My Summer Essentials

I like to consider myself an organized person and yet more often than not, I find myself leaving the house without something that I intended on bringing. This is especially relevant now that summer is officially here and it is no longer socially acceptable to curl up on the sofa with a movie and blankets. I, for one, am excited to be going on holiday next week with my family to Portugal and hopefully visiting some more places in Europe over the next few months, mainly Dublin, Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

This post is in collaboration with Fiona, a lifestyle blogger, and is a list of 10 items that I consider my summer essentials – 10 items that you should remember to pack in your bag before you go out. Check out Fiona’s post here or keep reading for my summer essentials.

Sun Cream

I am currently writing this post with sunburnt shoulders and arms because I forgot about how easily I burn, even in the English sun, so this is a prime example of when I should take my own advice. Regardless of whether you burn easily or not, it is important to not only carry but also wear sun cream during the summer months. Studies have found that wearing sun cream decreases the development of skin cancer, helps to prevent skin discolorations, helps to reduce facial red veins and blotchiness and slows down the development of wrinkled, premature ageing face.

Sun Glasses

Similarly to the last point, it is just as important to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays. It has been found that these rays can cause damage to your eye including cataracts, retinal damage and astigmatism.

Re-Useable Water Bottle

There are many health benefits associated with drinking increased volumes of water and as you sweat more in the summer months, this means that you must drink even more water to replace the water lost. We are all aware of the environmental damage that plastic bottles can cause so it is a good idea to carry a re-useable water bottle. Most places will happily fill this up for free for you. I would recommend a Chilly’s water bottle since it keeps your water cold for 24 hours but any re-useable water bottle will work.

Hair Ties

If you have long hair like me, then a hair tie is an essential in the summer-time. It helps to cool you down by preventing air from being trapped underneath your hair and heating your neck.

Camera

Since it is warmer and lighter outside for longer, this means that there is more opportunity to hang out with friends and visit new places. Perhaps it is just the photography-lover in me but I love to capture moments with my friends and make it a priority to carry my phone everywhere so I do not miss a moment.

Make-Up Removal Wipes

Despite seemingly waterproof mascara, smudge-proof lipstick and that Urban Decay Setting Spray, there is normally at least one part of my make-up that smudges in the heat and therefore I try to carry make-up wipes everywhere, just in case I need to clean up my make-up a bit before an important meeting or dinner with friends.

Deodorant

I know that deodorant is meant to last 24 hours-48 hours but I like to carry it with me and apply it when I feel especially sweaty, normally after running for the bus or before an important meeting. It is easy to just slip into the bathroom or changing room and apply some.

Perfume

The sweaty smell might work for some people but I personally am not a fan so I try to carry perfume samples with me for when I need a touch-up, namely after running for the bus or before an important meeting.

Re-useable Straw

I, for one, love an iced coffee in the summer and whilst some places are on-board with switching their plastic straws for paper ones, others places are not and so I like to carry my re-useable straw with me. I have found that the paper ones often get too soggy to use after a while so having a re-useable straw saves me having to use 2-3 paper straws to consume one drink.

Foundation with SPF

I do not use foundation on a daily basis in the summer as I hate how heavy it feels on my skin but when I do, I do not want to apply both foundation and sun cream. Therefore I use a foundation that already has SPF in it and it also means that if you do forget your sun cream, at least your face is protected!

What are your plans for this summer?

Photo by Link Hoang on Unsplash