Summer Skin Savers Part 3 — After-Sun Soothers And Lovely Lip Care
In the first and second installments of our Summer Skin Saves package, we focused on protection — whether via a round-up of self-tanners that offer a healthy faux glow or through a selection of tinted face moisturizers with SPF protection and beach-ready sunscreen lotions and sprays. For this third chapter, then, we’re moving to the next stage, focusing on calming, cooling, post-sunbathing treatments that will help sun-soaked skin recover and will extend your tan, as well as on lip moisturizers that will soften and hydrate your pout.
Time for the cool down, folks!
AFTER SUN GELS AND LOTIONS
Korres Yoghurt After Sun Cooling Gel, $23.50. Available at Sephora.com
When you press down on the pump applicator and smooth each milky white, quick-to-dry, lightweight, creamy gel onto your skin, you’ll immediately feel a sense of relief. Sun-damaged skin practically gobbles up this hydrating gel, drying in a matter of seconds and yielding a softer, more supple texture. The sweet-smelling gel cools parched skin without jolting your senses and leaving you feeling like you’re freezing (a very odd sensation that accompanies most aloe creams).
The paraben-, sulfate-, silicone-, and phtalalate-free formula is centered on edible yoghurt rather than dessicated yoghurt powder (the ingredient most often used by cosmetics and skincare brands) — a gutsy move for the Korres lab since it required three years of experimentation in order to preserve this ingredient’s natural lactic acid, protein, phosphate, potassium, zinc, calcium, and vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, B12, D, and E content, while also ensuring the final product wasn’t prone to spoiling or separating. The lactose in the formula hydrates the epidermis, while the lactic acid’s anti-microbial properties protect the skin from irritation and the minerals and vitamins therein provide antioxidant protection and anti-aging benefits. The therapeutic properties of the fennel extract and the healing benefits of the firewood extract incorporated into the formula further augment the gel’s soothing sensation.
An added bonus: the Korres Yoghurt After Sun Cooling Gel smells so sweet and yummy you’ll want to use it well after summer ends.
Davines SU Replenishing Fluid for Face and Body, $28. Visit Davines.com for salon locations.
We were already smitten with the replenishing shampoo, conditioner and hair mask in the Davines SU range, but we’re head over heels about the new Davines SU Cream Replenishing Fluid for Face and Body, a surefire remedy for skin in a 911 sunburn status. This unique blend of argan oil, rice bran oil, and organic aloe not only provides some much-needed relief, but it helps to reduce redness so you don’t have to suffer through the embarrassment of being a lobster lookalike. Best of all, if your skin feels rough and scratchy after too much time in the sun, this indulgent cream will restore it to its premium softness level.
Hampton Sun Serious Shimmer Cooling Spray Pearl, $32.50. Available at HamptonSunCare.com
This translucent spray cools and hydrates skin ever so gingerly thanks to a blend of soothing aloe vera, cucumber, and chamomile; antioxidant-rich grapeseed, which boasts anti-aging benefits an protects skin from free radical damage; macadamia glycerides, an emollient ingredient that easily disperses in both oil and water; peach extract, which has astringent properties and tightens the skin; ginger, which reduces inflammation and restores elasticity; and rejuvenating gingko balboa, which boosts collagen production. In addition to its skincare benefits, the Hampton Sun Shimmer Cooling Spray, which is scented with the company’s beachy Privet Bloom fragrance, also comes with some cosmetic perks: the clear mica pearl particles in the formula illuminate your newly sun-kissed skin.
Yes To Cucumbers Cool Calming Cucumber and Aloe Body Gel, $9.99. Available at Walgreens, Target, Duane Reade, and Drugstore.com
Think of the most refreshing botanical ingredients — cucumbers, aloe vera, and green tea — and imagine that they’re all mixed into one powerhouse body gel. That’s, in essence, what you’ll find in the Yes to Cucumbers Cool Calming Cucumber and Aloe Body Gel, which also incorporates spirulina, a mineral- and protein-rich algae; and Dead Sea minerals that slough off dead layers of skin. Not only does this gel cool and relieve itchy, irritated, and stressed skin, but it helps to fortify the skin’s moisture barrier and restore elasticity.
Repechage Hydra Dew Nourishing GelCream, $50. Available at Repechage.com
High-end spa Repêchage offers solutions for all your skincare woes. If you’ve got dehydrated skin (which you clearly would after a full day in the sun), treat your visage with the Hydra Dew Nourishing Gel Cream, which contains seaweed extracts that increase the skin’s ability to retain moisture and fatty acid-rich olive, almond, and sesame oil to condition, hydrate, smooth, and protect skin. Waterlily and proline, an amino acid, reduce redness and trigger cellular turnover so that your skin will continue to renew itself, hence allowing you to hold onto your youthful appearance.
HYDRATING LIP BALM
Ecoya Lip Balm, $16.20. Available at Ecoya.com.au
You’ll feel like a female version of James Bond when you pull out this sleek, squeezable lip balm tube, with its glamorous black color and the contrasting white lettering along the front. But this lip balm isn’t about making a style statement. While many a squeezable lip treatment feature a clammy, tacky, greasy, Vaseline-like, petroleum jelly texture, the Ecoya lip balm feels incredibly lightweight and slick. Sure, the lip balm feels a bit oily when it’s first smoothed onto your pout, and yet this sensation quickly disappears as the macadamia oil in the formula seeps into your lips (after all, macadamia oil is beloved for precisely this ability to penetrate the skin and hair), leaving behind no excess shine. Free of harmful parabens, sulfates, and silicones, this manuka honey-enriched balm will put you on the express lane to kissable lips, so you can enjoy some memorable smooches by the beach.
