Super Summer Slam Jam III: Hydrated, Moisturized, Overstimulated

All my best summer recommendations!

Summer photo from here

You can find 2024’s recs here and 2025’s recs here.

I look forward to writing this post allllll year. I love summer! Despite my unending love, I realize it’s a hostile season, and some accoutrements make it much easier to survive the heat.

Here is an updated list of my favorite things for summer:

Clothes

1. I wear this Kai High Neck Tank Dress at least once a week each summer. I love it because the dress is light enough to keep me cool but high-necked and work-appropriate. It’s great under a cardigan or denim jacket, but even better alone. The simplest way to feel pulled together!

2. I am also a big fan of this Athleta Signature Ribbed Maxi Dress. I can rarely pull off a shelf bra, but this style works for me. This cute and casual dress looks adorable with a baseball cap and a denim shirt or on its own with Birkenstocks.

3. AGOLDE Parker Long Shorts are my forever love (I have them in denim and in white) and look good on literally everyone! That said, AYR’s Sure Sure are quickly climbing the list. They’re slightly shorter without being too long and I love their more structured feel.

4. I wear a ribbed tank top nearly every day in the summer. My favorites are Pact’s Perfect Rib Tank (thick, slightly longer, and holds its shape), Lululemon’s Hold Tight Tank (sooooo soft, slightly cropped, keeps me cool), and A New Day Ribbed Tank (literally $5-$8, cannot beat it, I own a million and wear them for sleeping, exercising, and living).

5. I dread the swampy feeling of pants so I like things that are loose and breezy. My favorite summer pants are Ruti’s On-The-Loose Work pants (I am obsessed!) and I’m newly obsessed with these Lululemon Breezily Mid-Rise Cropped pants.

6. Vuori’s Performance Joggers are my favorite soft pants ever (expensive but worth every penny) — I wear them ALL THE TIME — but their Villa Shorts are my new favorite thing. I’m eyeing the Azure and the Emerald, but as we all know, I’ll likely end up with another pair of black.

7. I was unsure if I could pull off jorts, and I’m pleased to report that I got these Madewell Essex long, baggy shorts, and I love them.

8. If you haven’t tried Thigh Society’s Cooling Shorts, you’re missing out. They are the best under dresses or skirts — they keep you from chafing and really do keep things cool.

Makeup

1. I can’t stop talking about how much I love Tower 28’s Get Set Pressed Powder. It keeps me from looking shiny all day. Highly recommend!

2. I am a big fan of Saie’s Slip Tint. My goal every day is to look like a dewy princess, and this makes my skin glow. I like to wear it over Dr. Jart’s Tiger Grass Correcting Cream, which color-corrects my redness, which is especially pronounced in the summertime.

3. Sweed Beauty’s Cloud Mascara is the best mascara I’ve ever used. It doesn’t clump or smear, and it stays all day, even when I’m sweating. I’ll be wearing it alllll summer.

4. I am extremely pale, and during the summer, I need some color on my face. I am also extremely bad at doing fancy makeup, so Saie Sun Melt Bronzer is my dream product. It’s easy to apply and blends well. I do highly recommend the Big Buffing Brush — it’s the best if you, like me, aren’t big into makeup.

5. I bought this Laneige Juicepop Box Lip Hydrating Oil Lip Tint (what a name!), and I love it more than I expected to. It’s lightweight, but moisturizing. I have the KPop pink because I like a brighter color as it gets warmer, and it’s the exact right amount of color.

Body Care

1. The best sunscreen on earth is Supergoop Play! It goes on smoothly, isn’t sticky, and doesn’t have an overwhelming scent. Because we spend much of the summer in our pool, we usually buy a jug of it and keep it on a credenza by our back door for easy access (for guests and us!) as we head outside.

2. Megababe Thigh Rescue is a desert-island product for me. You can apply it between your thighs (duh) if you’re prone to chafing, but I’ve also used it with sandals I haven’t broken in, on my shoulder if I’m sweaty and my bag is rubbing against the same spot all day, and for any outdoor workouts. I’m intrigued by their Thigh Rescue Gel, and will be adding it to my arsenal this summer. I’m also a daily user of their Bidet Bar, and it’s even more vital during the summer (swamp ass season!). I hate being sweaty!

3. I have sensitive skin, and the heat causes me to break out into little heat rashes. The only thing that saves me is Tower 28’s SOS Rescue and Relief Body Wash. It’s super gentle and extremely soothing for all skin types. If you’re prone to eczema or any sort of itchy skin, I highly recommend it. Their SOS Rescue Spray is also amazing for soothing your skin.

4. Skin Trip Lotion is my all-time favorite coconut scent. It’s the lightest lotion and smells so good — it’s THE BEST summer lotion without being sticky.

5. For most of my life, I’ve been famously bad at applying self-tanner, but Saltyface has changed all that. I love their tanning water for the face and their tanning foam for my body — the formulas are incredible, but their brushes are next-level for applying them evenly. HIGHLY recommend their Body Set and their Face Set because they each come with the tanning water or foam and the perfect brush.

6. I have fallen in love with my Meridian trimmer. It’s super effective, holds a charge forever, and is waterproof. I shave daily in the summer, and this makes it so much easier.

Miscellany

1. I drink electrolytes every day. Between some medication I take and daily sweaty workouts, I feel much better when I’m keeping my body balanced that way (for my fellow chronic fatigue friends, it’s helped my inflammation a lot!). I am currently obsessed with Proper’s Hydration Boost (specifically the Watermelon Berry). I love it because not only does it have electrolytes, it has trace minerals like zinc and magnesium.

2. Geometry sent me this Beach Blanket and we used it for the first time this weekend to give our besties’ baby a place to crawl around. It’s so soft and was absolutely perfect! If you’re looking for a picnic or beach blanket, look no further! Their beach towels are also fantastic. Recommend!

3. Speaking of Geometry, I have this Cool Grid Tablecloth and matching linen napkins on my list for summer entertaining. Everything they make is high-quality and I love the brightness of this pattern!

4. I’ve been using Innersense products on my hair lately because my curls are BACK and I’m especially loving their “I Create Curl Memory” gel and the “Quiet Calm Curl Control Cream.” My hair tends to get very dry in the summer, and I love that these hydrate without weighing my hair down.

5. Kits sent me some amazing glasses and a pair of sunglasses, and I am obsessed with the sunglasses! I like to have a million pairs of sunglasses around because I lose them, but I’ve been guarding these with my life because I love them so much.

Do you love or hate summer? What gets you through it? I love recommendations!