My Summer Skin Care Routine
Lately I have been really enjoying my skin care routine. . .Can you relate?!
It’s a mix of the experience and the results that have me so jazzed. The results keep me motivated to do it day and night. Using products I love help me lean into the feeling of self care. And since I have also enjoyed swapping secrets with my friends, I thought y’all might be as into it as I am!
My main concerns are correcting sun damage, preventing more sun damage, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and having a natural, healthy glow. (This post is in no way sponsored and these are just the products I absolutely love and use every day)!
In the summer there is this cycle I feel I’ve perfected in order to keep my skin protected, but also glowing and tanned:
The magic trifecta of using plenty of sunscreen, exfoliating daily, and using self tanner on my face.
The Magic Trifecta
I use a tinted sunscreen that gives my skin a radiant glow, a bit of coverage, and lots of protection. Reapplying sunscreen as needed throughout the day.
A good daily exfoliator to get rid of all that sunscreen each night and prepping my skin to absorb all the fabulous products I apply afterwards.
Natural looking, easy to use, self tanners so my face looks like it gets a lot more sun than it actually does.
EXFOLIATORS
Under normal circumstances, using an exfoliator is an important step to help remove dull dry skin and allow your products to better penetrate your skin.
When you add in using a tinted sunscreen that is re-applied during the day, it is key for removing those layers of sunscreen!
I love Glo’s Daily Polishing Cleanser. Its a powder that you can use on its own by adding a little water to create a lather, or add to any of your favourite cleansers to get that extra scrub. One container will last me over 6 months. Then, once or twice per week, I go deeper exfoliation and use Glo’s Brighting Polish. This is lovely to use, has environmentally friendly jojoba beads, and you leaves your skin looking radiant. And again, it will last me a really long time! (I buy both from Kiyo Salon).
FACE TANNERS
I absolutely love how I look and feel when my face has a natural looking tan. I use face tanners year round to give me that little boost. These two are by far the best I have ever used!! Of course I don’t really need both, but depending on various things, I’ll gravitate more to one or the other.
I like the SunnaTan Keep Me Sunkissed Face Tan Water in the morning. I simply mist it all over my clean face let it soak in and dry. It’s fool proof!! Honestly I have never had a streak, a drip -nothing but a gorgeous natural glow. Once it dries (in a few minutes) I continue with my regular skin care routine. It will develop over a few hours. So if I use it in the morning, after work my tan will be poppin!
The Luna Bronze Good Night Drops I use at night. I exfoliate, do my usual evening routine, then mix a few drops in with my moisturizer and wake up with a gorgeous tan! So natural! (Just be sure to wash your hands after you apply it).
I don’t use them every morning and night - I am not a maniac!
Probably 2 times in total per week - sometimes one, sometimes the other. Just as needed - but sometimes it works better in the morning or I forget and want to do it at night . . .
I’m a woman who likes options! :)
SUNSCREEN
With all the efforts and money I am putting into my skin care routine, I am not gonna throw it all away with sun damage!
These are my top two pics. The La Roche Posay is incredibly light weight and tinted (you can get non tinted as well). It leaves my skin looking gorgeous and dewy - that healthy glow I love! A hefty 50 SPF and that little bit of coverage I like from a tinted moisturizer. Perfection! I also have it in non tinted, and find that one is best for when I need to reapply. Layering tinted sunscreen on top of tinted sunscreen feels heavy and can clog my pores. I buy it at Shoppers.
Tizo is my favourite mineral based sunscreen. This one feels like it stays put and lasts a little longer. I prefer this one for gardening, days at the beach, and for going for a run - when I know I might be sweating. Although it’s a zinc sunscreen it absorbs really well. But I find it a little thick for re applying to often, so will sometimes need to wash my face before reapplying.
I love Cure Soaps Sun Butter for my body! Locally made here on Vancouver Island it’s incredibly hydrating!
MORNING ROUTINE
Taking Collagen daily, using a vitamin c serum and a tinted sunscreen are the 3 steps in the morning that bring me the best results
EVENING ROUTINE
Exfoliating + using retinol are what I find to be most important to my evening skin care routine to give me the results I want.
Wear Enough Sunscreen
I recently learned this great hack! Apply a line of sunscreen to your 4 fingers. That is the appropriate amount - just for your face!! I’ll then use the same amount to do my neck and chest. My skin savvy friend once told me, when it comes to my facial skin care, I should think about it as hair l to the top of my tits! Lols - love it!
SUN HATS
I am a fan of wearing a hat that provides shade to my head, ears, face and neck when I am at the beach or gardening. A baseball hat is great for a run, but since it’s not giving me as much protection I will wear a bigger hat when I can. I love that hats are back in fashion!
The one I am wearing in this pic I got from Wild and Sparrow a few years ago. Kim is actually wearing her kids billabong hat which I also love! It has a neck strap which is handy if you are out kayaking or paddle boarding so you don’t have to worry about your hat blowing away.
AFTER SUN CARE
After a day in the sun it feels so good to come home, shower off, then give your skin some soothing repair. I use this Soothing Lilac Oil all over my body and face and my skin absolutely LOVE it!
Lilac works similarly to aloe vera (but with a way nicer smell and feel!) It is great for soothing burnt skin, redness or irritation. Made with organic Canadian sunflower oil and lilacs that are practically picked in my back yard! Seriously. Matka Holistic founder, Nicolina sources lilacs locally here in Nanaimo when they are in bloom. Heaven!
The experience of using this lilac oil is glorious!! I will never use aloe vera again!
Hydrate, Rebuild, Nourish
Fuel your body and feed your skin!
These 3 steps - drinking water, taking collagen, and enjoying nourishing foods + juices actually have the biggest effect on the texture and glow of my skin. They can’t reverse sun damage, but they can do a heck of a lot to keep my skin looking good!! Collagen really improves the texture of my skin - it looks smoother - less bumps or fine lines while also helping my skin look hydrated.
Eating a diet rich in whole foods ensures you are ingesting lots of nutrients, which are essential for healthy skin. Your hard working organs like the liver, intestines, kidneys, thyroid, and adrenals need nutrients from whole foods to function properly and contribute to your healthy skin. From balanced hormones, to functioning thyroid, and intestines that can expel waste properly all play a role. Whole foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, antioxidants helping skin glow, regenerate new skin cells, reduce inflammation and so much more!
My top picks for juices that are great for your skin are Beauty Tonic + Detox Greens.
