Glass Skin? I'll have one, please.

Caring for your skin is a form of art; the perfect strokes of applying and patting in your moisturizer, choosing the right type of products that the canvas — your very own countenance – will only benefit from is no walk in the park. Mix vitamin C with an exfoliating acid, and you’ll look like a tomato until you realize you’re doing something wrong; apply a moisturizer before a mask, and you’ll wake up in the morning with what feels like a plastic film draped around your face. It can get especially tricky with the hot weather we’re (hopefully) expecting this summer of ’19, and here are some tips on what to do to avoid looking like a flakey and simultaneously glistening donut.

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1. Use water-based moisturizers

The most important thing to keep in mind for the summer makeup’n’skincare mix is: do anything you can to not clog your pores. You can even stop wearing makeup completely – the tan will do its job, but regardless of your daily makeup routine, always apply moisturizer — day and night. This way you skin will always feel supple and fresh, and no nasty UVA/B rays will dare to dry it. A water based moisturizer in the morning will help your skin feel more lightweight and won’t mix up with sebum, clogging your pores, and better yet — a little goes a long way with gel moisturizers! Incorporate them into your daily skin care routine, and your skin will be grateful for a long time with no pimples and whiteheads.

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2. Sunscreens are an absolute must

You’ve probably heard about this one a lot. Premature aging, skin cancer, micro-tears… Some of these remain myths while the others pose a real problem. No need to go crazy with sunscreens, though. Recent research has found that the chemicals protecting your skin against UV-rays might actually have a negative impact on your mental activity. So don’t go lathering your face in 50+++ SPF sunscreen, thinking it’ll grant you eternal youth — use a mild sun block underneath a cream and a foundation/BB with 25-35 SPF, and you can walk around in the midday European sun without a worry.

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3. Exfoliating acids are a no-go

No one really wants their skin to look like a crepe. While crepes indeed look delicious on a plate, their texture and overall look are not exactly a perfect image for your skin. Rough patches, dark and bright spots, micro-tears — this is what we are trying to avoid. When you use exfoliating acids — whether AHAs or BHAs — the sun’s effect on them is magnified. When under direct sunlight, your skin’s barrier, weakened by chemical exfoliants, is much more susceptible to sunburn, since the UVrays penetrate it much more easily. Make sure you don’t go absolute ham on physical exfoliators either — your face is not packed with as many dead skin cells as beauty blogs tell you. Photosensitive skin sounds great in theory (#MajorInstaVibes), but once you get to know the term, things can get nasty real quick.

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Written by: Diana