4 Summer Essentials: Avoid Looking Like A Hot Mess When It’s Hot as Balls Outside

I can only stand being outdoors for about half the year. Spring and Fall are my jam; Winter and Summer can go shit in their respective hats.

What’s not to love about Spring and Fall? The weather is perfect.  You can get away with going out in a cardigan or denim jacket, throw on a cute scarf and sunglasses and you’re good to go. Oh, and let’s not forget about ALL THE BOOTS!

Winter and Summer? I’m either getting all the moisture sucked out of me and constantly clutching my Carmex or on the complete opposite spectrum, I get to be constantly damp and feel like I’m living in Satan’s anus.

The latter is where I’m sitting today, but fret not, I’m going to share with you a few things that have helped me feel a little less like a puddle.

Avène Thermal Spring Water

Yeah yeah, I know. It’s fancy water in an aerosol can but I’ll be damned if I don’t love spraying my face with it all day. First of all, to anyone wondering, that’s no longer sweat that’s all over my face but ThErMaL SpRiNg WaTeR. Secondly and seriously though, I do find it to be quite hydrating and it is pretty refreshing to use throughout the day. I also like to use it before applying any serums or moisturizers to help them sink into my skin.

Revlon Kiss Balm

I love these! I have the Strawberry and Cherry ones and not only are they actually moisturizing, they’re not sticky, they leave a really nice and noticeable tint behind AND they’re SPF 20. Honestly, I can’t deal with lipstick in the summertime because I’m trying to use as few products as possible, it’s too damn hot to be fussing around with products! Don’t get me started on lip gloss in the summer, which practically slides off my mouth before I even leave the house. These lip balms are a perfect and they smell nice too.

Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream 

This is what I use as a day time moisturizer and I especially love using it when I get out of my (ice cold) shower. It absorbs pretty quickly, it smells nice, and the texture is super light. Its name says “Gel-Cream” but it’s definitely all gel. The product description says it has grape water, apple water (is that even a thing?) and Vitamin E, but I swear it also has some kind of cooling properties because my face feels cold for a while after I use it and that’s all I’m looking for during a never-ending heat wave.  

The Body Shop – Body Sorbet in Satsuma

We all know that Satsuma is an addictive, heavenly citrus smell from the Body Shop, so let’s get that out of the way. This is a great body lotion and my go-to in the summer. The texture is so weird to me, but I love it. The texture feels somewhat matte, it’s hard to explain but trust me on this, and it absorbs almost instantaneously.

Can we sense a theme here? I don’t want anything sticky on my body when it’s 40 degrees and my body is sticky enough! ANYWAYS, I also love the fact that it comes in a tube and you don’t have to screw around with a slippery lid, sticking your hand in a bunch of lotion and getting it under your nails.

So, that’s it. Apart from my constant bitching about how hot it is outside and how I feel like I’m on fire, these are some of the things that have been making my life a little bit easier. If I had to recommend only one of these products to you, it would be the Revlon Kiss Balm because even when I’m sitting in front of my fan looking like a hot mess, I look like a GLAMOUROUS hot mess. Happy sweating!

The Body Shop - Brazil Nut Scrub | Review

I would definitely consider myself more of a makeup person than a hair or body care person. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love a good body lotion or hair dryer (both reviews coming soon!) as much as the next person, but makeup is really where I put my time and effort...and money, of course. So it was a little out of the ordinary for me to drop almost $80 on a Body Shop online order.

If you're anything like me, you get a million emails a day from every retailer who's somehow managed to get a hold of your email; The Body Shop being one of them. But for some reason I haven't unsubscribed from them (you CAN unsubscribe from those pesky emails in case you didn't know!) and I suppose it's because I really do like The Body Shop's products and although I had never ordered from them before, you just never know!

A few months ago they sent out an email saying that everything online was 40% off...in my mind I read it as "Everything online is ALMOST 50% off!" and away I went.

One of the things I put into my cart was their "limited edition" Brazil Nut body scrub. Now, I'm not a huge body scrub user...I like a nice loofah (I also happen to use one from the Body Shop and it's amazing and lather-y) and they seem to do the trick. Although once in a while I like to use a scrub whether it be for a real "deep skin clean" or because I haven't shaved my legs in a while (usually the latter), I like to have one on hand.

The first thing that struck me about the Brazil Nut scrub is the smell. It smells HEAVENLY. I really, truly wish I could share the smell of this stuff through the screen with you. If you like nutty scents like I do, you will enjoy this. If you like rich food scents in general, you will enjoy this. Sometimes I find myself just opening the little tub and taking a nice long whiff even if I'm not using it. I definitely plan on buying a few more Brazil nut scented products from The Body Shop! So yeah, it's that good.

Another thing I like about this is that it's not really gritty. Obviously, it's a scrub so it is a little gritty but not overly. It has a light "grit" in it, if that makes sense, as well as some scattered heavier "grit" in the form of crushed Brazil nut shells.

The only thing that is only SLIGHTLY annoying about the Brazil Nut scrub is that when you wash it off the Brazil nut shell pieces sort of linger on the bottom of the tub...but that's nothing a little kick of water in the direction of the drain can't rectify. That's it, that's my only con about this scrub and I was really reaching there...

Overall I'd rate The Body Shop's Brazil Nut scrub a solid 9.5/10.

What's you're favourite body scrub? Or even your favourite Body Shop scent! I picked up quite a few things from The Body Shop so I'll probably review a few more in the coming weeks.