Summer Skincare in the Heat

As I finish this up on Monday we’ve just gotten a new prime minister. We’ve had a number of them in the past few years. Anyway, one must remain hopeful. I prefer being able to change leaders when needed.

Our weather has been pleasant. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Temps will rise again soon but the mornings and evenings are cool and breezy. I’ll take that. At least the daytime temps mean it’s easy to dry laundry.

I commented recently on a new serum I’d discovered and love. I made some noise at the time about a post on skincare.

Well, after thinking maybe, maybe not, for a few weeks I decided we’d dive in.

In general, I don’t change my routine much in warm vs cooler weather. But this year, given the heat and the direct sunlight we’ve been experiencing (and the high pollen count) I ended up making some tweaks.

I stopped using a few things a bit ago that get recommended a lot for people my age (almost mid-60s). Retinol – no matter the formula or intensity – isn’t something my skin likes. And, it doesn’t really appreciate vitamin C creams/serums. So, those two went out the window months ago.

Plus, it’s really hard, I found, to wear creams in this sort of weather – ie, when we’re above 30 celsius and feeling like 34 or 35. It’s just too much.

So, where have I landed on product numbers and on some things that help with sunspots and uneven skin tone?

In the morning, it’s this currently (forgot to add the cleanser to the pic).

First of all, my cleanser stays the same: a very gentle foam from Medik8. It even takes off mascara. It looks like fluff out of the canister. You spread it on damp skin and remove with a warm washcloth.

I use an inexpensive hyaluronic acid from a Japanese brand called Hada Labo which is findable on amazon and at SuperDrug here. I know it’s good stuff because my son started to use it and his skin quickly became much happier. Caroline Hirons, a very cheeky skincare/makeup blogger (who now has her own brand – haven’t tried any of it) recommended this on her channel years ago.

Then, it’s a serum to address those pesky brown spots and uneven skin tone. As noted, no retinol etc. So, I ended up, after a bit of research, with the French brand Caudalie which uses grape orts. It’s from the Vinoperfect line. Milky texture, seemingly gentle, but does the job. Pricier than the cleanser and HA serum put together but not mad expensive.

After that, in our heat, it’s been SPF. The current one is Beauty of Joseon, a Korean brand, factor 50. It’s got rice in it in some form. Good texture, more moisture (needed given no cream) and, again, not mad pricey.

Very little makeup in this weather (and the braces on the bottom teeth muck with any lip product anyway — in theory the braces come off at the end of this year…). Very light foundation, mascara (interestingly, after trying numerous tubing/clean ones, my current faves are both Lancôme – both do volume, don’t flake and don’t budge) if I can deal with it.

On to evening…

The same cleanser.

After that it’s the fancy serum I mentioned made by a company called Pelegrims which is grape based, like Caudalie, and made in the UK (meaning it’s easy to get).

I love this stuff. It’s viscous, it smells great, my skin appears to adore it. Wake up with oh so soft skin. No zits. The smell would be great in a perfume: green, floral, a bit of tomato leaf, some jasmine. Some other stuff. It’s expensive but I think one bottle should last around six months. So, I’m happy to splurge.

The dog seems perplexed by the smell. When I say goodnight to him he makes a point of sniffing me carefully.

After that (again just right now) some hyaluronic acid serum patted on top of the Pelegrims and I’m good to go.

I have to say I will enjoy adding back in the day and night creams once our weather cooperates. But I can wait.

What about you? Does your skincare change warm vs cold weather? Anything new and exciting? Cheap and cheerful or high end. Anything you have given up on? Oh, and is there a mineral high spec face SPF you recommend?

Pics: mine, pexels