8 Summer Beauty Essentials to Add to Your Routine

Changing up your beauty routine for the dog days of summer is a no-brainer. After all, no one wants her face to look like it’s melting in 90-degree heat. But trying to sort through the vast array of beauty products can be trying at best. So we’ve rounded up summer skincare and beauty must-haves, along with some expert advice on the best way to use each product.

Get a facial treatment. Ella Bliss co-owner Kelly Huelsing says the key to great summer skin is an O2 Lift, a five-step, anti-aging facial that cleans, exfoliates, and brightens the skin with antioxidants and plant-derived stem cells (a buzzy beauty ingredient that promises to improve circulation, speed up the healing process, and eliminate toxins). Known as the “red carpet-ready facial” in beauty circles, it’s the one treatment you should do prior to any big summer event. $90 (members) or $110 (non-members); Ella Bliss, 8575 E. Arapahoe Rd.; 640 Broadway; or 3624 E. Highlands Ranch Pkwy.; 720-446-558; ellablissbeautybar.com

Try a facial mist. A recent addition to many skincare lines is the facial mist. Most just refresh the skin, but Denver-based Osmotics’ Blue Copper 5 Cooling Moisture Mist helps boost hydration and calms irritation as well. Use it midday when your skin feel dry out from all that indoor AC or during airplane travel (a notoriously dehydrating environment for skin). $38 for 6 oz.; osmotics.com

Give your lips some extra TLC. Nothing can age you faster than lip lines. Those pesky vertical creases around the mouth are created from repeated movement (smokers beware—you’re even more susceptible), causing lipstick and gloss to feather. Before resorting to fillers, check out Dermalogica’s new Nightly Lip Treatment. It both firms and hydrates the mouth’s vertical and laugh lines with Indian gentian extract, an antiseptic that helps to relax muscles, plus emollient-rich Shea butter and glycerin to plump and smooth your lips. Bonus: The cooling metal tip makes for a mini massage. $49; available at ulta.com and dermalogica.com

Change your concealer. When I first tried Vert Beauty’s Organic Concealer Pencil, I had serious doubts that it could do a better job than my traditional stick version. But any misgivings were quickly set aside. Full of vitamin E and Shea butter, the pencil’s creamy texture goes on smooth. Plus, it brightens while concealing, which gives your skin a glow rather than a mask-like finish. Finally, the fine tip lets you target problem spots precisely, and its convenient chubby pencil size makes on-the-go touch-ups easy. Vert Beauty owner and makeup artist Amanda Hume likes to blend the pencil with her fingertip using a gentle patting motion. She suggests using it along the brow bone as a shimmer-free highlighter or around the mouth to correct mistakes and prevent lipstick from feathering. $20, available in three shades; Vert Beauty, 3442 W. 32nd Ave.; 303-623-8378; vertbeauty.com

Get your glow on. Simplify your makeup routine with Kevyn Aucoin’s The Creamy Glo Duo. This double-duty lip and cheek palette is a favorite of the makeup artists at Larimer’s L Style Bar for it’s velvety, long-wearing formula that gives the face a luminous finish. Plus, shades can be worn alone or combined for a custom look. Owner and lead artist Liz Gonzalez suggests applying with either clean fingers—dab onto cheeks and blend upward and outward—or use a foundation brush for a smooth and streak-less application. $28; L Style Bar, The Walkway, 1423 Larimer St.; 720-398-9349; lstylebar.com

Use a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen. If you don’t like the layered feel of moisturizer + sunscreen + foundation during the summer months, get a product that does it all. Suntegrity 5-in-1 Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen is an all-in-one, tinted BB cream with SPF 30. The lightweight formula goes on smooth, plus it comes in an airless pump tube and a TSA-friendly size, making it a traveler’s dream. $45; Aillea, Cherry Creek Shopping Center, 3000 E. First Ave.; 303-547-3394; or Larimer Square, 1408 Larimer St.; 303-558-4322; aillea.com

Swap out your heavy winter cream for an oil. Body oils are great for locking in water and deeply hydrating the skin. The best absorb quickly, leaving no residue on clothing. Belli Clearly Coconut Oil is an unscented, spray-on oil that contains no preservatives, making it a perfect choice for anyone, but especially expectant moms, kids, and sensitive skin types. Its convenient size and multi-function use—it moisturizes, tames frizzy hair, and even soothes sunburns—makes it another great getaway essential. $7; ulta.com and belliskincare.com

Prep your feet with a mask. Most women became familiar with the foot peel last year, when photos of this at-home treatment, which literally sheds your skin, went viral on beauty sites. If you’re not ready to deal with the mess (or gross factor), try 7th Heaven’s Soften Sock Masques. These neatly packaged booties contain emollients like Shea butter and almond oil to soften feet, as well as peppermint oil to make them smell fresh. And at just $3.94 a pop, you can afford to mask your feet a couple of times a month all summer long. walmart.com