Fresh Face, Fresh 'Fit: Summer Skincare Tips

What is your skin type?

I have oily/combination skin, but underneath my eyes it gets dry and causes issues with my makeup application. That's why I am really big on moisturizing.

Have you ever had problematic skin?

Not anymore because I use so many products.

Is your morning skin routine different from your nightly routine? If so, how?

Yes, slightly. At night I use my retinol products in my routine. I do not use it in the morning because you're out in the sun.

How do you feel about wearing sunscreen as a POC? Is it important to you?

It is so important. Sunscreen is for everybody. Black people can get skin cancer just like anyone else. I've seen it happen and it's not pretty. It can be deadly. There are so many moisturizers that you can get with SPF in it and it doesn't cause caking with your makeup. You'll probably have to spend a little extra to get it, but it's worth it because your skin is your largest organ and you have to take care of it. So definitely an advocate for sunscreen.

What sunscreen do you wear as a POC?

I use the Neutrogena with 60 SPF or higher if I'm out doing activities. But day-to-day I have a moisturizer by Lancôme with only a 15 percent SPF, which is better than nothing.

How do you manage with your skin type?

I exfoliate a lot, use retinols, and I use products with AHA in them, which also helps with controlling moisture, but it's really to help with keeping your skin supple.

Do you think it's important to use anti-aging products?

Yes, but you don't have to use specific anti-aging products. Anti-aging methods are more important. Like taking care of your skin at an early age, drinking lots of water. Even if you drink other things, make sure you are drinking lots of water throughout the day to get rid of those toxins. Toxins are what sits in our skin and causes all of the issues. But, yeah. I've been using these quote, unquote "anti-aging" products since I was in my late twenties and that's when I got serious about skincare. But water is your best friend.

What is your favorite face mask to use?

I use a lot of Lancôme products. Kind of a snob in that area. It's not the most expensive, but it's certainly not the cheapest. If a budget is the issue, there are other products out that can work - maybe not just as good, but you can get similar results. They have a Génifique serum that I use religiously everyday, twice a day. So that mask itself has everything the serum has, but it's more concentrated. So then you leave it on your face and it's my absolute favorite.

What would you say your favorite part of your skincare routine is?

Oh Lord. It's self-care, hunty! First, I just wanna say don't ever sleep in your makeup. It's terrible for your skin. But you're also not loving on yourself when you do that. At night when I'm washing my face and exfoliating, I use a wash that has AHA in it. When I get out the shower, that's my time. I'm getting ready for bed and I like to massage my face putting on all these silky, luxurious products. For me that's like a massage, so I really enjoy it.

Have you ever had to deal with hyperpigmentation? What's your favorite product to manage it?

Yes, when I went through my pregnancies I noticed that my skin was different colors, and the way I kind of mitigated that over the past decade is by using a toner by Rodan + Fields. It wasn't a brightening agent but it was an evening tone agent. It was so good. You have to use it sparingly because it can lighten your skin up too much. But to even it up, it worked really really good for that. Vitamin E oil is also great for that but along my skin journey I've learned I'm allergic to it. I love vitamin E serums too, absolutely, but I'm just allergic to them.

So do you have a favorite primer or is that in the skincare?

After I do my morning routine, I will sometimes set my face with a setting powder, then I will spray it with a setting spray, then spray it with a prep-and-prime spray, let that dry and go in with my makeup. So the primer for me is not really one product, but the steps. Because by putting the setting powder on that really controls the shine. So I'll use the setting powder - just a light dust. It can be a chalky white one as long as it's translucent. Then finish everything and give it one last spray of the setting spray. It usually will stay locked unless I've missed a step, or don't have something.

Haute Tip: If you have a proper skincare routine, your makeup will go on flawless. And if you don't have that, you'll have issues. Like for me, especially under my eyes, I would dry out and it would look flaky under my eyes even though I put a moisturizer on. But I had to do it consistently everyday and not use products that dry me out under my eyes. That also is a challenge - trying to find products that don't completely dry you out.