How to Achieve Luminous Skin for Spring and Summer

Thank you to Palmer’s® Coconut Oil Formula for sponsoring today's post!
The weather has been absolutely incredible for the past week and I'm so excited for the warmer months! I talk a LOT about skincare with you guys because taking care of your skin is so important to me and something I always focus on so much. I try endless amounts of products and try to always have a great skincare routine for any type of weather, during any season and to be able to remedy any skin problems that come my way. And let's be honest, it isn't always easy! For the past week I've been participating in the Palmer's 7 Days to a More Luminous You challenge. It's no secret that I love coconut oil and all of the amazing things you can do with it so I was extremely excited to see what the Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula products could do for my skin!    This challenge isn't only good for your skin, it's great all around in terms of health benefits. I've seen a huge difference in my skins appearance and I had no doubt that I would! It's no surprise that it's one of the many ways to have gorgeous, glowing skin for the spring and summer months.

The Palmer's Coconut Oil Formula products work best when used together and the best part is that they're so affordable. They cost less than most skincare products that you'd try when hoping for similar results, but these products are completely free of parabens, mineral oil, sulfates, GMOs and chemicals; and they're also dermatologist tested and hypoallergenic. They're soothing and calming to your skin and you'd never guess that they're so affordable!

Some of my favorites from the line include:
Coconut Oil Facial Scrub: this scrub is incredible - it works to exfoliate your skin using raw coconut sugar and I swear, my skin has never felt as smooth and refreshed as it does after I exfoliate with this scrub. A lot of exfoliants can be drying, and warn to only apply to small areas/not to use it more than 1-2 times a week but the beauty of coconut oil is that it's SO hydrating. You could use this scrub as much as you want/need and not have to worry about losing moisture. These warm months when we're out in the sun (most especially!) you need even more added moisture than normal and the coconut water helps keep balance in your skins hydration levels.

Hydrating Facial Mask: it's no secret that I have a serious face mask obsession - and the only con about this facial mask is that I didn't start using it sooner! This mask is meant to replenish and restore your skins natural glow by conditioning your skin using coconut oil. I swear that coconut oil is magic, because this stuff seriously works. If you follow me on Instagram, you likely saw that I took a weekend trip down south last weekend. I brought this mask with me and thank God I did - it worked wonders on my sunburned (oops!) skin. I was soaking up as much sun as possible (I wore sunscreen!) since I was at the beach for a short time and my skin really needed all of the hydration possible during that short time. I've been using this mask daily since my trip and I didn't even peel from the sunburn on my forehead AT. ALL. I still can't believe it!

Cleansing Balm: since these products work best when used together (as any line of products does), this cleanser has been on repeat for me! It's creamy but doesn't leave your face oily and a little bit goes such a long way. So at the already super affordable $7.95, it'll last a LONG time! It's great for removing leftover makeup and I mean really can we talk about the amazing, coconut scent?! I'm in love, for real.

Luminous Hydration Facial Oil: if you have problematic skin, are recovering from harsh winter temperatures or really just need a great way to repair your skin and bring back your natural glow, this face oil will do that for you. I've always used coconut oil as a way to hydrate my skin but this Palmer's oil is curated with 9 of the most pure and precious oils to really hydrate your skin. I naturally have a bit of redness in my cheeks and this face oil always helps reduce that redness when I need it the most. There's nothing better than a dewy, glowing look to your skin and this really does just that! It's also amazing because it doesn't make your face oily at all - in fact it helps contain your skins natural oils to prevent your face from looking shiny.

Facial Moisturizer: you know that amazing first bite of your favorite dessert or food? That's what this moisturizer feels like for your skin. And yes, I just compared food to my skincare products, HA! #foodieforlife ;) During my 7 day challenge I used this both in the morning and at night and I really can't believe that it's made such a great difference in a matter of a week. I really, REALLY can't believe how amazing it smells!

Here's my before and after - I took these in the same lighting at the same time of day (and even in the same colored shirt for lighting purposes!) to get a good look at what a short 7 days can make using these products:

As you can tell, a lot of the redness in my cheeks went away and my skin looks smoother and feels it too! I'm also a lot tanner after my weekend getaway last weekend, but even after a few days straight in the sun my skin is still glowing from using these products.

This progress tracker came in my Palmer's Coconut Oil product kit and it made a huge difference in how I tracked my progress during my 7 day challenge. It has a spot to track healthy foods consumed on each day of the challenge, physical activity on each day and gives a suggested skincare regimen for both morning and night for all 7 days. After using this tracker, I've started marking things like this down in my planner and it may be the first week in doing so but it makes a difference, 1000%. If you're a planner person, I highly suggest writing down the positive things you do for you and your body each day. It creates a sense of accountability and helps to see what works and what doesn't after trying different things. After realizing what a positive change has made for my skin, I'm working to do the same for my body and overall mindset too.
I recently started running more and I love it. Since I started this new change in my skincare habits, I started running every day too - I went from every few days to every day and mentally, the difference is almost as huge as it's been physically! Writing things down, tracking things and making lists never fails - and this 7 day challenge has made me realize that in so many ways.

Skincare is always going to be one of - if not THE - most important way to achieve luminous and glowing skin. But products work even better if you're putting in extra work too; here's a few tips to maintain that natural glow:
1. Drink more water. I have always loved water and luckily drink a LOT of it. In fact, I hate soda and water is all I'll drink on a regular basis. The more water you drink, the better your skin will appear and of course, the healthier you'll be too. I can't stress this one enough although it may be blatantly obvious!

2. Increase your Vitamin C intake. This one is huge too - making sure you get your daily value of Vitamin C helps your skin immensely. There's lots of foods that have great sources of Vitamin C in them, but taking the actual vitamin works too. I've been working on adding more Vitamin C enriched foods to my meals to help boost my skins glow along with using my Palmer's products lately and I really never realized just how many foods have Vitamin C - mind, blown!

3. Use cooler water in the shower. It may sound sort of miserable, but you don't need a freezing cold shower. Hot water is actually really bad for your skin - it takes your skins natural oils away and is said to open your pores up. I always take a normal temperature shower but for the last 2-3 minutes of my shower, I turn the water so it's a bit cooler. Colder water closes your pores and is one of the healthiest, simplest things you can do for your skin. The good news is now that the weather is warming up, it isn't so hard (in fact it feels SO good!) to take cooler showers.

If you haven't tried coconut oil or the Palmer's Coconut Oil products yet, I highly recommend them! Try them and the 7 day challenge out - I promise you'll love it! I didn't know I could love coconut oil any more than I already did, but now that I have these great skincare products I know that my skin will glow all spring and summer long - #winning ;)
XOXO -A
I participated in this sponsored campaign for Palmer’s® Coconut Oil Formula on behalf of One2One Network. All opinions stated are, as always, my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me!