Skip the Makeup & Keep the Glo this Summer
Last month I took a much-needed vacation and wanted to share with you my two secret weapons when it comes to beautiful glowing skin in the summer while avoiding makeup.
Destination: Cabo San Lucas.
Climate: Sunshine, heat.
As most of you know, I am a very fair skinned girl and am very prone to burning when in the sun. I know a beautiful glowing tan is often of great desire however… when I think of a tan, I’m like a tan? What’s that? Well according to Dr. Obagi…
“A TAN IS YOUR SKIN CRYING OUT FOR HELP. ”
-DR. OBAGI
I think it is funny that we as women often do so much to “do less” and appear put together. At least that was the case for me and my goal for this trip. The week before my trip I got a set of lashes placed, my eyebrows laminated… and had long luscious beautiful blonde locks installed! Voila, total game changer. (Plus, no nasty mascara running down your face even though it is supposed to be water proof). But for me, that was all I needed as far as the look of makeup goes.
Besides the things listed above… I have been working very hard on my skin routine over the last 6-12 months. When you hear the phrase “skin care is a journey”, it is a journey and commitment to yourself as good skin takes time. I have been working on correcting hyperpigmentation and sun damage that occurred/developed during my teens/twenties. You know the times when we thought that putting on some sunscreen and tanning oil in the a.m. meant protecting your skin while out in the elements all day. You have to remember that the years that it has taken to cause damage to your skin, it will take more than a week of consistent skin care to undo that damage.
BUT… let me tell you guys; medical grade skincare has been a game changer, boy has it been a GAME CHANGER. I have never felt as confident as I have in my own SKIN as I have during these past few weeks. I wore literally ZERO and I repeat ZERO makeup during this trip and I felt beautiful. My skin was glowing. It was so easy to get up, get ready and go. All I had to do was throw my hair up, slip on a dress, complete my ZO routine (which included sunscreen) and was out the door. The glowing radiance was too good to be true and I would feel selfish if I didn’t share the secrets to my new-found vacation glowing skin & skin care success!
All right, here's to no-fuss & no-makeup GLOWING skin
1. Consistency is key.
I know many of you hear “skin care routine” that has more than one step or is more than once/day and you run out of my door screaming. Don’t despair. Even if you’re not ready to commit to a serious skincare routine just yet, the #gettingskinready portion of ZO will change your skin for the better (cleansing, toning and exfoliation). I cannot recommend this enough and EVERYONE should be doing this (it is safe for all skin types). It will help to start repairing your skin barrier function and you will notice a huge change with those few steps alone.
Now… for the fun part! My two secret weapons that changed the game for me:
2. Illuminating AOX Serum (this is a recently released product and OMG, I’m in love)!!
Never have I ever ditched the foundation, the concealer, the powder… but over these past few weeks I have said adios to my makeup for the unforeseeable future and definitely the summer. I’m sure you know the feeling of looking in the mirror and seeing your foundation or powder caked up in your creases – making you look even more messy/tired than before application. Or sweating all your makeup off while outside to find it is all over your shirt instead of your face. Deciding to trade in my makeup for this illuminating serum was maybe the best choice I have ever made!
This was my ultimate secret weapon while in Cabo last month as it 100% helped me to obtain that desired sun kissed glow. I felt that it evened out my skin tone, has noticeably decreased my underlying redness/inflammation (with consistent use over the last month or so, added a little info below) and bonus… I could use it as a highlighter as well.
Why Illuminating AOX Serum?
With age, skin loses its ability to withstand environmental aggressors + to repair damage. Oxidative stress from external + internal factors can accumulate to cause low-grade inflammation that depletes skin’s health (i.e. exposure to the sun).
Low-grade inflammation that persists long-term can result in cell + tissue damage known as “inflammaging.” In the skin, inflammaging leads to premature signs of aging, including dehydration, dullness, uneven tone and lines + wrinkles.
ZO’s new illuminating AOX Serum is elevated with ZO’s exclusive technologies to defend against premature signs of aging + enable a long-lasting, youthful and healthy skin complexion.
What is Illuminating AOX Serum?
This serum is a concentrated antioxidant serum that provides protection against pollution + premature signs of aging while visibly brightening the skin with a subtly luminous, soft-focus finish.
Delivers advanced, all-day environmental protection, including proven pollution defense
Visibly reduces premature signs of aging
Supports continuously healthy skin
Restores youthful luminosity to dry + dull skin
Blurs imperfections for a smooth finish
Pro-tip:
Mix with tinted sunscreen or BB crème if you do choose to use
Post sunscreen application re-apply a small amount of illuminating serum to cheek bones, areas you’re looking to accentuate to obtain a beautiful, natural highlight.
Used during step 2 of my routine in prevent + correct post getting skin ready in the a.m. before applying my sunscreen.
3.Sunscreen, Sunscreen, Sunscreen… YOUR BIGGEST WEAPON AGAINST ANTI-AGING!
While the sun provides warmth, comfort, and happiness, it also causes disease, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation (remember all the things I have been trying to correct as mentioned above). Thankfully, we have the ability to protect our skin from damaging UVA/UVB rays all while allowing us to still enjoy the warmth of the sun on our skin and the happiness of being outdoors on vacation or during the warm summer months at home.
While I could go quite in depth about which sunscreen is right for you, why you shouldn’t be using chemical sunscreens and so on and so forth, my goal is for every one of my patients to understand why sunscreen is so essential to beautiful skin and to implement it into their daily skincare regimen as this was one of my other big secret weapons while on this trip.
The sunscreens I recommend using are physical (mineral sunscreens) that contain active mineral ingredients such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. These minerals protect your skin from damaging UV rays by sitting on top of your skin and deflecting and scattering the rays away from your skin.
I use sunscreen as the last step to my skin care routine every morning. I was recently turned on to Dr. Obagi’s Tinted Sunscreen, it comes in two shades cool and warm (I used the cool). This little bottle of magic was a dream for my no fuss routine. The cool shade matched to my skin tone perfectly and was a bit thicker which helped to give me slight coverage (almost like a BB crème) helping to smooth/even out my skin tone vs. wearing a foundation. The tinted sunscreen has SPF 50 which left my skin protected with no signs of burning (that is the real miracle). I also used ZO’s Powder Sunscreen and kept it in my bag/purse throughout the trip. It is quick and easy, no mess while still offering great coverage (I will give you deets to this below as well).
Dr. Obagi’s Sun Shield Broad Spectrum SPF (MY VACAY SECRET WEAPON).
This is seriously the perfect sunscreen to be used in place of a foundation. (I AM OBSESSED). This product has quickly become one of my favorite sunscreens. It is a bit thicker, provides full coverage, a beautiful bronzed glow to your complexion all while smoothing out impurities. This sunscreen provides protection against both UVA and UVB rays plus infrared defense to help buffer the skin from heat-derived oxidative stress.
· Physical and chemical formula provides UVA/UVB protection
· Defends against IR, HEV, blue light
· Sheer cool tints enhance the undertones of your skin
· Thermic micro-shield crystal technology effectively reflects
· Recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation
[Cool tone is ideal for skin with pink or beige undertones.]
[Warm tone is ideal for skin with golden or olive undertones.]
MY FAVORITE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NORMAL/DRY SKIN AND WANT A LONG-LASTING LUMINOUS GLOW + FEELING OF A FULLER COVERAGE WHILE AVOIDING MAKEUP.
ZO SUNCREEN + POWDER SPF 40
A powder sunscreen that provides buildable coverage with light reflection minerals for a
gorgeous glow. Can be applied over makeup and re-applied throughout the day. (Super
easy to apply on kiddos and not too girly for men to apply – i.e. at the pool,
while golfing or while on a bike ride.)
I love that we have this sunscreen option! I keep one in my bag at all times and is a
beach/pool must!
Did you know you need to re-apply your sunscreen every 2 hours? This product hydrates and helps to absorb surface oils to decrease that oil glow we get half-way through the day.
MY FAVORITE FOR THOSE ON THE GO WHO NEED A QUICK RE-APPLICATION OPTION.
Pro-tip:
** Replace foundation during a vacation with Dr. Obagi’s Sun Shield SPF (I used tone cool).
** Use the ZO Powder sunscreen for reapplication throughout the day (every two hours). Super easy to reapply with no mess. This was way too easy to convince my boyfriend or kiddos to use as there is no fuss and it is so quick.
*Sunscreen is used during the final step, step 3 of my routine (protect). Sunscreen should always be your last step during your skin care routine in the a.m. and then every two hours following.
*The sunscreens and products listed in this article are all available at Glo Aesthetics and available for pick-up or shipping. If you are interested in purchasing, please contact me here.
** Apply your skincare products, followed by sunscreen and finally makeup if wearing. Re-apply sunscreen every 2 hours.
*** All sunscreens that I have recommended protect against the damaging effects of UVA/UVB and IR-A rays, and from HEV light.