Because it’s summer and it’s when the sun is at its most oppressive, however much you   slather yourself with sun block or stay in the shade, you will get darker.

The ultimate goal for this season is to tan evenly, recover faster and the most important thing:  no souvenirs in form of brown spots.

An entire skincare line takes care of your summer concerns: Step 1 is cleanser; Step 2, toner/astringent/lotion; Step 3, serum (the most potent of the bunch); Step 4, a day cream, which is usually a high-SPF sunblock; and Step 5, night cream.

Lines that do not have serums have very potent astringent or toners with exfoliating and whitening ingredients.

Those brands that skip toners have two-in-one cleansers that cleanse, tone and exfoliate mildly. These I have tried and they provided whitening especially noticeable upon waking up in the morning.

For oily or acne-prone skin, there’s Nivea Sparkling White Acne Control Foam with SW Toner, which can be alternated with Deep Pore Control Toner for daytime, SW Daycare Oil Control cream and SW Night Care.

For extra oily skin, you may try Shu Uemura Whitefficient or Pond’s Flawless White.

You may replace the Flawless white foam with  Pure white deep-cleansing facial foam.

The Forever Flawless whitening line requires just three steps twice a day. It’s especially helpful to those with brown marks and acne as the toner has antibacterial exfoliants that dry up pimples, peel dead skin and fade brown spots.

For dry skin and for anti-aging, there’s Neutrogena Fine Fairness Line. It contains retinol which clears pigmentation and plumps up dry skin.

You may also try  Guerlain Blanc de Perle, which contains actual crushed pearls which have minerals for healthy skin. It has light-reflecting properties, making skin glow.

The Body Shop Moisture White line is a godsend for those with very dry, damaged, dehydrated skin.

For those with normal (combination) skin, there’s Lancome Blancexpert Melanolyser. The Derm Crytal essence is Lancome’s star product designed to be used before the spot corrector, Avon Anew 360 White, or Olay Natural White.

Adjustable to all skin types is  Clinique’s Whitening Even Better Clinical essence. It’s very potent. In fact, one bottle is sold worldwide every nine seconds. The cleanser, toner/astringent has four variants, ranging from very dry, sensitive to acne-prone while the moisturizers have two formulas—lotion for oily skin and cream for dry skin.

Tip:  For those sunburned badly, initiate damage control with whitening facial masks like Neutrogena’s or Pure Beauty.  At night, or the moment you get home, cleanse your skin, wear face mask and leave on for half an hour at least.

Instead of tossing damp mask right away, wipe on neck and back of hands and do not wash off or top with any other cream until the next day to make ingredients soak in.

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