swapped one thing and my skin stopped freaking out

Honestly I resisted changing my skincare routine for ages. Like, if it's working why touch it. But every summer I'd hit the same wall — skin looking dull, a bit congested, occasional breakouts that I'd then wrongly blame on food. Classic. The main thing I changed was the order I apply stuff in the morning. In winter I layer quite heavily — a richer moisturiser, face oil on top, done. In summer that same routine basically suffocated my skin. Switched to a lightweight gel moisturiser first, SPF after, and dropped the oil completely until evening. Sounds obvious in hindsight but I genuinely thought more layers = more nourishment. It doesn't, it just traps more heat. The other thing — and this is where my nutritionist brain kicks in slightly — is I added collagen into my morning smoothie more consistently through summer rather than on-and-off. There's reasonable evidence around collagen peptides and skin hydration, particularly in warmer months when TEWL (that's transepidermal water loss, basically your skin drying out without you realising) tends to be higher. Nothing dramatic, mind you. I'm not saying it transformed anything. But my skin feels less tight by mid-afternoon and that used to be a real thing for me around July. I also just... drink more. Not thrillingly, I know. But I track it properly now because in summer I genuinely forget and then wonder why I look exhausted by 3pm. Summer skincare doesn't have to be a big overhaul. For me it was just — lighten up, be consistent, and stop fighting the weather.