I’ll always be that friend who’s texting you about my new favorite thing, especially once I’ve put it to the test. Once I’ve found, tested, and proven a new essential of mine, I’m telling everyone about it. So, consider this roundup a curation of simple, powerful products and tools that have supported that peaceful summer life I’m focused on. I’m not a maximalist by any means, so the things that find their way onto my favorites list are truly the cream of the crop. I hope you find some summer favorites here, too!
Just a heads up, this post contains some affiliate links. What does that mean? Well, if you click on one of these links and make a purchase, it won’t cost you a single penny extra, but it will help support this blog (yay!). Think of it as a win-win: you get awesome stuff, and I get to keep sharing my favorites with you.
My Easy Summer Outfit Staples
The mindset I have for what’s in my summer closet aligns with how I feel about my clothes every season: comfortable and easy. I want my clothes to be comfortable and help me enjoy the body I’m in (i.e. nothing tight, itchy, or making me countdown the minutes until I can change out of it!), and I want to be able to decide what I’m wearing easily. No decision paralysis is allowed when I enter my closet because I already have enough decisions to make in a day!
My closet currently looks like a cozy-set-lovers dream, especially with this sleeveless sweat set which is one of my work-from-home go-tos! I also love these comfy pants and these Double-Soft shorts because I can easily mix and match them without putting much thought into it. Every time I wear them out and about, people reach for the fabric and say, “THIS IS SO SOFT!”
My Summer Reading List
I’m that girl who has an ever-present stack of books on my nightstand that I power through faster than you can say “But have you listened to the audiobook?” (Answer: yes, yes I have.) My summer reading list reflects my summer state of mind, one that is craving a little bit of adventure, twists and tropes, and page-turners.
This is shaping up to be a big Frieda McFadden summer for me. I’m only slightly late to the McFadden thrillers train, but I’m happy to be here nevertheless! I’ve loved her storytelling which feels like a blend of suspense with a dash of comfort as I get more familiar with her writing style. If you’re into easy-to-read psychological thrillers, I recommend The Housemaid (a McFadden classic), The Coworker, One by One, and The Wife Upstairs. Up next for me is The Boyfriend! (Bookclub, anyone?)
Related: The TEN Best Books I’ve Read (For FUN!)
My Summer Skincare Routine
While I’m a self-proclaimed homebody, I’ll never stop loving how free I feel when I get to be outside. The glory of summertime in Minnesota is unmatched. So, you’ll catch me powering down my laptop a little early to wander along the lake and stroll with my kids through the nearby woods, soaking up warm days and sunshine.
As my morning and evening skincare routines remain a staple for me every day, I find that my summer skin needs me to shift my skincare routine recipe to support more outdoor, sunshine-filled adventures. With a focus on lighter moisture, a deeper clean for all that summer sweat, and a dose of SPF (and here’s a great spray-on version for the kids!), I’ve got a happy, glowing face! Primally Pure’s clean, non-toxic skincare has been a mainstay for my daily, 5-minute routine for years.
Here are my favorites in my summertime skincare line-up:
- The Cleansing Oil: This stuff smells like heaven and melts off every bit of makeup.
- The Everything Spray: Lives up to the hype! I use it for toner and even on sunburn.
- The Clarifying Serum: I swear this is the holy grail that helped heal my acne!
- The Clarifying Cream: Drew stole this from me, so now I always order two.
- The Baby Balm: I have these all around my house. Perfect for skinned knees!
Related: My Does Primally Pure’s All-Natural Skincare Really Work?
My Summer Makeup Favorites
Whether I’m stepping onto a stage, headed out for a date night, prepping for a photoshoot, or visiting my parent’s house for a family hang-out, I keep my make-up routine simple and clean. I want to be able to swipe a few lovely products on my face and feel ready for whatever the day brings! That’s why I’ve been loving everything from Crunchi I feel totally put together in truly just a few minutes with only a handful of products.
My go-to summer make-up routine looks like this:
- Swipe on the primer.
- Buff in a little foundation (it doesn’t take much to get glowing).
- Tap the liquid blush on my cheeks and a bit across my nose.
- Freshen up my brows with the brow pencil.
- Finish with the lip crayon.
And to top it all off, I love to spritz on a little bit of Dime Beauty’s non-toxic fragrance, 7 Summers. I get complimented all the time when I wear it! It’s so fresh and warm, like if summertime joy had a smell.
Related: Clean Beauty Brands I Swear by to Try in 2024
How I’m Biohacking this Summer
Over the last few years, and especially since starting on the journey to parenthood, I’ve been exploring biohacking. Biohacking is essentially using tools and products that allow you to enhance or simply get a better read on your internal health. From daily cold plunging to sleep tracking to red light therapy, I’ve discovered I’m a huge fan of the easy ways I can support wellness. I honestly don’t care much about looking good; I want my life to FEEL good! Especially because I want to enjoy summer while caring for my body inside and out.
I love my Oura Ring for tracking my daily stats without having to think about it! I can get insights on my sleep patterns, track my cycle, monitor my heart health, and even figure out when my best windows are for getting the most out of my workouts. This little ring packs a major punch and I love that it’s easy to wear without looking like a bulky or flashy piece of gear.
I may look like I’ve walked right off the set of a low-budget sci-fi movie when I’m wearing it, but I feel zero shame wearing my favorite red-light mask. I can curl up on the couch with my next psychological thriller and let the light do the work. Red light therapy has a surprisingly long list of benefits, like stimulating collagen production, reducing redness, and healing acne. On top of that, red light is easy on the eyes! When I’ve spent time staring at my laptop screen (i.e. soaking in all that blue light), red light helps my eyes relax and recuperate. PS. Use my discount code JENNA to save $$$ at checkout on your own red light therapy!
My Favorite Summer Fitness and Wellness Tools
Sometimes, my schedule, the weather, or chasing around two busy kids in their summertime activities means I have to squeeze in intentional movement wherever it fits. Whether it’s 5 minutes or an hour-long workout, I crave a way to get the blood flowing.
I’ve been loving Melissa Wood-Tepperberg’s MWH: Fitness + Wellness app! I can find quick workouts for every single scenario and intensity I’m looking for. I can tone, I can sweat, or I can do a strengthening workout that gets me back into my body. The library of meditations is a go-to for quieting the mind and makes for a great pre-or-post-workout habit, too.
I’ve been on an Invisalign journey — and loving it, frankly! It’s been a lot easier than I thought it would be and I love seeing my progress. If you’re an Invisalign baddie like me, you’re going to love this recommendation as much as I do. My husband, Drew, got me the Dental Pod from Zima Dental, an ultrasonic cleaner. I drop my retainers in it and they come out extra clean and shiny.
Lately, I’ve been in the habit of diffusing essential oils every night before bed. My room literally smells like a spa (without the price tag), which makes crawling into bed feel like such a luxurious experience. It just totally sets the mood after a long, summer-adventure-fulled day and transports me to a whole new level of relaxation. My favorite diffuser is this beautiful Ceramic Diffuser I snagged from NOW Foods!
My Summer Mindset
My summer favorites are tools and resources that are a means to an end for me. My ultimate summer end is to be fully present and enjoy these fleeting, beautiful days. I only feel more and more aware of just how quick these days can pass me by if I’m not looking, noticing, and being intentional with where I invest my attention. I only get to be this age once. I get to watch my girls have that unparalleled childhood summer and relive my own alongside them.
Not to add too much gravitas to a list of my summer favorites, but I truly do choose them based on how they allow me to live the life I envision. As I get older, I realize that fitting some kind of over-performer, cookie-cutter standard is boring. Living how I want to live is way more fun, honest, and peace-giving. I hope your summer feels totally aligned with who you are, and what you want, and inspires you to be fully present, too.
Wanna See What Else Has My Seal of Approval?
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