Summer is my favorite season for a variety of reasons—the weather is wonderful, my family’s schedule is full of activities we love, and the pace of life has become slower and more relaxed. My kids are already filling up their calendars with baseball, swimming, overnight camps, street hockey, and late nights with friends. It feels even sweeter this year because things finally seem back to normal. Needless to say, we’re jumping in full force and catching up for lost time.

That being said, with this unique mix of relaxed-yet-busy summer schedule, I find myself leaning into “less is more.” There’s a lot of buzz around what’s coming around the corner in terms of summer 2022 beauty trends—and you better believe I have an opinion about it. Keep scrolling for what’s in and what’s out this season.

What’s In: No Makeup

I recently stumbled across the “no-makeup makeup” trend, which of course made me laugh. Either you’re wearing makeup or you’re not wearing makeup. Full stop. Applying makeup so it looks like you’re not wearing makeup feels like a waste of time. My solution? Choose a tinted sunscreen—not only will it even out your skin tone using sheer coverage, it’ll give your skin the SPF it needs every day. My top pick for this right now is Tower 28 Beauty Sunny Days SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen.

What’s Out: Over-Exfoliating

There are many times of the year where exfoliation may be necessary—but summer is not one of them. For instance, take our Multitasker Night Serum: Using a fruit acid complex, it mildly exfoliates in the gentlest way possible—but even this can increase sun sensitivity. I tend to use it nightly in the fall, winter and spring, but in the summer, I scale back 2-3 times a week. If you’re using a more potent exfoliator like glycolic or lactic acid, try using it just once a week (or maybe every other week), and avoid using it on days of high sun exposure, like vacation or a long day at the pool.

What’s In: Bring on Hydration

Instead of reaching for your go-to exfoliator, turn to an antioxidant-rich serum to plump and hydrate your parched summer skin. The cherry on top? Antioxidants boost the effectiveness of your daily SPF, which is obviously a win-win. Check out our Go-Getter Day Serum for a daily dose of hydrating hyaluronic acid—not to mention, a solid combo of glyceryl ascorbate, stabilized vitamin C, as well as plant-based antioxidants like cucumber, watermelon, ginseng, avocado and Kakadu plum.

What’s In: Bold Lip Color

Summer is all about fun—so, if I opt to do anything frivolous with beauty, it’s going to be experimenting with colors. Lips are a great place to start if you want to take it up a notch without putting in too much effort (read: our “no-makeup makeup” rant above). This summer, try a bolder shade of lip color for evenings and add a little fun to your day with a fruity, refreshing lip balm. How cute are these Farmhouse Fresh lip balms? I’m thinking of trying either Orange Mood Fruit or Strawberry Mood Fruit!

What’s Out: Cleansing Frequently

Teenagers rejoice! Instead of cleansing more frequently, opt to cleanse more efficiently. Because of summer’s intense heat, your skin and hair become more dehydrated and brittle. Over-cleansing will only make this worse. In fact, you actually don’t need to shower or wash your hair every day in the summer. My advice: Only cleanse your face at night to remove dirt, sweat and sunscreen. If you struggle with body breakouts, try Cetaphil’s Acne Relief Body Wash—but only use it on areas where you breakout, like your chest and back. The goal is to avoid drying out the areas of your skin where you don’t breakout. 

What’s In: Less Pressure

If I’ve learned anything over these last two years—especially when it comes to beauty—it’s to do what makes you feel good. What’s in: No judgment, less pressure. If getting regular Botox works for you, do it. If makeup makes you cringe, don’t wear it. Quarterly facials might be great for one person while DIY face masks work for someone else.

The bottom line? If you do anything that makes you look and feel your best, do it for yourself, with no pressure of perfection. Because summer should be messy and wonderful—spend this time feeling more grateful and less guilty.