Simple Summer Beauty

Don't ask me how summer got its reputation for being a glowy, gorgeous time of year. I don't know about you, but for me it's four solid months of feeling greasy, grimy, and just plain gross. My skin, when it's not in full breakout mode, is at the very least pink and displeased. My fine hair holds every drop of sweat and oil 'til I look like I've just come back from a week in the wilderness. Sandals do my feet no favors—nor does my hard-to-break habit of roaming the yard shoeless when it's warm.

To add insult to summertime injury, the products designed to address these issues in the short term generally make things worse in the long run. Mattifiers and primers work for perhaps an hour before they lose efficacy, leaving you both shiny and suffocating under a film of goo. Dry shampoos take their name a little too seriously and soak up any natural sheen or bounce your hair might have. And the rich creams that best repair elemental skin damage are the last thing you want to slather on when the heat and humidity become too much to bear. 

So my strategy this year is to do as little as possible. Light but powerful oils go a long way, and One Love Organics has a Supercritical Chia Oil that leaves no trace but that has singlehandedly eliminated my blemishes without drying. I'm also dying to try their new dry shampoo as it promises to soften, not straw-ify. In Kerstin Florian's Correcting Multi-Vitamin Day Cream I've found the only SPF that doesn't irritate my eyes or my complexion. Makeup means a subtle bronzer or multipurpose color stick, nails remain naked but nourished with apricot oil, and as for scent? A patchouli-based perfume oil will complement your natural summer musk to make it seem like you meant to smell like a rich but slightly dirty hippie. Hey, it's all about working with what you've got!

Images: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.