As the seasons shift, so does your skin's story

Jordan here.

Summer is my favorite time of year. There’s just something about the slower mornings with no school rush and lingering evenings outside with popsicles and pool hair.

But as much as I love this season, summer doesn’t always love our skin back. Between sunscreen reapplication (hopefully!), sweat, travel, and just more time in the sun, our skin can start showing signs of stress: dullness, uneven tone, breakouts, dehydration, and even lingering pigment changes. 

Look at it this way: summer is the season to prevent and protect, but fall and winter is when we correct and repair. 

That’s exactly why I created the Post-Summer Reset Kit, to get your skin back on track with a simple, effective lineup. Let’s break down which products made the cut and what each one does for reviving your skin.

[You’ll even layer them in this exact order. Find everything you need to know about layering here.]

Step 1: Toning Pads I or II

Exfoliation = reset mode activated.

During summer, sunscreen, sweat, and environmental buildup can clog pores and dull your skin. Our Toning Pads are clinically balanced exfoliating pads that sweep away dead skin cells, unclog pores, and prep your skin to better absorb the rest of your routine.

• Toning Pads are the gentler option, perfect if you’re new to chemical exfoliation or your skin is a little more sensitive.
  
  
• Toning Pads II have a higher percentage of glycolic acid and are ideal if your skin can tolerate TP well or if you have extremely oily or breakout-prone skin, we suggest starting here.
  
  

Hero ingredients: glycolic acid + salicylic acid (to smooth texture and keep pores clear) and lactic acid (to calm and soothe)

Step 2: Liquid Gold (Vitamin C Serum)

Antioxidant armor + radiance booster.

Sun exposure, travel in cars or airplanes, outdoor smog and pollution = free radicals, and free radicals = accelerated aging. Vitamin C is one of the most important steps to fight that process. Our Liquid Gold is formulated with a potent, stabilized vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) that:

• boosts collagen production (this is the reason I love to use it AM + PM)
• increases SPF efficacy
• brightens the skin (think glow/radiance, it does not hinder melanin)
• Neutralizes free radical damage

Hero ingredients: 15% vitamin C (a stabilizer that also boosts efficacy), vitamin E (another antioxidant buddy) + coconut-based esters (for smooth applications and hydration)

Step 3: Brightening Serum

Because summer sun and pigmentation (annoyingly) go hand in hand.

If you noticed new freckles or patches of discoloration pop up this summer, you’re not alone. Our Brightening Serum is formulated with the most effective trio of natural skin lighteners to target dark spots, melanin pathways, and uneven skin tone without the irritation of hydroquinone. It works gently but effectively to restore a more even, radiant complexion with reduced discoloration. 

Remember, this is a booster treatment that works best when used in conjunction with Liquid Gold (and preferably the Core 4) instead of just on its own.

We also discussed the difference between melasma and sun spots:

• Melasma = patchiness caused by heat and hormones
• Sun spots = pigmented skin cells that happen all over from UVA exposure, and often the ones surfacing now are from sun damage that happened years ago.

Hero ingredients: Arbutin, kojic acid, and bearberry extract.

Step 4: Overachiever

Overachiever is your calming, soothing, and strengthening serum.

After months of heat and UV exposure, skin often feels inflamed, stressed, or just “off.” Overachiever is loaded with peptides, caffeine, and antioxidants to support collagen production, calm redness, and restore barrier strength, helping you tolerate all your other active ingredient products even better! It’s your retinoid alternative when you’re pregnant, and your retinoid booster when you’re not. 

Important to know…people often think they have sensitive skin when they’re actually having sensitized reactions caused by an impaired skin barrier. The extreme conditions in peak summer and peak winter often create this problem. But serums like Overachiever, used in a solid foundational routine like the Core 4, help reduce how reactive your skin gets!

Hero ingredients: bakuchiol, resveratrol, and green tea polyphenols.

Why a Reset Matters After Summer

Think of summer like “extra credit” your skin didn’t ask for—UV rays, heat, and sweat all add up to more inflammation and more stress. Even if you wore your SPF religiously (and I hope you did!), your skin still deserves a reset:

• Exfoliate away buildup and texture
  
• Replenish antioxidants depleted by UV exposure
  
• Restore collagen + barrier health stressed by heat and sweat
  
• Minimize the appearance of dark spots coming to the surface  
  

After you reset your skin for 8-12 with consistent use of a foundational routine, this is when I suggest booking your in-office treatments (microneedling, hydrofacial, lasers, etc.) You will get the best results out of the treatments when your skin is settled and refreshed, not holding on for dear life in the summer months.

As you start your post-summer reset, keep in mind that after a workout, being sore is a good thing, and it’s the same in skincare. You’ll likely notice tingling and purging and anticipated reactions in the first few uses to a few weeks. But don’t stop. This is how you know it’s working and changes are happening!