Seasonal Heroes

The summer MVPs I savoured to the last drop.

Trigger warning: I’m (really) OK with summer’s end. As a Virgo, I relish in my sun’s season, and welcome the onslaught of everything pumpkin. Fall gets a bad rap as winter’s pre-cursor, but I delight in its cool crispness: Temperature, apples, earthy fragrances, breezes, re-watching Gilmore Girls, leaves that crunch more satisfyingly than Doritos under buttery leather boots. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t celebrate the products that helped me thrive in the summer of ’25. These finds were so good that I’ll be incorporating most of them into the next season (and any beach holidays that are on the horizon).

Tevas Voya Infinity Sandal

With The Row influencing so much of what we wear right now (my carts are brimming with dupes), I immediately ordered the minimalist Teva sandals spotted on Mary-Kate Olsen (thanks to Who What Wear). They’re ultra cushy and lightweight, and while the straps require daily adjusting (I do have wider feet), that fuss is worth their title: they’re 15,000-step-worthy. I love contrasting their gorpcore vibes against a feminine dress, or with a linen set, as seen above. For the price of two Toronto salads (IYKYK), they are absolutely worth it. Wear them through fall with a matching chocolate brown sweat suit or dark jeans and a boxy blazer.

Left on Fridays Pool Days Top

I purchased this top mid-winter and wore it for the first time in Florida in February, and to nearly every pool or lake dip this summer. The shape held form, the straps never slipped, and the seemingly invisible construction was incredible: It minimizes without compressing and provides a gentle hug of support. The brand recommends wearing to exercise, and while I haven’t tried it yet, I can see it performing well. Often I threw it on in the morning and wore it continually throughout the day like a bra, and it never created indentations or discomfort like some swim tops are wont to do. The brand recently had another sale so I purchased it in Hot (a punchy pink), to pair with the Palm, (a deep green) colour I already own.

IPL & The Best Sunscreen
I did my first few rounds of IPL this summer, at MD Beauty Clinic in Yorkville, Toronto. I truly wanted to re-book sessions to have more time with Marine, a knowledgeable skincare pro whose voice alone can lower your cortisol levels, and was so invested in blasting my dark spots off. I have pretty low pain tolerance, but I didn’t mind the treatment at all. It’s akin to rubber bands snapping against your face, but once the tool stops firing, the smarting ends. In any case, whatever pain I temporarily felt was forgotten as quickly as my broken blood vessels were vanquished. I didn’t notice how dark and webbed mine were until they were gone - that red halo around my nose was something I was accustomed to to dotting concealer around every morning. Under Marine’s trusted calm, I would graduate to an ablative laser next. With IPL you have to be hyper vigilant with sunscreen, and you’re probably not surprised, that relied on the Ultra Violette Supreme Screen for daily touchups. Recently, a bunch of my close beauty editor friends went through the entire category of Ultra Violette Suncreens, each of us waxing poetic about one or the other (the fave fluid came up OFTEN). In general, the Australian brand engineers sunscreens you’ll enjoy wearing, and the impressive range of formulas is untouchable (my kids love this one; it’s always in my beach bag).

Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Serum 4.0

I still remember the first time I tried the original version of this super serum from Shisedo back in the days of splashy New York beauty editor junkets, Valencia filters, green jackets and bib necklaces. And I feel the same way about V4 that I did the original: With one pass your skin feels immediately brighter, even toned, hydrated and softened; a bit like IG’s Paris filter. Whatever skincare you layer over it won’t pill, and it plays nicely with my current skincare go-tos (in my acid era). It benefits any age range and is teeming with collagen-enhancing ingredients. If you have dry skin especially, think of this like the white t-shirt in your skincare wardrobe.

ine+ nutrition super greens in juicy peach

As far as powdered greens go, this one is the best I’ve tried. It’s so delicious that I mix it up whenever I’m craving a refreshing drink, as opposed to a chore in the morning. Sometimes I feel extra parched after dinner and want a little something sweet, and this delivers on both asks.

Hyperfixations….

Listening to: You are the One You’ve Been Waiting For by Richard C. Schwartz, Maren Morris, Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber’s new albums (pop girlie 4evz).

Reading: Just finished Ali Hazelwood’s Problematic Summer Romance, with Emily Henry’s newest on deck.

In my shopping carts: Chunky mohair knits and brown leather boots in a Khaite shape.

In my beauty closet: Cream retinols, barrier creams and cool brunette glosses and glazes.

In my fridge: Arte salads and egglife wraps, in the everything bagel flavour. Adding pumpkin spice seasoning to my overnight oats for autumnal flare.

If you made it this far, you deserve a pumpkin spice latte on me! If we don’t connect IRL, can you do me a favour and forward this to a friend? If you haven’t already, please subscribe (for free). Button below, xoxo!