A Practical Summer List for Sensitive People

☀️ You Know That I Bought It ☀️

Hi friends!

Usually, Tuesdays are for essays, but today is going to be a little different. I’m traveling, school just let out, and I decided to send a list of summer links I’ve rounded up for people like me: people who love the idea of summer but also get easily overstimulated by the heat, the disrupted routines, the travel, the togetherness, and the general sensory experience of it all.

Full disclosure: these are Amazon affiliate links. Sharing things I genuinely use is one of the ways I support my family through this work, and I only include things I’d tell you about whether or not there was a commission attached. If you buy something, I earn a small amount at no extra cost to you. If you don’t, I hope the list is still useful.

Part 2 is already coming because I have too many thoughts about summer clothing, mosquito prevention, and Father’s Day gifts to fit in one email. ☀️

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Travel

I love traveling, but it often means sleeping in weird places, dealing with discomfort, and trying to maintain some sense of order and routine. These are a few things that help me feel more settled and comfortable when I’m away from home.

Musicozy Headphones/Sleep Mask
This is great for blocking light while also letting you listen to white noise, music, a podcast, or whatever helps your brain settle down.

Clear Organizing Bags
I like these for makeup, chargers, cords, small kid games, toiletries, and all the tiny things that somehow disappear the minute we leave home. Clear bags are especially helpful because I need to be able to see what I packed.

Travel Pillow
I have not tried this one yet, but my friend Chris Anne swears by it for long car rides with children.

Sony Noise-Canceling Headphones
I love my AirPods, but these are better for flights and travel when I really need noise canceling. They also send a much clearer signal to my family that I. need. a. minute.

Oxy-Powder Pills
Travel can mess with your system, and IYKYK. My very non-medical advice is that I do not take as many as the package suggests. One is plenty for me.

Travel Toiletry Case
This is one I’m eyeing but haven’t tried, especially for shared bathrooms and trips where I need to keep all my creams and potions contained. I like the idea of having one place for everything instead of spreading my skincare across every available surface.

Beauty Finds & Favorites

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara
I am obsessed with this mascara. It gives good length and volume without feeling like too much, which is exactly what I want when the rest of my makeup is pretty minimal.

Under-Eye Brightener
Everyone loves this for a reason. It is cheap, it works, and it makes me look a little more awake than I actually am, which is one of my primary beauty goals.

Lumi Glotion
This is basically the only face makeup I wear in the summer. I mix it with moisturizer, and it gives just enough glow and evening-out without feeling like I have a layer of makeup sitting on my face.

Lip Stain
I love this lip stain, especially in a neutral shade like Whimsical instead of one of the brighter colors. It feels like a base lip color, almost like your lips but better, and it stays on all day without looking like you tried too hard.

Lash Growth Serum
I keep sharing this one because it works and does not irritate my eyes at all. I use it every night, and I really can tell a difference.

Hair Treatment
Your summer hair needs this. The liquid consistency is a little weird at first, but I put it on my hair at the end of my shower, let it sit for a minute or so, and I can tell a difference every time.

Pool Bag & Summer Fun

Small Mesh Bags
These were originally meant for shell collecting, but we keep them in our pool bag for diving toys, goggles, snacks, and all the small things that otherwise end up loose at the bottom of the bag. They are also very cute and pretty, which matters to me.

Diving Jewels and Treasure
These are great for pool games, diving practice, and giving kids something to do besides ask when we are leaving and then complain when it is time to leave.

Swim Mask Goggles
These are my daughter’s favorite goggles for swimming. They are more like a swim mask, so they give better coverage, but they are not as bulky as a full snorkel-style mask. Great for kids who hate regular goggles or are constantly adjusting them.

Waterproof Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
A waterproof version of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is easy to throw in a pool bag, good for travel, and fun for lots of ages.

Garnier Detangler
This detangler smells amazing and is so helpful for pool hair, post-swim tangles, and makes the after-pool transition less dramatic for everyone involved.

Sleeping Queens
This one is not waterproof, but it is easy, fun, and great for travel. It is another one of those games that works well for a range of ages.

Gardening & Outdoors

Watering Can
I love this watering can because the handle makes it easy to fill up and carry around. This is one of those little design details that makes a boring task feel less annoying.

Scissor Flower Clippers
These are great for cutting flowers, herbs, and little bits from the garden to bring inside. I love having a small pair of clippers nearby.

Neem Oil
Helpful for roses or other plants that are being eaten alive by bugs, which is rude and happens to me every single summer. I like having this on hand.

Herb Clippers
These cutie herb clippers were recommended to me, and I love the idea of having something small and easy for snipping herbs, flowers, or little garden bits.

Frozen Cooling Tube
This thing looks a little weird, but it helps so much if you have to be out in the heat. Great for gardening, sports, pool days, yard work, or any time summer is trying to take you out.

Garden Hose
My new hose is still holding up and has been so much easier to move around the yard. The picture of it looks a little strange, but it’s great, and it comes with the nozzle thing already attached, which I very much appreciate.

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None of these things are magic, obviously. They will not regulate your children, keep the pool bag organized forever, make Alabama less humid, or cause everyone to suddenly know where their goggles are.

But maybe there is something helpful here for you.

Happy summer, friends. ☀️

Love,

Erin