As the summer season winds down, many of my clients and friends have asked me how to keep their summer glow alive. While I have my own personal favorites -- including continuing to treat myself to a sushi lunch once a week because that makes me happy (and thus glow!) -- I asked everyone my most trusted friends and clients for their input. Guys and gals alike had something great to say, but here are their eight best tips:
Do something good for your mind and body each day.
This differs for each person. For some, it's reading the newspaper every morning with a cup of green tea; for others, it's all about taking their favorite yoga class. Whatever healthy activity makes you happy and allows you to spend time on yourself makes you shine, keep it up.
Keep exfoliating.
Summer can dry our skin, but skin still accumulates dead skin cells that need to be sloughed off. Exfoliation removes dead, dulling skin debris to prevent congestion and improve hydration from your moisturizer and sunscreen. Try a lighter, gentler exfoliator during these hot and humid days. There are some great ones on the market, but my personal favorites are home remedies. I alternate between one made of a handful of oatmeal and milk and another made of equal parts kitchen flour and yogurt.
Continue to moisturize.
If you haven't already discovered this, summer is the time to put away those heavy creams and break out the oil-free, light-weight moisturizers. I love products that do double duty, so I look for tinted moisturizers with at least a 30 SPF. Both Jan Marini and Jane Iredale make great products. For a bit of an extra glow, I wash, moisturize, and then apply a bit of my liquid bronzer. Free from DHA (Dihydroxyacetone) and loaded with vitamin E, vitamin C, and aloe, it provides just the right amount of shine.
Drink plenty of water.
Need we say more? And in glass bottles, instead of that un-eco plastic, please. I know it can be hard to think about continuing to drink water as the season winds down, but -- like sunscreen -- water is one of those "can't live without" daily essentials that keep us hydrated and healthy.
Engage in stress-relieving activities.
I try not to think about my autumn workload and daily life stressors until after Labor Day. I really try to treat myself to one very non-stressful event every day, and if I have to skip a day, then I sit quietly for five minutes and visualize myself doing it. For me, this means spending five extra minutes snuggling my kids or making my favorite breakfast before the rush of the day begins. My favorite middle-of-the-day break is putting my feet up and getting a reinvigorating foot massage. Three of my girlfriends swear by their afternoon Pilates session.
Get your shut-eye.
In any season, I am challenged to get my suggested eight to nine hours of sleep. It seems it's even harder toward the end of the summer since August tends to be my busiest work season. But even if I have to pass on a late-night event (or force myself to turn off TV an hour earlier and get into bed with my favorite book and PJs), I do it. I personally make it a habit to go to bed by 10 p.m. each night, but it's not about the time you go to bed, according to sleep experts, as much as it about setting a regular bedtime and sticking to it.
Boost up your vitamin D.
Get your vitamin D from anything but the sun. Dermatologist Zoe D. Draelos, M.D., consulting professor at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C., recommends getting vitamin D from a healthy diet, which includes naturally enriched vitamin D foods, fortified foods and beverages, and/or vitamin supplements. These are all healthier alternatives to the sun because they provide the same benefit without the skin cancer risk that overexposure to the sun can cause.
Stay out of the sun -- and get a spray tan instead.
For more than a year before I launched my company, I was determined to create a sunless tan that not only looked great, but that actually improved the health and appearance of skin without harsh chemicals. And while of course I am partial to my methods and all-natural, organic products (like antioxidants and superfruits) because I know what's in them and can swear by their authenticity, I tell everyone I know the same thing: Get a spray tan -- and don't burn your skin in the sun.
Entrepreneur and spray-tanning expert Svetlana Feller is the innovative mind behind the first-ever brush-on tan treatment. In 2007 -- after many hours working with chemists and thousands of spray tan applications -- she opened Spray di Sole, the original "spray-only" organic spray-tan lounge in Studio City, California. In a few short years, Svetlana became the most sought-after spray tan artist in Hollywood, perfecting the skin of celebrities including LeAnn Rimes, Sylvester Stallone, Fergie, Denise Richards, Sharon Stone, Rhianna, Rose McGowan, Becki Newton, and the casts of 90210, True Blood, and Dancing with the Stars. Svetlana has been featured on "The Doctors" and "Good Day LA," and has written for or been interviewed in CoCo Eco, Genlux, Haute Living, Women's Health, Allure, and Brides. Spray di Sole is featured on 5-Star hotel spa menus such as Trump SOHO and MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and has affiliates across the United States and Canada.
For more by Svetlana Feller, click here.
For more on beauty and skin, click here.