Beauty Box 5

Summer time is almost here and smooth, supple, bronze skin is in! As you head out to find that yellow polka-dot bikini, here are a few tricks to make that suit look even better when you hit the water.

EXFOLIATE: Dead skin cells are the bane of your bronze existence! Nothing makes a tan look worse (orange and streaky) than dry, dehydrated skin. The best present you can give your summer birthday suit is EXFOLIATION! Skin cells typically live for 2 to 4 weeks and the length of their life span is determined by how quickly the top layer of skin cells shed, how thick the skin is and where on the body the cells are located. The younger and healthier you are, the quicker your skin will regenerate new cells. To speed that process along (say prior to a sunless tanning session), a quick little scrub here and there is the answer. For body I would recommend a traditional loofa or a salt scrub of some sort. I tend to look for the kind of loofa you can put over your hand and fill with soap when you’re washing in the shower. One of my favorites is the Sisal Bath Mitt from Earth Therapeutics. It’s budget-friendly and lasts forever! As far as scrubs go, the one in my shower right now (which I use with my bath mitt) is Freeman’s Guava Salt Body Scrub. I LOVE the way it smells and it has a ton of oils that make my skin feel smooth and hydrated straight from the shower!

Since the skin on your face is quite a bit thinner than that of your body, you will need a somewhat less course exfoliating product for your money maker. My personal favorite for summer is the Freeman Pink Grapefruit Facial Exfoliating Scrub. Grapefruit extract is an amazing anti-inflammatory and can reduce skin inflammation caused by any number of issues such as acne and psoriasis…it’s also great when you’re feeling a bit puffy from a night out on the town! Option number two is a product like the Mia from Clarisonic. These handy electronic exfoliators do run a pretty penny but they’re waterproof for safe shower use, have replaceable brushes (for both body and face) and are gentle enough to be used every day. Finally, there are some great chemical options on the market. These typically have alpha hydroxy acids, like glycolic acid, and are usually recommended for more sparing use. One of the more gentile, but still very effective options in this category is the Skyn Iceland Nordic Skin Peel which uses lactic acid for exfoliation and papaya fruit extract to dissolve the dead and dry layers of skin.

HYDRATE: Once you’ve scrubbed away that lack-luster layer (and before you even think about tanning), you have to give those fresh new skin cells a little drink. Well hydrated skin looks smoother and younger, feels softer and responds better to tanning….either in the sun or from the bottle. For both face and body, there are an absolute TON of options in this category. Regardless of which hydrator you high-grade, there are a few things to consider as you shop around.

Ingredient lists are meant to be read. The higher on this list an ingredient is, the more of it will actually be in your product. For the best hydration, in both face and body products, look for moisturizers containing ingredients like Vitamin E, Aloe Vera, Shea Butter and essential oils.

Don’t shy away from the store brand. These products are practically identical to their more expensive counterparts and occasionally contain better ingredients. With companies like Sephora and Target jumping on the in-house brand-wagon, you’d be silly not to take a look!

The more you spend, the better the ingredients. While this little truth will set your newly hydrated skin free, it might put a small dent in your pocket book. Better ingredients typically do cost more money. If you’re a budget-baller like myself and want the best bang for the buck, try your local health food store. They’ll typically have more brands containing these “better” ingredients and you won’t have to spend the kids summer camp money on making mommy look good. Splurge: Caudalie’s Nourishing Body Lotion ($36). The texture is smooth, it absolutely glows on the skin and the smell is amazing…but not so bold as to rival my favorite fragrance. Steal: Lavera Body Lotion in Wild Rose ($16). Smells amazing (actually comes in quite a few different scents) and is EXTREMELY hydrating!

* A little note to my oily/combination skin beauties…give products that aren’t “oil free” a chance! Your skin produces sebum because it thinks it’s dehydrated. Properly hydrate your skin and it will start shutting down…or at the very least slowing down the production of oil it pushes to the surface.

TAN-IT-UP: While the above tips will help any tan along, the best…not to mention safest and quickest results will come from sunless tanning. Having been a tanning bed aficionado in my early 20’s, I would just as soon throw away my entire makeup case than hop in one of those beds knowing what I do now. TANNING BEDS ARE A BAD IDEA. Come to think of it; prolonged exposure to the sun is a bad idea too. If you must do either, please practice safe sun and wear your SPF, a hat…and stay in the shade! For those who prefer the safer route, sunless tanning is totally the way to go. Tanning technology is getting better at an amazing rate and your options are quickly becoming endless. For home use, COMODYNES has an wonderful new line of sunless tanning products that will build gradually or give a bronze glow withing hours. If the salon spray-tan is more your style, I recommend finding a salon that carries B.Bronz. Their spray NEVER turns your orange and the training provided to those using their product is like no other! Regardless of whether you’re bronzing in your bathroom or getting a sunless spray at your favorite salon, start by giving your “winter white” a good scrub and a sip of something hydrating.

DO WHAT YOUR MAMA TOLD YA: WEAR YOUR SPF! Keeping your skin safe from harmful rays will slow down the aging process as well as help prevent melanoma. SPF is the BEST anti-aging product known to woman…USE IT! For daily use on both face and body (even if you’re inside all day) I recommend a SPF of 8 or 15. If you’re going out for the day however, you will need something stronger. Here’s a little formula you should use to find your ideal outdoor SPF. Take the amount of time you typically burn in the sun (without SPF) and multiply that by the # of the SPF you’re using. For example, if you typically burn within 10 minutes and you’re going to use a SPF 30, you’ll have 300 minutes in the sun before you must reapply your lotion of choice. Keep in mind that once you reapply, you cut that initial time in half…300 minutes then becomes 150 and so on. At some point, you will actually need to get out of the sun or you will burn. The SPF in my summer swim bag right now is Supergoop! It’s extremely water and sweat resistant, comes in every formulation imaginable, has both chemical and physical sun protectants (for full UVA/UVB ray protection) and contains a TON of great oils and extracts that leave my skin feeling protected AND hydrated!

Alright my BB5 beauties…I hope my little summer skin tips will help you get beach ready with a quickness. For those of you without or even on the fence, don’t forget to add Beauty Box 5 to your shopping list…there’s not telling what amazing summer-ready products are yet to come! As always, I’m here to answer whatever beauty questions you might have!

Peace, Love & Samples,

Felicity