When It's Too Damn Hot For Skincare
Hydrators that don't leave a trace
This summer, my skin is definitely less dry, but that hasn’t stopped it from being dehydrated.
Anyone who watches enough dermatologist content on TikTok will know: While dry skin lacks moisturizing, protective oil, dehydrated skin is a horse of another color. DeHYdrated means your skin — oily or not — is lacking in water-based hydration. It’s easy to conflate the two, and I often do.
I can tell my skin is dehydrated in two ways. One: A facialist told me so and I believed him. And two: A classic symptom of skin dehydration is enlarged pores — and I got ‘em. Bingo!
The source of this problem is me, of course. I’m on top of my actives game (vitamin C, niacinamide, retinol, you name it…) but as the temperatures and humidity rise, I don’t like to layer too much on my skin. In fact, I want as little as possible on it, so if I sweat it off, I don’t feel like my money is dripping off my face.
Since I am not a 12-step skincare enthusiast, I was as surprised as anyone to find out that the answer to these hydration woes turned out to be essence. The diagnosing facialist suggested Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Toner, which is essentially (ha!) a heavy water (thanks to some propendiol and glycerin) fortified with the miracle of birch tree sap. It’s a staple in Korean skincare that hydrates, sure, but it’s also full of a ton of peptides, vitamins, and other things that make it sneaky sophisticated while not adding a ton of weight to your routine. Same goes for the CosRX Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence (which trades birch tree sap for galactomyces ferment and niacinamide).
The amazing thing about a good essence is that essence is definitely not a serum. It’s not sticky like a serum. It doesn’t leave a residue like a serum. It doesn’t make me dewy like a serum. Plus, both the Round Lab toner and the CosRX essence are ~$20 or less so the sweating out your money thing feels like a nonissue.
Of course I can’t help myself, so I do like to add a little pizzazz to this routine. Because I am such a vitamin C die-hard, I’ve taken to adding a few bumps of the powdered True Botanicals Vitamin C Booster into my hand first and then drenching the powder in a few squirts of essence. I mix them together, spread it over my face, and in a few minutes, it’s as if the skincare is gone. Fully absorbed, no residue, nothing to encourage even more sweatiness. That’s also why I’ve been favoring the KOSE Suncut UV Gel as my SPF topper. It dries in a flash and you’re left with skin that looks suspiciously like nothing’s been done to it. But in a good way. Plus, my pores are minimized! It almost feels like a cheat code — no heavy artillery necessary to refine texture and tone. So, let the weather bring the heat. My skincare routine is ready.
A few odds and ends
No matter the weather, I’m always a sucker for a good body butter. Particularly after a beach day, when you feel like you’ve earned it. I recently picked up the Flamingo Deep Nourishing Cream and WOW. For $10, I’m prepared to say this stuff is unbeatable. I haven’t played with Nivea in a minute, but it looks identical. If memory serves, however, this texture break is way easier to rub in. You get that immediate satisfaction of covering yourself in something occlusive, but it soaks in and leaves this beautiful velvety finish. Every brand says their body lotion won’t leave you greasy. Most are lying. Flamingo is not.
I picked up a 20-pack (!!) of Zitsticka Killa patches during Prime Day and now I feel invincible. They’re the best thing this side of a prescription for sudden onset cystic bumps, and now I can use them with abandon (and you never know when a friend might need one — now you can be generous!) Also got my hands on the extra strength version. Definitely will be keeping those on-hand as well.
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Can you remind the class what your favorite C or whatever is for fading newly healed spots? I always get a fewwwwww breakouts after Morpheus8 but I made the mistake of getting my last one during the heatwave and not using acids before + having 20K holes in your skin when it’s hot and sweaty out = more clogged pores than I’ve ever had. So now I have a new collection of dark spots I’d like to go away asap.