Last week, we experienced the hottest summer day this year at 41 degrees Celsius.
The past month, I’ve experienced a refreshing lack of selfies on Instagram, and I wonder if those whom I follow aren’t exactly in the mood these days to plaster their faces on social media because they share the same sentiments as mine: because of the extreme heat, the face is going bipolar from greasy to dry and back, while clothes cling to the skin like plastic wrap because of the drench of sweat.
Despite my nice tan, the sun prickles on the back of my neck, my hair is sticky, my makeup is helplessly smudged. My tummy is also betraying me; I should remember to stay away from volatile food.
Below I’ve compiled beauty tips that should help you survive this seemingly perennial heat wave, that if we are in hell (aka Manila), we may just as well thrive gracefully while at it. God bless us.
Skincare
When the temperature rises, our pores open up. Because your body is adjusting to the harsher environment, your skin may act up and suffer acne breakouts, rashes, or either oiliness or dryness.
And as beauty geeks know, the sun is the skin’s number one enemy, and exposure causes long-term effects such as wrinkles, sun spots, freckles and uneven skintone. Help your skin through the transition period with these steps.
1. Moisturize.
Even if you think your skin is oily, make sure to moisturize in the morning. Lack of moisture causes the oil glands to feel they need to produce more oil, so your face ends up looking blotchy. This happens especially after sun exposure.
Invest in a good moisturizer that you can be comfortable with using every day. I swear by Malin + Goetz face moisturizer with SPF 15. It’s light, it smells nice, and it doesn’t clog your pores.
2. Minimize pores.
Pores may appear more visible in the summer because of the expansion of molecules in the skin caused by the heat.
For a more flawless finish, use Kiehl’s Pore Minimizer. It’s non-comedogenic, translucent and can be used across the face and neck, even if your skintone is uneven.
You can also use this as a foundation substitute. Seriously, do away with the foundation. It’s too much weight on your skin for this season.
3. Apply sunscreen.
Wrinkles, UV rays, skin aging, you name it—sun exposure causes it.
I personally recommend Banana Boat. Use it on your face (unless you apply coverage with SPF already), neck, arms, and even hands—especially if you drive!
4. Drink water.
My physician keeps reminding me that the 8-10 glasses doctor recommendation is just a minimum. Just keep drinking water, whenever, wherever. Make it a habit to hydrate whenever you’re idle: sitting by your office desk, waiting for the green light in traffic, during a long meeting, in the waiting room, etc.
Skip the sugary sports drinks and mix lemon and cucumber in your water for more alkaline. Plus, if you think water makes you bloat, it’s not the fluid. It’s the salty food. Cut down on that, too.
5. Ditch your gross deodorant.
If you feel that you’ve been smelling worse, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that it’s not you, it’s your deodorant.
Skip the supermarket brands as they’re full of toxic parabens that clog your pores, thus irritate and darken the underarms. Try the Malin+Goetz eucalyptus deodorant. It’s scent neutralizes when you sweat instead of making you smell like raunchy detergent.
Makeup
6. Lighten your facial coverage. If you really can’t skip the foundation and a pore minimizer isn’t enough, at least substitute it with a BB cream.
If you haven’t found your soulmate BB cream, try the Bobbi Brown BB Cream in your shade. It also has SPF so you don’t need to pile on product. Applying too much product too often, plus the act of repeatedly rubbing it on and taking it off, may cause your skin to sag in the long run especially if your skin type is dry.
7. Use loose powder.
Mineralized, translucent loose powder is perfect for this season. It’s weightless and easily absorbed into the skin. It also gives you a nice, summery glow when it sets.
Apply your favorite one with a kabuki brush for better dispersion. Just make sure to blend well so it doesn’t look patchy.
8. Take advantage of your bronzer.
Invest in a bronzer that does not make you look like a “Jersey Shore” cast member. Try the one from Stila. It’s water-resistant, has SPF, and can be mixed with your BB cream if you want to look more tan.
Scents
Your perfume can swing funny this season because of the change in humidity and your body, so one-dimensional colognes can betray you.
9. Spray scents on your clothes, not on your pulse points.
Instead of spraying it on your pulse points, spray a dynamic, well-manufactured scent on your clothes and hair in a cloud over your head. This makes the scent dissipate in its original substance, without your sweat affecting its scent.
Food storage
When the food is acidic, its molecules are more prone to clinging to heat and moisture, thus making it spoil faster.
10. Store food in an insulated storage.
An insulated storage keeps your food more or less at its right temperature and will help avoid food spoilage.
