SUMMERTIME PLAYLIST

A few of the songs we've been listening to quite a bit this summer.

What are your summer anthems this year?

cute video for Bahamas' Okay Alright I'm Alive

SUMMERTIME: SKIN CARE

Skin care is a temperamental love of mine. While I would love to not have the skin of a perpetual teenager, it just isn't in the cards. So I'm always looking for products that work for my skin - cystic acne/dry patches/oiliness...the combination skin trifecta. I found Lush Cosmetics not long after I finished taking Accutane when I was 18 & visiting California, and I fell in love. Unfortunately there were no Lush stores near me in North Carolina & it was a bit (okay, a lot) out of my budget anyways. So I struggled along with drugstore brands until I was 21 & began working at the Lush in Raleigh. After much experimentation, I've found a skin care regime that works for me, and have gained so much knowledge on ingredients & skin alike.

First: natural is generally best.

Lots of products contain really harsh ingredients + tons of things most people cannot pronounce. For example, drying ingredients like alcohol and chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid irritate skin & cause it to over compensate with extra oil production - not what we want! Knowing what's in your products & what those things do is really helpful. 

Second: skin needs change with the season & no one's skin is the same

While I have a couple constant products, if I notice my skin is acting up/is drier or oilier than usual, I change something - usually my cleanser, sometimes my moisturizer, & sometimes how often I wash my face. Don't get stuck in a rut of things that aren't working for you, even if they seem to work perfectly for other people!

This is my current summertime routine:

1. Coconut Oil

I only wash my face at night, so I have to remove my makeup first. For a long time I used an awesome product by Lush called Ultrabland, but I ran out a while ago & have found that coconut oil works just as well, if not better. (I buy mine at Trader Joes & use it in my smoothies as well!) A tiny fingertip scoop melts into skin and dissolves makeup, even mascara, without burning skin or eyes like many makeup removers can. Coconut oil is naturally anti-inflammatory & boosts skin cell reproduction, which makes it great for blemish prone skin, and, of course, it's moisturizing. After massaging it in for a minute or so, I use a washcloth & warm water to remove.

2. Herbalism

 In the summer months when my skin is oilier, I use a Lush fresh cleanser called Herbalism.  It has a kaolin clay base, which draws out impurities, and ground almonds & rice bran to gently exfoliate. Rosemary, sage, chamomile, nettle extract & rice bran vinegar all work together as natural antiseptics & soothers. The fresh cleansers can take a little getting use to - they're cut off a roll to order, & you pinch off a pea-sized amount, work into a "lather" for lack of a better word, massage into your skin & rinse. Herbalism leaves my skin feeling clean & fresh without dryness.

3. Breath of Fresh Air

I don't usually use a toner at night, but in the morning, since I don't wash my face, I spritz a bit directly onto my skin & remove with a cotton ball before I moisturize. Slightly damp skin accepts moisturizers much better than dry, & locks it in all day! Breath of Fresh Air is another Lush product, full of soothing ingredients. Seaweed extract, aloe & rose all refresh and hydrate while seawater, patchouli & rosemary are antibacterial & help fight excess oil.

4. Skin Drink & Imperialis

I'm sort of a moisturizer junky. I've tried every Lush moisturizer and tons of other brands as well, and these two are my favorites. Skin Drink is considered a heavier moisturizer, usually recommended for those with dry skin, but I've found it to be great for my combination skin as well. I use it at night; a finger-dab covers my whole face, and immediately my skin feels wonderful. It contains super hydrating sesame & avocado oils & cocoa butter, plus soothing aloe & rose, and evening primrose & neroli, great for skin texture and firmness.

Imperialis is helpful for most any skin type, with lots of balancing/soothing ingredients like olive oil, lavender, rose, sweet violet & elderflower extracts. Lavender helps tell skin where to produce oil & where not to, and rose calms redness while working as a natural humectant, holding hydration in. Again, a finger-dab is all it takes. I usually use Imperialis in the mornings, when I want something a bit lighter.

Now. While that is my usual routine, I have to admit that there are nights I am ready to collapse into bed & barely have the energy to brush my teeth. I am convinced makeup removing wipes were invented for these nights. I do not claim that they are at all good for your skin, but I will say they're better than falling asleep with your makeup on (not only does your face feel icky in the morning, but your body temperature rises while you sleep which allows your pores to open up & your makeup to sink right down into them). I've tried a few kinds, and Aveeno makes my favorites (these ones) & these Neutrogena ones don't leave my skin burning or feeling too tight (plus they were on sale..what can I say?)

What are your favorite products? 

* I am not currently working at Lush Cosmetics & this post is in no way endorsed by the company - these are purely my opinions + the knowledge I attained while working there.

SUMMERTIME READING LISTS

A few books on each of our reading lists this summer - clearly we're feeling different literature vibes at the moment ;) What are you reading?

We occasionally talk about recent reads on our personal blogs, feel free to follow us there!

danielle / sarah

ON SUMMERTIME: SARAH

     Being a native of the South, summertime to me is about lightening bugs, muggy nights, thunderstorms, blueberries, & swimming. I long for these things while the dry skin, itchy tights & chill of winter have got me down in mid-January (well...excepting muggy nights) and when warmth finally gets here, I try to make sure I capitalize on the merits of the season. As I get older, schedules get jam-packed and the seasons fly by so quickly. Having a little one makes me consider more which traditions and memories I hope he has of childhood summers when he's older and managing a busy schedule of his own. For that reason it's important for us parents to slow down and make sure we take time to be still and experience the present with him. He'll only be two once, and I want to make sure we don't miss out on the magic of fireflies as he's seeing them for the first time in his life. With that in mind, here is my list of the summertime experiences I hope for this year:

1. Go swimming in the Eno River. I grew up in the Bull City and this was always a favorite getaway. 

Photo by Exactly (She takes the most lovely photos!)

2. Catch lightening bugs in a jar with Jack (carefully).

Photo from National Geographic (linked article includes tips for photographing fireflies)

3. Eat blueberries on home-made ice cream.

Photo & Recipe from Real Simple 

4. Fall asleep to a thunderstorm. 

I took this photo when a wild storm was descending on Raleigh a few months ago.

5. Drink a chocolate malt milkshake from Cookout

Photo from The Tiger News

What will you and yours be up to this summer?

ON SUMMERTIME: DANIELLE

I have to confess: I don't consider myself a summer person. I find the sticky southern heat overwhelming - there are times when any amount of clothing is too much, and each time I open my closet, I gaze longingly at my favorite sleeved dresses & stacks of cardigans made utterly useless by the season. Mosquitoes respond to my hatred with undying love. No matter how great my hair & makeup look when I walk out the door, an hour later frizz & a general melting feeling have taken over. And my work schedule doesn't generally allow much in the way of vacationing, so photos of friends' amazing week long trips & adventures leave me a bit jealous. Summer just isn't my thing.

But. I try to remember how unbearable the middle of winter can be, and enjoy the warmth & sunshine while I can, stockpiling summer memories for the days I'm wishing icy rain away & dying to wear summer dresses. And some perfect things are just intrinsically tied to summer, so I've made a little list of things to do over the next couple months, humidity be damned. 

1. try new cooling treat recipes
like:

white peach maple soda

some of these yummy looking popsicles

perfect homemade iced coffee

2. go night swimming

beautiful photo by Fabio Leone

3. day trips to the beach
(In July I went to Topsail & Atlantic Beach, and I'd like to visit Wilmington one weekend soon)

4. see a few local concerts

(Hopscotch is coming up & Alabama Shakes are playing Sept. 20th! I'm counting that as summer.)

5. host a summer get together
(so inspired by the A Simple Evening events planned by Megan Gilger of Fresh Exchange, especially these photos from an end of summer celebration)

What things are on your summer checklist?

SATURDAY MORNING FARMER'S MARKET + COFFEE

If you are a lover of beautiful flowers & plants + fresh, local produce, the farmer's market should be your best friend. Especially if, like us, you try to emphasize whole foods in your diet, and get frustrated with pricey supermarket produce spoiling so quickly. Often, farmer's market produce is harvested that morning, so fruits & veggies usually keep quite well, and taste super fresh & delicious. And because you are buying straight from the farm, you're supporting your community while paying for quality, locally grown food, rather than for transportation & store mark ups - win/win! We typically go on Saturday mornings, before the heat of the day really sets in. Word to the wise: after about 9:30 am, it's packed! Do yourself a favor & wake up early, browse the market, & then treat yourself to hand-crafted Boylan sodas (we highly recommend the black cherry & cream flavors).

We stopped for coffee at Morning Times on the way home. Perfect coffee shop to sit outside & enjoy your iced lattes & peanut butter cookie with a side of people (& dog!) watching. They serve locally-roasted Counter Culture coffee and the menu is mainly comprised of farm fresh recipes with an emphasis on Southern classics (Grilled pimento cheese or fried chicken club sandwich anyone?). The space historically homed a newspaper company called The Raleigh Times (Morning Times being the morning edition), and the new coffee-shop tenants have thoughtfully preserved historic details that make the space so interesting. Upstairs is a comfy gallery room with couches & local artists' work. Easily one of our most frequented coffee shops.

websites:

State Farmer's Market

Morning Times