Great Looking Skin Even During Summer Heat

by Inna Grinblat of Glamorized Skin

Summer has finally started here in Southern California, which means the days are super hot and we mostly spend our time inside with the AC turned on. If not at the office/school, we spend time outside, baking in the heat and enjoying the nice weather. The bad thing about these situations is that extreme temperature changes lead to dry skin, no matter what skin type you are. All this causes flakyness for those with dry skin and more oil for those with oily skin (oily skin compensates for the dryness by producing more oil). Therefore, a gentle but thorough cleansing and exfoliating is a MUST and you should not forget to moisturize your skin to keep it hydrated. Make sure to use face moisturizers with the right ingredients - a cream/lotion for dry skin (an example is CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion PM) and a gel/serum for oily skin (an example is Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum).

It seems to me that during summer we want our skin to look even better, than throughout the rest of the year, because we spend so much time outside in bright light. With a help of a good and well matched foundation this can be easily achieved. In this article, I will help you figure out how to choose the right color and will recommend which foundation might better suite your skin type. First, you need to figure out if you have a pink or yellow skin tone. While standing in a good (preferably natural) light look in the mirror. Do you see mostly yellow undertone or pink? If this does not help, look on the inside of your wrist - if your veins look mostly green, then you have yellow undertone, but if they look mostly blue, then you have pink undertone.

Once you figured out your skin tone, half of the work is done and all you need to do, when looking for a proper foundation shade, is find the right intensity - fair vs. dark. The brands I will be recommending below have a good array of colors to choose from. When choosing a color, try a small amount of foundation on the back of your hand, not to see if it matches your skin color, but to see if it has a pink or yellow undertone. Once you find the right undertone for your skin, you will probably need to buy one or two shades that are similar to your skin color in order to check them out in a good light at home. Keep in mind that most drugstores and department stores will allow you to return opened makeup if you are not satisfied (ask about their makeup return policy). Many brands at the department stores would also provide you with a substantial sample to try at home for free before buying. This will give you the opportunity to try out several shades in the daylight in front of the good size mirror at home.

When you are home and ready to try your new foundation(s), use a sponge (or your fingers) to apply a small amount of the product to your jaw bone area and your cheek. What you are looking for is whether the color blends well with your natural skin tone. If your face is lighter (or darker) than your neck, do not try to match the shade of your neck to the shade of your face completely because it will only make your foundation look like a mask. Try to find a color somewhere in between the two shades, but closer to the one of your face. Thus, even after a sunburn you would look flawless as always.

Foundation recommendations for oily/combination skin:

Clinique Even Better Makeup SPF 15, L'Oreal Paris True Match Super Blendable Makeup SPF 17, MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 (personal favorite)

Foundation recommendations for dry skin: Stilla Illuminating Liquid Foundation, Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse Airbrush Finish, Estee Lauder Resilient Lift Extreme Radiant Lifting Makeup SPF 15.

Foundations recommended above are not guaranteed to work for your skin type and life style, but it is a good start in finding that perfect one. If you have any questions please post them here and I will be glad to answer them.