BY JANE BRADSHAW

Now that the weather is finally on the same page as our calendars, sunny skies and late nights spent on patios are rapidly approaching. It feels great to emerge out of Stauffer from our winter-long hibernation, but many often forget about the impact the new season has on our money makers (the face, guys. I’m talking about your FACE). You see, as the air outside changes, so does your skin. Maybe the humidity causes an oily complexion or the hours spent in the sun gives you red spots instead of demure freckles. Or perhaps you are committed to your summer body, and need to counteract the sweat and numerous showers that are drying out your skin and forming acne is strange places (for me, if I don’t cleanse immediately after a workout, I get new friends crowding my hairline around my temples. It ain’t cute). As a beauty product obsessive, I’ve decided it is time to put all the knowledge I have accumulated to good use - and your benefit. Wherever you find yourself this summer, this is what you need to withstand the season. 

1. Foundation with SPF

We are young, we don’t have wrinkles (yet), we want to be tanned. I hear ya! But, in 20 years, we will be spending a fortune on silly products and facials to get what we have now. The easiest way to save money is to invest in sunscreen. But if you’re doing a moisturizer-primer-foundation trifecta every morning, noon and night, your skin is going to be heavy, and probably look worse from the suffocation. There’s an easy switch in summertime: an SPF Foundation. Even better: an SPF tinted moisturizer. You get the protection you need without having to add anything to your routine. I’m a huge fan of the Sulwhasoo Cushion Foundation, which has full coverage, SPF 50 and it doesn’t streak off your face at the first sign of summer.

2. Lip Care

Between iced coffees, bright coloured cocktails, chatting your way through your workday, and perhaps a summer romance, your lips are certainly putting in work. You need to protect them from the sun AND your hobbies because nothing is worse than chapped lips in the summer. I’m a huge fan of Kendo-backed Canadian beauty brand BITE: they know that you unconsciously consume most of the lipstick you apply, so all of their products are food-grade and free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates. They make cruelty-free beauty cool without shoving it down your throat. If you’re going to invest in anything, definitely take a look at their Agave Lip Treatments, which will revive your lips so you can keep your mouth moving.

3. Oil Repellants

You know when you put oil and water together, they separate? So why are we still washing an oily face with “Oil-Free” water-based products? Say it with me: OIL. AND. WATER. DON’T. MIX. So what works? An oil cleanser. Sounds weird, but when you wash your face with an oil cleanser, the oils in the cleanser bind to the oils in your skin and when you wash it off, they go with it. If you have combination skin, double-cleanse with a foaming cleanser after, so you don’t add the oil back, but also attack any dry or dullness you may have. My favourites are the oil-based cleansers from Aesop, Nuxe, and Tata Harper, and the  Consonant Natural Foaming Face Wash

4. The Quick FIx

When you’re on the go or travelling, it is hard to minimalize your beauty regime for a 5-minute fix. If you need to moisturize and mattify, use La Mer’s oil absorbing lotion for a quick touch-up, and if you need an easy cleanse, try the Come Clean Bamboo Cleansing Cloths by Consonant.  Both of these will even complexion, prevent acne and give you a little glow in just one step.

5. Fight Pollution

As many of us post up in a city all summer long, whether it be Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or, for the lucky few, New York City, we need to think about the change in air quality. Just wear an all-white outfit for a day and it’ll grow polka dots by the time you get home. Yep, that is pollution. Just imagine what this can do to your skin. Ew. Grab the Aveeno Leave-On Face Mask to shield your skin during the day, or use the Ren Defence Spray instead to create a barrier while also refreshing your skin through a mist. And if all else fails, scrub a little bit harder with your Foreo brush.