Jadriena Solomon: Besides being confident in our bodies during the warmer spring and summer months, it’s also important to be equally as confident in our skin and develop great skincare practices. First off, how do you transition your facial skin care products between winter to spring? Are you a dry skin type or oily? Let’s start there.
Vanessa Simmons: I have combination skin, so I have a little bit of both dry and oily areas around my face. But as we move into the warmer months, I think we can all agree we like it to be less fuss, and have less makeup on, and just feel more free. So how I transition my skincare is I actually up the steps that I need to take during the summertime because I really want to have that natural type of glow.
I’ll do more skincare masks at night or make sure that I’m double cleansing or doing a facial steamer in between. I’ll also up the SPF that I’m using. That’s really important as the sun gets stronger — making sure that we have on enough SPF, even if we have to travel around with a little spray that does it because now they have even primers and setting sprays that we can use that have SPF in it.
So make sure you’re getting SPF, drinking lots of water, and staying hydrated. For that, I also have this Aloe Rose Refreshing Mist from Buttah that adds more moisture to your face during the day. This is amazing to walk around with in the summer.
Jadriena Solomon: Buttah Skin is also an amazing product line that you stand behind for keeping your skin, both on your face and body, flawless. First and foremost, can you share why Buttah is such a great line for people of color? What are your favorite products to reach for and why?
Vanessa Simmons: Buttah Skin was specifically formulated for us — for skin with melanin in it. I think for years, we all knew that there weren’t many things on the shelves that were made specifically for us, and Buttah really tackles that, and their products are actually really good.
I swear by the Vitamin C drops, the Oil-Free Hyaluronic Gel Cream, and the CocoShea Cream for your face. It has a little bit of a lighter texture — speaking about going into like, you know, the hotter months, like getting a lighter moisturizer for your face and that works really well. And like the glow I see from this is unreal. My makeup artist can tell right away if I haven’t been using it. So it’s incredible. I swear by it and I’m not just saying it because Dorian’s a friend and he’s been a friend for years, but he’s created something that’s just for us. It’s for all skin care types, it’s magical for our face and I love it.