Skin & Beauty Tips for surviving the Summer heat
Melbourne is finally hotting up and it gives us a not so gentle reminder that we need to make an extra effort to protect our precious and largest organ of our bodies….our skin. Summer heat poses a few problems for us busy ladies. Not only do we want to keep our skin safe, silky and smooth, we also want our makeup to withstand the heat and last into the balmy summer nights. Here are my top tips and product recommendations to do just that.
Protect
Wear SPF every day. We should be doing this every day of the year but summer really is the time to make sure you are at the top of your game when it comes to skin protection. Choose a broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB and in my opinion go for the SPF 50+ the skin on our faces, neck and décolletage is so fragile we want to try our best to continue to protect it. As busy mums we often forget about our own sun protection but would never send out the kids without it. A good tip is to swap out your after shower body lotion for a high protection sunscreen, that way you know you are covered as soon as you leave the house. A chic wide brim hat and dark sunglasses will ramp up style and skin saving properties.
With new skin care technologies it’s now much easier to find a facial sunscreen that sits well under makeup. My choice is MECCA Cosmetica’s “To Save Face Superscreen” SPF 50+
Mix it up
Summer means we can just generally lighten up when it comes to our make up. The heavy foundations of winter can be put to the back of the vanity and we can embrace the lightweight sheer bases that let our skin shine through! Choose lighter bases such as CC creams or tinted moisturisers. Add a sweep of light reflecting bronzer and fall in love with highlighter (my favourite places to wear it is tops of cheekbones, down the nose and cupids bow). A great DIY tip for a lightweight dewy look is to mix up a good quality concealer (try MAC Select Cover Up) with a brightening radiance boosting balm (such as Clarins Beauty Flash balm) or if you can’t face the beach with no coverage mix it in with your facial sunscreen and off you go.
Prime
Heading to the races or a summer wedding? Then you want your makeup to last so you must put in the ground work and for that reason invest in a hard working primer. Primers have been around for a while but you can be strategic with the primer you buy. If you have oily skin you might want to go for a mattifying formula such as Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 or if you are more on the dry side opt for a moisture boosting finish for under your makeup. MAC’s Lightful C Marine- Bright Formula Serum packs a punch of moisture. Or if you are a combination of both use a combination of different primers targeting different things on those particular areas on your face. Opt for an eyeshadow primer to prevent creasing even through the hottest temperatures. Urban Decay Primer Potion has a cult following for this reason and can be used lightly through eyebrows and under eye area to keep filled in eyebrows and under eye concealer in place. For long lasting lips it’s a good idea to keep lips exfoliated and moisturised.
Nursing mothers may have experienced the skin saving benefits of Lansinoh before and it’s the same magic formula I use to moisturise the lips of my clients when I start their make up. To exfoliate your lips you can use a towel/face cloth then pop on some of this when you hop out of the shower. By the time it comes to doing your lips they will be perfectly smooth. For a long lasting lip press a small amount of foundation all over your lips (you can use what’s left on your foundation brush), line and fill in the lips completely with a long lasting lip liner (try Rimmell 1000 Kisses Stay On Lip Liner) and then apply your lipstick. As the lipstick wears off, your liner remains underneath.
Set & Refresh
I personally don’t love a heavy powdery finish for summer makeup but I do like to set my makeup to ensure its longevity. I use a small brush or damp beauty blender to set with powder only in the areas I know get shiny (typically inner corner of nose, chin area, forehead). Alternatively if you want to set with powder all over the face opt for a fine light reflecting powder to set your make up and provide glow. Try HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Powder which boasts “photoluminescent technology that makes you appear as you have just stepped into your perfect light” well when you put it like that who wouldn’t want to use it!? As the night goes on and you feel you want to top up your make up I always advise my clients to buff their skin before adding more product. Using a buffing brush (such as Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush) to buff the areas of the face where you feel maybe the make up has moved out of place (eg, around the nose, chin and forehead). That may be all you need or if not go ahead and reapply. More often than not, when you are embracing a dewy summer skin look you can set your makeup with a beautiful refreshing make up spray. You can also use this later in the day to refresh your skin…I often take one on summer girls nights out and we all have a spritz! I personally love Avène Thermal Spring Water Spray, although not necessarily a makeup setting spray it’s soothing and gentle for even the most sensitive of skins.
Hydration
Last but not least keep hydrated. Drink water. There’s no way around it your skin and body will thank you for it.
Amy Hughes is a professional makeup artist and beauty writer at www.madeoverandme.com where she blogs a mixture of beauty, real life and weddings. Amy is available for wedding makeup, special occasion makeovers and makeup lessons in the comfort of your own home or venue across Melbourne.