summer skin is a whole different beast tbh

Right so every year I convince myself summer will be easier on my skin. Lighter clothes, more water, less central heating drying everything out. And every year I'm wrong. The heat genuinely does something weird to mine. I get this sort of low-level irritation around my jaw and neck that doesn't really show but just feels uncomfortable all day. Tight but also somehow greasy at the same time? I don't fully understand it. What I've figured out over a few summers is that piling on more product is never the answer — if anything I strip it right back when it gets warm. The only real switches I make: SPF every single day (I'm bad at this in winter, honestly), and swapping my heavier moisturiser for something way thinner. I use a fragrance-free gel one I found a while back and it just sits better in humidity. The other thing that's helped — and I know this sounds dead boring — is just keeping a thermal water spray in my bag. On a sweaty commute or after being outside, it genuinely calms things down. Doesn't fix everything but it does the job. I also try to keep collagen in my routine through summer because I noticed last year when I dropped it for a few weeks my skin just looked more tired. Could be placebo, could be that I'm also drinking more matcha so there's the anti-inflammatory thing going on too — genuinely can't tell which bit is doing what. Probably both? Neither? I have no idea. But my skin felt better so I kept both. Mind you, what works for me is very specific to my skin. Sensitive eczema-prone skin in Bristol humidity is not the same as anyone else's situation, so take all of this with a massive pinch of salt.