Summer is here, and with it comes long, carefree days in the sunshine. But make sure you still put plenty of care into your skin! Your skincare routine changes slightly each season, and though you might want to skimp on products when temperatures rise, you should actually be extra vigilant with your skin regimen. This doesn’t mean piling on tons of products—just adjust what you use and when you use it to protect your skin and keep it looking beautiful.
Cleansing is one part of your skincare routine that should remain consistent every season. Even when it’s tempting to skip steps in the heat, summer skin requires extra care to stay healthy and properly protected. The three consistent steps in The Lancer Method—Polish, Cleanse, and Nourish—will keep your skin glowing and youthful, even during the dog days of summer.
As always, start with polishing your skin to remove dull, dead skin cells from the surface. Summer skin is often swathed in layers of sunscreen, sweat, and makeup gritty with sand. Polishing your skin helps remove that surface debris to help prepare your skin to receive the beneficial ingredients when you moisturize. The exfoliators in The Method: Polish are gentle enough to polish without abrading sun-sensitive summer skin. You’ll also be encouraging natural cell turnover, resulting in skin that continues to look younger and healthier with a warm summer glow.
It’s not surprising to hear that cleansing is particularly important in the summer. The combination of waterproof makeup, extra time spent swimming the effects of the sun’s heat means your skin needs to be washed thoroughly. In order to wash properly, start with a gentle cleanser to clear away the environmental toxins and sweep away any remaining debris your polish has gently loosened from the skin’s surface. The goal is to ensure skin is prepped to absorb the good ingredients you want rather than the impurities you’re exposed to over the course of each day. If you’ve experienced a significant increase in sun-exposure, try facial cleansers for sensitive skin. The Method: Cleanse Sensitive Skin incorporates soothing ingredients like oat extract and licorice root extract to calm delicate, vulnerable skin.
If you’re tempted to skip moisturizer in the summer thinking that warmer temps, higher humidity, and often-accompanying oiliness make moisturizer unnecessary, think again. Your skin still needs nourishing hydration, even in summer weather. In fact, extra sun exposure can mean your skin needs even more hydration! If your skin gets oilier than usual in summer months, try switching to a moisturizer that controls oil like The Method: Nourish Oily-Congested, with lilac stem cells and salicylic acid. Just keep in mind that acids like glycolic or salicylic acid can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so be especially dutiful about applying anti-aging sunblock and wearing protective clothing.
If you feel despondent at the thought of applying big white globs of sunblock, you’re not alone. Applying heavy sunscreen can feel like a chore, so we often don’t use enough to get the protection we really need. However, since summer equals more hours of sunlight and many more hours out enjoying it, your morning application of sunscreen on your face, neck, and chest isn’t enough. To remedy this, make sure you reapply a sunscreen, like Sheer Fluid Sun Shield Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen, every two to three hours, or after swimming or excessive perspiration. This sheer, weightless sunscreen is a pleasure to apply, with a smooth, velvet finish that never feels heavy or greasy.
When you’re ready for makeup, stick with lightweight formulas that let your skin shine through while offering skincare benefits. Start with a primer that smooths the appearance of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles and softens the look of imperfections. The new Studio Filter Pore Perfecting Primer from Lancer Skincare provides all those benefits, plus a velvety texture that helps minimize oil, and allows makeup to glide over the top for a perfect summertime look. Follow with an illuminating treatment like Dani Glowing Skin Perfector to add natural radiance. This combination will help brighten your complexion without covering your skin’s natural summertime glow. Then, spot treat with a moisturizing eye concealer for natural-looking coverage of dark circles. Studio Light Flawless Eye Concealer includes caffeine, soft-focus minerals, and hydrophobic pigments to brighten your under-eye skin and offer lasting coverage. Ingredients like sodium hyaluronate and our amino acid complex provide immediate improvement to the look of puffiness while minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Choose makeup that benefits your skin, and enjoy the best of both worlds.
Finally, remember that what you eat affects your skin’s appearance! Stick with a diet rich in seasonal vegetables and fruits so you and your skin get the maximum benefits out of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in summer seasonal produce. Eat organic whenever possible and make sure the majority of your diet is made of low-sugar veggies. Drink lots of water every day to keep up with the heat and keep your skin hydrated from the inside out.
Your summer skin routine doesn’t need to be complicated. Protect and nourish sun-kissed skin with luxurious ingredients that help improve the look of your skin. With the right skincare routine, you can enjoy beautiful, radiant skin all summer long.