Summer rituals

Dear reader,

My vacation has started, but I'm still in the early stages of it, when work still grapples my mind and I lie awake with anxiety for all the things that are waiting for me at the other end. It will take some time to let go, and in the meantime, I self-medicate in the only way I know how-keeping my hands busy by reading, sewing, painting and drawing.

Slowly, slowly, I’ll get there too.

There is something about summer that invites a gentler approach to beauty. As the days stretch out and slow down, so does my routine. Come vacation, I pare it all back: a faithful SPF, the occasional face mask, and a gentle cleanser that doesn’t demand too much thinking.

I’ve long loved Nuxe’s Crème Fraîche, but only recently discovered their clever 3-in-1 product—cleanser, mask, and moisturiser in one. A small joy for the tiny bathroom shelf in our summer house. And in Florence, I picked up a face mask from Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. It smells exactly like how I imagine a chic Italian nonna.

I spend most of my reading hours on our balcony. There’s something delightfully summery about gaining a whole new room, just for a season. The light, the breeze, the occasional distant hum of a lawnmower. It’s just me, my stack of books, and the inevitable aphids throwing their own little garden party on my plants. We coexist—for now.