Summer guide: Skincare

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
Image via plumdistrict.com

SUMMER!!! Hey!!! You’re here! We’ve fucking missed you. For real. Winter can be SUCH a bitch sometimes. She made me gain 5 pounds and my skin looks like shit. Whatever I’m over it. Let’s get drunk.

With our new friend summer back in our lives again like friendly faces from old DVDs of The O.C., we’ve got to remember what she has in store for us. Here is the first part of the 20poorandfabulous guide to beginning your summer healthily, happily and above all fabulously.

PART ONE: Skincare

Image via physiciansformula.com

It is OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE to take care of your skin. I don’t care how pretty you are, how young and supple your skin is, or even if you don’t care. You NEED to take care of your skin. Your future 40 year old self will buy you many cocktails in honor of your skin preserving foresight in your 20s. Find a moisturizer that has a hefty SPF 15 built right into the formula. When you moisturize each morning, you won’t even have to worry about the sun because it will already be put into your skincare routine.

Some makeups come with SPF too. I’ve used Physician Formula bronzer with SPF 50 built in. This is really nice, especially for your cheeks where sun hits and tends to damage the most.

Don’t forget your lips either! This can be an easy place to forget to put sunscreen. Maybe because lips are lippy and feel different that the rest of our skin. But sunburning them can be a fucking BITCH. I like regular Chapstick brand with SPF 30. Whatever you do, DO NOT buy Burts Bees lifeguard chapstick with SPF. Although it offers nice protection, it turns your lips white from the zinc and does not look cute.

With the weather getting warmer and clothes getting smaller, it’s important to keep the rest of your body in mind when it comes to skincare. The shoulders and chest area in particular are places you’ll want to keep moisturized with sunscreen. Spray can sunscreens can be cool and convenient, but keep in mind the environmental impact on the ozone layer that spray can ingredients destroy. I’ve used Vanicream SPF 30. The product is fragrance-free, lanolin-free, PABA-free, gluten-free, preservative-free with no chemical additives, cinnamates or benzophenones and is non-comodogenic. Awesome. It was designed at the Mayo Clinic to be ideal for people with sensitive skin. My only complaint is that it is a little stubborn to rub in. But really, I don’t need to be that fucking lazy. Spending an extra 15 seconds rubbing something on my skin ain’t no thang.

Lastly, remember to stay hydrated! Heat exhaustion is no joke. Plus, lots of water keeps you and your beautiful skin happy and healthy.

What’s the point of having great skin if you’re not having fun?! Part 2: Summer Drinks is coming up next where Arnold Palmer is crowned genius of the world.

Beauty: Moisturizer

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous

As ladies and gents in our 20s, we need to start taking our health and bodies a little more seriously than we did in our junk food eating youths (those were the days). Maybe part of the 20 something quarter-life crisis is the realization that we are getting older, and if Sex and the City has taught us anything, it can be just as crazy as ever.

Washing off makeup and using that moisturizer!

It can also be a bitch to ruin pillowcases every weekend!
It can also be a bitch to ruin pillowcases every weekend!

One thing that is so so so important for ladies and gents alike is taking care of our skin, especially on our faces (because plastic surgery during a mid-life crisis is a lot worse than moisturizing now.) Ladies, and some gents, make sure you wash the makeup off your face every night before you go to bed. You’re not only washing the makeup off, but the pollution, dirt and grime that floats (disgustingly) around in our air.

As we sleep, our body temperature rises, allowing our pores to open more. If your skin still has a nice layer of foundation mixed with pollution and free radicals, those can actually help speed up collagen breakdown in your skin, which allows for aging to speed up and loss of elasticity. YIKES.

I’ve always enjoyed Noxzema. It’s simple, has been around since my sweet grandma was a girl and it gets the job done. But you’ve got to find the cleanser that works well for you, because everyone’s skin is unique. I picked up an organic face wash from Boots called Organic Nourishing Cleanser and it irritated my skin to no end. Yuck!

As for moisturizer, it’s so important to keep your skin glowing and naturally young as long as possible. It’s recommended that you use at least a moisturizer with SPF 15 during the day. I’ve actually never understood people who don’t wear sunscreen. Unless they plan on aging faster than everyone else, having a higher risk of skin cancer and having a ton of plastic surgery in their 40s, I don’t know what their motive is.

I use Aveeno SPF 15 moisturizer during the day and the classic Oil of Olay Active Hydrating Beauty Fluid.

What are your favorite products?