Summer heat is a closet editor. It sorts itself out for you, and what survives is always the same: a bag that won’t flop, a hat that actually blocks the sun, and a handful of beauty products that don’t turn to liquid by 2pm. This year has been especially hot and humid, and my skin has felt every degree of it. So here’s the honest list of what I’ve genuinely kept reaching for — the workhorses and the two or three splurges that have earned their place.
The bag that does everything
I’ve had my Loewe Anagram basket for three years now, and it has outlived the mixed reviews I read about it before buying. Mine was a seasonal color; the classic beige with the black or brown logo is still the one I’d buy again. It’s the kind of bag where cost-per-wear does the math for you — three years in and it still holds its shape like day one.
Budget swap: the Eric Javits Squishee tote is the version that doesn’t make you hesitate. It’s beautifully made, keeps its structure, and I’ve kept mine a very long time. I have it in two colors, and honestly? If you’re not ready for the designer basket, this is the one to buy first.
Same goes for the Eric Javits hats. I take one to the pool or beach every single summer because they offer the best sun protection of anything I’ve tried. The Hamptons style is my favorite, but their bucket hats are great too — and the brand runs proper sales when you shop direct on their site, which is how I always get them.
The sunglasses I stop getting asked about
I have a bit of a sunglass habit. But since finding the Chanel Rectangle pair, I’ve barely splurged on anything else. I own them in tortoise and black — they go with literally everything, and they’re the pair I get stopped over in the street. That’s the whole cost-per-wear test: if a thing earns compliments for years, it paid for itself.
The one gadget that earns its slot in the tote
The Dyson HushJet portable fan was an impulse buy this spring, and it’s the one I don’t regret. It fits in my tote with room to spare, and it was a genuine lifesaver at Miami Swim Week when the heat turned into a wall. Small thing. Big difference.
Sunscreen: what actually wears well with makeup
Finding a sunscreen that sits under makeup, stays put, doesn’t slide into your eyes, and still has a real SPF is harder than it should be. Many of you ask for mineral options, but I still prefer chemical formulas for wear — here’s where I land.
For the face, my current lineup is the La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVAir Serum Sunscreen SPF50, Tatcha The Milky Sunscreen SPF 50+, Prequel Solar Shade SPF 46, Chanel UV Essentiel, and the new Christian Dior Le Fluide Invisible SPF 50. All of them sit well under my foundation, and all of them have held up in the heat.
For the body, Shiseido wins without discussion. The Ultimate Sun Protector has been my go-to for years — the long-wear, sweat- and water-resistant formula is the reason. I also tried the mineral version, and the staying power is incredible, though it does take effort to remove at the end of the day.
One more for the body: the Kopari Sunglaze Sheer Body Mist. It’s not an aerosol, so you can actually see where it’s going on your skin, and it lasts in the water. The shimmer is there but not glittery, and it dries down without the greasy film most sprays leave behind.
The body oil I’m glad I went back to
The heat has left my skin feeling exceptionally dry, which is when I rediscovered the L’Occitane Almond Body Oil — and remembered exactly why I loved it in the first place. It’s the same formula as the original, just in a prettier bottle. The Almond Shower Oil is the other one I reach for; it feels genuinely luxurious and it’s the kind of thing that will be in the Almond gift set during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starting next week, if you’d rather buy it as a set.
Makeup that survives the humidity
The foundation I keep coming back to is the YSL Skin Affair Soft Glow Cushion Foundation — I’m wearing 7.5N. It blends in seconds, the coverage is exactly where you want it, and it lasts all day without turning into anything. It looks like skin, only better.
For the glow layer, the Sarah Creal Today’s Highlights Cream highlighters are my current favorites — dewy without the sticky feel most baume sticks have, and they read completely natural on camera and in person. Charlotte Tilbury’s Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint is still on rotation in Shade 7.5; I layer or mix it under other foundations for a softer glow. The Armani Fluid Sheers are the classic I alternate between in Shades 10 and 11, and the Rhode Highlight Milks earn a mention for that thin, weightless fluid texture.
Cream bronzers are where this year actually changed my mind — I’ve been a powder bronzer person my whole life, and now I have a three-way tie: the Rhode Pocket Bronze is the most creamy and the easiest to blend; the Westman Atelier Soleil Parfait duos have the best neutral and cool mixes; and the Dior Forever Skin Bronze Stick is the best satin formula of the three and the one that lasts longest on me.
The summer red I can’t stop wearing
For my toes, my go-to pedicure shade has been Hermès Orange Poppy for years — but last Christmas, we booked a staycation at The Standard Spa in Miami Beach, and I brought my own colors for the pedicure. At the last minute I made my husband pick for me, and he went with the Essie Geranium. I ordered a bottle the moment we got home, and it has been on my toes almost non-stop since. It’s the perfect bold summer red, full stop.
Lips: one pink, two neutrals
On the pink side, the Chanel Rouge Coco Baume Shine in Sparkling Pink sold out almost as soon as I shared it — if the Dior Addict Lip Glow Butter in Pink is anywhere near you, it gives a similar effect. And if you’re not into shimmer, the YSL Candy Glaze in Bubblegum Pink is my favorite of the new glosses. At heart I’m still a neutral-lip person, and the two I keep repurchasing are the Chanel Rouge Coco Baume in Honey Bliss and the Chanel Rouge Coco Hydra Gloss in 443 Impertinente.
Two hair products that actually work
My hair tangles badly at the ends these days, and the Oribe Detangling Spray is still the best detangler I’ve tried — a genuine lifesaver for that. For flyaways, the Oribe Supershine Smoothing Wax Stick is what I reach for. It’s similar to the R+Co Dart Stick, but I keep going back to the Oribe for the extra shine. Neither stick feels greasy, but be honest with yourself: if you’ve been sweating, you’re washing your hair that evening. No stick fixes that.
The two scents I’ve been asked about all summer
I discovered Memo Paris through a couple of friends I met earlier this year, and their newest launch, Menorca, is the best citrusy bergamot I’ve worn all summer — bergamot, a salty note, neroli, ginger, lemon, and sandalwood. It smells like the coast without trying to be a postcard.
The other one is Creed Wild Vetiver, and it’s probably my favorite scent of the year. It’s potent and very different from the original Vetiver, which reads cleaner, fresher, and more masculine to me — the Wild Vetiver is the bolder, feminine read: vetiver, bergamot, timur berry, rose, geranium, blackcurrant, cedarwood, and amberwood. It’s the one strangers stop me to ask about. If you’re already a Creed person, they also launched a sea-green refillable atomizer with it that I genuinely like (though you can fill it with anything).
And a quick nod to two that aren’t new but still are summer in a bottle: Kilian’s Sunkissed Goddess and Creed Virgin Island Water.
This is a long list, and I know it. But that’s the point of a summer roundup — one place to find everything that actually survived the heat, so you can decide what belongs in your own bag. Tell me what you’re loving this summer in the comments. Wear it well — Elise