The weather in New York hasn’t started to steam up to maximum capacity quiiiiite yet, but it will very, very soon. And I have this vision of myself sitting on a beach, or in a park, or wherever, makeup-free, with gorgeous, glowing, blemish-free skin. It’s a lovely vision. It’s just not the easiest one to realize in…you know, reality.
Here’s the thing: my skin tends to even itself out once it figures out what’s going on with the weather, but during the shifting of each season it kind of has a full-blown panic attack for at least a couple of weeks (this is a major indicator of sensitive skin in need of sensitive skincare products, and I cannot believe that it took me thirty-one years to figure out that I am planted firmly in this category).
Every year at the start of summer, the big switch I make when it comes to facial skincare products is to swap out my creamy cleanser for a lightweight gel one, and this year I’m trying out Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel: it’s 100% soap-free (so no drying problems), completely free of dyes, perfumes, or any other potential irritants, and has a whole bunch of added vitamins as a nice little bonus.
And you know what’s sort of cool and sort of weird about it? It doesn’t smell at all. I know, I already said it has no perfumes – but we’ve become so accustomed to our skincare products being loaded up with scent that I did a little double-take when I opened up the tube for the first time, trying to figure out what seemed so different about the stuff, until I realized: ah ha! No coconut/passionfruit/cucumber/what have you. Just everything that you need, and nothing that you don’t. Which is kind of refreshing, no?
Some more of my favorite ways to mix up my beauty routine once the heat rolls in:
– Bye Bye, Blowdryer: There’s no point in fighting with the kind of humidity that hits these parts, so I try to embrace my natural texture by either twisting my hair into a braid or applying frizz-fighting products and letting it do as it will.
– Makeup Makeover: In the summer, I try to lighten up my overall makeup routine, but maintain that there’s nothing like some bright pink or red lipstick even on the hottest of days (see above, and click here for my 5 Tips For Red Lips tutorial).
– Powder Puff: I make best friends with a big old box of lightly scented powder, and dust myself in it from top to bottom on particularly obnoxiously hot days.
– Neat Nails: I’m the laziest person in the world about my fingers and toes, but once the summer arrives it’s a salon pedicure every 2-3 weeks and a DIY manicure every week – those summery shades are just too fun to skip (click here for some at-home manicure tips).
If you’re looking for skincare suggestions, check out the Simple Skin Health Consultation, a quiz that gives you free, personalized tips for your skin.
