Living at the beach and spending ample time outdoors during the warm weather months has certainly caused me to identify those summer beauty essentials that I can't live without. From hair care to skin care, check out my must-haves for summer.
1. Heavy Face Moisturizer | I got a facial last week and it. was. amazing. I've been lucky enough to not experience bad skin issues, which is great, but because of that, I never developed a consistent skin regiment (aside from sun care - my mama lectured me into that one). Lately, I've felt like my pores have been clogged, particularly on my nose. I decided to book a facial to target my problem area and understand what my skin-type actually needs. (Yes, I'm 25 and just now figuring that out). She used a Vitamin A heavy moisturizer that I absolutely love but is definitely a high-end price point. I decided to purchase this one that contains Vitamin A plus other great essentials - works great so far and it's a more reasonable price point.
2. itCosmetics CC Cream | I purchased this CC cream when I started experiencing some issues with my pores. I still use my Bobbi Brown makeup (SPF 40) on occasion, especially if I want more all-day coverage, but I've been really pleased with this lighter option as well. Plus, it has SPF 50 so it's perfect to put on before a day at the beach.
3. Sun Bum SPF 50 | If you'd asked me 5 years ago if I'd be using SPF 50, I would've said no way! But on my face, SPF 50 is virtually the only thing I use. My mom has always been adamant that I protect my skin, particularly on my face, and for a long time, I would avoid sunscreen. My face freckles easily, and if I'm not careful, my nose turns into one huge freckle during the summer. I know my skin will thank me in 10 years because of this. On the rest of my body, I try to use SPF 30 (although on occasion I'll just go with SPF 15...don't tell). One note about Sun Bum - there are certain sunscreens that irritate my face to the point that I have to wipe it off, but this is not one of them. Though this isn't dedicated specifically to face, I've personally found that it works great. And Sun Bum is recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation - so that's good enough for me!
4. Vaseline Lip Therapy in Aloe | I use this product every night and every morning and my lips have felt conditioned despite being in the sun. My lips still feel nourished when I wake up if I apply right before bed. And the aloe gives added relief if your lips get sunburned. I keep the Rosy version in my bag for day-time.
5. It's A 10 Shine Spray | I love this spray! I use it before applying heat and give my hair one more spritz over after I apply hairspray. A few years ago, I was competing in Miss NC and the ends of my hair looked so fried because of all the heat I had been applying paired with the heat wave we were having. My mom dropped this off to me and by the next day, my hair had a makeover. They also make a keratin option for a deeper conditioning.
6. Coconut Oil | I apply just a little bit of this each night to the ends of my hair (definitely not all over - you may end up with an oily mess) and then braid my hair loosely before bed. I do this year-round, but in the summer, my hair is definitely more dry and so this keeps the ends of my hair nourished.
7. Wet Brush | If you don't own this brush, you need to rush to get one now. This is seriously one of my most treasured hair care items. The Wet Brush is designed to comb carefully through wet hair and alleviate some of the breakage that occurs when you brush through tangles. Whether I've just gotten out of the shower, jumped in the pool, or been on the boat all day, this brush is always my go-to because it makes combing and brushing through my hair ten times easier. A definite recommend!
8. Neoprene Hair Ties | I've always been a culprit of having a hair tie around my wrist - it used to drive my mom crazy! I now try to make it a habit of slipping hair ties in my purse instead, and I'm loving the neoprene EmiJay version. I snagged these from Pure Barre one day and I absolutely love them. They don't leave creases in your hair and in my personal experience, I have less breakage. My hair is already more dry during the summer (see #s 5 and 6), so I don't want to incur any additional damage all because of a hair tie.
Summer Beauty Tips:
- Hydrate | This is possibly the most important one - hydrating is important year-round but particularly during the summer. We have had some high heat and humidity here in NC the past few days and I can definitely feel a difference when I don't drink enough water. I get a terrible headache and feel weaker. Plus, drinking lots of water makes for clearer and healthier skin!
- Apply sunscreen under makeup | These days, most makeup foundations include an SPF. But if I know I'm going to be out on a run later on or touring clients - and especially if I'm headed to the beach or pool - I always put SPF 50 under my foundation. Your skin will thank you later!
- Invest in a great waterproof mascara | I'm not a huge fan of waterproof mascaras because they are so difficult to remove, but I'm even less of a fan of make-up induced black eyes because I jumped in the pool.
- Keep a lip balm with SPF in your bag | So often, we forget the importance of protecting our lips. As cute as the hot pink lipstick is, consider tossing a lip balm with an SPF of 30 or more that will always be with you.
- Wear sunglasses | If you spend time outside, this is huge. My eyes are sensitive to light due to the fact that my pupils stay dilated more often than not, but at my last optometrist visit, my eye doctor said that one of the biggest issues they see, particularly in a beach town, is sun damage to eyes. Unfortunately, once you have that damage, it is irrevocable - so take care of your eyes sooner than later! And a polarized option will make it even better - I just got these Tory Burch sunnies that I love.
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