How to Avoid 5 Common Summer Beauty Mistakes

We love summer, but sometimes, it doesn’t love us back. Each season comes with its beauty battles, and summer wages a mighty war on our skin and hair. Take on the heat without consequences by preparing your summer beauty regimen. We all want to avoid sunburns and melting makeup, so follow these essential vegan beauty tips to sidestep those (and other) common summer no-nos. 

1. Sunburn

Sunburns don’t have to be synonymous with summer. You can get through the season without scorching your skin—if you have the right protection. Get in the habit of applying sunscreen as religiously as you brush your teeth. You wouldn’t go outside and face the world without brushing, right? The same goes for sunscreen. Try the Hawaiian Sunscreen line from Alba Botanica. The company offers fragrance and fragrance-free sprays and creams, ranging from SPF 30 to 70. And by the way, that facial moisturizer with SPF 15 doesn’t always cut it. Apply the same serum that you use on your body to your face to avoid a Rudolf-red nose and candy apple cheeks. 

2. Weird tans

Multi-sport athletes know all about weird tans—watch tans, goggle tans, sock tans, running shorts combined with a bikini tan (at that point, you just have to laugh it off). Sunscreen will help, but it won’t eliminate the issue. First, try to avoid “statement” swimsuits or running outside in intricately strappy sports bras. Right now, the one-shoulder bikini is trending, but you can still turn heads in a bandeau and avoid awkward tan lines. Another trick is to diversify your summer wardrobe. If you rock v-necks or the same style of shorts all summer, expect the pattern to be outlined on your skin. Switch it up with tanks, dresses, and skirts instead of shorts, and peep-toe wedges instead of the same pair of strapped sandals. If all else fails, own your funky tan and strut your stuff. 

3. Dry hair

Our tresses battle brittleness year-round as we regularly subject them to heating tools, but chlorine-filled pools and the salty sea indeed seem to deplete our hair of its natural moisture. If you have access to a shower, rinse out your hair after a swim (be that in a pool or the ocean). For damage control, we love Moerie's Mineral Hair Growth and Repair Mask, which was literally made to replicate the feeling and result of being in a top-notch salon. This iconic product infuses hair with minerals including fulvic acid and biotin, repairing damaged hair in a highly effective and almost magical way. (Oh, and don't tell anyone we said this, but this product will be featured in a Kinder Beauty box this fall.)

4. Crackly lips

Super vegan lip balms and salves can help, but the primary culprit of crackly lips is dehydration. Think of your reusable water bottle like your phone this summer and carry it with you everywhere. Sip regularly, not just when you’re thirsty. We’re talking water here—not iced coffee, Pink Drinks, kombucha, or hard seltzers. Plain water is what you need. That being said, there are certain products that can help with damage control. Upgrade your cherry Chapstick to EcoLips Bee-Free Lip Balms, featured in Kinder Beauty's July Beauty Box. Made with a plant-based candelilla wax, certified organic and fair-trade cocoa butter, and luscious coconut oil, this line of lip balms lets bees do what they do best so we can reap the benefits of summer and have soft lips at the same time. Finish off your smooth, plump pucker with a swipe of gorgeous gloss from The Lip Bar. 

5. Melting makeup 

On most summer days, we can all get away with a tinted moisturizer, waterproof mascara, perhaps a touch of concealer, and a swipe of a pretty gloss. However, in times that call for a full face of makeup (IE professional events, dates, weddings … are there summer weddings anymore?), we start to panic at the thought of our precise work cascading down our face. Avoid a literal meltdown by prepping your skin with a primer before you apply foundation (try Juice Beauty's Phyto-Pigment Luminous Primer, featured in Kinder Beauty's July Beauty Box). After you’ve used your last stroke of mascara and perfectly blended your bronzer, set the look with a finishing spray such as e.l.f.’s Dewy Setting Mist (it smells like coconut!).   

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Please note: A product appearing in our blog is not an official Kinder Beauty endorsement. While every product we feature in an article is cruelty-free and vegan, these products do not necessarily meet all of our strict brand standards for curation in a Kinder box. 

Tanya Flink is a writer and fitness enthusiast living in Orange County, CA.