The weather in Montana has officially reached the 80s and I wanted to share my summer skincare must-haves!

Skincare is something I wish I took a little more seriously years ago when I was in college. I went to the University of Arizona, a very large campus, and I walked all across campus to class, five days a week – all without sunscreen. Can you believe it?! Of course, back then, I didn’t have all the sun/dark spots I have now, so the thought of them happening to me never came to mind! Now, at 32, my skin is different and I realize the importance of proper skincare and protecting your skin from all potential harm – all to help age gracefully!

This list is just a basic reference and doesn’t include any extras. This is just a list of what I’ve found works well for me. Here are my top five summer skincare must-haves:

1. Sunscreen

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it over and over again – sunscreen is a major must!! While sunscreen is on my summer skincare must-have list, it’s something you should be using year-round! If you take only one piece of advice from this blog post, I hope it’s implementing sunscreen in your skincare routine, if you don’t yet. My favorite ones are from Supergoop – They have a huge variety, but I love their Unseen Sunscreen and their powder sunscreen for touch-ups throughout the day. I also just ordered this facial spray sunscreen – I’ll keep you updated on how I like it!

2. Moisturizer

Just because you have oily skin, doesn’t mean you need to skip out on moisturizer! It took me a long time to understand this because I’ve always had oily skin. In fact, it used to be a lot worse than it is today because I used to not do anything about it! There is so much a dermatologist can you help out with in terms of your skincare routine, or targeting areas you’re concerned about. I’m picky about my moisturizers – my favorite ones are the ones that melt on your face and leave your skin feeling soft, smooth, and of course, moisturized. My favorite is this one from Neutrogena, but if I want to splurge, I love this one from Lancome.

3. Cleanser

It took me a while to get a good cleansing routine down – you have to understand what works best for your skin! When I worked in TV news, I would pile on the makeup (I still do most days!), so I needed a cleansing that would ensure a deep clean for my pores. In order to get that, I use the double-cleansing method. First, I use an oil-based cleanser to remove all my makeup and dirt from the day, then I use a water-based cleanser to ensure all of it comes off! This method works best on my skin. Check out my blog post all about it here (I’ve since switched my cleanser to CeraVe). Here are my double-cleansing products: Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm and CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser.

4. Toner

For a while, I didn’t think toner did much – I really wondered, “what’s the point?” Now, I understand it further cleans your skin – removing anything else left behind after your cleansing routine. I personally noticed a major difference when I switched to the double cleansing method – I saw less and less being left behind on my cotton round! I don’t splurge on toners, and usually use this one from Thayers. My favorite is the cucumber-scented one. It’s very gentle and doesn’t dry my face out.

5. Moisture Spray

Okay, this one is just something to refresh you – moisture spray! I love the feeling of spraying on setting spray after putting makeup on, and I was excited when I found this Moisture Surge spray from Clinique. First of all, I’m a huge fan of Clinique’s Moisture Surge Hydrator (it was a big help during my maskne incident), so I knew this spray would also be effective. I got a sample of it in an order and found it to be so useful in the summer, or anytime my skin needed some hydration.

I hope you found my list helpful! Let me know what changes you’re making to your skincare routine this summer!

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