summer skin saviors: holy grail brightening stick and SPF that isn't supergoop

and some wisdom from my favorite esthetician

In my little bourg of the Bay Area, summer weather is at its peak. The sticky thick heat is a catatrosphe for skin issues.

Eczema on my hands, forming tiny barnacle blisters along the sides of my fingers. Waking up in the middle of the night clawing with my nails until it rips the first layer of dermis. (I’ve tried dozens of creams, this is just something I live with and manage the best I can). Bug bites that blossom on my arms and legs, along my armpit even. Fungal spots from sweat and residual pool chlorine. I have a tendency to develop folliculitis acne along my hairline because of the bangs and the skin and the swampy bacteria that gets trapped between the two.

Left side: full face of makeup. Right side: light touch summer version.

This is the hardest time of the year for me to wear makeup. Where the crispness of cold winter air allows me to layer more product (a red lip stays sooooo red), I can’t stand the feeling of melting makeup puddle that inevitably happens in summer. I also spend a lot more time swimming outdoors, so every year I develop a reverse panda goggle tan.

But I try to adapt. I edit my makeup routine down to just the essentials, adjust the amount of product to meet my decreased tolerance level.

My two essential skin products for summer makeup are: