I’m not proud to admit it, but my beige flag is that I don’t eat much vegetables. As a kid, I ate vegetables like they were going out of style, but now as a 25-year-old woman, I find myself having to sneak them into my meals to make sure I’m getting a proper amount of much-needed nutrients. One of the ways I do this is by having a couple of go-to salads in my arsenal that feel more like a fun dish than just a daily dose of greens. Enter Cameron Diaz’s Summer Crunch Salad.
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When I first heard about Cameron Diaz’s summer crunch salad in collaboration with Goop Kitchen, it didn’t even seem like the dish you think about when you hear the word “salad” (read: mango and cashews). This salad is available for delivery through Goop Kitchen, but for those of us who don’t live within their delivery radius (LA), read on for everything you’ll need to recreate this fresh summer salad at home.
The Ingredients and Recipe
Avaline’s blog spilled the full list of ingredients and steps needed to make the base of the salad, the toppings, and the vinaigrette dressing.
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Salad ingredients
4 cups salad greens (romaine or gem lettuce is recommended)
1 cup snow peas thinly sliced.
1 cup carrots thinly sliced
½ cup cucumbers cut into ¼ inch half-moon slices
½ mango peeled and thinly sliced
½ avocado thinly sliced
1 cup mixed fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, and basil are recommended)
Start with a base of your lettuce of choice, then add in your vegetables and fruits (yes, avocado is technically a fruit). Top everything off with cashews and puffed rice, and garnish with herbs and fresh-squeezed lime.
Vinaigrette ingredients
¼ cup cashews toasted
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon Sriracha or hot sauce
1 lime juiced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon freshly-grated ginger
1 tablespoon miso paste
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 clove freshly-grated or finely-minced garlic
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
½ cup sunflower oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Vinaigrette recipe
To make the dressing, add all ingredients to a blender, except for the sunflower oil and toasted sesame oil, and blend on high until everything is smooth. Keep the blender running while slowly adding in the oils and mix until combined.
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My Final Verdict
I was pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive the ingredients were. After dropping almost $50 to make the Bella Hadid smoothie at home, I expected the price tag of the ingredients for a Goop salad to be about the same. However, I only ended up spending about $37 for everything (except for the puffed rice because my grocery store was out of it). Full disclosure: I didn’t go the extra mile and make the vinaigrette. Instead, I took a page out of Ina Garten’s book and decided “store-bought is fine,” as she’d say. I did use a very light and fresh vinaigrette to stick with the overall vibe of this dish, though, and it paired perfectly.
Unfortunately, that’s where the ease of making this salad ended. Sure, making a salad typically just involves chopping, but this salad requires some ingredients to be julienned (chopped very finely), which is a lot easier said than done. Luckily, I bought pre-cut carrots, but I found it difficult and time-consuming to julienne the snow peas, mango, and avocado. But to be fair, I don’t cook much, so this may be a normal amount of prep for a meal.
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After assembling everything, the final product was a salad full of texture and bright flavors, just like the recipe promises. The bright colors and fresh ingredients make this the ideal summer salad, but the only con is that it does not have much protein. I’m all for a Meatless Monday meal, but I was pretty hungry when I made this salad for dinner, so I ended up needing to add grilled chicken to feel fully satisfied. So just a pro tip: add a protein source like salmon, chicken, or tofu for a satiating meal.
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But there were a lot of things I loved about the dish. I enjoyed using unexpected ingredients that I don’t often consume, like snow peas and mango, in a salad. I also liked that this was a lighter salad, ideal for a hot summer day compared to other salads I eat that contain heavier ingredients like cheese or hard-boiled eggs. My favorite part? The salad paired perfectly with a crisp glass of Sauvignon Blanc, just like Diaz promised.
You have the right to say no (or yes) to others without feeling guilty.
There are many reasons why we say yes when we want to say no. We might be worried about rejection or what others will think of us. If we are conflict avoidant, it might feel easier to “go along to get along,” but in the long run, denying your truth is a one-way ticket to bitter town.
You have the right to make mistakes, to course correct, or change your mind.
Many of us feel once we make a decision, whether it’s in a relationship, our careers, or something as simple as saying yes to walking our neighbor’s dog on our lunch break, we’ve got to stick with it forever. You have the right to change your mind. Every choice doesn’t have to be a life sentence.
You have the right to negotiate for your preferences, desires, and needs.
You are the only one who knows what your unique preferences, desires, and needs are, and you are the only one who can negotiate for them. When we don’t share what we want and need, the people in our lives don’t know who we are. Many of us were taught to be “easy-going” and not to be “difficult.” The truth is, sharing a preference isn’t difficult. It allows people to truly know us.
You have the right to express and honor all of your feelings if you so choose.
Being fully expressed is part of being a Boundary Boss, but it also means you get to choose what you share, when you share, and with whom. You are not obligated to share or confess all of your feelings to everyone. You have the right to be discerning.
You have the right to voice your opinion, even if others disagree.
If you’re a peacekeeper or a people-pleaser, it can be difficult for you to share your opinion if others disagree. Again, discernment comes in here. Just because you have the right to, that doesn’t mean you have to share all of your opinions with someone aggressive or abusive. You have the right to talk true when it’s right for you.
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You have the right to be treated with respect, consideration, and care.
The way others treat you all starts with your relationship with yourself. You set the bar! When you hold yourself in high regard and prioritize yourself, others will follow your lead. If you’re overworking, over-functioning, and overgiving, chances are you will attract people who will expect you to keep doing that. Begin treating yourself with the respect, consideration, and care you deserve, and set that bar HIGH, baby.
You have the right to determine who has the privilege of being in your life.
Imagine your life as a VIP section, and you are the only person on the guest list. You get to decide who gets the privilege of your company, your time, and your energy. If you don’t learn how to be the bouncer in your VIP section, you might find yourself endlessly twisting yourself into a pretzel and inconveniencing yourself for anyone who wanders past the velvet rope and plops themself down. Not everyone deserves a 24-hour backstage pass to your amazing life. YOU get to make a choice.
You have the right to communicate your boundaries, limits, and deal-breakers.
Again, only you know what’s right for you concerning these things. What is and what isn’t ok with you? What are your non-negotiables? Getting clear about your limits and needs is the first step to asserting yourself and healthily communicating your boundaries. And it is doable.
You have the right to prioritize your self-care without feeling selfish.
There are many myths and limiting beliefs around self-care. Many of us have been taught we should prioritize everyone else and put ourselves last. But when our self-care isn’t solid, we can end up feeling depleted, exhausted, angry, and resentful. The reality is, taking impeccable care of ourselves is the foundation for success in our relationships, our careers, and our entire lives. When we prioritize our self-care, we are at our best and give from a place of love and abundance rather than one of lack.
You have the right to talk true, be seen, and live free.
What I teach inside Boundary Boss is a process for lasting transformation. When you learn this life-changing skill set, speaking up with ease and grace, asserting your truth, and expressing your feelings and preferences become your new normal.
Some days may call for a bright, statement-making lip orgraphic eyeliner, but on other days, we’re all about letting our skin take center stage. No matter the condition your skin is in, there are ways to even out your skin tone with makeup and get a soft, satin skin finish. Below, we reached out to celebrity makeup artist Dean Fournier, who’s ready to divulge his best tips for achieving flawless, even skin. The best part? You can master the steps in less than 10 minutes.
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What Is Uneven Skin Tone?
Anuneven skin tone is characterized by varying colors and pigmentation on the skin. Everyone has some degree of unevenness on the skin — after all, nobody’s skin is just one single color all over. An uneven skin tone can show up in the form of redness, hyperpigmentation, discoloration, and even an uneven sunburn or suntan. An uneven skin tone is different from an uneven skin texture, which typically comes from breakouts, bumps, enlarged pores, fine lines, and wrinkles.
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What Causes an Uneven Skin Tone?
As mentioned before, an uneven skin tone can come about due to discoloration, redness, sunburns, and/or hyperpigmentation. These can be influenced by a variety of factors, including but not limited to genetics, excess sun exposure, and fluctuations in hormones. If you’re concerned about having an uneven skin tone, we always recommend checking with a board-certified dermatologist to help determine the root cause and figure out a treatment plan. Protecting your skin from the sun by wearing a broad-spectrum SPF every day (which we recommend everyone doing anyways) and practicing sun-safe measures such as wearing protective accessories can help minimize and prevent an uneven-looking skin tone.
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How to Even Out Your Skin Tone
Step 1: Start With Primer
“In order to speed up your complexion perfection, don’t skip primer,” says Fournier. “A good primer will help smooth out your skin and allow makeup to glide on and blend easier and faster, not to mention last all day.” To even out your skin tone, Fournier recommends opting for a color-correcting primer, which can target specific concerns of discoloration. If minimizing the look of redness is your top priority, look for a primer with a green tint to it, such as the L’Oréal Paris Prime Lab Up to 24H Redness Eraser. If you have a tan to deep skin tone and you struggle with dark spots and hyperpigmentation, look for a primer with an orange or peachy tint — we like the L’Oréal Paris Prime Lab Up to 24H Dullness Reducer.
Looking to cover blemishes? “A quick dusting of a powder is an important last step to help even out skin texture around any bumps,” says Fournier. Lightly dust on the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Finishing Powder as a final touch to help you get an airbrushed finish.
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The Best Products to Even Out Your Skin Tone
Looking for more recommendations to help even out your skin tone? Check out our picks below.
A little goes a long way with this buildable medium-coverage foundation. It instantly blurs the look of discoloration, texture and pores, leaving your skin with an even tone and filtered finish. The formula includes good-for-your-skin ingredients like glycerin, matcha and niacinamide for an ultra-smooth and moisturized look. This pick is very matte, so it’s recommended for keeping shine in check on oily and combination skin types.
It can be hard to find a concealer that offers full coverage in a lightweight, natural-feeling finish, but this one manages to check all of those boxes. It provides a flexible, soft matte finish that won’t cake or crease all day, long-lasting hydration and is non-comedogenic.
This semi-matte foundation looks and feels like your skin but better, with a breathable, buildable finish, 24-hour wear and 40 shades with a wide array of undertones. Our editors love how lightweight and long-lasting the formula is, even on high-humidity summer days.
Whether you use this powder as a foundation all over or pat it on top of another foundation to add extra coverage and staying power, this powder does the trick when it comes to evening out your skin tone. With a soft matte finish, medium-to-full coverage and a formula that resists sweat, water and transfer, it’s the perfect finishing touch to a full glam base routine.
Get all the benefits of a serum with an impressively full-coverage finish from this CC Cream. Hailed as the #1 SPF Foundation in America, it’s packed with skin-loving ingredients and a completely transparent SPF to protect your skin without leaving a white cast on tan and deep complexions. The original formula works for all skin types, while the matte version is ideal for controlling shine on oily and combo skin. IT Cosmetics also offers an illuminating formula, which helps revive and add glow to dry skin types.
You don’t always need a full-coverage foundation to achieve a near-flawless, even-looking skin tone. What matters most is finding a formula that matches your skin tone exactly and blends in easily for a truly seamless finish. This lightweight foundation comes in almost 50 shades, which are formulated with up to six pigments to help you find your closest match.Our editors love it for its silky, lightweight feel and ease of blendability.
This foundation’s soft matte, full-coverage formula leaves skin looking picture-perfect and even in tone. Infused with hyaluronic acid, jasmine petal and PSF 30, it softens skin and helps defend against the sun’s rays with each use. After two weeks of continued application, it’s designed to leave skin looking and feeling softer, smoother and more hydrated.
Part SPF, part tinted, radiance-enhancing corrector, this serum leaves skin looking glowy and protected from the sun’s rays. It comes in three shades — light, medium and deep — which are sheer enough to blend into any skin tone and add a subtle luminosity that looks especially stunning in natural light. With a combination of skincare ingredients, it helps to even out your skin tone overtime and increase the look of natural radiance.
Not quite a foundation but not quite a skincare product, this balm to powder formula offers skin a subtle tint as it blurs the look of texture and helps manage oily skin throughout the day. It contains oil-absorbing upsalite to help mattify your skin and can be worn alone or underneath a foundation for added coverage and blurring benefits.
I’ve struggled with dark spots for as long as I can remember. If you’re Black or Brown and acne-prone, you probably feel my pain. It wasn’t until I started adding the right ingredients to my skincare routine that I started to notice a significant and lasting improvement. I learned that there’s one key product that can make or break your routine—your moisturizer. If it doesn’t have the right ingredients for melanated skin—well, let’s just say you could be hurting rather than helping your skin goals. Luckily though, I have estheticians on speed dial who are willing to give some sound advice on the matter. Below, I’m breaking down what to look for in a moisturizer if you have Black or Brown skin and the best ones to buy. Keep on scrolling.
“Black and Brown skin can be more prone to certain skin concerns, such as hyperpigmentation or uneven skin tone,” says esthetician and Klurfounder Lesley Thornton. “Look for ingredients like niacinamide, vitamin C, or licorice extract, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, and non-aggressive acids that can exfoliate the skin without stripping or irritating.”
“Moisturizers should contain ingredients that provide and retain hydration in the skin with emollients and occlusives to help create a barrier on the skin’s surface, preventing moisture loss. Look for non-comedogenic formulas to avoid clogged pores and breakouts—these formulations are less likely to cause acne or worsen existing skin issues. Sun protection against harmful UV rays is also crucial for maintaining healthy skin. Look for moisturizers that contain broad-spectrum SPF to shield your skin from both UVA and UVB rays. Aim for SPF 30 or higher.”
Thornton’s top moisturizer pick for Black and Brown skin is below, along with a few of our favorites.
Pros: Relatively inexpensive, contains skin barrier-supporting ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides, suitable for sensitive skin.
Cons: Contains silicones.
“This moisturizer contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid which help to hydrate and strengthen the skin barrier. It is suitable for sensitive skin, very affordable and it has multiple formulations, a day version with SPF and a standard without SPF is often recommended by skin health professionals.” —Thornton
Customer Review: “This is my favorite moisturizer with SPF. I discovered this brand in a pharmacy store in Paris a few years ago and use their other products too. Hope to get to their spa one day!”
Pros: Contains retinol to help speed up skin cell turnover, has 19 anti-inflammatory plant ingredients, firming peptides tighten aging skin.
Cons: Expensive.
This moisturizer from Thornton’s skincare brand Klur is great for those who may struggle with acne and dark spots. It’s an overnight retinol cream that’s gentle (yet powerful) while lifting pigment and speeding up skin cell turnover. In addition to retinol, it also contains 19 anti-inflammatory plant ingredients along with peptides to firm the skin and calm redness.
Customer Review: “OBSESSED with Klur’s Sculpture + A… I use this a few nights a week, and it is truly magic in a jar. I have two young toddlers that exhaust me 24/7 and have added at least 10 years to my face in the last year. Whenever I use this product, I wake up the next morning looking a little more youthful around the eyes, and my skin looks healthier with a nice subtle glow. Grateful this product exists as it has become a new staple in my routine!”
Pros: Contains SPF 30, niacinamide in the formula helps fade dark spots and provides excess oil control, hyaluronic acid deeply hydrates the skin.
Cons: Contains chemical sunscreen filters.
Fenty’s invisible SPF 30 moisturizer locks in hydration, helps fade dark spots, and smooths out enlarged pores with ingredients like niacinamide, Kalahari melon, hyaluronic acid, and aloe.
Pros: Budget-friendly, contains 5% niacinamide to provide oil control and fade dark spots, ceramosides and a betaine complex reduce moisture loss and hydrate the skin.
Cons: May not be hydrating enough for extra dry skin.
This lightweight water-based gel moisturizer from the Inkey List stops moisture loss in the skin with ceramosides and a betaine complex while simultaneously reducing excess oil production and fading dark spots with 5% niacinamide.
Customer Review: “This is very light and watery, a gel-like texture that feels cool and comfortable. Great for quick and simple moisturizing, but even better if you like to layer heavier creams on top of lightweight moisturizers!”
Pros: Hyaluronic acid complex in the formula hydrates the skin, pineapple enzymes smooth out skin texture and fade dark spots, amino acids provide antioxidant protection.
Cons: May not be suitable for hypersensitive or extra dry skin.
Featuring a hyaluronic acid complex, amino acids, and pineapple enzymes, this formula from Summer Fridays aims to provide antioxidant protection to skin, deeply hydrates, and gently smooths out skin texture and dark spots.
Customer Review: “I was so excited to [try] this and it did not disappoint. It gives my skin such a glowy look. I have fairly sensitive skin and it worked great for me. A little goes a long way and there’s a good amount of product in the jar. Will definitely buy again.”
Pros: Fragrance-free, balances oil production in the skin, provides long-lasting hydration with hyaluronic acid and polyglutamic acid, moringa and papaya help remove impurities from the skin.
Cons: May not be hydrating enough for extra dry skin.
If you’re acne-prone this moisturizer is an absolute lifesaver. It provides just the right amount of hydration your skin needs with hyaluronic acid and polyglutamic acid while moringa and papaya help remove impurities from the skin and calm redness.
Customer Review: “I stumbled upon it on accident and have been so surprised by how much my skin enjoys it. My skin has been chronically dry and sensitive, and I’m amazed this doesn’t break me out. It feels greasy going on but in a light refreshing way. It is so moisturizing. New staple!”
Pros: Peptides firm skin and support healthy collagen production, squalane repairs the moisture barrier, hydrosella provides up to 72 hours of hydration.
Cons: Expensive.
Dry skin will greatly benefit from this moisture-rich cream from Shani Darden. It’s also great if you use any brightening acids in your skincare routine to lighten dark spots or even out your skin tone. Peptides support healthy collagen production in the skin while hydrosella provides up to 72 hours of hydration and squalane replenishes the skin’s moisture barrier.
Customer Review: “Very hydrating and soothing to my skin. Rich enough but not greasy. I noticed a difference even after the second day. I have sensitive normal to dry skin, 58 years old, and I’m not expecting a miracle out of any product. Although this peptide cream made a difference. My skin looks more glowing and rejuvenated.”
Pros: Rich in vitamin C and niacinamide, adds radiance and hydration to the skin with squalane, peptides, and hyaluronic acid.
Cons: Large amount of vitamin C may not be suitable for extra sensitive skin.
OAM’s vitamin C-rich moisturizer adds so much radiance to the skin. It can also help even out your skin tone and fade dark spots in record time with niacinamide. Additional moisture also comes from peptides, squalane, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid.
Customer Review: “This moisturizer is so velvety and smooth on my skin. I love the ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, resveratrol, it keeps my skin bright and hydrated. My skin feels so soft and glowy after applying the moisturizer. Gifted by OAM Skin.”
Pros: Contains 10% vitamin C and a 10% peptide complex, ceramides and squalane support hydration levels and reinforce the skin barrier.
Cons: Pills slightly under makeup.
With a 10% vitamin C complex and 10% peptide complex, this moisturizer is a master skin-firmer and brightens like no other. Ceramides and squalane also support hydration levels and reinforce the skin barrier.
Customer Review: “Really impressed! Super hydrating, I wake up with soft skin, and it’s a very light consistency, which I love. My face is noticeably more hydrated. Great $$ too.”
Pros: Contains barrier-supporting ingredients like ceramides and peptides, contains a complex to restore health to a hormonally imbalanced complexion, features bakuchiol, a retinol alternative.
Cons: Expensive.
This barrier-enhancing cream is great for dry or mature skin since it contains a peptide complex, vitamin E, grean tea, bakuchiol, and ceramides. Bakuchiol is a great retinol alternative and is a bit gentler on the skin so it’s also great for those who are sensitive and could use an extra dose of hydration.
Customer Review: “After using Dr. Zenovia Skincare Peptide and Ceramide repairing moisturizer over the past few weeks, I can say I have noticed a positive difference in the quality of my skin. My skin feels firmer and looks brighter. The aroma and the texture of the produce is light but very pleasant. I experienced no negatives from this product. As I’m approaching 30, I really appreciate products like this that help me keep my skin looking youthful.”
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