Summer skin in just 1, 2, 3…4 & 5?

As the seasons change, so should the routine for our skin. As much as we’d love to indulge in slapping on a wad of foundation to cover up our itty bitty “flaws,” we need to remember that the best way to achieve good skin is to maintain a healthy routine.

When the weather warms, we tend to sweat more and if you put on a lot of foundation or don’t practice a proper cleansing routine while sweating profusely, you’ll end up blocking your pores and causing excessive build-up, which can lead to acne. Below is the most basic of basic skin routines that’ll ensure your skin can breathe and you keep glowing from the inside out, all summer long! It’s also my personal favourite and works exceptionally well for my skin type which is normal to oily in the T-zone.

Daytime Skin Routine:

Step One: 
Wash your face using a gentle cleanser. I prefer Cetaphil for sensitive skin. It prevents acne and isn’t harsh on my skin or my wallet.

Step Two: 
Once you’ve pat dried your face, use a light moisturizer all over. Make sure to drag your lotion down to your often-neglected neck. I prefer using The Body Shop’s Vitamin E Moisture Cream. It’s light, smells good and Vitamin E has been proven to help reduce redness, repair damage and rebuild collagen. It’s science people, don’t fight it.

Step Three: 
Take a sunscreen specifically for the skin on your face, a great option- albeit a bit of a pricey option – is Clarins UV Plus Day Cream, and whatever foundation you use daily and squirt one part sunblock and two parts foundation onto the back of your hand. Once you have enough to cover wherever you need, blend it together using your finger. Well would you look at that, you just made your own BB cream!

Step Four: 
Using either a foundation brush or beauty blender, begin to apply your BB cream. If you’re using a beauty blender, soak it in water first then squeeeeeze the excess out so when you’re dabbing on the BB cream you get a soft dewy summer finish. It’s all about that controlled shine, people!

NOTE: Money doesn’t grow on trees. A more frugal alternative to the beauty blender is any brand you find at Winners/Marshalls or here. The material is a little denser but, TRUST, it’s the same.

BONUS NOTE: If you want that J-Lo glow, add a tiny drop of something like MAC’s Lustre Drop in Sun Rush into the mixture. You’ll look like Kim K, but you’ll be able to move your face..

Step Five: 
Look at your glowing complexion and give the mirror a Hi5.

Nighttime Skin Routine: 

Step One:
Use whatever makeup remover you love to take off the day. Some prefer using a cleanser, washing everything off in one go, while others use makeup remover cloths and pads. I personally use Extra Virgin coconut oil. I put some on the back of my hand and alternate between a Q-tip and cotton swabs to wipe the day off. Yes, it takes a minute longer but the make-up is gone quickly, my skin is softer and there is the added bonus of extra moisture to our sensitive eye skin.

Step Two: 
Using the same gentle cleanser you use for the day, wash off what your makeup remover left behind. The difference here is that you’re adding the use of a soft bristle brush and moving it in a circular motion to clean even deeper. The Body Shop has an amazing little brush that’s manual and it does the job just right. It goes for as little as $3.00!

Step Three: 
Once you’ve patted your face dry, take some coconut oil, preferably in paste form, and rub it between your hands to melt it down. Apply that coconut oil to your face and neck. You’d think coconut oil would clog up already sensitive pores but it does exactly the opposite. It’s one of the few oils that detoxifies skin and prevents acne.

An alternative to coconut oil is Vaseline. Trust me, you’ll wake up with the softest skin and rue the day you paid $40.00+ for nighttime serums.

So that’s how you can maintain a healthy complexion as we (hopefully) move into the warmer mouths! Note, this isn’t a routine for everyone and because it works for my skin type doesn’t mean it’ll work the same for yours. The ACTUAL first step for any skin routine should be doing some research on what type of skin you’re working with.