Tips + Tricks for Glowing Summer Skin
MAY 2014
Summer is just around the corner, and though that means lots of beach and barbeque time, it can also wreak havoc on your skin. And with all those fun summer parties to attend, you just can’t afford sunburn and an oily face. So, we’ve called in some beauty experts to give us tips on how to get your skin summer-party ready so you’re fresh-faced and dewy wherever you go!
Elizabeth Dehn, local beauty expert extraordinaire, has a national following on her site, Beauty Bets, home to all things beauty and wellness, be it product reviews and killer drugstore finds, tips and tricks for hair and make-up, or Elizabeth’s adventures in oil pulling or detox cleansing. Today, she gives us her can’t-miss steps for glowing summer skin:
Step 1: Exfoliate! Not only does a real solid salt or sugar scrub feel like a mini spa treatment in the shower, but it busts through any dull, dead skin and preps your limbs for the all-important self-tanner. I’m currently rationing out a jar of Herban Salted Butter Moisturizing Body Scrub.
Step 2: Self-tanner. It’s amazing what a touch of faux glow can do for a sundress—not to mention your self-confidence. It’s hard to beat St. Tropez Self-Tan Bronzing Mousse for a natural-looking golden hue and no-mess application.
Step 3: Moisturize. Forget lotion—I’m all about the body oil these days. A good one that’s derived from plant oils will deeply hydrate, extend the life of your sunless tan, and leave a beautiful dewy glow on shoulders and shins. I’m naturally partial to the one I just launched with One Love Organics, the Vitamin C Body Oil.
Karoline over at The Elixery, a local artisan cosmetic house that creates made-from-scratch beauty products, gave us her favorite recipe for a homemade body scrub, the Salt Glow. “Take a cup of quality sea salt and stir it up with 1/2 cup of almond oil. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (French Lavender is fantastic!) and scrub down in the shower. The salt not only exfoliates, but also helps to bring moisture to the surface, giving your skin a healthy glow.”
And once your skin is exfoliated and moisturized, you can put all the focus on your face. Here are Karoline’s three tips for an easy, glowing summer countenance:
The skin on your face is far too delicate for a Salt Glow, but a gentle exfoliating clay scrub will take off the winter blahs and reveal fresh, glowing skin. I like to compound Green Tea and Sandalwood in a special mixture of detoxifying clay for a gentle facial scrub. Sandalwood is an ancient Ayurvedic skin beautifier, and green tea and Redmond Clay add an antioxidant and detoxifying boost. It’s guaranteed to give you some healthy color back after this long winter!
To combat summer oiliness, try Aburatorigami—a beauty secret from the ancient Geisha to keep your face fresh and party-perfect. These are pressed rice papers which are used for lightly blotting the face without messing up your makeup. Tatcha’s Beauty Papers are fantastic—handmade with 100% natural rice paper and cruelty-free to boot.
As a finishing touch, a sheer lipstick is a summer essential. My favorite shade for the season is Ingénue, a coral shade that was designed to give a natural flush to the lips. As a bonus, Elixery lipstick is gentle enough to use on the cheek as well, so you can carry that adorable (but tiny) bag with fewer products for touch-ups.
After all of this, all you’ll be left to do is apply some mascara and buy a new dress, and you’ll be ready for any summer party that comes your way! Do you have any favorite summer beauty products? Any can’t-miss tips that we didn’t mention? Do share!
And thank you, Elizabeth and Karoline, for your brilliant advice!