Weekends in the summer are so fun and we pack so much life into our weekends, and many times we don't always make the effort to slap on sunscreen so at the end of the summer, we have dark spots and sun damage and before we know it, we look like Keith Richards. Here are a few ways to help repair the damage we've done to our beautiful faces.

Eat Your Vegetables

Sure, being out in the sun at the beach, or at the park or at the pool is a lot of fun, but do you know what’s not fun? Sun spots. You can eat your way to better skin by chowing down on leafy greens. One serving per day of leafy greens can start rebuilding your skin from the inside out. New Orleans dermatologist Mary Lupo says that leafy greens are, “packed with healing antioxidants." My favorites are spinach and kale.


Exfoliate

We can put every kind of lotion, potion and cream on our mugs, but if the surface of the skin is full of dead skin cells, we won’t get the full benefit. Esthetician and skin care expert Renee Rouleau says exfoliation is important because, “Exfoliation is considered one of the most important techniques that you can perform on your skin to resolve certain skin problems as well as to achieve healthy and glowing skin.” Oil of Olay makes a good exfoliation tool and their Regenerist line is hailed as one of the best beauty products of recent memory, Neutrogena also makes a good one, but my favorite routine is Cetaphil and a small exfoliating sponge in the shower.


Moisturize

Now that you’ve exfoliated, moisturization is key, but if you’re looking to repair sun damage, make sure you use one with sunscreen. I use Lancome and I love it. They have so many different serums to put under your moisturizer and creams to work with the serums to choose from and they are all packed with sunscreen to best fit what you want. My mother still swears by Oil of Olay and they also have products laden with SPF. I used Olay for years and it’s probably one of the best budget friendly moisturizers out there.


Cover It Up

Foundation can be a girl’s best friend, but if you don’t like wearing a heavy liquid foundation, tinted moisturizers with SPF and translucent powder over the top can also do the trick. There are also BB and CC creams out there that are packed with vitamins and sunscreen so they don’t just cover up damage, they treat it too, you just have to slather them on because they are a bit sheer. If you’re willing to invest a little, I’m a huge fan of Bare Minerals. It’s lightweight, covers well and lasts.


Cover It Up Even More

You do your skin routine and use a night cream before bed, BB cream and SPF spiked moisturizer in the morning with an SPF laden foundation over the top of it, but it’s a good idea to cover up even more. Light can break down sunscreen after a few hours outside, so if you can’t reapply your SPF translucent powder, don’t underestimate the level of chic and dose of style a brimmed hat and a big funky pair of shades can add to your weekend brunch/shopping outfit.

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