Summertime - and the Skincare is Easy Breezy

One of the many joys of summer is looking in the mirror. Let's face it, we all look better with a little summer glow on our skin. Emphasis on "little." We're not talking lizard wannabe.

The simple fact is that summer skincare is so easy. Longer days mean that we're outdoors more, which means that we drink more water, hydrating the skin.

Days by the pool, biking through the park, running along the beach - it's all good for well-being, so long as you're protecting the skin.

Skin cancer isn't something to mess around with. One in five Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime. Next time you're in a group of five, look around at your four friends and think about that fact.

This summer, take care of your skin and nourish it with good food, good sex - and good product.

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Nickel: Love Handles

Of course you spent the entirety of winter working out so that you can bare your bod in a brand-new swimsuit. Of course you did. Right?

And now that summer's here, after all those hours at the gym, how is it that there's always one little area of the body that will not behave?

Need a little help attaining that perfect shape that you're seeing in your mind - but not in the mirror? Nickel Love Handles knows how to keep your secrets. The singular best seller in Nickel's entire body care line, Nickel Love Handles is a firming gel that targets the stomach and hips. Feeling a little hippy? Nickel Love Handles has you covered.

Dedicated to men's beauty care, the first Nickel Spa opened in 1996 in le Marais in Paris, France. With spas in New York and London, Nickel Skincare is distributed in more that 2,000 establishments around the world.

Introduced in 1999, Nickel Love Handles pioneered the use of slimming products for men. Designed to tone, firm, and shape the male body, Nickel Love Handles is formulated with a caffeine-theobromine complex, which is based on the discoveries of Nobel Prize winner, J.L. Goldstein. (Now how's that for a pedigree?) The caffeine extract stimulates microcirculation while eliminating toxins. Pineapple stems help to facilitate the breakdown of stored fat. According to studies, the result is a reduction of nearly an inch on each side of the waist.

But why stop at the waist, right? Rub Nickel Love Handles anywhere over your body that you feel needs an immediate boost. The refreshing texture goes on smooth and easy, soaking into your skin immediately and doing its best to keep everything in line.

This summer, say bye-bye to love handles - and teach him to grab onto something else.

PRICE: $42.00 / 5 fl. oz.
LINK: Nickel Love Handles

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Aveda: Stress-fix Soaking Salts, Body Lotion, and Concentrate

If you're lucky enough to score summer weekend invitations from friends with beach houses and country cottages, then you can't arrive empty-handed. Think about your host/ess and have empathy for their situation: a fabulous weekend house where everyone wants to be invited. Think about the stress: endless guests all summer long.

One of the most thoughtful host/ess gifts might be Aveda's new line of Stress-fix aromaology products, which are all about replacing tension with relaxation. Infused with essences of lavender, lavandin, and clary sage, Aveda Stress-fix Soaking Salts are formulated with sugar and mineral-rich salt and pure essential oils. The salts soften the bath water and since Aveda Stress-fix Soaking Salts are certified organic by Eco-Cert, you - or rather, your host - can soak happily, knowing that you're supporting sustainable agriculture.

And once you - or rather, your hosts - slip from the bath, slather yourself with the hydrating body lotion fragranced with French lavender, lavandin, and clary sage.

There's also the Aveda Stress-fix Concentrate portable rollerball applicator, which utilizes the same seductive formulation for a pocket-sized stress reliever. Just glide the rollerball over your host's pulse points and watch the tension from a summer of guests ease away.

Your host will be so relaxed, he'll invite you back for Labor Day.

PRICE: $90.00 / pre-wrapped gift set of 16 oz. soaking salts, 6.7 fl. oz. body lotion, and .24 fl. oz concentrate.
LINK: Aveda Stress-fix Gift Set

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Cane + Austin: Retexturizing Body Pads

Once summer rolls around, you need to shed your winter skin like a snake in the grass. Summer shares are a boon, but sometimes the nearest spa is too far from your perch on the beach. What you need is an in-house spa at your summer retreat.

Cane + Austin have you covered. If you're looking to banish rough and dry skin to the curb, Cane + Austin's Retexturizing Body Pads are a one-step, at-home exfoliating treatment. All you do is wipe one of the pads over your legs and arms - and anywhere else you want your skin to shimmer and shine. (We leave that part up to you...)

Each pad is formulated with 10% glycolic acid, derived from sugar cane, which works as both exfoliant and moisturizer. Founder Dr. Craig Austin developed the Cane + Austin line based on the efficacy of sugar cane (hence the name) in treating skin damage.

Fortified with pharmaceutical-grade glycolic acid, each pad also contains anti-oxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E, and COQ10, all delivered to your pores to increase collagen production and to protect against free radical damage. Cane + Austin's Retexturizing Body Pads help to reduce fine lines while improving your skin's tone and texture.

In other words, swipe yourself down with Cane + Austin before packing yourself into a bikini. Lose that winter pallor and look luminous all summer long.

PRICE: $70.00 / 60 pads, 30-day supply
LINK: Cane + Austin Retexturizing Body Pads

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Definitions Skincare: Deep Cleansing Scrub Refiner

When we exfoliate, we like to feel it. We like to know those exfoliating beads are sloughing off that dead skin like a Zamboni on an ice rink. We like it a bit rough - but not so much that our skin looks ravaged so much as ravishing.

Which is one reason why we were thrilled as soon as we ripped into Deep Cleansing Scrub Refiner by Definitions Skincare. This deep cleansing gel is formulated with soy rice bran microbeads that skate over your face, polishing your skin and leaving it as smooth as the skating rink at Rockefeller Center. The microbeads transform into a foamy lather that is also suitable for shaving, while the rest of your face enjoys a deep exfoliation.

Apart from the soy rice bran microbeads, Deep Cleansing Scrub Refiner is formulated with green tea extract, vanilla oil, orange peel, lemon peel, lavender, jasmine, and eucalyptus, which makes this cleansing gel a veritable cornucopia of summer's bounty.

With Deep Cleansing Scrub Refiner, your face feels cool - and soft to the touch. So soft that you might not be able to keep your fingers from trailing over your face suggestively. Narcissus, know thyself.

PRICE: $39.00 /
LINK: Definitions Skincare Deep Cleansing Scrub Refiner

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Kate Somerville: Daily Deflector Moisturizer

The thing that's great about summer is also the biggest threat to your skin. Yes, we're talking sun. You crave that blissful, mindless sensation of lying naked and exposed to Helios - and yet your skin is screaming for mercy. What you need is a moisturizer that allows you a summer glow without turning you into a lizard.

Kate Somerville's Daily Deflector Moisturizer does triple duty with a formula that provides hydration, UV protection, and anti-aging benefits. An ingenious delivery system keeps the sunscreen in a reservoir atop the skin, while the anti-aging ingredients penetrate below the surface.

Formulated with shitake mushrooms, which help in skin tightening, Daily Deflector reduces the depth of fine lines and wrinkles, particularly on the forehead and around the eyes. Lightly scented with a sweetness that evokes the best of summer days at the beach, Daily Deflector protects you from the sun's aggression, while enabling you to soak up its benefit.

Let Daily Deflector deliver sun protection while you search for your summer crush.

PRICE: $48.00 / 1.7 fl. oz.
LINK: Kate Somerville Daily Deflector Moisturizer

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R. Cooper: Eye Rejuvenator

Long summer nights equal late nights, which equal even later mornings.

Yes, it's summer - but you still have to get to the office, somehow. And yes, we know it's not pretty and especially when you're wearing that long summer night on your face.

The eyes have it; they tell your summer story. So if you have even an ounce of dignity after your debauchery, you'll want your eyes to look just as fresh and innocent as you felt after that first kiss.

That's where R. Cooper's Eye Rejuvenator comes in. This potent eye cr�me is specifically formulated for men (and naughty boys). Formulated with peptides to protect against free radical damage, Eye Rejuvenator moisturizes that sensitive skin around your eyes.

Founded in 2010, R. Cooper was started by a professional matchmaker whose first grooming product was a bespoke cologne for his Valentine. (Someone knows how to get what he wants.) Named for the founder's dogs, Riley and Cooper, R. Cooper skincare products are vegan and fragrance-free. Headquartered in San Diego, R. Cooper can be found online, or at select retailers and spas.

This summer, say bye-bye to tired eyes and hello to the man of your dreams.

PRICE: $53.95 / .5 fl. oz.
LINK: R. Cooper Eye Rejuvenator

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Vermont Soap: Organic Tea Tree Mint Foaming Hand Soap

Summertime - and the boys come and go through the portals of your summer share. And so do germs. Long summer days mean more time outside - and sometimes you just don't know where his hands have been or what you've been touching.

With the onslaught of news about contagious super-bugs, washing one's hands takes on a new kind of urgency. Vermont Soap, one of the nation's first USDA organic manufacturing facilities, recently expanded its line of hand soaps with the launch of Tea Tree Mint Foaming Hand Soap.

Combining the strength of tea tree oil with the fresh scent of organic peppermint oil, the new Tea Tree Mint Foaming Hand Soap is effective against germs, without damaging your skin. Formulated with organic coconut, olive, and jojoba oils, as well as an essential oil blend of lavender, aloe vera, and rosemary, Tea Tree Mint Foaming Hand Soap smells like a summer day by the shore.

Founded in 1992 by a man who had severe allergies to synthetic ingredients, Vermont Soap offered an alternative to the petrochemical-based detergents that were prevalent at the time - and is now the largest manufacturer of handmade organic bar soap in North America.

Completely free of artificial colors, fragrances, preservatives, and animal by-products, Tea Tree Mint Foaming Hand soap contains only pure essential oils and is sold in a reusable foamer container.

A pioneer in organics, the Middlebury, Vermont company also operates an Antique Soap Museum, complete with factory tours and demonstrations.

This summer, wash his hands and feet - and see where that leads.

PRICE: $7.78 / 7 oz.
LINK: Vermont Soap Organic Tea Tree Mint Foaming Hand Soap

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