension. For fluttery, elongated lashes, Avendaño used L’Oréal’s Voluminous Panorama Washable Mascara ($16), concentrating his efforts on the outer corners of the lash to create some lift. Danessa Myricks’s Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder Flushed in Rosé N Brunch ($25) was added to give the actor’s cheeks, chin, forehead, and nose a natural, sun-kissed dose of color. Last but not least, Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Long-Lasting Velvety-Matte Lip Liner in Hazelnut ($22) and YSL Beauty’s Loveshine Lip Oil Stick in 202 ($45) were used to create Greenblatt’s perfect nude pout.

If you’re looking to amp up your base with extra shimmer and shine, try Avendaño’s on-set must-haves, including the Pat McGrath Labs Luxe Eye Shadow Quad: Passion Fleur ($62), Dior Backstage Glow Face Palette in Universal ($48), and Chanel Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick in Transparent ($48).

Mirroring the fashion’s barely-there, skin-forward textures and summery streetwear silhouettes, Consani’s beauty aesthetic for our Girls of Summer Issue was defined by loose, undone hair (aka the perfect summertime ponytail) and bare-faced makeup punctuated with mascara, light eyeliner, and sun-flushed dabs of color on the cheeks, lips, and eyes.

“The inspiration is this carefree ’90s girl, the girl who stays out all day in the NYC summer heat,” shares hairstylist Ginger Leigh Ryan. “She’s sweaty, there’s sunscreen in her hair, and she’s tied it up to keep it off her neck.” Essentially, as Ryan explains to me, the overall feel is just as much about practicality as it is about looking effortless, casual, and totally free. To keep Consani’s hair versatile and flexible for any style changes throughout the shoot, Ryan relied on Oribe’s Volumista Mist for Volume ($44) to give the hair slight hold and a strategic moisture cocktail featuring Rahua’s Leave-In Treatment ($46) and Sebastian’s Potion 9 Leave-In and Hairstyling Treatment ($18) for the ends.

To create the perfect lived-in texture, she used a combination of Bumble and Bumble’s Texturizing Surf Spray ($33) and Navy’s Dry Texture Spray ($30). Curious how to get the best ponytail of your life this summer? I asked. (You’re welcome.) “The perfect pony is whatever your ideal look is!” Ryan points out. “For a loose, carefree high ponytail, skip the brush and rake the hair up with your fingers, leaving a natural texture.” That said, if you’re in the mood for a super-sleek ponytail, the way you blow-dry your hair can play a critical role. “If the roots are dried in the direction you want the ponytail to go in, the actual tying up of it will be so much simpler,” says Ryan. “Try to get it as smooth as possible before you tie it because attempting to brush it once it’s already tied will typically leave the hair lumpy.”

If you’re looking for the ultimate summer makeup uniform, Consani’s look, courtesy of makeup artist Kuma, is one to pin to your mood board. Plus, you’ll really only need a small collection of staple products. To prep Consani’s skin, Kuma reached for Bobbi Brown’s cult-classic Vitamin-Enriched Face Base Primer & Moisturizer ($69), followed by MAC’s Studio Radiance Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation ($42) to layer light but buildable coverage on the model’s skin. Kryolan’s Dermacolor Palette ($40) and MAC’s Frost Eyeshadow ($23) were used to add camouflage and color to Consani’s complexion and eyes, and extra-black eyeliner from Pat McGrath Labs, a bubblegum-pink lip, and glowy skin courtesy of a pretty highlight provided the punchy finishing touches.

Eccentric pieces with a cool edge defined PinkPantheress’s warm-weather outfits. To create a sleek juxtaposition, the singer-songwriter’s hair was kept glassy and pin straight with baby clips placed at the temples. Oh, and if you’re a ’90s baby and the makeup feels slightly familiar, you have a good eye. Inspired by Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas of the girl group TLC (specifically the band’s “Unpretty” music video), PinkPantheress’s makeup was defined by radiant skin, extra-long lashes, perfectly arched brows, and a dash of bold color in mirrorlike gloss on the lips to give the overall effect of casual glamour.

Creating smooth, flyaway-free hair in humid, sweaty summer heat can feel like a Mount Everest–level feat, but according to PinkPantheress’s hairstylist, Shelby Swain, your MVP product should be hair oil. She recommends the oil from Beyoncé’s new haircare, Cécred. Of course, how you wash and prep your hair has a serious impact on your end result as well. “I started by washing and conditioning with K18’s Peptide Prep Clarifying Detox Shampoo ($38) and Damage Shield Protective Conditioner ($36),” shares Swain. “After the wash, I detangled her hair with Cécred’s Moisture Sealing Lotion ($38) and blew her hair dry using Dyson’s Airwrap ($599). Once it was dry, I straightened it, styled it with clips, and finished it off with the Cécred Nourishing Hair Oil ($44) to conceal any flyaways and to give it that perfect shine!”

Skin prep was at the heart of PinkPantheress’s makeup, and a few of our favorite French brands played MVP in makeup artist Sara Robey’s on-set arsenal. “Arguably, skin prep is usually the most important thing with a more minimalist look because it affects the way the skin looks and behaves, therefore helping you to use less makeup overall,” Robey tells me. Here, the skin was hydrated and prepped using Yon-Ka’s Hydra No.1 Hyaluronic Acid Serum ($108) and a tiny bit of the brand’s Nude Perfect Mattifying Moisturizer ($98). Embryolisse’s Smoothing Eye Contour Care ($23) was also layered on to add extra moisture to the eye area in addition to some much-needed SPF from Keys Soulcare. “For her base, I used Pat McGrath Labs’ Sublime Perfect Foundation ($69) with a touch of Make Beauty’s Skin Mimetic Concealer ($28) under her eyes,” says Robey. “I then used Pat McGrath Labs’ Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Blurring Under Eye Powder in Medium ($34) and a little of the Sublime Perfection Setting Powder in Medium ($42) on the T-zone.”

To create PinkPantheress’s subtle flush and ethereal-looking skin, Robey dusted the Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish: Divine Powder Blush in Divine Rose ($39) on top of the cheeks and added a dab of Merit’s Day Glow Dewy Highlighting Balm in Citrine ($32)—a WWW-editor favorite—along the eyelids. Ami Colé’s Hydrating Lip Treatment Oil in Bliss ($20) and Light-Catching Highlighter Balm ($22) provided finishing pops of shine and luminosity to the lips, cheeks, and inner corners of the eyes.