Less is more with makeup in the heat, but some steps in your beauty routine need amping up, says Here is editor Trudi Brewer. Who shares the products you need to suit any budget.
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Editor Trudi Brewer shares the tips, and products to get your through summer looking your best on TV3’s The Cafe.
Step up your SPF
Don’t waste your time on anything less than an SPF 50. The number is a guide of how long you can stay out in the sun without getting burned. An SPF 50 means that you can be in the sun for fifty minutes, times the burn time. High summer in NZ that is only about three minutes, so you are protected for around 150 minutes. Next, choose broad-spectrum protection. This means your skin is protected from both UVB rays (which cause burning) and the deeper-penetrating UVA rays (which cause premature ageing, fine lines, and can cause skin cancer).
Heliocare 360° Mineral Tolerance Fluid SPF 50, $66.
A 100 per cent natural mineral (or physical sunscreen) boosted with antioxidants including Vitamins C and E, green tea extract, and extracts from ferns, the brand call Fernblock. It offers a broad spectrum SPF50, is lightweight and water-resistant. Applied under your BB cream a little goes a long way. Taken before you go out into the sun and paired with an SPF, Heliocare 360 Supplements 30’s, $67. Boosted with the potent antioxidant, Fernblock, cysteine, vitamins and prebiotics, these capsules help support the skin’s resistance to sun exposure, from the inside out.
Boost your skin with antioxidants
Your best defence against UV rays; is to pack your beauty routine with skincare that contains antioxidants. It gives your skin back up protection, combined with a sunscreen, a daily dose of vitamin C, E, and B3 or niacinamide to help brighten an uneven skin texture and reduce the risk of brown spots.
Me Today Vitamin Glow C Serum, $45.
Boosted with magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, a stable form of vitamin C, strawberry and kiwi seed extracts also rich in natural vitamin C, this serum brightens and nourishes dehydrated skin at the same time.
Me Today Vitamin Glow C Serum, $45.
Exfoliate at night
Not only will help you maintain an even-looking self-tan (when you buff off the dead skin cells sitting on the surface of your skin, the old tan will come off with it). Buffing your feet will have you looking your best in your new Gucci slides. However, keep in mind, exfoliation reveals a fresh layer of skin, which can be sensitive and prone to burning in the sun. Exfoliate in the evening, not the morning you're heading from the shower to the beach.
Freeman Body Sugar Scrub Green Tea, $18.
Flavour aside, and there are three, Green Tea, (pictured here) Coffee and Strawberry Milk, this is a great beauty buy. This sugar-infused formula helps buff off dry skin, anywhere on your body - hello glowing skin.
Cleanse morning and night during summer
If you go makeup-free in summer, it’s tempting to hit the sack without cleansing your skin. Don’t. Sunscreen, coupled with nighttime sweat, will cause breakouts, so before your head hits the pillow, take a few minutes to cleanse your skin with a soothing, hydrating foaming cleanser - for ease and speed find a product you can use in the shower.
Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Facial Wash, $52.
A cult beauty range, this cleanser is made from distilled calendula petals, cooling camphor, and menthol, as well as hydrating glycerin. It will remove grime and makeup without drying or stripping the skin of nourishment. The creamy gel activates with water to become a rich foam, perfect for most skin types, including normal, oily, and sensitive skin. Follow with the famous Kiehl's Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner, $60 (which contains around 50 calendula petals), to round off your summer skincare routine.
Kiehl's Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Facial Wash, $52.
Bronze your skin strategically
Give your skin a bronze boost by adding a few drops of highlighter to your moisturiser or BB cream - and hello, glow. Bronzer is not a second-step foundation, therefore don't just buff it all over your face. Target the high points on your face where the sun would naturally hit your skin, such as the cheeks' apples, applied lightly over your forehead, and your cheekbones. Be sure to blend harsh lines and keep metallics to a minimum. You want to look glowy, not oily.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Mini - Sculpture Unlocked, $102.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Mini - Sculpture Unlocked, $102.
The colour of summer, this limited edition palette, is ideal for adding a pop of blush to the cheeks, highlighting your bone structure or bronzing to give your skin a faux summer glow - this palette is our summer bronzing Nirvana
While gloss is bang on-trend, reach for a matt sheen rather than a gooey liquid finish when the temperature rises. Known as a liquid lipstick, the latest formulas give your lips the comfort of a gloss but the lasting finish of semi-matte lipstick. And this season, most brands are offering up a rainbow of colour.
Jane Iredale Beyond Matte Lip Fixation Lip Stain, $79.
The combination of plant-based oils and vitamin E conditions protects skin dryness, while the long-lasting mineral pigment won't feather or bleed into those fine lines around the lips. Finally, the delicious Tahitian vanilla scent and flavour leaves you wanting more. There are four new shades in the lineup, pictured here Blissed Out.
Jane Iredale Beyond Matte Lip Fixation Lip Stain, in Blissed Out $79.
A hair mask is the fastest way to refresh your colour, and nourish your scalp. The best way to infuse a mask into the hair shaft is to shampoo your hair, towel dry, and then apply the cream mask to your hair, then wrap your damp hair in a hot towel, leave it on for 20 minutes. Finally, rinse the mask from your hair using warm water.
Schwarzkopf Extra Care Bio-Tech Repair 4-in-1 Treatment, $15.
Schwarzkopf Extra Care Bio-Tech Repair 4-in-1 Treatment, $15.
Treat your hair to this 4-in-1 mask, to strengthen fragile, colour-treated hair and protect your hair from breakage. It leaves your locks feeling smooth while boosting the shine, thanks to the protein and cocoa butter in the formula. The best news, the price - we call it a cost-effective, beauty buy.
Make sure your lip balm is laden with SPF
It's the one beauty item rolling around in the bottom of your handbag, but do your balms have SPF protection. You want the lip balm you buy to keep your delicate lips hydrated for several hours, prevent the skin from cracking, and offer up some protection from those punishing UV rays. Also, if you lose them all the time (like us), go for a stick formula that won't break the bank, and it's tiny enough to keep in your pockets or purse.
Blistex Lip Infusions Hydration, $11.
Stacked with our favourite skin ingredient, hyaluronic acid, which binds moisture to the skin, coupled with vitamin E and that essential SPF15 - lip balm addicts, this is your summer essential.
Blistex Lip Infusions Hydration, $11.