STYLE

With summer coming to a close, now’s the time to revisit your BTS skincare routine so you can greet that first day with your best-ever glow. While we don’t have a magic wand to grant you perfect skin in an instant, this complexion countdown comes pretty close. Follow the advice of our pros, then get ready to ace your face (along with, you know, your classes).

One month ahead: Do a deep clean

If you’ve ever had a facial before, you know that there can be some not-so-pretty purging afterward, which is why timing is so essential. Renée Rouleau, celebrity esthetician and founder of Renée Rouleau Skincare, advises booking a deep pore-cleansing treatment one month out “to allow the skin time to settle after any extractions.”

Down to DIY? Dermatologist Dr. Michael Gowen recommends using an exfoliating mask two to three times a week. If your skin is sensitive, look for something with calming ingredients like calamine that’ll help soothe while acids exfoliate. For oily and acne-prone skin, go for a multi-pronged formula that taps a combination of AHAs, BHAs and PHAs. And don’t skip the moisturizer, aka exfoliated skin’s bestie.

Your toolbox: First Aid Beauty Calamine Pore Purging Mask, $24, firstaidbeauty.com. Cetaphil Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Daily Cream, $25, cvs.com. Bubble Deep Dive AHA+PHA Exfoliating Mask $18, hellobubble.com

2 to 3 weeks ahead: Stay consistent

Caring for your skin should be an ongoing thing, but a new school year may be the wake-up call you need to stay on top of it. Dr. Gowen recommends finding “a sustainable routine that works for the amount of time you have.”

Saying it again for the girls in the back: A good skincare routine doesn’t need to have 20 steps (who’s got time for that?). Instead, Dr. Gowen recommends a four-step regimen of a cleanser, moisturizer, treatment (if needed) and an SPF that doesn’t clog your pores. In general, it takes anywhere from two weeks to three months to see the best results, so be patient and stick with it.

Your toolbox: CeraVe Hydrating Sheer Sunscreen, $14, amazon.com. Byoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser, $13, ulta.com. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% Topical Retinoid Acne Treatment, $37, ulta.com.

A couple days ahead: Boost your results

You’ve put in the work for the past month, and now it’s officially game time. Leading up to the big day, you’re going to want to reach for products that enhance your complexion without being too aggressive. “A gentle scrub is one of the best ways to get glowing,” says Rouleau.

Look for one with jojoba beads or cellulose particles that offer a light polish. Use it the night before school starts and then, for some extra radiance in the a.m., apply a vitamin C serum before putting on a daily moisturizer with SPF.

Your toolbox: Renée Rouleau Triple Berry Smoothing Scrub, $52, reneerouleau.com. Naturium Vitamin C Complex Serum, $20, naturium.com. Cetaphil Daily Oil-Free Facial Moisturizer with SPF 35, $16, cvs.com

Last-minute blemish busting

Tomorrow’s the first day of school...and you notice a whopping zit is making its way right smack into the middle of your forehead. Time to bid that blemish buh-bye.

Day before. Apply a non-drying spot treatment. (This is key—you don’t want a red, inflamed pimple plus flaky skin.)

Night before. Overnight, stick on a hydrocolloid patch to keep the area clean and (ideally) absorb any pimple pus.

Morning of. Rouleau recommends icing the area in five-minute intervals. It won’t make your zit disappear, but it will help reduce redness and swelling.

Hour before. Whatever you do, both experts agree: Do. Not. Pick. Just pop on another hydrocolloid patch.

30 minutes before. Dab on spot treatment, then moisturize before going in with concealer and powder. As good as gone!

Your toolbox: Zapzyt AcneTreatment Gel, $5, walmart.com. Bioré Blemish Patches, $10, amazon.com. Super Chill Facial Pill, $12, thedetoxmarket.com.

Hey, girl! Just wanted to let you know that this story originally ran in our August/September 2023 issue. Want more? Read the print mag for free *today* when you click HERE.

Have more questions about your back-to-school beauty routine?
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Top image: @giahuddy
Slider image: @bonitravo

by Lisa DeSantis | 7/31/2023