If you're chronically online like me, there are a few things you might have observed in the past few weeks: The rise of new trend names, well, every other day (poolside skin, "toasty glam," guava girl makeup, etc.) and a significant lack of sunshine in my home of New York City thanks to incessant rain. While we yearn for the sun on our skin and cute, trendy makeup to match, we're being led on by summer beauty trends that don't quite match up with the weather outside.
As I was desperate to create my own little batch of sunshine, I looked towards Who What Wear's personal shopping AI assistant, ISA, to give me a simple, seasonal beauty routine befitting of the bronzy internet It girls (Dua Lipa! Laura Harrier! Sabrina Carpenter!) who constantly raise the bar for our summer beauty standards.
But what is ISA, you may ask? ISA, or Intelligent Shopping Assistant, is your destination for product recommendations based on the findings of our editorial fashion, beauty, and shopping teams. Here, the most highly recommended, expert-lauded, and frequently covered products will rise to the top to answer your query, whether it be "Which foundation is the best for dry skin?" or "Help me look like a bronzy internet goddess!" (My search, if you can't tell, was the latter.)
To see the recommendations that my fellow beauty editors have amassed from different corners of the internet—whether it be personal picks after rigorous testing or celebrity favorites—I asked ISA a few of my burning summer beauty questions to get my routine right for when the sun does decide to poke its head out. Below, the best It-girl-approved beauty products for bronzy skin, trendy berry lips, glowy complexions, and more for summer 2025.
Beach-Bronzed Skin
Thoughts of warm, summer days almost instantly evoke mental images of gloriously tanned skin, but the one area that I keep firmly out of the sun is my face. Because of this, I'm often left with golden skin and an alabaster complexion, which leads me to pack on the bronzer (and risk looking orange or powdery because of it).
Knowing that the internet's It girls would never leave the house without their dewy glass skin (ahem, hi Hailey Bieber), I asked ISA to give me suggestions for the best bronzers and contour products to offer realistic dimension and warmth. Her recs, of course, did not disappoint.
ISA recommended a couple of hero products: one for bronzing, another for contouring, and a handful of other options for different price ranges (some expensive if you feel like splurging, and others more budget-friendly). I tried a handful just in case.
These luxe instant bronzing drops from Westman Atelier are as if Drunk Elephant's D-Bronzi Drops grew up into someone who drinks martinis and summers in Saint-Tropez. This sophisticated and versatile bottled suntan comes out dark but sheers out effortlessly. Its shimmer-free, matte formula is multi-purpose enough for direct skin application, an extra boost of color for too-pale foundation, or a sheer skin tint when mixed with your favorite moisturizer.
Our number one powder bronzer pick, this matte-finish formula offers just pigment and shine control to be convincing (without taking away your hard-earned glow). This bronzer is available in a myriad of shades, but in true Fenty fashion, it shines in the deep skin-tone range, offering hues for different undertones, too. Plus, it's pigmented enough to use as an eye shadow, which is an easy way to recreate the toasty glam trend.
It seems like every cool girl shows off subtly sculpted cheekbones in their screenshot-worthy selfies, so ISA told me to add this editor-approved contour stick to my cart. These natural-finish contour carvers are engineered to be easily blendable and nearly undetectable on the skin, offering the subtle definition we all crave and devastatingly chic, durable packaging that can withstand your upcoming summer travels.
Also Great:
For an option with SPF, ISA also recommended these SPF-packed drops that add a touch of a tan to pale skin and a luminous glow to deeper tones.
Hailed as one of the best products for an irresistible glow, this bronzing cream from Chanel leaves your skin with a juicy, sun-kissed radiance.
Patrick Ta's Contour & Powder Bronzer Duo is a space-saving two-in-one that also supports your summer travel.
Berry Blossom Beauty
With a cart full of bronzing face products, I then asked ISA to tell me which summer beauty trends I should be trying in 2025. After a few moments, she presented me with two cohesive trends: cherry blossom and "berry girl summer" makeup. Both of these trends read cute, warm, and a touch romantic—berry girl being the slightly aged-up, wine-stained version of cherry blossom's cutesy-pink, innocent aesthetic.
The key to both, however? Keeping it simple—reusing the same products for more than one area (i.e., lippies as blush and blush as eye shadow). After all, it's summer, and the It girls are running from the beach to dinner plans and late-night drinks with not much time to primp in between. Each of these products is easy to throw in a bag and reapply on the go, doing double-time with some for an effortless, sunless-sunburnt flush.
ISA's first recommendation was the Kulfi Lassi Lips Staining Lip Oil in First Sari, but since it was sold out, I looked to WWW editor-favorite French brand Violette_FR, to give their merlot-shade lip stain a whirl. Just a few swipes of this warm berry hue delivered a sheer yet buildable sheen that didn't settle into the cracks of my lips or feather onto my skin. Instead, it provided a long-lasting coat of color that survived my many cups of coffee and two full meals.
Also Great:
To top things off, ISA recommends this It girl–approved lip balm pumped with lip-loving hydrators.
This buttery cream blush is glowy, impossibly easy to blend, and the ideal shade to complement berry-stained lips.
Glowy SPF
No summer beauty routine should begin without SPF, period. So if it's going to serve as the base of your look, it's in your best interest to make it as radiant as possible. Enter ISA's handful of glowy, protective, dry skin-quenching formulas that not only act as liquid shields but also start your makeup off with a lush, luminous bang. Below, the sunscreen recommendations for summer makeup that won’t leave you with white casts or pilled products.
This best-selling formula from Supergoop was named WWW's favorite glowy sunscreen and is famous for so many reasons. It comes in four flexible shades, hydrates the skin with a rich blend of hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5, and protects your skin with SPF 40. Though we love to wear it on our skin alone, this formula moonlights as a grippy makeup primer and illuminating base—each hue infused with light-refracting micropearls that help your skin shine.
Also Great:
If you're not a fan of added shimmer (or have dry skin), try this ISA-recommended skincare-forward facial sunscreen.
This oil-free and ultra-hydrating sunscreen offers SPF 30 and protection from blue light and environmental pollution.
Body-Ody-Ody
Last but not least, I asked ISA to finish my aspirational summer beauty routine with body products that deliver on hydration, a sunless tan bronze, and poolside shine. You're less likely to achieve a beach-blessed glow when you're serious about sunscreen, but ISA scanned our editors' stories to compile a list of the best products for faux tans and luminous skin, even if there's no sand nor sea in sight.
Now, I'd be lying if I said this was the exact Lux Unfiltered bronzing product that ISA first recommended (that being the Lux Unfiltered N°32 Gradual Tanning Cream, an editor favorite and self-tanning godsend), but it is the product I'm relying on the most heavily for an instant fix. This new, shimmer-flecked formula not only adds a warm wash of color to your skin in seconds, but it also effectively hydrates the skin, leaves a dreamy sandalwood scent, and smooths uneven skin texture. Just allow the cream to sit for at least five minutes before getting changed to avoid color transfer.
Also Great:
I'm a fan of this budget-friendly bronzing serum for the natural-looking tan it offers in the morning after adding a few drops to my evening skincare.
Nothing says "summer" like this golden, skin-illuminating body oil. It's your one-way ticket to paradise skin.
-
Rihanna's Go-To Body Luminizer Is Back, and It's Basically Guaranteed to Give You Beach-Goddess SkinGlow like Rih.
-
Beauty Editors Know Bluemercury Has the Best Niche Beauty Products—12 (On-Sale!) Hidden GemsSome items are up to 50% off.
-
I'm a Beauty Editor With a Fashion Degree—How I'm Translating the Fisherman Trend Into My Makeup RoutineThese looks are compliment bait.
-
Celebs Like Sabrina Carpenter and Bella Hadid Swear By These Chic Prada Beauty StaplesA celeb-approved shopping list.
-
I've Been Traveling Nonstop—My Friends Can't Stop "Borrowing" These 9 Beauty Essentials I PackOfficially influenced.
-
I Asked Sabrina Elba About Her Must-Do Beauty Practices—Here Are Her NonnegotiablesYes, she really does do it all.
-
I Just Got Engaged—This Is the Foolproof "Marry Me" Skin Routine I Did for 6 MonthsI've never looked better.
-
I Tried a Viral Korean SPF After Billie Eilish's Aesthetician Recommended It—Spoiler Alert, I'm ObsessedIt's my new go-to formula.
