1. Add a face mist to your beauty arsenal.
If you had to invest in one product during summer, this would be it!
What’s so great about a face mist?
These toning, priming and beautifying skin saviors instantly freshen up your complexion, add a burst of moisture (the non-sticky kind), cool down overheated skin, soothe skin that’s irritated, protect against pollution and sun, and set makeup in place so it won’t melt off in the heat.
In a nutshell, a facial mist is a super skin-care accessory for summer.
You can use it just about whenever you want – after cleansing, after makeup, after the sun…whenever!
Stuff I love: La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water is packed with natural minerals that immediately calm skin and make it look dewy. It literally puts back all the good stuff your skin sweated out.
Forest Essential Rose Water Tonic is simply amazing at reducing redness and cooling overheated skin.
2. Stock up on products loaded with Vitamin C.
If you’re going to be out in the sun, then Vitamin C is your new bestie.
Vitamin C contains truckloads of antioxidants that help repair sun damage, reduce sunburn and prevent wrinkles, fine lines, uneven skin tone and loss of collagen due to prolonged sun exposure.
Vitamin C is also great in preventing and reducing acne.
Killing two birds with one stone!
Tip: Get your dose of Vitamin C in a serum. Serums absorb faster and go deeper into your skin – giving you the best results.
Stuff I love: Skinceuticals CE Ferulic is THE Vitamin C product out there! It’s pricey but does all it’s supposed to. One watch-out: It stinks (smells like hot dogs)! Kinda disgusting when you pat it on, but thankfully the smell disappears in a second.
3. Don’t ditch the moisturizer. No matter how hot and sticky it gets.
A moisturizer is the first thing we drop during summer because we are already an oily mess so what’s the freaking point, right?
Ok, so here’s what actually happens to your skin in summer. The heat activates the oil glands so you get all sticky. But it also evaporates the water in your skin. So though you’re oily on the top, inside your skin is super parched.
By using a gel or lightweight moisturizer (without any oil), you are essentially hydrating your thirsty skin and cooling it down, so that it actually starts producing less oil! In short, a moisturizer is going to make you less greasy. Hard to believe but true!
Tip: If you hate the feeling of lotion on your skin in summer, just switch to a gel moisturizer. Your skin feels cool and plump when you apply it and then BOOM! It simply vanishes! You can’t feel it on your skin anymore. Oily skins rejoice!
Stuff I love: La Mer Soft Cream gives me all the skin soothing benefits without the richness of the original formula.
4. Refrigerate your products.
Keep your toners, serums and moisturizers in the fridge during summer.
Apart from increasing their shelf life, the cool temperature instantly cools down hot skin, helps soothe redness and refreshes your skin.
5. Scrub more often.
In summer, your skin cells shed more often. If you don’t get rid of these dead cells, they will build up and clog your pores, leading to more breakouts.
So when the weather gets hot and humid, add one extra session of exfoliation every week.
Always remember not to get too scrub-happy. You want to remove the dead skin cells, not the healthy skin underneath. So use minimal pressure and scrub for no more than a minute.
6. Don’t let your lips burn.
We look after the skin on our faces, but tend to neglect our lips (which by the way, is also a part of your skin!). And the harsh summer can really be bad for those sweet puckers. The sun’s rays can dry up the delicate lip tissue, so it’s important to treat them like you would the rest of your face – with love.
Keep them hydrated, plump and sun safe by using a lip balm with SPF and keep reapplying when outdoors.
Stuff I love: Fresh Sugar Lip Balms totally rule! They are moisturising, leave a sheer tint and contain SPF. It doesn’t get better than this.
7. Put a mask on it.
After subjecting your skin to the harsh summer sun, the best thing you can do is cover it up with a mask. The mask you choose depends on what your skin needs at the time.
If it’s red and hot, a cooling gel mask or sheet mask is ideal.
If it’s sweaty and greasy, a clay mask will pull out all the oil and deep clean your pores.
Just show your skin some love and put on a mask atleast twice a week during these muggy summer months.
Stuff I love: Rose Face Mask from Fresh is god-sent after a day in the sun. It instantly calms my hot red skin down as it’s loaded with roses and cucumber. Zen!
8. Sunglasses are great for your skin.
Ok…what?!
Sunglasses do more for that delicate skin around your eyes than your eye cream.
They block the sun’s harmful UV rays and literally keep your skin youthful. And apart from just preventing crow’s feet, it also stops you from squinting in the harsh glare, so no terrible frown lines either. Reason enough to splurge on those killer Tom Fords!
9. Eat your SPF (yes, really!)
Did you know that certain food actually boosts the natural SPF of your skin? Ok, before you get too excited, remember nothing can substitute your sunscreen, but you can power your skin to fight the sun damage. Woohoo!
Blueberries, oranges, carrots, tomatoes, figs, salmon, spinach and kale are some of those sun protecting foods. Salad anyone?
10. Get a sunscreen with a light formula.
Most people hate using sunscreen because it tends to be heavy and oily.
Today, the market is filled with sunscreens that are lightweight. If you haven’t found the one you like, keep looking!
Look for chemical-free formulas with zinc oxide. These wont break you out and tend to feel lightweight on the skin.
Tip: I like to sweep on a mineral powder with SPF over my sunscreen. This not only gives an extra layer of protection but also helps control shine.
Stuff I love: Shiseido Gentle Sun Protection Lotion is my favourite sunscreen of all time. It’s light, it’s gentle, it protects and it doesn’t break me out. 2 thumbs up!
11. Reapply sunscreen without taking it all off.
Who wants to go through the hassle of washing your face and redoing your makeup each time you need to reapply sunscreen?
Cut short the process by sweeping on mineral makeup that contains SPF 50, provides sheer coverage and protection, while eliminating the shine. It couldn’t get any simpler.
12. Protect your scalp.
Your hair protects your scalp from the sun, but what about your hair parting? That’s getting bombarded with the harmful sunrays. Oops!
If you’re going to spend a day out in the sun, just spritz some sunscreen spray on your parting to protect your sensitive hairline.
Tip: Invest in a trendy scarf or hat to give you the protection you need without comprising on style.
13. Apply your sunscreen naked.
Bikinis do not give any sun protection. (What?!!!!)
You heard that right! So before hitting the pool or beach, slap on a shot-glass amount of sunscreen all over your body – while you’re stark naked – and then put on that itsy bitsy teeny bikini.
14. Don’t tan badly.
So you spent a day in the sun and now you’ve got this dirty brown tan? There’s still hope. But you have to act fast. Get into the shower and gently exfoliate with a loofah or sugar body scrub. As soon as you towel dry, apply copious amounts of aloe gel all over your body. This will not only calm and soothe your skin, but also change that dirty tan to a beautiful golden one.
Tip: You can get the same results with cocoa butter too. The only difference is that you will be greasy afterward. So it’s great if you have dry skin.
Stuff I love: Fruit of the Earth 100% Aloe Gel is uncoloured, unscented and contains no alcohol – which is why I’m partial to it. I also swear by Palmer’s Cocoa Butter.
15. Recover from a sunburn super fast.
We’ve all been there. One minute, we are having fun, and then suddenly, we are burning up!
The thing to remember is to cool your skin down. Remember when you had a spicy meal, and a bite of yogurt instantly soothed your burning tongue? Same for your skin.
The lactic acid in yogurt calms your burnt skin like nothing else can. Just leave it on for 30 minutes as a mask before taking a cool shower and pat dry. Follow this up with generous helpings of aloe vera gel 3-4 times a day – and you’re on your way to recovery.
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