Don’t know about where y’all live, but here in Italy we’re fully experiencing some proper Summer heat! These last few days have been so hot that I barely had the strenghts of moving my body around the house, let alone all things that involved stepping outside or, well, in the kitchen (living hell!).

But this proper Summer weather is leaving me feeling like I really need a proper holiday. With sand between my toes, sea salt in my hair and properly tanned skin. And a front-sea pool if it’s possible too!

It felt totally appropriate today, to share my current Summer favourite beauty and style picks so far. And this year I’m all about the tanned look, coral nails, flowy skirts/dresses and airy tops!

Tanned Healthy Skin

I’m not really the biggest fan of getting a natural tan, not if it doesn’t involve being a couple of steps away from the sea. My skin is naturally so pale and white that, even with SPF on, sunburns are always behind the corner for me. On the other hand noone likes to look as pale as mozzarella cheese in full summer when there’s no way you’re going to hide those white legs without sweating the hell out of you!

So self-tanning it is. I’ve tried a lot of self-tanners in the last few years, but one I’m still quite fond of since last year is the Garnier Ambre Solaire Bronzer Self-Tanning Lotion. I find it easier to go for natural looking gradual self-tanner instead of the instant options: they give you a more natural glowy look and, if applied well, they rarely look streaky! This Garnier gem, in particular, builds up a lovely tan in only a couple of applications, but being a gradual tanner, it allows you to decide how dark you want to go (which, for someone with such a pale skin, is always a bonus).

And with self-tanning, you can’t really go without a good quality scrub to keep your skin smooth and, also, to fix any self-tanning mistakes (although I’d also suggest a cotton pad drenched in lemon juice – it does miracles!). I’ve recently discovered the amazing Frank Body Coffee Scrubs and I can already picture their incredible scents as something that will always reminds me of Summer – because of how essentials they’re being lately! Their Grind High Club kit is perfect for summertime, allowing you to try out three different products in one – plus it’s perfect for travelling!

And lastly, this is another favourite from last year, I couldn’t really live without the Soapwalla Deodorant Cream that is treating my pesky and sensitive underarm skin so well! I’ve never found a natural deodorant that worked so nicely, always leaving me fresh and smell good!

Coral Nails

Like with lipsticks, Summer is the only time I usually like to experiment with slightly brighter colours. This year I’m loving a bit of coral on my nails and toes (especially!). I’m such a fan of the Ciaté Encore! Nail Polish formula and colour against slightly tanned skin, that I’m sure I’ll see it on my fingertips all summer long!

The Maxi Dress

This is a huge deal for me, as being petite, I never really thought a maxi dress would have looked some sort of good on my body figure nor I’ve ever found a maxi dress “short” enough for my height. But after deciding midi skirts was definitely my kind of thing, I thought I’d venture in the maxi dresses department as well, and now I think they’re all of what I want my summer wardrobe to be made of!

I’m especially fond on beautiful patterns, if they’re tiled or floral, even better! The one I’ve my eyes on now? This blue/red bargain from H&M!

Flowy & Airy

With my wardrobe, I’ve been finding myself dusting off some old loves more than everything this Summer, but I have definitely implemented a couple new pieces to it that have quickly become essentials. This ASOS Peplum Sun Top is definitely one of my favourite things, with all those lovely pastels implemented into one single piece, and the fact that is so light and airy it seems to wear nothing at all!

I’m also all about this Zara Pleated Midi Skirt of dreams, which, more than a statement piece, has become a basic I’m sure I’ll keep wearing in the years to come. And lastly, denim dresses are still my favourites, and although I did had quite a few in my wardrobe already, since I get so much wear out of them, this year I invested in a couple more, and I couldn’t really say no to this ASOS Denim Cold Shoulder Smock Dress!

I have written about what I like to keep on my bedside table and my bedtime rituals not long ago, but since then, and since I’ve been having some difficulties falling asleep at night lately, things have changed a tiny bit in my routine. I’ve added some new products that seem to work wonders at inducing sleep and since then I’ve been performing a very strict routine right before bedtime.

I’ve said goodbye to late night work, even if it means I have to catch up on it the day after (which is not that tragic after all) and, although I’m still not able to drastically eliminate the social media browsing right before bed, I surely have forced myself to reduce the time I spend on my phone or watching TV right before falling asleep. I have found writing down a to-do list for the day after is a good thing to do in the evening, so I don’t have to worry about keeping my mind busy to remember all the things that have to be done when I go to sleep, in fact I’ll have them all at my desk ready to be ticked off the day after.

Other than that, here are a few products I’ve been loving recently – all of them very “sleep inducing”, so hopefully they might help anyone else suffering with insomnia too!

Ever since I bought and tried the Lush Love Lettuce Fresh Mask for the first time, I was sure it was one that’d have been pretty special in the evening with that lovely lavender scent. I wasn’t wrong! I’ve been loving to apply it a couple of times per week in the evening: it’s a nice and quick treatment (it only requires 5 to 10 minutes) but it’s a refreshing a calming ritual. My skin always feels extra soft right after, and the French lavender essential oil makes it appropriate for a nighttime application!

It’s no surprise I’m all about my nighttime tea, however, thanks to the lovely people at Teagime, I’ve only recently discovered Red Clover is extremely useful against sleeping disorders. I’ve been drinking a blend of Vanilla, Red Clover, Honeybush and Milk Thistle at night that it’s working wonders (more on it soon!), but I’m also very curious to try out this Pukka Night Time Herbal Tea in the future!

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What are your tips & favourite products to help you fall asleep easily? x

Although I’m coming to love bath time more and more recently (thanks Lush for making me rediscover my bathtub!), I’ve always been a shower kind of gal: no matter how hard I try, I rarely can just lay there and relax, take time for myself without doing anything at all. It just feels a waist of time to me, and I know I shouldn’t think of it that way, but I just can’t stay there with nothing to do – am I the only one?!

Whether you feel the same way or you just don’t own a bathtub, I think we shouldn’t still give up on a bit of pampering time for ourselves. I like it to be nice and easy and especially quick, but it doesn’t mean my skin doesn’t love a bit of care, or that showers can’t allow you to have some time for yourself and switch off! Actually there are so many products I like to use in the shower instead of in the bathtub, scrubs for example always feel better in the shower to me!

After many years of searching and trying I feel like I’ve mastered the “Pampering Shower” routine like a pro now: in fact I have a four step guide for you today, including my all time favourite pampering products that make relaxing and caring for your skin fun and quick! Ready?

The 7 Minutes Facial

Most of the face masks out there require 15 or 20 minutes of your time and although I sometimes like it, most times I want my home facial to be quicker, so when I look into buying new face masks I always go for the 5mins ones. They’re great because they are usually lighter and perfect also to reinvigorate your skin in the morning if you have a dull-complexion day, like the Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask, that acts in only 5 minutes and aims to lighten and tighten the skin with Vitamin C and powerful antioxidants: it creates a nice tingling foam when applied and also has a very uplifting orange smell which is always a plus! Also the Lavera 3 in 1 Wash Scrub Mask is a quick one acting in only 3 to 5 minutes and especially great for those who have oily skin or acne.

I usually like to top it off with a quick and easy face oil massage treatment: I especially love the Superfacialist Rose Miracle Makeover Facial Oil for its delicate rose scent. I massage it into my dry skin for a couple of minutes (that’s actually the most relaxing part!) to rehydrate it and just give it some love (and if you don’t know how to massage your face just check this out!). Then I rinse it off with a cloth and warm water and I’m ready for jumping into the shower.

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That’s basically it, my pampering shower routine in 4 steps. I’m usually left feeling regenerated and completely relaxed – showers have nothing to envy to bathtubs indeed!
Are you a bath or shower kind of girl? x