Ah summer, my absolute favorite season of the year. Long gone are the days of heavy sweaters and jackets, now it’s time for pretty toes and flip-flops. If you’re a summer lover like me you’d probably be found on a pretty beach or lounging by the pool. Those are my usual summer pastimes. But in order to enjoy summer fully, you need a few top summer essentials. Well, I’ve got you covered girl!!! Check out some of my ultimate items you need to get right now.

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Top Summer Essentials You Really Need To Get Right Now!

Top Summer Essentials – Sunscreen

I don’t have to tell you how important it is to protect you skin from the sun especially in the blistering hot summer days. It’s imperative that your skin stays guarded against harmful UVA and UVB rays. Both of these can lead to not only severe burns but an increased risk of skin cancer. That’s not something you should take lightly. It’s also important that while you protect your skin from the sun you also avoid any unnecessary chemicals.

I have to admit I’m not a fan of chemical sunscreens. There’s a slew of chemical ingredients that are doing more harm to your skin than good in those products. And many of them can also lead to hormonal imbalances and even increase your risk of skin cancer. Who needs all of that. So my advice is to stick so all natural sunscreens that use Zinc Oxide as the main ingredient. You also need to look at the list of the other ingredients on the bottle. Chemical ingredients you should definitely avoid are: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate. You can read a full assessment of all of these ingredients and why it’s a good idea to avoid them here.

My Favorite Natural Sunscreen

Green Beaver Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40

This natural mineral sunscreen is certified organic and formulated for all skin types. This is why it’s on my list of top summer essentials. It’s also hypoallergenic and non-greasy. This means that it won’t clog your pores and won’t give you that sticky feeling all day. That’s a huge bonus for me. It’s also non-whitening so you can feel comfortable wearing it all day. The active ingredients in this sunscreen are: Zinc Oxide 8% and non-nano Titanium Dioxide 8%. It’s also free from: UV chemical sunscreen filters such as avobenzone and oxybenzone, dimethicone, artificial fragrances, phtalates and parabens.

And it’s water & sweat resistant for up to 40 minutes so you can sweat and swim freely. You also can feel good about protecting the environment as this product is biodegradable. So if you’re looking for a broad spectrum, all natural sunscreen that’s good for you this is the one I highly recommend.

Top Summer Essentials – SPF lip balm

Just as with the rest of your skin, your lips need sun protection as well. There are many great lip balms with built-in SPF on the market but I’m sharing my favorite one with you today.

My Favorite Natural SPF Lip Balm

Goddess Garden Organics SPF 30 Lip Balm – Orange Vanilla Flavor

What I love about this natural SPF lip balm is that it’s certified organic, beeswax-free and vegan. So it’s good for you and good for the environment and animal friendly. It offers high content of SPF all with natural minerals. In fact it’s a blend of oils, butters and plant-based waxes that nourish and protect the skin. It does all that without petroleum products or beeswax. It comes in a silky smooth formula that rubs on sheer and moisturizes your lips. My favorite flavor is orange vanilla with its subtle and summery treat flavor. With this lip balm your lips not only stay moisturized all day but also protected against harmful UV rays.

 

Top Summer Essentials – Facial Cleanser

Summer can wreck havoc on your skin. Between all the sun exposure and all the sunblock, you need a great product to cleanse your face. That’s why I’m really loving Graydon Skincare’s Face Foam cleanser. It’s really gentle on your skin but also removes all the dirt and grime from daily exposure to sun, heat, pollution and other factors. I’m already a fan of Graydon and I’ve included this plant based skincare brand in the list of my favorite Canadian all natural skincare companies. So if you want to read about some of their other products don’t miss this article.

 

Face Foam Facial Cleanser

Face Foam is a product I recently started using to try to combat that pesky summer acne. I wash my face with it morning and night and I’m happy with the results I’m seeing so far. The bamboo and willow extracts in this product are formulated to balance, tone and soothe your skin without drying out your complexion. You can also use it as an eye-makeup remover and it’s safe to use it around the eye area.

Top Summer Essentials – Sun hat

Staying away from the sun can be hard during summer. Even when you walk around you need to ensure you use sunblock. But did you know your scalp is also at risk of sunburn? So in order to ensure you protect your scalp why not invest in a cute summer hat. This will also help keep your mane looking great all summer long. I found this super cute hat at Aldo that is really flattering for all sizes. My head is pretty small so I usually have a hard time finding hats that fit well. But this hat seems to work well. And I really love this pattern. It’s definitely different and makes you stand out. This is also a great transition piece into the fall or spring. So I think this hat is really versatile.

Top Summer Essentials – Sunglasses

Now that you’ve got your skin and hair taken care of, your eyes are next on the list. Harmful UVA/UVB rays can penetrate through and damage your eyesight. So that’s where sunglasses play a huge part. Whether you opt for a pretty pair of sunnies or you’re more into those funky looking ones it’s up to you. This top summer essentials list wouldn’t be complete without listing some of my favorite sunnies on the market today.

My Favorite Sunnies Of The Season

Get Some Great Choices Here

 

Top Summer Essentials – Swimsuit

No summer would be complete without that gorgeous swimsuit. Am I right, ladies? But let’s be honest here, swimsuit shopping can be a painful experience for many of us. So the key here is to pick a swimsuit that is right for your body type. Before you even start searching make sure you check your body measurements. This will come in handy especially when you’re shopping for swimwear online. Once you have those measurements in tow, go over the sizing charts carefully. I’ve been pretty lucky whenever I’ve bought swimsuits online that they have all fit beautifully. But to be safe read up on exchange and return policies of all the online retailers you’re considering shopping with.

Here Are My Picks For Hottest Swimwear Of 2018

Becca Show & Tell One Piece – $118 USD

Other Awesome Choices

Top Summer Essentials – Evian Water Spray

Sweating your butt off is not my favorite part of the summer. Is it yours? I didn’t think so. One of my favorite ways to stay cool in the summer is to use my awesome Evian water spray. This is a genius product that I never go to the beach without. It’s especially helpful after swimming in the salty ocean or that chlorinated pool water. I love to spray my face with it to give it that instant refresher. It also helps me to get rid of that pesky salt water or that chlorine from the pool. And it also helps to cool you off. This list of top summer essentials wouldn’t be complete without this handy product.

Top Summer Essentials – Shampoo/Conditioner

After all that sweating and swimming, your hair can take a beating. That’s why you need a good shampoo and conditioner to scrub away the grime. As I’ve said before I’m all about natural beauty so I’ve opted for a great natural shampoo/conditioner line for the job.

My Favorite Shampoo/Conditioner

Carina Organics Extra Gentle Unscented Shampoo

It took me some time to find a great all-natural shampoo and conditioner to add to my normal routine. I was very happy when I found Carina Organics Extra Gentle Shampoo that’s unscented. It’s a very gentle and daily moisturizing shampoo made with certified organic plant, vegetable, flower, and tree extracts. This formula has been prepared specially for color-treated, permed, bleached, hi-lighted, and dry hair. You can rest assured that it will cleanse your hair without stripping away color. It will also replenish your scalp with essential and moisturizing nutrients. Some of its features are:

• Synthetic Free
• Hypoallergenic
• Cruelty-Free
• Vegan
• 100% Biodegradable (safe in rivers, lakes, and oceans)
• Paraben-Free
• Soy Free
• Gluten-Free
• Dye-Free

Carina Organics Deep Treatment Conditioner – Citrus

This conditioner has fantastic properties that will repair dry, chemically treated and damaged hair. It also helps to restore luster, adds softness, flexibility and makes your hair shine. When used in combination with the shampoo it will detangle your hair instantly. It has a light citrus scent that is subtle and pleasant.

Top Summer Essentials – Lip Scrub

Who wants kissable lips all summer? I do, I do!!! There’s nothing more annoying than chapped and flaky lips. But you can easily avoid this by using a gentle lip scrub about once a week to exfoliate and moisturize your lips. Amore Lee Cosmetics berrylicious lip scrub does just that. I already talked about this brand in another article where I highlighted all my favorite products. So if you want to see more of their line make sure you check it out here. So I wouldn’t be able to omit this great lip scrub from the list of top summer essentials.

Special Offer!!!

And the good news is Amore Lee Cosmetics is offering my readers 15% off your purchase with the promo code: SAVVYDREAMER15 so make sure you take advantage of this offer today.

Top Summer Essentials – Nail Polish

Summer is the perfect time to show off those pretty polished toesies. I’m not a fan of socks so I wait, patiently, all year when I can run around in sandals and flip-flops. But did you know there are pretty bad ingredients in commercial nail polishes? Things like formaldehyde, which by the way is actually embalming fluid. You know the stuff that preserves dead people before they’re buried. Yikes!!! Not something I really want to have on my nails. So I’ve looked around and tried a number of natural nail polishes and put them to the test of endurance. Below is the product that won me over because it’s actually long-lasting and comes in a beautiful array of colors.

My Top Pick For Natural Nail Polish

Mineral Fusion Nail Polish

I’m so happy I stumbled upon this nail polish line at my local health food store. This line impressed me because it’s vegan and cruelty-free. But most importantly it’s free of many nasty chemicals like: formaldehyde, toulene, camphor, dibutyl phthalate, and parabens. It’s also hypoallergenic, gluten-free, talc-free, fragrance-free and free of any artificial colors. So you can feel good about applying this product to your nails for those pretty summer toesies. My favorite colors are: Lagoon, Pebble and their topcoat.

Top Summer Essentials – Summer Bag

One of my absolute favorite top summer essentials is that ‘it’ summer bag. This summer I’ve seen so many great bags. They range from awesome beach bags to embellished beauties to funky fruit-inspired bags. It’s no surprise that a great bag can really add something special to any outfit. It’s also a fantastic way to add your unique personality and show off your style.

Giveaway!!!

This season I found a really fun bag at Aldo that I think is so unique and different that I just had to have it. It goes with the theme of fruit-inspired bags and it resembles a watermelon. I think it’s just delicious and it’s now on sale for only $30 CAD. But because it’s my birthday this week I thought it would be fabulous to give one of these bags away to one of my lucky Instagram followers. So if you want to win this bag head over to my Instagram page to enter! The giveaway is open to Canadian and U.S. residents and it ends on Sunday, August 19/18. Good luck everybody!!!

So here it is, my list of top summer essentials you really should try out today. What do you think? Are you loving these? Have you tried any of these? What are your favorite top summer essentials? Share with me in the comments below.

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