At the TCF monthly book club, we were asked a question: Do we have trouble living in the moment?
And it’s been a question that has put me in a stump since. People are always telling us to live in the moment. Be present. Enjoy where you are. Stop worrying about tomorrow.
Even Drake made a whole song about it, and we spent years screaming the lyrics in the club while making questionable decisions.
But the older I get, the more I wonder if we’re actually encouraged to do the opposite. Especially when we shop.
We barely make it through July before stores start putting out pumpkins. It’s 95 degrees outside. I’m sweating through my clothes. My air conditioner is fighting for its life. And somewhere inside TJ MAxx, a pumpkin is staring at me like fall is already here.
And listen, I love a pumpkin spice latte as much as the next person who gets excited when the temperature drops below 75 degrees.
But can’t we enjoy summer while it’s actually summer?
Apparently, the every industry has decided the answer is no.
I’m already seeing fall makeup colors and muted looks creeping onto my feed. And I understand it.
Trends don’t wait for us. Brands have calendars. Editors have deadlines. Creators have to think three months ahead because by the time we’re ready for something, the internet has already moved on to something else.
But I’m not ready.
I’m still enjoying bronze, shimmery skin. I’m still reaching for the bronzer that makes me look like I spent the afternoon somewhere I absolutely did not spend the afternoon. I’m still obsessed with overly glossy lips that require their own little SPF protection plan.
Why do I have to rush toward fall when summer is still giving me something to enjoy?
Maybe living in the moment isn’t just about appreciating where you are. Sometimes it’s about refusing to let everyone else convince you that you should already be somewhere else.
So, while the pumpkins make their annual early appearance and beauty brands prepare to tell us what we’re supposed to be wearing next, I’m holding on to summer for as long as I can.
These are the six products helping me do it.
Power Sculpt® Velvet Bronzer
Sun-kissed skin is one of summer’s little souvenirs.
It’s the evidence of beach days, vacations, pool afternoons and all the other moments when you managed to spend a little more time outside than usual. Even after the suitcase is unpacked and the vacation photos are buried in your camera roll, that bronze tint feels like a keepsake you get to carry home.
For me, the Haus Labs Bronzer recreates that feeling without requiring another flight.
This talc-free, creamy powder bronzer is infused with skincare actives and gives my skin that bronze-trophy look I want when summer is starting to slip away. It blends, blurs and lasts up to 12 hours, making it easy to bring that vacation-skin feeling into my everyday routine.
Because maybe I’m not ready to let summer go just yet.
Pro Touch Glow & Bronze Powder
Some summer outfits deserve to see the light of day one more time.
I’m talking about the tops that show a little back, the dresses that leave your shoulders exposed and anything else that makes you think, “Well, I can’t wear this once fall gets here.”
That’s where the KISS New York Pro Touch Glow & Bronze Powder in Deep comes in.
I love sweeping it across my body with a kabuki brush, especially when I’m determined to get a little more mileage out of my favorite summer clothes. The mega-size pearl bronzer is made for both face and body, with an intense shimmer that catches the light as you move.
I learned just how much of a difference it could make on a night out with the girls for a birthday celebration. I dusted it across my shoulders, chest and back, and by the time we made it under the club lights at Rock Steady, my friends were asking for a swipe of their own.
And just like that, we were glowing, laughing and stretching one more summer night out of the calendar.
Maybe that’s what I love about body glow. It’s not just makeup.
It’s an excuse to keep the night going.
Color Fuse Glassy Blush Balm Stick
There’s something about flushed cheeks in the summer that makes me feel like I’ve actually been outside enjoying it. Maybe it’s because the color reminds me of long afternoons in the sun, when your skin naturally starts taking on that warm, rosy look.
That’s the feeling I get from this multi-use lip and cheek balm. I use it on my cheeks to build that glassy wash of color that makes my skin look freshly kissed by the summer heat.
I like a little more color when I’m trying to hold onto summer because it gives me that “I’ve been outside all day” feeling, even when I haven’t.
At this point, I’m basically collecting evidence that summer isn’t over yet.
Jergens Sweet Citrus Triple Butter Blend Lotion
Some scents can take you somewhere before you even realize you’ve left the room.
For me, Jergens Sweet Citrus Triple Butter Blend Lotion smells like a fresh glass of lemonade by the pool. There’s something about the citrusy scent that immediately makes me think of hot afternoons when the only real plan was to find a chair, get in the water and stay there until somebody told you it was time to go home.
I love rubbing this lotion into my skin after a shower because the scent lingers just long enough to make an ordinary day feel a little more like summer.
The formula combines shea, cocoa and mango butters to moisturize and soften dry skin, while essential oils give it that citrus scent that keeps pulling me back.
Maybe that’s why I like summer beauty products so much. They don’t just change how you look. Sometimes they bring back a place, a feeling or a version of yourself you weren’t ready to leave behind.
Brown Sugar Babe Juicy Peach
Chick-fil-A bringing back its Peach Milkshake is one of my unofficial signs that summer has arrived. There’s something about seeing that little peach on the menu that makes the season feel official. The shake is only around for a limited time, so when it comes back, you know summer has clocked in.
Then one day, I was driving past a farmers market and spotted a handmade sign advertising peach products. I got so excited.
Peaches have become one of those little reminders that summer is actually happening. Peach lemonade. Peach milkshakes. Peach-flavored everything. Once they start showing up, I know we’re somewhere in the thick of it.
That’s probably why Brown Sugar Babe Juicy Peach is one of my favorite summer scents. It smells like a ripe, juicy peach without being too heavy, which makes it one of my go-to scents for summer events.
It’s also the scent I love layering over my Jergens Sweet Citrus lotion. The citrus underneath the sweet peach makes me smell like summer decided to turn itself into a perfume.
Some scents don’t just smell good. They tell you what season you’re in.
For me, Juicy Peach smells like the part of summer when the days are long, the drinks are cold and there’s still plenty of time left before anyone starts talking about fall.
Vaseline Cocoa Shimmer Jelly Stick
With Vaseline, shimmery skin is the highlight of summer… no pun intended.
The Vaseline Cocoa Shimmer Jelly Stick helps me bring that glow all over at those last-minute summer events. I swipe it across my shoulders, arms and anywhere else the sun might catch me, because if summer is going to give me a few more sunny days, I’m going to take advantage of every single one.
There’s something about shimmery skin that makes even a regular summer outfit feel like it deserves somewhere to go. Summer may be winding down, but my skin hasn’t gotten the memo.
Let Me Have My Summer
Maybe I was thinking about the question all wrong.
Living in the moment doesn’t necessarily mean ignoring what’s coming next. Maybe it means allowing yourself to notice where you are before rushing toward the next thing.
So while everyone else is preparing for pumpkin spice, muted makeup and fall wardrobes, I’m going to keep wearing my bronzer, smelling like peaches and finding excuses to wear the tops that show my back.
Fall can wait.
Summer still has a little more to give me.
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