7 Summer Skincare Essentials That Will Carry You Into Fall

As a style editor (“style” here encompassing both fashion and beauty), I am the recipient of a lot of product samples—way, way more than my sensitive skin and schedule can handle, if we’re being completely honest. (Am I in the wrong line of work? MAYBE.) But summertime is when I most enjoy dipping through this stash in hopes of finding products that can help soothe my irritable, perspiration-soaked and clogged skin. (And maybe a few that impart some colour onto my vampire-pale legs, so it looks like I’ve spent at least one day outside this season.)

Here are the masks, mousses, mists and other potions that I loved for this most sweaty time of year, and will be using well into fall.  

I fully expected to feel meh about this glacial oceanic clay mask ($59) by Richmond’s Bl’eau (your guess about the apostrophe’s purpose here is as good as mine), mostly because clay masks typically leave my skin tight and dry. But this stuff, which comes packaged in a snazzy turquoise-hued vessel that could pass as the Titanic’s Heart of the Ocean, was quite the surprise. Its combo of coconut oil, aloe vera leaf juice and Canadian glacial oceanic clay—silt formed by glacier and oceanic deposits off B.C.’s northern coast that’s apparently enriched with tons of good-for-you minerals—leaves my skin fresh, hydrated and glowy. And it never reaches uncomfy it-hurts-to-raise-your-eyebrows status while smeared across your face, no matter how long you (accidentally) leave it on for. bleaubeauty.com

Few things feel better than a good facial mist when the mercury is reaching 30 and your skin is parched from a mix of sun and excessive AC. And a spritz of Kosmea’s hydrating rosewater mist ($33.65) checks all the boxes: it’s cooling, soothing and minimally (and naturally scented) from distilled rose petals. I only wish it came in a slightly smaller 100-millimetre bottle so it could take up less space in my bag and I could use it on flights when the severe lack of humidity is sucking every ounce of moisture from my face. well.ca

“Pale is the new tan” has been a motto of mine since high school, when a traumatizing experience with Lindsay Lohan’s short-lived Sevin Nyne tanning mist (don’t ask) left not only my legs with a decidedly splotchy, oompa loompa-like glow, but most of my bathroom, too. Luckily, self-tanning formulae have come a long way since the ’00s and we’re now blessed with options like Rose Glow’s self tanning mousse ($15): a fragrance-free, locally crafted self-tanner for pale-to-fair-skinned folks that’s idiot-proof, buildable and uses ingredients you can actually pronounce. roseglowskin.ca

A good face sunscreen that absorbs well, doesn’t leave a weird film or white cast on your skin and offers sufficient protection from UV rays is tough to find, but Riversol’s SPF 30 broad spectrum sunscreen ($39) is near perfect. It’s super blendable, layers well under makeup and comes in a slight tint that looks like a deep beige out of the bottle but smooths beautifully onto fair skin. (I suspect the tint may be too light for medium to dark skin, so let this be a note to Riversol to craft a wider range so that everyone can experience this beauty of a sunscreen.) riversol.com

Is it wrong to want to cover inch of my skin in Céla’s Seed to Skin scrub ($42) while also eating it up? If so, maybe I don’t want to be right. Developed by Toronto-based beauty industry vet Celine Tadrissi, it has a delicious, slightly citrus-y scent thanks to notes of cedarwood, orange peel and patchouli essential oil. Finely ground cupuaçu seeds gently slough away dead skin (an important pre-self-tan step) while Abyssinian oil and shea butter replenish moisture. thisiscela.com

Double cleansing is a must, but I can’t deny the convenience of an effective face wipe when I’m in need of a quick clean while travelling or before the pool or gym. The biodegradable (!) tea tree face wipes ($13) from Aussie-based Thursday Plantation worked nicely for these instances, especially when I felt a breakout coming on. (Each wipe contains pure tea tree oil, which helps treat acne, and copaiba oil, which calms dryness and irritation.) thursdayplantationcanada.ca

With her Supermodel body shimmer ($78), Charlotte Tilbury makes body contouring a lot easier than face contouring. (Anyone else incapable of faking sculpted cheekbones without making it look like you have dirt streaked across your face?) Crafted with ingredients that promise to de-puff the skin, the shimmery lotion creates the illusion of longer, more toned arms and legs. It works best when applied liberally down the centre of already tanned limbs. holtrenfrew.com