Sweaty summer weather means changing up the skin care game.
Here’s what is still in my everyday rotation; you can score all three for under $30:
- Target Gentle Skin Cleanser (this or the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser; both have the exact same ingredients): Delivers a gentle clean that doesn’t strip your skin of its moisture)
- Heritage Store Rose Water and Glycerin: A super simple + affordable face spray; the rose water soothes inflammation and has antibacterial properties, which the glycerin attracts moisture onto your skin. I spritz this all over my face and neck post-wash and brush my teeth while I wait for it to dry. Bonus: this is great to keep around for a hydrating + refreshing spritz throughout the day during the summer. I keep a travel-sized bottle in my purse!
- Nexcare Acne Patches: These little gems are my secret to shrinking blemishes overnight. You stick ’em on, go to sleep, and the stickers draw out the pus/fluid gently (and without drying!) while you snooze. Zits are noticeably smaller, less red, and less painful the next morning (and you can repeat as necessary if the blemish needs some additional draining). So much better than picking at your skin!
The new players:
- Derma E Vitamin C Concentrated Serum with Hyaluronic Acid: I always keep a vitamin C serum in my rotation, because it brightens, reduces dark spots caused by sun damage, and helps with fine lines. I’m digging this serum lately because it also packs a hyaluronic acid punch, which is a mega-hydrator. Derma E is also vegan, cruelty-free, and free of parabens, mineral oil, sulfates, and lanolin. Annnnd bonus: it’s super affordable!
- DBH Caviar Eye Repair Gel: I know, I know. This is pricey. I snagged it on Hautelook, however, for a fraction of this price. (Hautelook is a flash sale site owned by Nordstrom and you can score some amazing deals during sale events.) This eye gel goes on like a dream, though– it’s so velvety and sinks right into the skin. Packed with caviar extract and vitamins C, E, and K (which help reduce dark circles), it hydrates, brightens, and smooths. I’m either going to this eye cream from Roc or this one from First Aid Beauty; both are way more affordable and have great reviews.
- Skin Ceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel: I love a B5 gel– if you’re looking for hydration, you’ve come to the right place. Vitamin B5 repairs tissue and hydrates, giving me a major moisture dose when combined with the hyaluronic acid in this gel. It’s slippery and cool (feels good, I promise), and absorbs super quickly. The smell is divine, too! I’ve used this exact gel off and on since college when a makeup artist put it on my face as a primer. I was hooked!
- Roc Multi-correction 5-n-1 Chest, Face, and Neck Cream: Roc is one of the best drugstore skin care brands on the market, giving you some serious bang for your buck. I have used their retinol cream before (and will probably repurchase in the future), so I was intrigued by this chest, face, and neck cream. My grandmother always told me: “What you do to your face, you should do to your neck, chest, and the backs of your hands.” These areas age the fastest, due to constant sun + environmental exposure and thinner skin is in those areas. This day cream has vitamin E, SPF 30, and Hexinol technology, which is Roc’s approach to address the 5 signs of aging (discoloration, sagging, dryness, dull skin tone, and wrinkles). This cream absorbs a little slower than I would like– but once it does, it isn’t too greasy (a problem with a lot of SPF-based day creams). It also wears well for me under makeup.
- Coola Sunless Tan Anti-aging Serum: I really love products that pull double (or triple!) duty. Argan oil moisturizes and protects the skin from free radicals, and then a DHA (the active ingredient in self-tanners) gives you a gradual glow. I love this stuff! After 3-4 days of daily use, I have a nice, even, healthy tan on my face. It also smells super tropical, like summer in a bottle.
My skin routine isn’t complete without a good mask in the rotation. I have dry skin (even in the summer), so masks that add moisture are my best friend.
- Avene Soothing Moisture Mask: I love this brand– it’s French and a fave of makeup artists and models– and this mask in particular because it’s so soothing and super rich without being heavy. It’s also mega-moisturizing and you can leave it on overnight (you also have the option to rinse after 15 minutes). I like to use this on top of my nighttime routine and then log some zzz’s for super supple skin the next morning.
A little skin bonus round! I love a good spray tan year round, but this becomes especially important to me in the summer when it’s legs out 24/7.
- St. Tropez Self-tan Dark Bronzing Mousse and mitt: This came highly recommended by a friend of mine who used to be in the beauty pageant world (those girls know their faux tans, okay?). She said it was the deepest, darkest tan she could get in a bottle– which sounded good enough for my pale, freckly ass. This St. Tropez formula comes out dark brown– do not use this with bare hands!– and delivers a nice, golden bronze immediately, with a deeper color developing in 6-8 hours. The mitt is the business; it protects your palms and does a killer job of blending the tanner into your skin.
- Gold Bond Men’s Essentials Body Powder: You know that sticky, tacky feeling your skin has after you get a spray tan or apply self-tanner? You can fix that by dusting on a little body powder. Any brand will do, I just found this Gold Bond powder is not only cheap (the boy’s stuff always is…), but it smells good and has cooling properties. Excellent! Nobody wants to start sweating with a spray tan.
In case you’re curious, here are my self-tanning steps:
- Exfoliate in the shower
- After toweling off, apply a light moisturizer– moisturized skin takes the tan better than dry skin!
- Start working the St. Tropez tanner in with the mitt. I work down then up; so legs + feet, bum, stomach, arms, chest, back.
- Dust with body powder. (I pretty much coat my whole body in the stuff, especially on sticky summer nights.)
- Put on the Sleep in Your Sunless Tan Uniform, aka a black t-shirt and baggy cotton pajama pants.
- Wake up the next morning + rinse off.