Francesco Clark
Francesco Clark and model Karolina Kurkova © Kristen Somody Whalen
Tuesday night I went to a party hosted by Harper’s Bazaar for the book launch for our friend and former Bazaar colleague, Francesco Clark.
Clark, the man behind Clark’s Botanicals, was paralyzed from the waist down after a swimming pool accident in 2002. (I remember the Monday after it happened at Bazaar; it was awful.) Needless to say, Francesco is a smart and wickedly humorous go-getter and being paralyzed hasn’t slowed him down. After his accident, he could no longer sweat and started to break out. Being Francesco, he created a skin care line to deal with it. His book, Walking Papers, was just released and he is also the spokesperson for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
Bazaar‘s article (in the new June issue) is about Francesco’s story–truly inspiring.
I thought I would focus on something a bit more shallow, but still very pressing: summer skin care tips. He has willingly obliged. Enjoy!
FRANCESCO’S SUMMER SKIN CARE TIPS:
The summer months can wreak havoc on your skin for so many reasons. The sun dries and irritates the skin, and coupled with humidity, sweat, and applying and reapplying sunscreen you can feel like a sticky mess by the end of the day. Here are some tips to keep you looking and feeling in tip-top chic.
1. Don’t over-exfoliate! Many people self-tan, which is great, and they’ve learned to exfoliate before applying self-tanner to keep an even glow. That’s fine, as long as you don’t overdue the scrubbing. Even though you’re applying SPF during the day, your skin still becomes more sensitive to the sun, and the last thing you want are lobster legs!
2. Add milk to your bath water. It softens the skin and nourishes it as you soak and relax. It’s also very good for calming irritated skin and moisturizing it the day before a big event. Finally, moisturize your whole body. Many people use our Deep Moisture Mask all over for an all-around glow.
3. Trick your body. Add some electrolytes to your water in the summer months for added energy and more of a glow for your skin. I like Emergen-C Berry flavored packets because it tastes great with ice water and nourishes your body back from perspiration. Vitamin C is a great antioxidant and combats signs of aging!
4. Multitask with products. Don’t wait until the end of the day to reapply moisturizer. Most people that use our Ultra Rich Lip Balm also use it around the eyes because the algae microspheres hydrate instantly, and plump up wrinkles, even when you’re on the beach.
5. When all else fails, cover and layer. Hats, light, breezy pants, comfortable long sleeve shirts will keep your skin free of age-spots from the sun and the fine lines from the inherent dryness that ensues. You can take it off if it’s too hot, but have SPF on hand.
