Summer in Karachi is harsh, unforgiving and expected to be humid and hot, just like it is every year – if it ever leaves, that is. Expectation: strolling along a clean beach, with a straw hat, flip flops, beach waves. Reality: sweat, melted makeup, frizz causing humidity. Here are essentials you need to summer-proof yourself:
Sunscreen:
Thought it was obvious, did you? It’s a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the majority of the Pakistani population forgets it. The sun’s U.V. rays cause not only skin cancer but also age the skin which means introduction of fine lines, wrinkles and saggy skin. It doesn’t matter however many fancy facials you get – their results won’t show up, unless your skin is protected on the daily.Prevention is better than cure – sunscreen also prevents sunburns caused by Karachi’s blistering heat. Try to squeeze in a minimum of SPF 30. If your skin is sensitive, we suggest consulting a dermatologist and investing in a good one.
Body scrub:
The build-up of debris (you can thank the pollution and the hustle and bustle of Karachi) on your skin can cause clogged pores. When your skin revives itself, it regenerated new cells. The build-up of dead skin cells can get in the way of your complexion, leaving you with dull, acne-prone skin. Exfoliate all your dead skin cells to get that wonderful, youthful glow an CLEAN skin. You can DIY this or pick up one (or a couple – hard to resist with so many choices staring at you) from any good store.
Lip balm:
Lips tend to be the driest part of your body. Heat and sun exposure can cause a lot of irritation to your lips making them chapped, dry and painful. Avoid that by moisturising your lips an awful lot. Have a look at the ingredients and avoid using lip balms that contain “wax” or “petroleum jelly”. These will not give any added moisture to your lips but will create a barrier between your skin and the environment, hence, your lips don’t get moisturised like you think they are, they’re actually just the way you had them in the first place.
Liquid lipstick:
Lip gloss just doesn’t sound fun when you’re a ball of sweat. It’s sticky and messy and gloopy – yuck! Bullet lipsticks aren’t very summer friendly either. They hardly seem to dry, wear off very easily, transfer and smear off in every direction on your face apart from your lips. Liquid lipsticks are the more sensible option. You can easily spend a solid few hours without having to worry about your lipstick sticking on your teeth or doing a little dance around your lips. We recommend putting a layer of moisturiser before application because some formulae can be quite drying.
Blotting paper:
There is no makeup product that will suit everyone’s skin type. We all have different ones. Until you’ve had the immense good fortune of finding your holy-grail product(s) to keep the oil rigs on your face, at bay, we suggest throwing in a pack of blotting paper sheets. They’ll instantly brighten up your makeup without you over-using powder and looking like you just pulled your face out of a bucket of flour.
Stars Huda Beauty also swear by “jamsu” which is a Korean beauty hack to keep your makeup locked-in without activating the oil deposits. You dunk your face in ice-cold water and keep it there for a couple of seconds and voila, you have airbrushed, crease-proof makeup. Hmm…we’re a little skeptical but don’t knock it till you try it.
Jet Sport:
Not wildly related to the whole beauty thing, but Jet Sport is an ESSENTIAL and we HAD to include it. Summer without Jet Sport is no summer at all. Yes, we have fancier (and frankly, better tasting) ice lollies from it’s much more boujee counterparts like Lush Crush and Ice Pop & Co. but the fact that it’s so CHEAP just cools down any amount of sun being thrown down on us.
