Summer Lovin’

Ahhhhh, summertime.  As a kid, it meant running through sprinklers and slip-n-slides on hot summer days…

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The smell of chlorine…

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Wearing jellies but never wearing sunblock….

The sound of the bat cracking and the smell of popcorn at nighttime baseball games…

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Sleeping right in front of the air conditioner at night…

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…and chasing the ice cream man down the street.  To this day, I still go bananas when I hear the ice cream man music coming from around the corner…  like I have to sprint inside (“MAAAAAHHHHM!”) and grab 50 cents from my mom before he drives away or something.

As a pretend-to-be adult, I still love me some summer, but for different reasons:  I love the warm breeze on my face at night…

(Sipping frosty beverages in) pretty, flowy dresses…

The sun on my face…

…and the sound of water lapping against the side of the pool.

I love that my skin turns a sunkissed, bronze color, which makes me look infinitely skinnier and camouflages cellulite…  a real feat given the inordinate amount of Reese’s peanut butter eggs I ate this past Easter.

I love Indiana in the summertime – a quiet, peaceful place that looks like Ferngully and smells like freshly cut grass…

I love that you can see every star in the sky and hear crickets at night.

I love that my grandfather (generally acknowledged to be the most hilarious man alive) comes to the dinner table with his shirt off when it’s too hot outside, and when he sits down, his nipples disappear in the folds of his sweaty old man boobs.  Oh, Bud.

I love the farmers market, the smell of the earth and of backyard barbeques wafting through the air, and the fact that everyone moves a little bit slower and is in such a bang-up mood this time of year.

That said, below are 10 things that I would not recommend living without this summer.  They are my tried-and-true, easy/breezy, favorite super staples:

1.  Jason Sunblock SPF 45, $10 at Whole Foods.  A recent study that JUST surfaced over Memorial Day found that over 60% of sunscreens currently on the market not only provide inadequate protection from the sun, but actually contain toxic ingredients that may contribute to the growth of skin cancer.  This is largely due to the fact that Vitamin A – a major ingredient in most sunscreens, due to its anti-aging capabilities – contains a derivative that speeds up the growth of cancerous cells when combined with sunlight.  YIKES.  Click here for the EWG’s list of best-rated sunscreens…  and, whatta ya know!  Jason brand happens to be on it.  This stuff smells like Banana Boat drank a pina colada and went to heaven.

2.  Anthropologie Fluid Ribbed Tank, $28.  I live in this, in 3 different colors.  Flattering and almost like shapewear, this tank is SUPER soft and supple, and long enough that you can just say no to crack.  It’s so versatile that you can (and you’ll want to) wear it to sleep in, but you can also wear it out to dinner with a long flowy skirt, or jeans and funky jewelry.  The ONLY thing is that it runs a bit large and stretches after some wear, so make sure to buy one size down from what you usually wear.  The good news is, after you wash & dry it, it resumes its original shape.

3.  A Good Book.  I love being on vaycay and getting so engrossed in a book that you can’t put it down, and have the luxury of reading it in one sitting if you wanna.  Over Christmas vacation 2 years ago, I read the Twilight series in 4 days, and it was delicious.  I just picked up “The Help” ($14 at Costco), per Karrie’s suggestion.  Here are some other good recs we’ve run across:  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson…  She’s Come Undone or I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb…  and The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver.

4.  Essie nail polish in Adore-a-Ball, $8. Hands down the best neutral color, eh-ver, and almost has a subtle hint of lavender.  I get compliments every time I wear it.  I usually DIY, but Mani Pedi at 2815 N. Southport (Southport & Diversey) in Chicago does the most amazing manicure for $15 (eh, or is it $20?  Crap.  I stink – I’ll find out.  But it’s so good, it’s worth it)…  and it ALWAYS lasts me at least a week.  Uh, that’s unheard of.  I’ve NEVER had one last more than 3 days.

5.  A Maxi Dress. They feel like PJ’s, but they make you look like a bohemian goddess.  What’s not to love?  The white one below is by Sky (purchased at Saks last year), and is my go-to.  It’s cut so nicely that I always feel skinny in it…  even when I’ve consumed every Reese’s peanut butter egg within a 10 mile radius.

Tsumori Chisato Sky Frill Print dress from La Garconne (left) is about the same price as a down payment on a car, but GYAH, it was too gorgeous not to share.  (Right):  This season’s turquoise version of my white Sky dress above (purchased last spring) – currently available at Urban Minx.

6.  Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara.  $14 at Sephora.  I’m pretty sure I’ve tried every blankitty-blanking mascara out there…  including DiorShow (splurge) & Maybelline’s Great Lash (save), which are touted over & over & over again in eh-very magazine.  Eh, don’t love either of ’em.  Naturally Glossy, however, lengthens my lashes and makes ’em look wispy & doe-like.  It also never clumps, so I avoid the tarantula effect, which is a plus.

7.  A Scented Candle – Voluspa Laguna ($28), Voluspa Sajio Persimmon ($28), and Kobo’s Citrus Artichoke ($34) are to DIE for.  Laguna smells like the beach, Sajio Persimmon is exotic and delicious, and Citrus Artichoke is a dream in the kitchen.  Yum.  Burn it at night, whilst you get lost in a book, or listen to the crickets outside.

8.  Jellies.  Because what’s old is new again, and because they’ll put you in a better mood every time you put ’em on.  I always see them in the aisles at Target & Wal-Mart, and Tory Burch also has some cute Reva jellies on eBay.

9.  C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint in Pink Mint, $7. Yum.  It tastes like (you guessed it!) a big breath mint, has a perfectly dewy neutral/pink sheen, and it’s currently on sale at Bath & Body Works.  B&B Works’ website says it’s marked down from $7 to $5, but I got 7 of them for $20 last week.  They told me the sale would run while supplies last!

10.  At-home facial & body scrub.  Once upon a time, I lived a cushy life and got facials all the time.  When I turned my life upside down to move to Chicago, I had to readjust my budget a smidge.  These days, I usually have to opt for buying Gus Gus’ diapers instead of springing for facials,  so I DIY-it like so:  In the shower (b/c it’s messy to do anywhere else), I keep a little canister of sugar, so I can exfoliate my entire self every few days. 

FOR ARMS & LEGS:  I douse a big handful of sugar with baby oil until it reaches sugar-scrub consistency, then gently slough off dead skin (gentle, circular motions for about 60 seconds per area) and rinse.

FOR A FACIAL:

a) Lather your face wash, then dump about a 1/2 cup of sugar in your soapy hands.  Rub that all together until it gets to a nice consistency, then gently scrub your face (GENT-LY, otherwise the little grains of sugar will tear your skin)…  do this for about as long as it takes for you to sing your ABC’s twice.  Yeah, I said it.  Make sure you’re using gentle, circular motions, and moving all around your face.

b) Rinse thoroughly.

c) Steam your face to open up your pores – I usually do this CAREFULLY over a pot of boiling water – keeping my head about 12 inches above it usually works best.  Do this for about 2-3 minutes.

d)  Take a lemon, cut in half, and rub it all over your face for about a minute.  Warning: this will sting a little.

e)  Rinse immediately.

f)  Apply a thin layer of Skinceuticals Clay Refining Mask.  Leave for 10 minutes, and remove/rinse thoroughly.

g) Run a cotton swap with Neutrogena’s Alcohol Free toner over face.  Let dry about 30 seconds.

h)  Apply moisturizer.

i)  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  That’s niiiiicce-suh.

Happy Summer!!

XOXO,