The ultimate summer beauty routine
Summer is almost here, and with it come longer days and warmer weather. More light and heat mean more bare skin. Time, then, for a beauty back-to-basics to keep you looking great when Mother Nature turns up the temperature.
Begin by giving your skin some TLC
Exfoliate your entire body a few times a week to remove dry skin. Buff your skin from head to toe using a dry brush or exfoliating body wash. This will not only make your skin feel and look silky soft. It will also be ready for spray-on tanners.
A two-percent salicylic acid body wash will help you blast body acne. Let it sit on problem areas for a few minutes before rinsing it off. When you step out of the shower, you can swab breakouts with additional salicylic acid treatment.
Chances are you’ll probably start sporting sandals soon. You’ll want to use a foot file to soften your feet’s skin. Draw the file from the outer edges of your soles toward your arches. Once you have filed your feet, apply a foot cream.
Then bring some of that love to your hair
A month before summer starts, hydrate your hair with moisturizing treatments. This will prevent water and the sun from drying it out. Look for hair masks that are rich in wheat protein.
Hair wore down causes sweat and oil to collect near your face. Wear your hair up, then, to reduce the risk of excessive moisture messing up your makeup. Plus, you’ll stay more comfortable.
Next, prime for bikini time
We all know sunbathing without sunscreen is a big no-no. Apply a self-tanner to cut the risk of premature aging and skin cancer. After exfoliating, dab a little bit of body lotion to dry areas of your skin, such as your knees and elbows. This will keep them from turning orange. Apply a self-tanner from the bottom and work your way up.
It’s essential that you wear sunscreen during the spring and summer months. UVA and UVB rays are extremely damaging to your skin so sunscreen is non-negotiable. You do not want to pay the consequences of soaking up a few too many rays on a sunny day (read: sunburn, dark spots, or even skin cancer). Apply sunscreen to all exposed areas of your face and body.
Now it’s time to focus on your face
Wear a primer to keep your foundation and color lasting longer. All you need is a pea-sized dab of it. But make sure it’s of a lightweight, oil-free formula. Apply it before you put on foundation and concealer.
Whatever you do, avoid liquid foundation. It can cake or, worse, melt all together. Use a tinted sunscreen instead. You’ll color correct any redness and give yourself a good base of UVA/UVB sun protection.
To maintain a dewy summer look use a setting powder only on your face’s “T-zone” — forehead, nose, chin. Also, lightly dust some loose powder on your t-zone as well as your upper lip.
Powdered blush and sweat don’t mix; they can leave you with streaky skin. Use a cream blush to keep your face streak-free.
The wrong concealer can leave streaks across your face once you start sweating. Use a densely pigmented cream concealer to keep this from happening, and apply it to blemishes with a small brush.
Lips and eyes … and you’re done!
The summer heat can make your lipstick bleed. To avoid this, use lip stains or a plumping lip lacquer instead of lipstick and liner. Any time you can get makeup do double-duty, you’re money ahead!
We all know that when sweat and powders mix, the results aren’t pretty. Wear sheer cream shadows; they tend to cake less in hot weather.
Kohl pencil eyeliners tend to smudge and melt in the heat, but liquid eyeliners stay put. Choose a waterproof mascara. It can withstand both the summer’s heat and the beach’s waves.
It’s all about multitasking and maintenance
The best summer beauty routine employs only a few multipurpose products and tons of SPF. It’s all about putting in the prep work so summer-ready formulations glide on effortlessly and playing it smart, knowing you’ll be in the sun. Follow the above and you’ll sizzle on through September.
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