Summer Skin Series: July
Summer is in full swing with all our 4th of July celebrations and long weekends. While you are out and about enjoying the summer fun, I’ve got some tips and tools to add to your bag to ensure the best Summer Skin!
This month, we are discussing summer makeup and beach ready beauty bags so you can enjoy your summer vacay!!! When it comes to makeup, I always live by the rule that the most important part of your makeup routine is your foundation, and I’m not talking about your Cover Girl Medium Beige 05. When your skin is healthy and hydrated, your makeup will not only apply better but also last you longer as you won’t need as much. Here are some quick basics that will keep your foundation fresh for Summer:
In the evening:
Cleanse skin twice nightly to ensure removal of dirt, oil and environmental debris.
Exfoliate regularly, mask weekly
Use a brightening skin serum to promote healthy melanocyte activity (these create pigmentation)
Drink plenty of water and get enough rest, this will help you in all aspect of daily life!
In the morning:
Always wash your face! Sounds simple, but this little daily habit can create a lifetime of healthy skin
Spritz with a chilled toner kept in the fridge to “wake up” your sleepy skin
Use a hydrating serum underneath your SPF
Check our Back to Basics: All About Eyes for tips to de-puff and treat sun-stressed eyes
Keeping on top of a proper skincare routine is definitely a big part of your “foundation”, but we have some special circumstances in July and throughout summer that affect our skin: smoke from BBQ’s, fires, and fireworks. How do these affect your skin and what can you do to minimize that affect?
“Pollution can cause uneven skin tone, accelerated aging and even skin cancer Doris Day, M.D., clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center”
We know that pollution is bad for us, and this gets worse during summer when our air is filled with smoke from chill BBQ’s with friends to forrest fires and fireworks. These microscopic particles make their way through your skin’s permeable outer layer (acid mantle and top layers of skin) and can result in inflammation, irritation and a slew of other issues causing skin reactions. According to an article in SELF magazine; "‘Pollution breaks down collagen and the lipid layer in the skin, which impairs skin barrier functions’, says Zoe Draelos, M.D, author of the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology article ‘Aging in a Polluted World.’”
Knowing that there are micro-particles making their way into our skin and wrecking havoc upon it is one thing, but what to do about it? Maintain a consistent home skincare routine and load up on the antioxidants during summer, internally and externally! Key antioxidant rich ingredients to look out for are CoQ 10, Zinc (look your SPF does more than just block the UV rays!) polyphenol-rich ingredients like Green Tea and Vitamin C. You also are what you eat, so having a healthy, antioxidant-rich diet will help your whole body defend from these tiny foreign invaders! Taking care of your skin and eating as healthy as you can will benefit more than just your skin. Self-care is so important for our overall well being and will help you show up better to all your summer activities.
“Confidence is everything, but a little makeup can’t hurt”
Now that you are confident in your home skincare routine, your diet is full of leafy greens and berries to jumpstart the battle against environmental pollutants, you are ready to add a little tinsel to the package!
Let’s admit it though, it’s hot and you’re sweaty so who really wants to be putting makeup on? Did you know that your makeup can actually help increase the barrier protection of your skin? It will help to keep some micro-particles out while keeping you looking good.
Of course, I am talking about skin-healthy makeup and not just any old store bought brand! Using mineral makeup has become less of a trend and more of a staple for makeup brands. I still remember the days of getting my three-part Bare Minerals set in San Francisco because that was the closest place that sold it! Actually, mineral makeup got its start in the 70’s with the hippie revolution spreading to consumer goods. So what is “mineral makeup”? According to WebMD it “doesn’t contain oils, waxes, fragrance or preservatives” which sounds pretty great, but how much of the hype is true? Yes, it is healthier for the skin, yes it is lighter and because of its breathability, there is a lower risk for it causing blackheads or acne. Will it heal acne? No, that will be due to changes in your skincare, lifestyle and diet. Will it slow down the aging process? Maybe, depending on the ingredients and how diligent you are about reapplying your SPF, which mineral makeup usually contains so you can just re-dust your face for coverage. There are a lot to choose from, my favorite being Arbonne’s Mineral Powder Foundation SPF 15, it provides great build-able coverage and is full of quality ingredients.
You’ve chosen your makeup, picked out a nice peachy blush to give a glow to your tanned skin, and your favorite mascara for volume. But the fun doesn’t stop there, you’ve got to have the right tools to apply it! Using your fingers…. well for starters it spreads bacteria all over your new skin-healthy makeup and now your face. The oil in our fingers also adjusts spreadability so you’re not likely to get an even application and what you do apply will get a greasy feel quicker. Also, it’s gross, so stop it.
Brushes are amazing, versatile and allow you to get desired looks with less work. Investing in quality makeup brushes is going to make your product last longer, apply and look better and step up your game so you feel like the pro you are. Wash your brushes weekly with mild soap, or shampoo, if your brushes are real hair you can treat the bristles with a protectant like Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Balm and then leave to dry on a towel. Don’t use wet brushes! Try to not spray your brushes with hand sanitizer! And stay regular with your brush cleaning!
Once you’ve chosen your perfect makeup, you have also invested in tools to help apply your makeup properly, it’s time to apply! I have a few rules of thumb for when I am either applying makeup on myself or friends. First pro-tip: if doing a look with more eye shadow, then eyes go first, clean fall-out and then apply face makeup. The opposite is true for me if I am doing no eye shadow, I powder the face and apply bronzer/highlight/blush and then eyebrows, eyes and lips. During summer it’s important to not forget your lips! Using a hydrating and protecting lip balm should be a year round thing but especially during these hotter, dry or overly damp months. Second pro tip: you can put dry on top of liquid but don’t put liquid on top of dry (think liquid foundation on top of powder highlight, bad idea). Lastly, my third pro tip: every look or outfit is finished with eyes and lips, so if you do nothing else, brush your eyebrows with clear mascara to keep in place and top lips off with a gloss for a dewey look. Here’s some help for getting your brows on point!
One of the easiest, smallest yet most game changing thing you can do is your eyebrows. I will never forget the first time I waxed my first brow-wow in beauty school and the reaction of this woman, it was like she had never known just how beautiful she was. They say that the eyebrows frame the face, like dressing a wall with big beautiful windows and finding the right drapes to bring out the view. Here are some examples of brow shapes and how to fill in your brows, please note the second picture of myself I have ever posted on here! I have bangs now so this picture is quite old but my brows never change!
Feeling myself with arched bangs and a new fade!
Not everyone has an arch nor needs one
When creating the right shape, it’s important to first measure your brows and then you can see if you need to trim, tweeze or fill in any part. I reference “a” “b” and “c” in the image to the right and here's what I mean by that: there are lines in the drawing above, the one going up the side of the nose and tear duct is “a” the one at an angle showing the arch is “b” and the last one showing the ending of your brow is “c”. This is how to measure a brow so you know what hairs to remove or recreate with makeup.
I personally like using a brow pencil, dry mascara wand, brow powder and an angle brush to create my daily look. Following the above steps, fill in your brows and see what you think. The whole process should only take about 5-7 minutes, but sometimes it takes me forever and they just don’t seem right! Don’t fret, we are probably over analyzing our reflection and no one else sees it. When it comes to your brows, its a daily practice unless they are tattooed on, so enjoy it and keep finding what works for you!
Dusting foundation powder over moisturized skin can help to create a lightweight, barely there look. If you are confident in your skin without foundation or powder, get that “dewey” look by applying an opalescent ivory eye shadow right above the cheek bone, down the bridge of the nose, across the forehead and chin. Get a sun kissed look by adding a touch of bronzer in the hallows of your cheek bones, and with a different blending brush, soften the line between bronzer and highlight. This can also be done with liquid highlight on top of moisturized skin. For a really light summer look, try bare skin (SPF of course!) and a touch of blush, brows and lengthening mascara. You don’t want to use a plumping or filler-type mascara as that will look more like you are wearing makeup than just waking up refreshed.
A bold lip is always fun during summer as it doubles to give our look a finishing touch and also protect our lips from moisture loss. A great red lip is perfect for anytime of day, but I like to play around with different colors like oranges and berries. Pro tip for applying lipstick: on dry , clean lips apply lip liner starting from the outside working in, fill in with lip color and blot. Repeat the applying lip color & blotting process at least two more times and it will last all night! Whereas during winter I will do a darker berry, or a crimson red, summer is a time for bold bright colors and fun! For more makeup tips, check out my Pinterest Board “Makeup Looks” where I’ve posted some how-to’s on makeup basics as well as inspiring makeup in the fashion world. Are you ready to rock your summer makeup look!?
As Californians, we are so fortunate to be so close to the beach. We all have our beach bags, most are folded up somewhere, but when they come out we are quick to fill them up with beach towels, activities or snacks, SPF and maybe a hat. But wouldn’t it be easier if you knew exactly what you needed for the beach every time and have it stocked and ready to go? Here are some essentials for the skin savvy beach goer:
SPF- this is a no brainer, but make sure you have one for the face and one for the body as they require different combination of ingredients, and don’t forget to have someone get your back!
Sunglasses- this should be a backup pair…I have lost sunglasses to the ocean before. Make sure that they are UV ray blocking sunglasses as polarized does not block UV rays.
Hair SPF- now this might be new to some people, but think if you have ever put SPF on your scalp? Unless your bald, probably not. SPF for the hair helps protect not just your hair but the skin on your scalp which in the water is being doubly exposed because of reflection from the water.
Baby wipes- silly? Never! When you change out of your bathing suit, you can give yourself a little wipe to get any sand, salt or debris off your skin.
Bandaids & First Aid Kit- seriously this one is just because you never know and I am all about being prepared!
Coconut Oil- this one is not for tanning! I do not condone tanning nor will I help you get one! This is a great healer of the skin and wonderful to use if you accidentally got too much exposure and are sun burned. It will quell a burn and keep your skin from peeling.
Beach Hat & SPF Scarf- did you know that there is clothing now being made with SPF 50 woven into the fabric? Now this is different than the SPF you rub into your skin, it is certain fibers that naturally block UV rays. I love my scarf from SPF ADDICT and keep it in the car with me to cover the driver arm or leg. You can also find wide brimmed hats with SPF in them as well, but as long as you wearing a hat I won’t complain.
Refillable water bottle- keep one in there to refill so we aren’t polluting our landfills with plastic water bottles, but also, sometimes you want to take some sand home from a really special beach and this works well.
Reusable bag- this one has many purpose so I won’t list them all but let’s just say when it comes to a day at the beach you can never have too many bags.
Underwear- we never remember to grab them until it’s too late and your going to a restaurant after a beach day with a wet butt.
Sarong or Wrap- keep the causal feeling going with a comfy and adjustable cover up!
Not all of these things you are going to be able to keep in this bag stored for year after year. As per June’s “Throw It Out Thursday” being aware of expiration dates on items like SPF is very important, so don’t re-use last years!
July is all about fun outdoor activities and vacation days, hopefully now you feel armed and ready to pack your bags and head out in style! Please remember as always to cleanse every day and every night, treating your sun-stressed skin with antioxidants and hydration. Treating our bodies as well is just as important as taking time off for fun and vacation. Happy July everyone and till our next edition!
Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri