Beauty

15 Beauty Hacks + Tips to Try This Summer

It’s hard to stay calm and cool when one of my eyebrows is melting off (it always has to be the “good one”,  too) and my hair refuses to cooperate with me. Also, my huge sunnies always leave those awful marks on my face while also removing half of my foundation.

Can you relate?

Summer is a beautiful time of year, but it’s also a time of year when a small sweat breakthrough can ruin an outfit, and when your hair and skin could use a little more lovin’.

Use the right Sunscreen. If you want your skin to look young and healthy for years to come, you need to use sunscreen all year long, rain or shine, but it’s especially important in the summertime when the sun can be really harsh. If you spend your day out in the sun, using foundation or tinted moisturizer with SPF will not provide you with adequate protection from the harmful UVA and UVB rays- SPF that makeup products contain is not always stable. You also probably don’t apply nearly enough foundation for that SPF to actually protect your skin.  Two things to look for in a sunscreen are SPF (sun protection factor) and PPD value (persistent pigment darkening) also known as PA. SPF helps prevent sunburn, while PPD helps determine how well the sunscreen will prevent photoaging. Sunscreen should go after your moisturizer and before your makeup.

Speaking of eyebrows melting off- if you have extremely oily skin, run a little spoolie dipped in a translucent powder through your brows after filling them in, to keep the product in place. This will also help if your brow product tends to oxidize and darken throughout the day.

Love your hair. Avoid using hot tools on your hair as much as you can, to prevent damage. Instead, try using a sea salt spray and let your hair air-dry to create natural-looking beachy waves. I also love using texturizing sprays, since they give my hair some volume and a little shape, without having to use my curling iron.

You know those annoying sunglass-marks I just talked about? Something that works really well for me, is applying some translucent powder on the frame of my sunnies. I also spray a bit of a makeup setting spray on a small brush and pat it onto to those areas where my sunglasses “sit” (around my nose and cheeks- I love wearing HUGE sunglasses that cover pretty much my entire face).  If that doesn’t work, you can also try applying a thin layer of a clear, matte nail polish on your frames, right where they touch your face and rub off your foundation.

Drink your water! During warmer weather, our bodies tend to lose water faster, so it’s very important to replenish our fluids and stay hydrated throughout the day. If you find drinking plain water too boring, try making some herb and fruit infused ice cubes.

Use Clinical Strength Protection. Summer means hot weather, high temperatures, humidity and that usually equals… sweat. I actually declared this summer to be my “summer of yes,” and I’m planning to do my best to step out of my comfort zone a little. This will involve doing things for the first time, going to new places and meeting new people. I mean, that, itself can be really stressful (aren’t comfort zones so warm and cozy?) but add hot weather into the mix, and results can be anything but pretty. Of course, I’m talking about a sweat breakthrough- it’s kind of the last thing you want to worry about, isn’t it?  Secret Clinical Strength Invisible Solid and Secret Clinical Strength Clear Gel provide twice the sweat protection of an ordinary antiperspirant- so it doesn’t matter what your day (or the weather) throws at you, there will be no need to worry about a sweat breakthrough.

With Secret Clinical Strength Invisible Solid and Secret Clinical Strength Clear Gel, you also don’t have to worry about wearing certain fabrics or colors- no need, in short, to sacrifice your style. I always carry one of these in my bag too, just in case I forget to apply it in the morning (yup, it has happened before).

I’ve been using Secret for as long as I can remember,  I can’t tell you how excited I am to share Secret in my life as part of a sponsored series for Socialstars™! For more info, see my disclosure policy

When applying nail polish during Summer- try doing so in a cool room. Warm temperatures can ruin the formula of your nail polish and make the application quite messy.

Pay a little more attention to your skin (especially legs, knees arms and elbows) and moisturize it well. Instead of using thick creams and lotions, go for something more lightweight. I love using coconut oil as a natural moisturizer/body oil. You can also use it in place of a shaving cream (or, you know… just pour it all over your entire life, it seems to fix pretty much everything, from dry skin to bad credit…). It doesn’t matter how much of a hurry you are in, you should always avoid shaving your legs “dry”- this will only irritate your skin. Coconut oil will help you get a closer shave and will leave your skin feeling silky smooth.

Try dry-brushing. Seriously, it’s one of my favorite beauty rituals and if you deal with ingrown hairs or rough skin, you will love it, too.

Use a lip balm with SPF. During summer we tend to wear more glossy lip products, and these can absorb the sun much easier and cause the skin on your lips to burn easily. Believe it or not, you can actually get a sunburn on your lips while being outside in the sun for too long, so make sure you always use a lip balm with SPF (but do avoid ones that contain mint, as they can dry out your lips and make them more sensitive).

Long before “dry shampoo” was a thing…. a lot of us used to use face powder in place of it. I still use it sometimes to this day, especially in emergency situations when all I have access to is my bag (and you will always, always find powder there- sometimes I feel like I carry my entire vanity with me). If you want to try this trick, I recommend using translucent powder and a big fluffy brush and massage the powder well into the scalp to help absorb the oils. Make sure you don’t use too much, though!

When washing your hair, always rinse it with cold water- this will give it a nice, glossy shine and will help with that occasional summer dryness caused by sun and water.

Sometimes even when you try to avoid it at all costs, you end up with sunburn. If this happens, try a natural remedy like applying Aloe Vera Plant to your skin (I usually buy mine at local health/farm stores). You can also try freezing small pieces of Aloe and use it as a soothing + cooling treatment. Avoid applying lotions with strong fragrances as they can irritate your skin. Also, make sure to check expiration dates on all of your summer skincare products- especially if you’re about to use something that you have left over from the year before.

Want to cool off and rejuvenate your skin after being out in the sun all day? Mix some chilled Aloe with a little cucumber juice and apply it all over your face and body. Let it sit until it dries and then wash it off.

Last, but not least, try avoiding heavy makeup products. The mixture of hot weather, water and humidity can cause those occlusive and heavy coverage foundations to clog your pores which in turn may cause breakouts. If you insist on wearing makeup to the beach or when sitting by the pool, stick to lightweight, oil-free and waterproof formulas and keep in mind that less is more. A water-proof mascara is definitely a must-have for me during summer, too.

What are some of your warm-weather must-haves? Any hacks you can’t live without?

This post was created in partnership with Secret + Socialstars

32 Comments

  • Reply
    Kiri Yanchenko
    June 19, 2017 at 6:40 pm

    I dry brush my bum every morning before I get in the shower.
    AND I hate those sunglasses marks so I am totally going to try your spraying them suggestion.
    What an interesting fix.
    I don’t wear very much makeup any time – but I switch to a lighter skin routine def.
    In winter I treat my pigmentation with lots of laser sessions and Obagi products.
    I can’t do that in summer.

    I have heard great things about Clinical products – I will stick to my natural deodorant for now.
    I might need more help in summer though. We’ll see.
    Kiri
    Set to Glow
    http://www.settoglow.com.au

  • Reply
    Sharni
    June 19, 2017 at 8:14 pm

    That sunglasses hack is LIFE CHANGING. I get the worst marks on my nose from any sunglasses that I wear and it’s so embarrassing if I forget to fix it. Thanks for the tips & tricks Paula!

    Sharni // http://www.agirlandgrey.com

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      June 20, 2017 at 10:04 am

      Thank you so much Sharni! Now that my skin is on the dry side, those sunglass marks/patches aren’t as much of a problem, but when my skin was in its natural, oily state it was a nightmare! hehe and I’m the kind of person who wears sunnies even if it’s dark and gloomy outside.

  • Reply
    Veronica Bizzarri
    June 19, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    Drinking water is so important, you can dehydrate so easily being out in the sun all day.. herb infused ice cubes sound yummy! I’ve got sunburnt on my lips before.. It is horrible!! Now it’s gotten extremely hot i’ve been carrying around facial mists everywhere.. it’s such a good way to cool off!

    Ronnie
    http://www.veronicabizzarri.com
    xx

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      June 20, 2017 at 9:55 am

      Mint and lime is my favorite combo when making infused ice cubes. OMG yes lip sunburn is the worst! I love a good face mist, too- so perfect for summer.

  • Reply
    Bernadette
    June 19, 2017 at 10:39 pm

    All these hacks sound awesome! I am definitely going to try some of these out!

    http://www.themakeupaficionado.com

  • Reply
    Roxanne
    June 20, 2017 at 3:24 am

    Very good post Paula! Really helpful :)

  • Reply
    Linda Libra Loca
    June 20, 2017 at 3:48 am

    Spray on Spf for touch ups during the day, powder foundation for touch ups on the go and a good deodorant, also in my purse for touch ups.
    And letting it go. It is summer, I will sometimes look hot and messy. It is okay, I will cool off eating ice cream.

    Linda, Libra, Loca: Beauty, Baby and Backpacking

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      June 20, 2017 at 9:56 am

      I’ve been using powder-on sunscreen and it’s such a good way to reapply it throughout the day. Love the tip about letting it go- totally okay to embrace the summer messiness- as long as we remember the SPF hehe ;)

      • Reply
        Linda Libra Loca
        June 22, 2017 at 4:18 am

        I have yet to try powder on spf. Which ones do you use?

  • Reply
    Chloe
    June 20, 2017 at 5:07 am

    Wow!! You’ve literally given me so many new and useful tips – I can’t believe that I haven’t been doing most of these things but, one things for sure; I’m going to be doing them all from now on. I’ve been completely avoiding make-up at the moment but, it’s nice to know that I can start using it again in sunny weather. I particularly like the idea of patting powder on to sunglasses, it’s such a good idea :)

    Have a good day!

    Chloe @ https://girllgonerogue.blogspot.co.uk/

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      June 20, 2017 at 9:57 am

      I love going makeup-free for summer too, but mostly do that on my days off from work. It just gets too hot for any kind of makeup sometimes ;)

  • Reply
    Aleksandra // bunniesaremagic
    June 20, 2017 at 5:22 am

    As soon as sun hits, make up is out for me, unless I will be in the photos or something. I have no idea how you all girls make it through heat waves in full coverage. Now that’s what I call perseverance!

  • Reply
    Natalie Redman
    June 20, 2017 at 7:21 am

    Ooo love the translucent powder on eyebrows trick.

    http://www.upyourvlog.com

  • Reply
    Nessie B
    June 20, 2017 at 7:30 am

    Re: dry shampooing, face powdering, and coating the bridge of your glasses/sunnies to keep them from sliding, one word: kaolin.

    Love the stuff: the tiniest amount of kaolin clay is a very good deterrent for even the most stubborn oil and sweat production (in fact, I use it mostly during the deadliest days of summer, because in milder temperatures I find it a bit drying), for a small price, you can get a huge bag that lasts forever and ever, and it’s easily found in health food- and cosmetic supplies shops.

    I use white kaolin, and even though my hair is dark, I find that the tiniest dusting (emphasis on “tiniest”) is extremely effective for giving my hair a decent appearance for a few hours. Same for the face… a very small amount goes a long way to keep sebum and sweat in check, without giving you mime-face, despite how white it is in the jar (again, a very light hand is key).

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      June 20, 2017 at 10:02 am

      Thanks Nessie! Sounds so interesting and love how many uses it has, will have to look into trying kaolin. Thanks so much for all your suggestions!

  • Reply
    Samantha Frances
    June 20, 2017 at 8:51 am

    I love the tip for stopping sunglasses marks! I wear glasses and every single day I end up with giant patches of my no makeup where my glasses have rubbed it off ahah I’m definitely going to be trying that out!! I think I bookmark every single one of your posts Paula, they’re always so bloomin’ good <3 xxx
    http://www.samanthafrances.co.uk

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      June 20, 2017 at 10:03 am

      I hate it when my makeup rubs off- especially since most of the sunglasses I own are huge and cover half my face haha :) You are so sweet Samantha, thank you SO much!!!

  • Reply
    LuxeStyle
    June 20, 2017 at 12:14 pm

    I’ve been really enjoy letting my hair dry naturally while the weather’s been so warm. I always make sure I use sun cream when I’m outside in the sun – I don’t think it’s worth the risk at all x

    LuxeStyle

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      June 21, 2017 at 9:14 am

      I love letting my hair dry naturally too- as long as it’s not overnight because it gets way too puffy haha ;)

  • Reply
    DIANA
    June 20, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    These hacks all seem amazing! Summer really causes for your routine to be changed up to accommodate!!

    https://thedianaedition.com

  • Reply
    Estefania
    June 20, 2017 at 10:12 pm

    Great tips! I couldn’t agree more with you, spf is super important.

    Instagram | Blog

  • Reply
    Carolina Pereira
    June 21, 2017 at 11:34 am

    I’m definatelly going to try to put setting spray with a brush on the sunglasses area! I always struggle with marks of my glasses on my nose.

    carolinasmakeuplife.blogspot.pt

  • Reply
    Kris
    June 22, 2017 at 12:02 pm

    Giiiiirl, I am obsessed with the color scheme of your blog! Ahhh, so amazing and visually pleasing!

    Also, I have to try your tips out!

    Keep up with the good work and check out my blog!

    xx, Kris

    https://dreamingofpink.wordpress.com

  • Reply
    Rachel Emily
    June 24, 2017 at 9:22 am

    I cannot believe I never thought about how temperature would effect my nail varnish – thats magical!!
    I need to try the sunglasses hack too as it happens to me with my normal glasses and sunglasses. Great post.

    Rachel | http://www.Rachel-Emily.com

Leave a Reply to Aleksandra // bunniesaremagicCancel reply