Renée Rouleau Shares Her Summer Skin Care Routine

Update 6/17/15. Without a doubt, the skin changes from season to season as well as climate to climate. It is constantly trying to adjust itself to keep it balanced and behaving well. Now that summer is here, my skin is certainly letting me know that I need to lighten things up. Can we say oil slick? I’m a skin type #2 but I switch around some products depending on what my skin needs.

Here are the changes that I’m personally making in my own routine for summer.

My morning routine:

Step 1: While I love using Purifying Face Wash in the winter, I like something that cleans a bit deeper in the summer so I switch to using the Mint Renewal Cleansing Gel. Plus, it’s so wonderfully minty and cooling on my skin when the weather is so hot and humid…

On days when my eyes are particularly puffy, I fill up my bathroom sink 1/4 of the way with cold water, add in 10 ice cubes and 1/4 cup of Balancing Skin Tonic and splash my skin 20 times. The cold plus the added benefit of witch hazel found in the toner works extremely well to constrict capillaries and reduce swelling. Plus, it really wakes up my tired skin and gives a nice, bright glow.

Step 2: I use the Elderberry Toner year-round. I love the antioxidants it has and it works well for me all year round.

Step 3: Next up is my very favorite product, Vitamin C&E Treatment. I definitely get some heat-related brown spots from time spent outdoors bicycling around Austin, Texas. (Yes, I said heat, not sun. Sunscreen can’t always prevent sun spots. Read more about that here.) Using a vitamin C serum really works to keep them under control while giving my skin a powerful dose of antioxidants.

Step 4: A generous coat of Daily Protection SPF 30 is applied to my face, neck and any exposed chest area. For so many skin types that are oily and acne-prone like mine, finding a sunscreen that doesn’t clog the pores or feel greasy is a challenge. I formulated this one to be really lightweight and greaseless, and my skin loves it. I never get breakouts or clogged pores from it. I then dab on Vitamin C Eye Brightener under each eye. It’s so refreshing and cooling and helps brighten and ease puffiness.

My evening routine:

Step 1: Aloe Cleansing Milk is my go-to evening cleanser in the summer to remove foundation makeup and/or mineral powder. I usually use the Rosemary Mint Cleanser in the winter so I like something a bit more soothing for heat and exercise induced redness.

Step 2: Elderberry Toner again, and always left damp on the skin. Applying toner with our amazing Toning Cloths is a must.

Step 3: I then use Advanced Resurfacing Serum at night, even in the summer. It’s loaded with time-released retinol which as dramatically transformed the texture of my skin and has made my pores smaller and my skin overall looks so much smoother. Hands down, this is one product that has dramatically changed my skin for the better and I definitely can’t live without. A lot of people get concerned with using retinol in the summer thinking that their skin may get too sensitive when combined with summer heat and sun. What you first need to understand is that the only way retinol can work most effectively is when it’s consistently used at least five days a week all year long. The longer you use it, the more improvement you’ll see with your skin, so you don’t want to stop using it for any long period of time. In the summer, if you’re careful about protecting your skin from the sun, there’s no reason why you can’t be using it at night.

Step 3A: Skin Drink is a specialty serum that contains Hyaluronic Acid which keeps my skin cells plump and healthy. Best of all, it’s oil free. I’ll use this one night a week alternating with AHA Smoothing Serum 10% to keep my skin exfoliated. Normally, I use the 17% formula but switch to the milder 10% version in the summertime since there is more moisture in the air and less dead skin cells are being formed. Both of these serums are used just one night a week under moisturizer, but then five nights a week I use the Advanced Resurfacing Serum.

Step 4: As much as I love the Hawaiian Nourishing Cream, the Texas summers increase too much oil on my skin so I switch to the Sheer Moisture which gives my skin the perfect amount of oil-free hydration as as the names implies—it’s sheer.

Step 5: And I can never forget using eye cream – a must! Total Eye Repair Cream is truly amazing for softening and smoothing the lines around my eyes. Love, love, love this eye cream.

Twice a week:

My skin loves our Mint Buffing Beads used in the shower. It makes my skin silky smooth and it’s so refreshing. It’s been in my line for a long time and always a favorite. When I have extra time and my skin is looking red and parched, I’ll apply a generous coat of Bio Calm Repair Masque. It’s wonderful for drenching my thirsty skin with water-based moisture.

So there you have it, my summer skin care routine! As for my diet, I indulge in every and all antioxidant-packed fruits and vegetables. See my list of some of the best ones. I also take vitamin C with bioflavonoids every day to help keep my capillaries strong.

Read: My Good (And Bad!) Skin Care Secrets
Read: Five Ways To Hydrate Oily, Acne-Prone Skin Without Causing Breakouts
Read: The Upside Of Having Acne

Which skin care products are best for you? See our nine skin types or take our Skin Type Quiz and get products recommended.

Need expert advice from a licensed esthetician? Schedule a virtual consultation to get customized advice in person, over the phone or online via Skype or Facetime.

For more expert advice check out the blog. Also sign up for our skin tip e-newsletter, follow Renée Rouleau on Twitter and Instagram and join the discussion on our Facebook page. You’ll be your own skin care expert in no time. Get the #ReneeRouleauGlow!

Renée Rouleau

Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”