Summer Beauty Tweaks for Women: Skin, Makeup and Hair

Want to look sensational all summer long? Just follow this simple beat-the-heat skin care, makeup and hair advice from the pros.

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Summer Skin Care

You’ve swapped cashmere sweaters for cotton halters; now, lighten up on your moisturizer. With all that humidity in the air, you don’t need the rich creams that helped nourish winter’s parched skin. Instead, opt for light textures that will hydrate without clogging your pores.

“Take your moisturizer down a notch,” suggests New York City esthetician Tom Woodhouse. “If you use a cream in the winter, try a lotion in the summer.

Or, if you use a lotion or gel in January, switch to a serum or emulsion in July.” Since your skin tends to be oilier in summer, you might also consider switching to a mild foaming cleanser – it’s hardworking, but still kind to the skin. “It will do the job of removing sunscreen and makeup,” says Woodhouse, “while also leaving your skin feeling fresh and clean.”

On weekends when you’re spending eight or 10 hours outdoors, it can be challenging to find an effective, long-lasting sunscreen that won’t make you break out. A mineral sunblock is a simple solution, says dermatologist Ellen Marmur, physician and author of Simple Skin Beauty: Every Woman’s Guide to a Lifetime of Healthy, Gorgeous Skin.

“What’s great about mineral products – if you have any kind of skin sensitivity – is that they sit on the surface of the skin instead of being absorbed,” she says, “so they’re less likely to cause irritation or an allergic reaction.” Buy non-toxic, reef-friendly sunblock products HERE.

Summer Makeup

Swap winter’s full-cover foundation for a tinted moisturizer. Choose one with an SPF of 20 or more, and you can skip the sunscreen on days that you’re not spending hours outdoors. Then, camouflage trouble spots, like blemishes or dark circles, with a waterproof concealer, suggests New York makeup artist Raychel Wade.

“With the combination of tinted moisturizer and waterproof concealer, you’ll still get the immaculate finish of high-coverage products,” she says, “but you won’t have to worry about your makeup breaking down in the heat.”

For nighttime, “having a little bit of glisten to the skin is a great modern look,” says celebrity makeup artist Brett Freedman. If you have fair skin, like Katy Perry, embrace it by opting for the luminous look of Hollywood sirens in old black-and-white films.

Mix a sheer highlighting cream with your tinted moisturizer. Blend about one part glow to three parts base on the back of your hand and apply with a foundation brush. Top with a cheek tint or stain in ripe apricot or mango; just pat on the apples of your cheeks.

If you have medium to deep skin tones, blend a gel bronzer with your foundation, then top with a sweep of bronzing powder. “Apply the bronzer with a large fluffy brush, starting at the jaw line and swirling your way to your forehead,” says Freedman.

Summer Hair

Style your hair while you sleep. For a boho version of beachy waves, work a texturizing cream through damp hair, suggests Jet Rhys, a San Diego stylist and salon owner. Next, take random pieces of hair, make very loose pin-curls, and secure them to your head with bobby pins – about a dozen sections in all.

Check out some life-saving scalp care tips.

“When you wake up, just take out the bobby pins,” says Rhys, “and run your fingers gently through your hair. You’ll have tons of volume and texture.”

For a spur-of-the-moment nighttime look that’s both easy and glamorous, try a ponytail hairstyle. Just be careful about placement, says Rhys. “Too high above the ears is too young,” she says, “and right at the ears is too casual. Low on the nape is stunning.”

Wrap a thin, colored ribbon around the elastic, then spray the tail with a light-hold hairspray and smooth on a glossing cream. “The spray helps the cream stick so hair looks sleek and not messy,” says Rhys.

Look here for more Summer Skin, Hair and Body care tips.