Summertime is vacation time, when we travel near and far to relax and spark new inspiration into our monotonous lives. The places I've been (and even some that I haven't) are constant inspirations to me for beauty. This summer, I'll be posting series of inspirations from common and exotic destinations to inspire your beauty wardrobe this season, even if you never get farther away than your own backyard. First stop, Miami.

When someone says the word "vacation," I immediately think of Miami. I'm biased because Miami was my family's vacation spot for about seven years when I was growing up. Unbeknownst to seven-year-old me, we stayed in one of the most classic Miami hotels, the Fountaine Bleu. I remember I use to pretend like it was my personal palace (by our seventh visit, that belief wasn't so delusional). I would drink virgin lime daiquiris and swim in the pool all day, before joining my parents for a dinner and colorful show at the iconic Cocobana Room.

My most recent trip to Miami was over Memorial Day weekend and they closed down so many streets in South Beach that I had to walk nearly ten blocks just to get to the only Uber driver available at that time. There were hundreds of people, friends and families. I'm not sure if I got a glimpse of how Miami locals dress, or if it was tourists' perception of how people dress in Miami, but there was a lot of skin. And who came blame them? IT WAS HOT. Well, it actually felt quite nice coming from a city that had just reach 60 degrees a week before I left. But, it was humid and the air was thick, which means there was a lot of perspiration and you wanted a lot of breathing room.

There were times I felt I was melting, but my makeup held up pretty well considering I'm more accustomed to less tropical weather. I decided that there was no way that I was going to be able to stop the sweat, so I opted for lighter coverage foundation and spot treatment with concealer. I wanted my makeup to still look even and blended when I had to dry myself off (the forehead, in particular). Luckily, the Miami weather had my skin looking hydrated and healthy, so there wasn't a terrible need for a lot of base.

Other than the dreaded humidity, a big beauty inspiration that I get from Miami is pastels. I grew up in a nice mid-western suburb and if you did too, then you will understand the shock and excitement you experience when you see that in another area of the United States everyone has painted their homes green, blue, and pink. Good choice, Miami. Those homes are classic Miami to me and I drive by them on the way to any hotel.

Destination Inspiration makeup this week is the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade (above) because it has all those same pastels (blue, green, pink) that blend together to give a white-gold sheen, so you'll have the look of dewy Miami skin, in Miami or not.

Best,

Jacob