Summer is my favourite season, by a mile. And I always wish it would last forever. But there is one thing I’m always relived to wave goodbye to, once autumn arrives: irritable skin, breakouts and blotchiness.
I find that summer’s potent mix of SPF, sun, sweat, air conditioning, fake tan, travel and chlorinated water always wreaks havoc with my skin. And, now that I’m back from my holiday in Menorca, it feels like I’m experiencing a skin hangover. I used good skincare products whilst I was away, but I still returned to London with breakouts on both my forehead and chin, and lots of redness around my nose. So, it’s fair to say, I’m not looking – or feeling – my best, right now.
Here’s a look at the post summer skincare routine I’ve been following, since returning home. Already I’ve started to see positive result, so I’m hoping my skin will have cleared up by the weekend. Fingers crossed…
Exfoliation
The first thing I did when I returned home after eight days abroad was load up my washing machine. The second order of business was to double cleanse my face and remove all of those icky airplane germs. Granular exfoliators don’t play a part in my daily skincare regimen, but I like to use Shisedo’s Waso Soft + Cushy Polisher 2-3 times each month. And it’s always my go-to when I’ve been hitting the fake tan and SPF hard.
The Shisedo exfoliator is gentle, but powerful enough to give your skin a really good polish. It removes impurities and dead skin, and leaves your skin feeling super-soft.
Honestly, after a week away it felt absolutely heavenly to scrub my face with this beauty hero!
Toner
Last year I wrote about the importance of toner, and now it’s a staple in my skincare routine – whether I’m at home or abroad. I used a travel-sized version of the Elemis Balancing Lavender Toner morning and night, in Menorca, and I honestly think it was the only thing that kept my skin somewhat-under control.
The Balancing Lavender Toner was formulated for teenage and combination skin, so it works to restore the skin’s natural PH balance and reduce inflammation and redness.
Double cleansing alone couldn’t break through the wall of fake tan, SPF and oil that had collected on my face by the end of each day. So this toner became the essential third step in my routine. I’ve continued using it since returning home, and will only switch back to my regular toner once my skin has calmed down.
Masks / Treatments
Whilst I was away Liz Earle sent over a sample of their new CICA Restore Skin Paste* to review. It’s an overnight treatment that was formulated to reduce the appearance of redness and scars.
My skin started looking red on about day three of my holiday (and not a sunburnt red – I’m very careful to always protect my face), and it was really getting me down.
I used the CICA Restore Skin Paste on the first night that I returned home, in place of my evening moisturiser, and the next morning my skin looked noticeably calmer. I’m really impressed with the results, and will continue to use this as a weekly treatment.
Scalp Care
This maybe doesn’t qualify as skincare, but your scalp is essentially just an extension of your face (creepy), so I’m popping this in here anyway. My hair felt more disgusting than my face, for much of my holiday. Especially as I spent a lot of time at the beach.
So, it goes without saying that I was super-excited to use the Goop G.Tox Himalayan Salt Scalp Scrub* as soon as I got home. It’s expensive, but I honestly think it’s the best shampoo for deep cleaning both your scalp and hair. It gently lifts away all product buildup, oil, grit and dirt, and leaves you feeling squeaky-clean!
