Updated Skincare for Fun in the Sun!

I did a post a while back about my general skincare routine, which still serves as the bare bones of what I do now, (http://makeupbyamrita.tumblr.com/post/44197920666/skincare-routine) but with the sun in full force I like to add a few extra steps to help keep tanning and burning at bay.

1. Sunscreen
Oh yes, this is so important. If you have an Indian mother or grandmother like I do, most likely at some point, the extreme importance of sunscreen has been made evident to you. If you don’t diligently keep up with your sunscreen, you will be forced to listen to stories of carrying parasols and wearing long gloves in the blistering heat and how previous generations really suffered for health and beauty as compared to us youngins now. I still know Indian moms who wear long sleeved shirts, socks on their hands, giant hats and giant sunglasses in the summertime just to drive their kids to summer camp. Extreme behavior aside, I like to use the Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion in Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ for Face and Body. I mostly use this for my face, neck and hands. The main reason I like this is that it doesn’t break me out. I used to use Neutrogena’s sunscreens for the face but I would still get break outs :( I love using the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Broad Spectrum SPF 100+ for my body. I know that a lot of people say that you don’t need to use anything above SPF 50, but the standards for testing SPF in America are less stringent than those in, for example, Australia, where people really see the sun, so I figure a little extra precaution never hurts. The newest addition to my sunscreen routine is the Shiseido Sun Protection Eye Cream in Broad Spectrum SPF 34. First of all, weird SPF number, and second of all I’m not totally convinced this is necessary. I do think the skin in the eye area is a lot more delicate, but I’ve personally never experienced a sunburn around my eyes so I’m not sure if this is totally necessary. For now, I’ll just go with it and see if I notice a difference by the end of the summer.

2. Face Scrubs
With the heat, comes sweat, and oily-ness. And with all that, come more breakouts! To help combat this, I’ve been using the St. Ives Apricot Scrub (Blemish Control) alternating with the less abrasive St. Ives Green Tea Scrub (Blemish Control). These make such a difference in keeping my breakouts at a minimum, and make my skin feel super smooth and soft. The blemish control line only contains about 1% salicylic acid, so its nothing too harsh. I still need to use a spot treatment on stubborn acne. I also think that scrubs help diminish the appearance of acne scars, which is great in case you do get the inevitable trouble spot.

3. Face Masks
For the summertime, I love using the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask. This mask is way too drying for me in the winter time, but I like using it in my T-zone to keep the shine at a minimum and to prevent blackheads and blocked pores. I use this maybe once a week, or once every week and a half based on how my skin is feeling. It’s your traditional scary green face mask which dries and tightens up to pull out impurities. I definitely recommend moisturizing afterwards to avoid getting any dry patches.



What are your favorite summer skincare products?