4 Lightweight Moisturizers for the Summer
When it comes to finding a good summer daytime moisturizer, my needs are fairly simple: has to moisturize (feels like a given), can't feel heavy or suffocating on the skin, and while I'm fine with glowy, I don't want something that makes me look greasy by the end of the day. Where I live, the heat is real and the humidity can get crazy, so anything too sticky feeling is a no for me also. I've tried a lot of different lightweight moisturizers, and I've found that while some have the perfect texture and feel refreshing, not all of those may give me the long lasting hydration that I actually need, specifically some gel cremes. But after some trial and error, I've picked out 4 that I've been gravitating towards the most and that tick all the boxes in terms of what I need in a summer daytime moisturizer.
Herbivore Pink Cloud ($48.00, 1.7 oz)*: I started out using this in the spring, and now it's the moisturizer I pick up the most for daytime. It's a lightweight creamy texture that seems to melt into the skin on contact and sinks in quickly. The finish looks dewier on me now than when I was using it in spring, although nothing super shiny or scary. The moisture lasts all day, the product never feels like it's clogging my skin or sitting on top of it, and the aloe is a welcome ingredient during a season when my redness can get a little out of hand. There's a subtle rose scent, although not overpowering, and a little bit of this goes a long way. This was gifted, but I'll 100% repurchase when I'm out because it's a really solid staple in my routines now.
Ingredients: Water, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Isoamyl Laurate, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Water, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Populus Tremuloides (Aspen) Bark Extract, Aleurites Moluccana (Kukui) Nut Oil, Propanediol, Myrothamnus Flabellifolia Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Nut Butter, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Seed Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Sclerotium Gum, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Phytate, Alcohol, Sodium Anisate
Amorepacific The Essential Creme Fluid ($98, 3 oz)*: Ok, this is my splurge-y pick. And while the price makes my eyes bulge a little, this has 3 oz of product versus its friends that normally do about 1.7 oz, so if you do the math: if this was cut down to 1.7 oz, the price would come out to roughly $55.54, which is way easier to stomach, and only 7 bucks off from Herbivore's Pink Cloud. But, pricing aside, let's talk about the actual product. The texture is runny and lightweight, and reminds me of the Missha Essence Sun Milk in terms of consistency. Some days I pat this around my face like I would an essence, and other times I just smooth it around my face, but either way the texture is so light while still being deeply nourishing and hydrating. I do hate the strong fragrance of it, although it fades quickly and becomes non-existent. A splurge but very unique in that it can pack in so much moisture while feeling like nothing on the skin.
Ingredients: Water, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Propanediol, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Arginine, Butylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate 2, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Tocopherol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Fragrance.
Farmacy Honey Drop ($45, 1.7 oz): I feel like this has such a huge fan base already, but I wanted to bring it up anyways because this works best in the warmer weather for me versus the cold. It's a lightweight water cream that has small beads in it, cupuaçu butter beads to be exact, in addition to royal jelly, honey extract & propolis extract, and those three alone make my skincare loving heart race. Per the theme of this whole post, this sinks in quick, is moisturizing without being heavy, and feels refreshing and light. And with the propolis and honey, this really seals in all my other skincare without suffocating my face.
Ingredients: Water, Glycereth-26, Glycerin, C13-15 Alkane, Echinacea Purpurea Root Extract, Honey Extract, Propolis Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Theobroma Grandflorum Seed Butter, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Allantoin, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Leaf Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Ocimum Balsilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Adenosine, Betaine, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Flavor, Sorbitan Olivate, Sucrose Stearate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium Edta, Glyceryl Polyacrylate, Agar, Calcium Alginate, Mica, Iron Oxide (Ci 77492), Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Diheptyl Succinate, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Tromethamine, Cetearyl Olivate, Alcohol Denat., Caprylyl Glycol.
Saturday Skin Waterfall ($39, 1.69 oz)*: This water cream has the heaviest texture out of the one's listed, although still too light for me to use at night. The texture is a thicker gel, feels cooling and soothing on the skin, and leaves my face feeling soft and moisturized. Another one that sinks in pretty quickly, is fragrance-free, doesn't feel sticky or greasy, and sits really well under makeup. I will say that with this, I do find myself need a few extra spritzes of a hydrating toner throughout the day to give myself an extra boost, so I'd say if you have a really long day ahead you might want to try something like the Amorepacific fluid.
Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Betaine, Pentylene Glycol, Polymehtylsilsequioxane, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taureate Copolymer, Cyclohexasiloxane, Isohexadecane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Soduium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isohexadecane, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tromethamine, Polysorbate 80, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sorbitan Oleate, Disodium EDTA, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Cetraria Islandica Extract, Ferment Extract, Xanthan Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Alanine, Proline, Serine, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Hydroxide, sh-Oligopeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-1, sh-Oligopeptide-2, sh-Polypeptide-22, sh-Polypeptide-45, sh-Polypeptide-8, sh-Polypeptide-9.
*denotes gifted items, although all opinions are my own
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