Post-Summer Skin: Keep That Glow

Summer can take its toll on our skin and hair, with our tans slowly fading and our skin feeling dry from air conditioning, chlorine and too much sun. So Belle About Town has tried and tested a multitude of products to find out which ones really work when it comes to keeping that summer look throughout autumn – it’s time to get back your glow!

Sitting in air-conditioned rooms and planes absorbs the skin’s natural moisture, leaving it feeling dry and parched, and it can be particularly detrimental to those who have skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea or psoriasis. However, giving your skin a little TLC with some carefully selected skin saviors will bring your complexion back from the brink, leaving it looking, and feeling, healthy again.

Belle About Town brings you a post-summer skincare SOS guide. RosehipPLUS Hydrating Cream, £24 within your beauty routine, the added avocado, chamomile, rose geranium and rosehip oil will hydrate the skin instantly, maintain softness and encourage healthier, more youthful looking skin.It’s important to get rid of dead skin cells and reveal fresh post-summer skin, but without stripping the skin of its natural moisture. A good quality facial scrub such as the Annmarie Gianni Kaolin Micro Exfoliant is perfect for revealing a fresh glow post-facial. Use three times a week to keep skin looking bright and fresh.

Products enriched with natural moisturising ingredients contain vital nutrients and moisture the skin needs for optimum health and radiance. Try using the RosehipPLUS Hydrating Cream, £24 within your beauty routine, the added avocado, chamomile, rose geranium and rosehip oil will hydrate the skin instantly, maintain softness and encourage healthier, more youthful looking skin.

If you’ve been spending your holidays splashing around in the pool, chances are that your summer skin and hair are now suffering because of it. Get chlorine damage under control by looking after your locks with the SheaMoisture Superfruit Complex 10-in-1 Multi-benefit Shampoo & Conditioner, £10.99, a sulphate-free way to cleanse away chlorine and the added antioxidants will renew vibrancy too. Chlorine has an acidy property which can also cause havoc with our complexion too, as it kills off all of the good bacteria that the skin needs. Cleansing post-summer skin daily with products that contain super fatty agents such as Shea Butter and sweet almond oil will help skin feel nourished again as these skin super-foods deeply nourish and boost collagen production in the skin cells. The Embryolisse Lait-Crème Moussant Sans Savon, £14.99, contains both Shea Butter and Sweet Almond Oil and is suitable for even the most sensitive of skin too. Perfect for preventing skin fatigue; this pH balanced foaming cleanser will condition and improve skin texture, leaving even the driest types, soft, supple, energised and younger looking.

While a healthy amount of Vitamin D is essential for post-summer skin, maintaining moisture levels and repairing skin damage is imperative to prevent premature ageing and dryness. At night your skin is working extra hard to repair skin cells from environmental and natural damage and a good night cream that supports this and rejuvenate and replenish is key. The Beuti Sleep Elixir, £42, has 14 essential plant based oils which are proven to help reverse the signs of ageing caused from extreme heat, and also gives you an instant glow. Apparently Kate Middleton swears by the product, which contains a potent mix of Caribbean Coral Extract – a powerful anti-inflammatory which neutralises the enzyme responsible for skin ageing. A less costly option which still produces great results is the Palmer’s Moisture Rich Night Cream, £7.99. This rich cream with beneficial ingredients including Aloe, Shea Butter and Peptide Complex helps skin regenerate while you sleep. After just a fortnight Belle can testify to skin feeling smoother and less dry. It’s a great budget buy.

And it’s not just on the outside that we need to look after our skin, you can actually support your skin from within with an extra intake of Hyaluronic Acid (HA) and Vitamin C, both of which free radical induce cellular damage. Daily supplements such as PureHA, £29.95 for a month’s supply, can help restore your skin’s natural glow by boosting nutrients required to maintain healthy skin.

  • What are your essential products for looking after post-summer skin? We’d love to know. Comment below or join the conversation on Facebook here!

Emily Cleary

After almost a decade chasing ambulances, and celebrities, for Fleet Street’s finest, Emily has taken it down a gear and settled for a (slightly!) slower pace of life in the suburbs. With a love of cheese and fine wine, Emily is more likely to be found chasing her toddlers round Kew Gardens than sipping champagne at a showbiz launch nowadays, or grabbing an hour out of her hectic freelancer’s life to chill out in a spa while hubby holds the babies. If only!