Summer Beauty

Finally! The coldest winter ever is over and summer is here. Yes, I know, Atlanta seems to have skipped Spring completely (with the exception of the pollen, oh the pollen!) and we have had 80 degree days on the regular. I for one will take the heat over the cold on any day. I know what to do get outside and enjoy it, sweat and all or simply hole up in my home until the sun is about to set! But with the warmer weather the clothes start coming off, the feet are out and the skin products change. I’m getting ready!

To start I have to take care of my feet. Because of my history with running and the fact that I have bunions, my feet are not my best asset! But you have to work with what God gave you so I make my feet as presentable as possible. A few years back I made a video which includes my secret weapons for my feet - check it out, it is still applicable today and all of the products are available at Walmart.

Here is what I used:

Sally Hansen Sole Control Foot File $4.97

Kerasol $8.84

Equate nail polish remover

Cotton Balls $3.68

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Nail File $ .97

Pedicure toe separator

Essie Nail Polish $8.47

Dr Scholl’s For Her Exfoliating Stone File Pumice $3.98

One of the things I do is soak my feet in an old baby tub that I upcycled. Good idea, right?

At least my hoarding ways can be put to good use! My feet literally need every product I used to look presentable. Calluses? I got em! Cracked heels? That too. But come summer I get my feet in the best condition possible. Not perfect but good enough for me.

Here are my finished toes.

Now that my feet are taken care of I move on my skin. During the summer months I have to be sure to moisturize. I keep my shea butter on hand, the lemon grass scent is so refreshing people are always asking me what I am wearing.

And it is for all over body use, I even put it in my hair! It keeps everything soft and supple and isn’t that we all want when we are bearing our skin in the hot summer months?

Once place that I personally have to care for but is often overlooked are my underarms. Years of shaving have caused them to darken so I am in the process of trying to lighten them up a bit. I’ve been using Dove advanced care which lasts for 48 hours and helps to restore skin to its natural tone. I’m optimist about it working but it is better than not doing anything at all.

For my face, I add an extra step to my normal cleansing routine and exfoliate gently with Equate Pink Grapefruit Cleansing Towelettes. They are made especially for acne prone skin and can be compared to Neutrogena’s oil free cleansing wipes. I do this for both exfoliation and also to remove my makeup because even with using the Equate line, I feel like my skin is cleaner when I used the towelettes.

So there you have it. Some of the things I do to get ready for the hot, humid, limited clothing days of summer. Of course I remain in the gym working on my best body ever. I’m a work in progress but I’ll keep you posted on my progress.