The Best Skincare Routine for Combination Skin In the Summer
I may be a true minimalist with my wardrobe, but I can’t say the same with my beauty routine. Skincare, specifically, is not a department I slack off in, so you can find me in my bathroom for at least 20 minutes washing my face and applying my myriad of elixirs (sorry, to my roommates!) twice a day. Now that it’s summertime, however, my combination skin needs extra attention to handle the heat—and all the sweat that comes with it. Thankfully, I’ve got my summer skincare routine locked down so I can keep oil at bay.
It’s taken a long time for me to get my skin in a place where I’m comfortable going outside makeup-free. My nose, cheeks, and forehead look slick by midday, while the rest of my face feels dry and rough. It hasn’t been easy to find products that offer lightweight hydration, control sebum production, and won’t clog my pores. But after testing hundreds of clarifying cleansers, exfoliants, and moisturizers, I can confidently say this lineup works beautifully for combination skin.
My skincare routine may not be the simplest—it involves double cleansing and rotating out serums every day—but it’s what works for my semi-oily, semi-dry skin. If you’re curious about what’s currently filling my beauty cabinet, keep scrolling. I’m giving you a peek inside my summer skincare routine, including how I achieve a natural, glowy tan on my pale skin and my current favorite summer perfumes.
Start With a Double Cleanse
Sweat, loads of SPF, and makeup don’t agree with oily skin. To completely clear my pores of the day’s grime, I always double cleanse. Starting with a cleansing oil breaks down makeup (including pesky waterproof mascara!) and sunscreen, while a clarifying, water-based cleanser removes any lingering impurities.
ROUND LAB
1025 Dokdo Cleansing Oil
As a partially oily-skin girl, oil cleansers have seemed counterintuitive. An esthetician finally convinced me that they would work wonders for my large pores and blackheads, and I’ve never looked back. My current favorite is a Korean cleansing oil from Round Lab—it keeps my oil production at bay and removes my favorite waterproof mascara without any problems.
Tatcha
The Matcha Cleanse Daily Clarifying Gel Cleanser
The next step in my cleansing routine comes a tried-and-true favorite: Tatcha’s clarifying cleanser. A little dab of this gel-to-foam cleanser is all I need for my skin to feel smoother and cleaner. I love how it cleanses and controls oil without leaving my skin feeling stripped.
Cycle Actives
Once I hit 27, I decided it was time to start retinol, however, my skin can’t quite handle daily use just yet. Instead, I like to apply my treatments in a three-day cycle. One night I’ll use a facial exfoliator to clear dead skin; the next night I’ll apply my favorite retinol serum; then I’ll give my skin a break with a hydrating hyaluronic acid serum before starting the cycle over.
Sunday Riley
C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum
I have waxed poetic about Sunday Riley’s vitamin C serum before, and I will gladly do so again. It’s one of the only vitamin C serums that doesn’t irritate my skin and actually makes a difference in my dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Any time I pick at a breakout (my vice!) and a dark spot inevitably crops up, I know this serum will take care of it. I use this every morning, no matter where I’m at in my skin cycle, to brighten, hydrate, and minimize my pores.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads
Dr. Dennis Gross’ at-home chemical peels take all of the guesswork out of exfoliating. They’re packed with five acids to smooth texture, brighten skin, and shrink pores, but the best part is that they only take minutes to apply. I start my three-day cycle with one of these pads, and it works wonders at sloughing away dry, rough skin.
Elizabeth Arden
Retinol + HPR Ceramide Capsules Rapid Skin Renewing Serum
I came across these retinol capsules in my search for a formula that was effective, yet gentle, and they did not disappoint. Each one is packed with four percent pure retinol and ceramides, so you can count on them to smooth wrinkles and firm skin. What’s more, they offer sustained time-release, so they’re much more gentle than the average over-the-counter retinol.
StriVectin
Multi-Action Hydration Multiplier Hyaluronic Acid Serum
My dry patches can’t stand against this serum. One side is a hydrating gel that contains seven types of hyaluronic acid, plus polyglutamic acid to plump skin and seal in moisture. The other side is a rich lotion filled with ceramides that strengthen and protect skin. The end result is glowier, hydrated skin that lasts.
Never Skip Hydration and SPF
My skin may be covered in a sheen most of the time, but that doesn’t mean I’ll skip out on moisturizer. In fact, the area around my lips and cheeks can turn dry and patchy, so my holy grail moisturizers are a must both morning and night. And, of course, I always top it with my favorite sunscreen.
OLEHENRIKSEN
Strength Trainer Skin Barrier Moisturizer
This is hands-down my favorite moisturizer ever. No matter the season, I can count on this (non-greasy!) moisturizer to make my skin feel hydrated, plump, and firm. It’s all thanks to its formula full of peptides, amino acids, and ceramides that work to strengthen the skin barrier.
While I’ve tried plenty of tinted sunscreens in my day, this new product blew me away. It’s incredibly lightweight and doesn’t feel greasy or smell funky like other mineral sunscreens might. It delivers just the right amount of coverage, too, to even out my skin tone while still letting my complexion shine through.
Brooke Knappenberger wearing Merit The Uniform Tinted SPF.
(Image credit: Brooke Knappenberger)
Don’t Forget Body Care
To be honest, I used to not give any thought to my body skincare routine. But nowadays, I refuse to neglect the skin below my face, especially since the weather has hit above 75 degrees and dresses have become my uniform. With the great scents and luxurious, glow-activating formulas below, body care is now the highlight of my beauty routine.
CYKLAR
Sacred Santal – Sensorial Body Wash
Body care starts in the shower! Ever since this luxe shower gel came into my life, I won’t go a day without using it. Aside from its warm and comforting smell, which lingers all day long, this shower gel leaves my skin noticeably softer and smoother.
CYKLAR
Sacred Santal – Vitamin C Body Oil
Typically, I’m more of a lotion fan, but in the summer, I switch over to body oils to get a nice, subtle glow. Not only are Cyklar’s body oils intensely nourishing, but they also absorb quickly and feel nourishing, not sticky. They can double as a perfume, too—Sacred Santal performs just as well as some of my luxury fragrances.
Supergoop!
Glow Oil SPF 50 Body Oil
Get Your Glow On
I’ve long given up tanning, but I still love a glow, even if it’s fake. I’m a bit unskilled with applying self-tanners, so I stick to gradual self-tanners for a more natural, even look. I’ve managed to find self-tanners for pale skin that even the most novice of users can use without the worry of streaks and patches.
Bondi Sands
Everyday Gradual Tanning Milk Body Moisturizer
This hydrating Bondi Sands formula is everything I could want in a gradual self-tanner and more. It couldn’t be easier to use—simply apply it like body lotion, wash your hands after, and you’re good to go. A golden color starts to develop after about five days or so, and it never looks orangey, streaky, or blotching.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
Alpha Beta® Glow Pad™ Self-Tanner for Face
I used to forgo self-tanner on my face altogether because every product I tried always ended up as a streaky mess. Thankfully, these new Dr. Dennis Gross Glow Pads changed all of that for me. Once a week, I will swap the Alpha Beta Universal Peel Pads for these self-tanning ones. Dare I call them magical? After applying at night, I wake up to a gorgeous, natural-looking tan with zero streaks.
The Finishing Touch: A Summery Perfume
With over 150 perfumes in my collection, it takes me longer to pick out a fragrance in the morning than it does to get dressed. However, I was able to narrow my selection down to a few favorite summer perfumes that evoke sunshine in a bottle.
Yves Saint Laurent
Libre L’eau Nue Alcohol-Free Perfume
Did you know the alcohol in your perfume makes skin more photosensitive and susceptible to sunburn? That was a not-so-fun fact I learned recently, so the next time I’m lounging on vacation, I’ll be relying on this alcohol-free perfume to stay smelling delicious. It’s a fruity blend of mandarin, bergamot, and orange blossom that’s fresh enough for sweltering summer days.
Nette
Lemon Puff Eau De Parfum With Vanilla
My first love in fragrance was gourmands, so sweet scents will always be near and dear to my heart. For summer, though, some sugary scents can feel too heavy in the heat, but not Nette’s latest release, Lemon Puff. It’s an initial burst of sweet (but not cloying!) lemon before drying down into an airy, fluffy combo of vanilla, jasmine sambac, and musk.
This is the closest I have to a signature scent. I’ve worn it nearly every day since I’ve added it to my collection—it’s that good. It has the sweetness of a gourmand with the added depth of sandalwood and fruity freshness of mandarin, bergamot, and pear. The real star of the show, however, is its rose heart—it’s feminine, sensual, and simply addictive.
Phlur
Beach Skin Hair & Fragrance Mist
Phlur perfumes never miss, so it wasn’t a surprise when the brand’s new body mist became an instant hit in my collection. It’s an elevated, grown-up take on tropical, beachy scents with no hint of artificial sunscreen-y notes. Instead, it has a salty, fresh feel with warm florals that imitates the smell of sunshine on skin.
Some of Brooke Knappenberger’s favorite summer perfumes.
(Image credit: Brooke Knappenberger)
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