simple summer beauty

I've been storing away summer beauty tips almost since I moved to Texas -- between the excruciating heat and Houston's humidity, I spend a lot of my days trying to combat summer weather! So I thought I'd share with you guys a few of my favorite tips for keeping your skin and makeup glowing and radiant all summer long!

Here are a few favorites of mine, but I'd love to hear what you guys do for your skin during the summer! Let me know if there are any tricks I should try!

Lighten Up

One of my friends who moved here after I did asked me if I switched my makeup after coming from the Northeast to Texas weather! And over the past year or so, I actually have -- definitely not all at once, but things like foundation definitely need to be adapted for summer weather. For light makeup days, I switch from my cream foundation to tinted moisturizer or even just pressed powder to keep my skin from getting greasy by the end of the day! I'd sacrifice a little bit of coverage for smooth, natural skin any day!

But if you're letting your skin show underneath your makeup, it has to be at its best -- make sure to keep your skin smooth and radiant to pull off this pretty summer look. :-) I love the Simple Skincare Radiance Cleansing Wipes (they are amazing -- if you guys haven't tried yet, you absolutely have to!) to keep my skin healthy and glowing!

Drink Up

During the summer, there's nothing more important than getting enough water! Truth be told, I drink a ton of water every day (way more than eight glasses) -- but I sneak it all in! If I had to get all my water from the tap, I'd never manage to drink enough. Instead, I make homemade seltzer at home (this machine was such an incredible addition to our kitchen), brew caffeine-free chamomile tea, and buy vitamin-packed juices to make up my liquids!

I've also been trying to switch from diet soda (which I drank WAY too much of for way too long!) to juice and seltzer to cut down on artificial sweeteners -- I've always said that if diet soda is you're worst vice, you're not doing that badly... but it's still better to replace it with healthy choices. Besides, what's better than a big glass of lemonade (or my new addiction... strawberry lemonade) on a scorching summer day?

Beat the Heat

When I lived in New York, I swore by Evian spray to freshen up my face after a long day in the sun -- but in Texas, that little mist of water just doesn't cut it the same way! To stop my makeup from melting off my face when I'm out in the sun, I always keep oil blotting sheets on hand (although in a pinch, the Simple makeup wipes can do the same job!) and waterproof mascara is an absolute must!

An Ounce of Prevention

I spend a lot of time out by our pool, but you'll never catch me with a sunburn. I've spoken before about how I stupidly used tanning beds when I was in college, but ever since realizing all the awful health consequences that come from sun exposure, I'm extra careful about making sure I never get too much sun, especially on my face. My moisturizer (Simple Skincare Vital Vitamin Day Cream) has SPF 15, and for days in the sun, I add an all-over sunscreen with SPF 30 -- I'm partial to the sunscreens you spray on, which are super easy to apply and only take a few minutes! I'm all about a pretty, bronze glow, but you can get that just as easily from a bottle or a salon without risking damage to your skin.

So those are my secrets -- now I want to hear yours! How are you keeping your skin healthy and happy this summer?