Three summer essentials

Hi there! Hopefully you're all done with your exams and can move onto your summer plans. I hope it involves a bit of complete laziness, but if you're facing a summer in the city, here are some bits and bobs to put yourself in summer mood.

1. A good read.

Sadly, for the duration of the academic year I find myself reading very few books for pleasure (and I'm pretty sure a lot of you can relate). Therefore, once summer starts I always dive right back into my literature. This year I'm starting with a classic - I've just finished Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar' and I can't recommend it enough. It's captivating, it's beautifully raw and it touches the subject of mental health from a very personal perspective. Whatever your experiences with mental health are, if you are at the beginning of your journey into adulthood I'm sure the main character will resonate wih you. After 'The Bell Jar' I'm moving onto Milan Kundera's 'Immortality'. I've only read his 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' and it remains one of my all time favourite novels, so I'm really excited to discover more of Kundera's work. Also, if you'd rather read some non-fiction, Paul Kalanithi's 'When Breath Becomes Air' would be my sure pick. It's an memoir of a neurosurgeon who gets diagnosed with lung cancer and needs to face all that it means. It's a touching and nearly philosophical book about life, death and priorities. If you're ready to cry your eyes out, but also have a weeks-lasting food for thought, do pick it up.

2. The glow!

It's summer, baby. Highlight it. And by 'it' I mean anything you can, it's the time of the year to be obnoxiously dewy. For the face, one of my favourites is Soap & Glory Glow All Out Cheek Stick. It's a champagne shade of highlight in the form of a stick. Just pop it on your cheekbones and smudge it with your fingers or a sponge - it couldn't be easier. It's shimmery rather than glittery, so it gives you a natural look and there's no way to overdo it (which I've been known to be guilty of so many times in the past). 10/10!

For the rest of the body: I've been covering my limbs (and stomach, and boobs, and everything...) in Nuxe's Huile Prodigieuse OR for years. It's a bit of a cult product by now for a lot of people. The shimmery version smells great, looks beautiful in the sun and acts a bit like a self tanner without actually being one. It has a dry finish and so is very comfortable to wear. A summer staple for me, no doubt.

3. Hydration.

Drinking water is important. I'm sure you're hearing it everywhere and it's for a good reason. We need to keep our bodies hydrated especially now, when it's hot and we're losing a bit more water in sweat than usually. In the summertime I like to drink a healthy version of ice tea. I usually use pineapple-flavoured green tea and mix it with a bit of maple syrup for sweetness, a teaspoon of hibiscus powder for added taste and colour and of course a lot of ice. I sometimes also add some chopped fruit - today it was strawberries. It's delicious, totally good for you and way more interesting than water if you're picky like that.

I hope you will all have an amazing summer and get to relax and unwind! See you all soon.

This post is supported by Soap & Glory.