Summer skin, kept honest

A short, sun-smart routine for skin that's done chasing twenty-five.

Summer is where complicated routines go to fail. The heat melts everything, the schedule fills up, and the twelve-step regimen you swore by in February becomes three steps done in a hurry. So make those three count, and let the rest go.

Protect, don't chase

At this stage the most anti-aging thing on your shelf is sunscreen, worn every day and reapplied like you mean it. The second is restraint. Heavy foundation in heat ages you faster than the sun does; a tinted SPF or a sheer skin tint lets your face look like a face. Coverage is a tool, not a goal.

The glow is real, not bottled

Trade powder for a cream blush and a dab of balm on the high points. Hydrate from the inside and stop fighting a little shine — in summer it reads as health, not failure. A groomed brow and a flush of color will do more for you at forty-five than any contour.

Three things, used consistently: sunscreen, a tint that evens without masking, and one finishing gesture you actually enjoy. That is summer skin that looks like you, on the days you have ninety seconds and somewhere to be.