Hot girl summer started as a line, not a trend. According to Wikipedia, the phrase comes from a Megan Thee Stallion track where she calls herself thee hot girl, and it appeared on the artwork for her 2019 mixtape Fever. In July 2019 the term went viral on social media and turned into a meme before there was even a song. She teased one that month, and Hot Girl Summer, featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla Sign, came out on August 9, 2019.

The idea stuck because it was never about a body type or a checklist. It was about confidence, having fun and doing summer on your own terms. For makeup, I read that as less base and more skin, bronze and color that survives heat, a pool and a late night.

So this is a hot girl summer kit that works in real humidity. Cream and stick formulas melt into skin instead of sitting on top, lip oils and stains handle heat better than a heavy lipstick, and sunscreen goes first every single morning.

The first grid is face: bronzer, cream blush, lip oils, SPF and a glow spray. The second is body: glow oils, SPF oils, self-tan, highlighter and scent. My tip: put bronzer where the sun actually hits, the tops of the cheekbones, the bridge of the nose and the temples, and blend it with your fingers so it looks like a weekend outside, not contour.

Tower 28 ShineOn Lip Jelly is the most reviewed product in this edit. It is a lip gloss and oil hybrid with high shine and no stickiness, made for sensitive skin, and Pistachio is a sheer, easy color. Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Lip Oil Stain starts glossy and leaves a tint behind, which is exactly what you want after a swim. Tower 28 BeachPlease is a dewy cream blush for lips and cheeks, with aloe, and it is non-comedogenic.

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen is the base of the whole kit. It is an invisible, weightless and scentless SPF 50 that doubles as a primer. Isle of Paradise Self-Tan Face Drops mix into your moisturizer for a buildable tan on the face, with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.

For bronze, Benefit Hoola is an award-winning, silky matte powder bronzer, and Rare Beauty Warm Wishes is a cream bronzer stick you swipe on and blend with your fingers. ONE/SIZE On 'Til Dawn Bronze Veil is a waterproof setting spray with bronze pearl pigment for a soft glow, and it has the best rating in this grid.

What I would skip: a full face of powder in July, which can look heavy and cakey by midafternoon. Use the stick bronzer and cream blush, and let sunscreen and a little glow do the rest.

The body grid is where hot girl summer actually happens. Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 62 is the pistachio and salted caramel mist most people know, and it is made for body, hair and even lingerie. It is also the most reviewed product in this grid. Kayali Maldives in a Bottle is a bright, solar perfume with coconut milk, ylang-ylang and rosemary, and it ties for the best rating here.

For glow, amika I'm Glistening is a fast-absorbing body oil with oil-soluble vitamin C that evens skin tone, and it is the other top-rated pick. Tom Ford Soleil Blanc Shimmering Body Oil carries the Soleil Blanc scent, warm with bergamot, cardamom, pistachio and ylang ylang. Fenty Beauty Diamond Bomb is a glittering highlighter for face and body, for shoulders and collarbones at night.

For sun, Supergoop Glow Oil is SPF 50 in a dry body oil. Sol de Janeiro Rio Radiance is SPF 50 and waterproof, with a shimmer finish. St. Tropez Self Tan Express Bronzing Mousse lets you control how deep the tan goes, from a light glow to a deep tan.

What I would skip: a body oil without SPF during the day. Wear Glow Oil or Rio Radiance at the beach and keep the Tom Ford and Fenty shimmer for night.

I think hot girl summer is still a good brief for makeup, because it puts how you feel before how you look. Start with SPF, add bronze and a cream blush where the sun hits, keep lips in oils and stains, and let body oil and scent carry the rest. Megan Thee Stallion made the phrase about confidence and fun, and a light, sweat-proof kit that you can put on in five minutes is just the practical version of that. Keep it simple and go outside.