It’s true. Your skin does change depending on the season. Temperature, humidity, and sunlight combine to create a skin-freakout for me in the summer. I’ve drafted a few new players into my summer skincare routine for 2014 and it’s shaping up to be a great skin season.
In this post I’ll give you a quick run-down of my all-stars for a flawless face. My aim is to provide you with enough information for you to decide if any of these players could work for you.
Background on my skin: It’s pretty normal. Maybe the most normal thing about me! I do have eczema on other parts of my body, but thankfully I’ve never had a problem with my face. Sure, I had a go around with acne during my teenage years and it’s left a few scars, but nothing too terrible. I tend to be dry in the winter and normal in the spring/summer and maybe just a tad oily (depending on the makeup products I’m using- some enhance the oil, some improve).
I’ll start with makeup removal. My friend Melodie turned me onto this product and I am so thankful for her sharing it with me! The Garnier Clean Nourishing Cleansing Oil is an interesting product.
I pump twice into my dry hands. Then begin working it into my face. It dissolves my makeup, including my eye makeup. I like to use 1 additional pump on my eyes and I gently rub it into my lashes to remove my eye makeup. I then wet my hands and begin “lathering” the oil and it then starts to emulsify and break up. When I’ve completely rinsed my face, my skin is free of makeup and is as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
Some people may not want to use this oil to remove eye makeup. Totally understandable. I would still recommend it for all over the face.
Also, oily skin girls are probably scrambling as fast as they can to close this blog after thinking about adding oil to oily skin. Never fear! My oily skin friends love this product. My only complaint is the packaging. From what I can tell the pump does not lock and my leaks when it’s tipped over.
Now that I have removed my makeup, I cleanse my skin. My favorite product for this step is the Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleanser. I’ve raved about it before. It is perfectly gentle while still getting the job done. This is safe to use on your eyes. I use it to remove any last bits of mascara or waterproof eyeliner that may be hanging around.
My favorite part about this cleanser is that it does not leave my skin thirsty. I’ve used other products that made my skin super tight and dry feeling immediately after washing my face. This product does not give me that sensation at all.
I’ve never been much of a toner gal, but since I have been working out regularly I want to make sure my pores don’t get junk built up in them and cause a breakout. I have been using Clean & Clear Deep Cleansing Astringent.
You may remember me mentioning this product in my Biore pore strip review. Because this toner is medicated, I only use it once a week. (Maybe twice if I’m feeling a little pimple coming on). I think this is a good product to have on hand so that you’re totally prepared for a breakout, if and when it happens. It’s all about offense and defense. This product can work double duty for you!
Another winner on the offense, is the Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Defense Face Lotion. Even though “defense” is in the name of this product, it is something I have to have. If I am using this at least once a day my skin will ward off any possible enemies. I’ve gone periods of time without using this… like when I run out, or get a bright idea to try something new just for fun. I always go running back to my tried and true Rapid Clear wondering why I ever left!
In the morning I will apply this right out of the shower. Let it dry, then march ahead with my makeup primer. At night, I’ll use this after makeup removal, cleansing, and toning (if I do it).
If I’m dealing with any dry patches, or more recently the effects of a little too much time in the sun, I’ll reach for my Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil.
After seeing numerous YouTube and beauty bloggers rave about this stuff, I picked up the tiny bottle for $16 at Sephora. The big one is nearly $50 and I didn’t want to commit to that cost not knowing if my skin would like argan oil.
Like I said, I use this when my skin is thirsty. I use the dropper and put 5-6 drops on the back of my hand and work the oil into my face, focusing on my problem areas and of course rubbing the oil all over my cheeks, edges of my nose, undereyes, etc.
While I don’t find this oil to be groundbreaking, I do think it is helpful on occasion. I would say that I use it once a week. (Not the same day as toning!)
There you have it — a little update on my skincare routine for summer. I hope you found this post to be helpful! If you have used these products and have a comment to share, please do so below!
Note: None of the products mentioned contain SPF. If you spend any time in the sun and do not use a foundation that contains some SPF I would search for something new.
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