Get Glowing Skin This Summer
Don’t get me wrong, I want to glow year round, but there is something about summer that makes me want to **glow** from a mile away! If you are looking for a little more glow, and no, not just sweat, I’ve got you! Here’s exactly what I recommend to patients and practice myself when it comes to summer skincare and getting your healthiest glow:
Tinted Sunscreen, Tinted Sunscreen, TINTED SUNSCREEN
Let’s get one thing straight, we can’t even talk about glowing summer skin without talking about sunscreen. As much as I advocate for the statement, that “the best sunscreen there is, is the one you will actually use,” I am also a firm believer in the power of a tinted sunscreen. Tinted SPFs contain iron oxides—these help protect against visible light (which worsens melasma and redness).
Beyond the obvious that sunscreen is (without a doubt) the most important step in your skin routine, I also just love the look of a tinted spf. It leaves a super pretty finish that has a subtle amount of dewiness to it. It’s basically the lightest form of foundation you could ever want (and let’s be real, who wants to wear a full coverage foundation in summer)! There are probably 10 tinted SPFs I recommend, but I am going to narrow it down to the top 5 I live for.
ALSO, I have to tell you, my newest obsession is not a normal tinted spf! It’s actually a green tint from Elta MD. I find that it just neutralizes any redness in my skin and just leaves the prettiest finish. I usually just go in with my ciele concealer after (for extra coverage and extra SPF protection)!
Pro Tip: Reapply every 2 hours if you’re outside! I cannot emphasize enough how important this is.How to Address Hyperpigmentation at Home
2. Let me introduce you to your ultimate summer skincare pairing: vitamin C and sunscreen.
On their own, each is incredibly beneficial—but together? U-N-S-T-O-P-P-A-B-L-E
So why do they work so well together?
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals—unstable molecules that are generated by UV exposure, pollution, and environmental stressors. Free radicals break down collagen, trigger inflammation, and contribute to discoloration and dullness.
Sunscreen, on the other hand, acts as a physical and/or chemical shield, blocking and absorbing UV rays before they can damage your skin.
That’s where vitamin C comes in—it fills in the gaps in your sun protection by disarming free radicals before they can cause visible (or invisible) damage. When you pair the two, you’re not just preventing damage—you’re actively supporting more resilient skin.
If you are new to pairing these two, I usually start with either a cleanse or just a splash of water (since it’s AM), then my vitamin c, moisturizer, and finish with SPF. If you are of an oily skin type, you can potentially skip the moisturizer and just go straight from vitamin c to spf (just make sure to give about 30 seconds between steps for skincare to dry)!
Pro Tip: If you don’t like how your skin responds to vitamin c, more often than not, you’re just not using the right vitamin c for you! Here is a roundup of my favorite vitamin cs for every skin type!
3. Support Your Skin Barrier (aka the perfect start to glowing)
A healthy skin barrier is the foundation of glowing skin! And in summer, your barrier can take a hit from heat, sweat, chlorine, salt water,UV-induced inflammation, etc.
My recommendation is to focus on barrier-repairing ingredients and keep your routine streamlined. You don’t need to add more products—you need the right ingredients. Look for ceramides, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, or squalane!Pro Tip: If your skin feels irritated, skip actives and stick to gentle hydration until things calm down.
4. Mist with Hypochlorous Acid
Whether you are acne prone or not, this step is going to be your saving grace. If you aren’t already familiar with hypochlorous acid, it is a naturally occurring molecule that helps your immune system fight bacteria and reduce inflammation. I usually like to spray my face and back (where I am the most acne prone) post workout. On mornings where I am short on time (or feeling lazy), I will wait the 4 minutes post misting and go directly in with my vitamin c.
I swear this step has saved me from so many breakouts!
5. Use Ice Rolling as a Tool for Cooling Off (especially if you are rosacea and hyperpigmentation prone)
NOT-SO-FUN-FACT: If you’re someone who deals with rosacea or hyperpigmentation, overheating can be a massive trigger. Trust me, I miss hot yoga and a sauna as much as the next girl, but in my opinion, the flushing, redness, and increased pigment production is just not worth it.
If you choose to partake in any of these and you’re rosacea and/or hyperpigmentation prone, here’s your answer: ice rolling. It’s such a simple but effective tool—especially after a workout, time in the sauna, or even just a hot car. By gently cooling the skin, ice rolling helps constrict blood vessels, calm inflammation, and reduce the chances of a flare-up before it even starts.
Pro Tip: Store your roller in the fridge, not the freezer. You want it cold—but not freezing—to avoid triggering broken capillaries.
6. Exfoliate Strategically (Not Aggressively)
I don’t know why but it feels like there was this wave that hit in like 2016 where everyone became obsessed with exfoliating. The issue here is what started happening (myself included) is we would over-exfoliate or use the wrong products **coughSCRUBScough.** Exfoliation can absolutely help your skin glow—but only when done correctly.
Exfoliation works by speeding up skin cell turnover and removing that top layer of dead skin, which can definitely improve brightness and allow your other products to work more effectively. But when overdone—especially in the summer when your skin is already dealing with heat, UV exposure, and sweat—you risk inflammation, breakouts, and even increased pigmentation.
My best suggestion here is to establish an intentional cadence when it comes to active ingredients. Personally, I love using peel pads 2 times a week (closer to 3 if I am breaking out) and then on the days where I am not using my peel pads in the morning, I will go in with a salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide cleanser in the morning (like the PanOxyl 4% or Naturium’s Salicylic Acid cleanser). It’s honestly one of my favorites ways to get gentle exfoliation without layering acids on top of acids. Make sure to let it sit on the skin for 60 seconds before rinsing to give it time to work without irritating.
& remember, DON’T OVERDO IT!
7. Bronzing Drops >> Tanning
Can we please leave tanning outside in 2016? Beyond the obvious of it damaging your skin, there’s just no need for it! There are so many good tanning lotions and bronzing drops now, we don’t need to let our skin suffer for a little tan. Bronzing drops have become my holy grail beauty product. These ones from ciele are gorgeous. They also have spf and niacinamide for protection and brightening. I will either mix them with my skin tint if I want an overall glow, or I use them as a supplement to my bronzer.
8. Hydration & Blood Sugar Balance
I would say that one of my bigger passions in recent years is seeing how “good skin” goes beyond just a solid skincare routine. It feels so cheesy to say, but there is truth to the idea that you glow from within! I could talk about this topic all day, but to keep it simple, I will break it down to 2 focal points: blood sugar and hydration.
When it comes to blood sugar, I swear this topic isn’t discussed enough. When your blood sugar spikes and crashes, it can lead to increased inflammation, more oil production, and breakouts. That’s why, especially in summer, I focus on a few simple daily habits to keep things steady.
Take a 10-minute walk after meals whenever possible. It’s such an easy step, but it’s been shown to blunt blood sugar spikes and support more balanced energy throughout the day (bonus: it’s great for digestion too).
I make sure to eat the fiber or protein on my plate before eating the carb! The order of food you eat matters!
Once I started adding weight training into my routine, I swear my life changed. Blood sugar spikes, energy, etc.
As for hydration, I am not talking about drinking enough water (don’t get me wrong, drinking water is important but it’s not going to give this dramatic transformation to your skin that every VS model says it will). The best thing you can do is to start incorporating hydrating ingredients for your skin. I love to use a hyaluronic acid serum in the evening for this step! Next, HyaCera is a clinically backed supplement that improves skin hydration and skin elasticity. If you know me, you know I do thorough research on any supplements before taking them. So you better believe this one is the real deal. My code for the whole site is AMY25!Let’s conclude this by saying hyperpigmentation is stubborn—and often there is no outright cure but it can be improved with the right approach! Focus on consistency (and SPF). Got questions? Send me a DM or leave a comment! Also, if you are ready to level things up, take a peek at my new Skincare Guide!
LET ME KNOW WHAT TIPS YOU TRY!
xx Amy
**Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links and may contain products gifted in PR. This means that I may earn a small commission when you purchase via these links at no additional cost to you (thank you! It helps me keep things up and running)… As always I ONLY recommend products, goods and services that I stand behind and personally love and use.
