'go-to' summer products

i'm not a big fan of wearing makeup even though i love makeup.

but there are certain products i must have for summer. no eyeliner, no eyeshadows, no bronzer, and no foundation.

in the summertime, you don't want to load up on too much makeup and preventing your skin from breathing.

your skin will get very oily and just sticky even without all the makeup, so extra foundation and eyeshadows should be avoided- unless you're going out for a fun night!

i have written about my favourite and essential summer products, as well as optional items i use.

my ultimate favourite year-round facial lotion: kiehl's ultra facial moisturizer

extremely moisturizing for my always-dry skin but not sticky at all.

$22-$49 at kiehls.ca

my ultimate favourite year-round sunscreen: shiseido ultimate sun protection lotion 

sunscreen is essential for summer but i use this all year round- you should too!

it has SPF 60 and is just a smooth white liquid that just glides on your skin.

you don't want a facial sunscreen that is too thick or too shiny. and this one is just perfect.

i have about 5 backups of these because they are cheaper at dutyfree stores :p

$39 at shiseido.com

vaseline ultimate moisturizer

sorry for the ruined packaging but i have used it for a very long time!

i use this at least twice a day: in the morning and before bed.

i have extremely dry skin, to the point where i have to consistently moisturize even in the summer.

in the summertime, i just apply this on the tip of my nose and just below the corner of my eyes.

in the wintertime, i apply it on the tip of my nose, just below the corner of my eyes, in between my eyebrows, on my chin, on my cheeks, and sometimes on the back of my hand. and yes, it's completely necessary!

around $5 at most drugstores, walmart, etc. 

benefit 'you rebel lite' tinted moisturizer with SPF 15

i purchased this in a dutyfree store at the korea incheon airport when it first came out. 

at the time, it was exclusively sold in only korea so i picked up two.

but i believe it is available at sephora now!

i absolutely love the smell of this! so fresh and just.. nice! 

i put this on almost every day and has never broke me out in the years of using it. 

the coverage, to be honest, is not that impressive. it does cover slight redness on the cheeks, but has nothing against pimples or blemishes. and, of course, no chance against freckles.

but it is just nice to put on because it's very thin and light (doesn't feel like you have anything on!) and does cover redness to a certain point. 

i do have very light and pale skin so i love this product.

$30 at sephora.com and at benefitcosmetics.com

spearmint chapstick 

along with my skin, my lips are very dry as well!

these are definitely a must all year round.

$3-$5 at drugstores, walmart, etc.

olay luscious embrace body lotion

i got this very recently and i absolutely love it. 

i have used many many body lotions but this is definitely one of my favourites.

it is purple! haha, the colour has nothing to do with the actual product but it's a change from plain white lotion.

i like the overall look- squeezes out nicely. and it is not sticky at all. 

i just like this for summer because it has a summer-like scent. 

a subtle fruity, floral scent. i can't quite put my hand on it. but it just smells very nice.  

biore pore unclogging scrub with 2% salicylic  acid for blemish prone skin

this product has done miracles for me ever since i started using it!

it has small green exfoliant beads that helps really deep cleanse your skin.

when you use this with cold water, after you're done, you'll feel a very strong freshness!

i absolutely love it. it has prevented some blemishes while using but to my extremely blemish prone skin, that is still a job done well. 

i just love the freshness and lightness of this. 

around $6-$12 at drugstores

OPTIONAL!
certain items i tend to use in the summer if i need the extra coverage, extra depth, etc.

lancome UV expert neuroshield

if i know that i will be out for most of the day (in the sun), i pack this in my bag to lather it on later in the day.

it is a lot smaller and lighter than the shiseido one or any other sunscreen i own.

this is SPF 50 and thicker than the shiseido sunscreen but still on the thin side. 

i couldn't find the exact one on the lancome.com website - sorry! but there are other great ones if you browse around on the website.



dr. med. christine schrammek blemish balm

this is another optional product and this is the original blemish balm or BB cream.

it is very very thick and has very good coverage. not quite a foundation but almost catching up to it.

i believe this one is the original BB cream from germany but BB creams have definitely been familiarized in korea.

korean BB creams are an improvement on this: lighter with still good and very impressive coverage, whitening agents, smooth application, etc.etc. - they have a big variety!

i put this in my bag too (this is pretty small as well) if i am going to be out in the sun most of the day.

i get very red from sun exposure, even with loads of sunscreen, so this works to cover my redness.

this also covers most blemishes and pimples but i still use concealer if necessary.
schrammek.com - search blemish balm in the search bar

MAC beauty powder (blush) from the liberty of london collection in 'summer rose'

this is definitely one of my favourites this summer (though optional)

it really does go by its name and gives me a nice summer glow.

i have very fair/pale skin and this creates nice rosy cheeks without overdoing it.

i believe this item is discontinued but you can find other great beauty powders at maccosmetics.com for around $25

benefit 'eye bright' 

a pink-toned eye brightening pencil that i use in the corner of my eyes to brighten up my eyes.

i do sleep in a lot in the summer and i think that this has become a routine for me when i wake up with bags under my eyes!

my dark circles can easily be covered with concealer or even with a tinted moisturizer but i like to be safe and wake up my eyes with this.

you can also use this to highlight your brow bone to create the extra effect. 

$20 at benefitcosmetics.com

that is it! hope you enjoyed this and if you are the type to load up on makeup in the summer, hopefully this has encouraged you to stop!! you can still look good and fresh without all the makeup, so let your skin breathe :)
this is my personal favourites and essentials, it will definitely vary depending on skin and personal taste.
you can definitely find other duplicates or replacements for the items listed but these are just the ones i happened to have.

happy summer, everyone! :)