SUMMER FLING: 5 BEAUTY SHAKE-UPS TO MAKE NOW

A new season calls for a new beauty M.O. As the temps rise, your daily regimen requires a revamp. All those heavier skin and haircare products you were using in the winter no longer apply as the barometer rises. “Just like our wardrobe, our skin needs a seasonal change that allows it to breathe better during the warm weather,” says Rhea Souhleris Grous founder of La Suite Skincare at Union Square Laser Dermatology in New York City. “Due to sun exposure, sweating, and air conditioning, people tend to get dehydrated in the summer months, so maintaining moisture is imperative for keeping a healthy barrier,” Grous says. Here’s how to make the seasonal switch for a head-to-toe glow:

In the winter, when skin is tight and parched, reaching for heavy creams seems the only way to get skin out of Dullsville. But those rich formulation can clog pores and feel super tacky in warmer weather, says Grous. Put them at the back of your shelf and go for a water-based moisturizer if your skin is normal or dry, or a gel moisturizer if you tend to be oilier. Try Environ Defense Crème, which is a lightweight daily moisturizer chock full of antioxidants designed to fight free radical damage. If your skin is oily, try Environ's AVST Gel, a cool, lightweight soothing gel moisturizer that’s gentle enough for sensitive skin. 

Thanks to a season in the sun and surf, which dries and dehydrates your hair, scalp and strands need an extra dose of nutrients and moisture to maintain health, softness, and shine. By adding a customized booster to your conditioner, you can treat your hair to a deep, restorative infusion. Try: Cuvée Essential Booster. Mix a few drops of the formula, which contains a proprietary complex of skin-care grade ingredients, Hyaluronic acid, and B vitamins, in with your conditioner and cleanse away to restore that lost luster. 

While you should be wearing sunscreen year-round, it’s even more important in the summer months. A topical Vitamin C treatment applied underneath your sunscreen makes it eight times more effective, says Grous. Try: Skinceuticals Vitamin C E Ferulic/Phloretin, which helps to diminish the appearance of fine lines and discoloration and brighten your complexion while neutralizing free radicals. 

…for a physical one. Even in the summer months, your skin needs a good sloughing. Thanks to all the sunscreen you are diligently using, it’s easy for your complexion to get congested and build up dead cells. A physical exfoliant with exfoliating beads can leave the skin radiant, supple, and soft, and receptive to the beneficial properties of the serums and lotions to follow, says Grous. Try: Valmont Face Scrub, a creamy formulation with fine exfoliating particles, which delicately removes dead cells that leave behind a dull complexion. 

Lay off the heat

Summer’s steamy temps go hand-in-hand with one major pitfall: frizz. So, while you may have been blow drying and heat styling in the winter months, doing so now will only contribute to more frizz and cause your hair to be even drier. Instead of working against it, now’s the time to work with that texture Mother Nature gave you. Step away from heat stylers and opt for an air dry and a texturizing spray instead. Try: Cuvée Champagne Spray, which can be used on towel-dried hair to create, definition, hold, and most importantly, that sexy beachy vibe that best fits summer’s breezy attitude.