Summer Luvin’ No. 3

Photos: Dana and Me

“Wow! Look at your tan!”

“You are definitely not white (Caucasian!)”

(I am South Eastern European with a little Swiss and French).

“Where have you been? You are so tan.”

A shot of sunshine is healthy. Meaning between thirty and ninety minutes a day. The Vitamin D boosts mood and immunity. I am also letting everyone in on a known secret to boost the bronze glow. This is a trick myself and my high school classmates discovered back in the 90s after a memorable cruise to the Bahamas.

We stopped at a surf shop on Cocoa Beach. A volleyball teammate of mine grabbed a bottle of Banana Boat After Sun Lotion. A cream designed to tone her North Coast skin after taking on the tropical sun.

After sun products work. They produce a glow, deepen skin tone, and smooth skin. They do not work the same as self tanners. The scent – delicious. Introducing Sun Bum®️ Cool Down, a Premium Moisturizing After Sun Lotion (a)

“Soothing and Cooling Aloe Lotion with Rich Cocoa Butter and Jojoba Seed Oil. (To) preserve and extend Tan.”

The product introduced in 2010, which hails from Cocoa Beach (Florida’s East Coast), is:

  • Vegan
  • Gluten Free
  • Antioxidant Enriched (Vitamin E)
  • Dermatologist Tested
I reach for the Sun Bum®️ After Sun Lotion after all of my outdoor activities; including, tennis, golf and swimming. Plus, I put the product on before work in the morning.

Eight ounces is twelve dollars. Proving: we can all Live the Dream; or, at least look as though we are.

For the Lux Sunsscreen I’m using back track to my first post of Summer Luvin’. For the scents I’m layering on top of the cream hit No. 4. To see how I’m Toting all of this gear around; including in my treasured Pelican Case from Diver’s Direct, head to No. 9.

I’ll add links now later. I am sure many of you have joined in me — in blogging on the go — from one of your iPhone’s – while calling clients and giving editing directions to a man on an island – and golfing with your man trying to convince him he needs to model his new swim trunks.

Summer Luvin’ No. 4

I like giving (and receiving) gifts. Something else I like: charcuterie boards! I love different styles and textures, the ambiance they add to gatherings, shopping for the elements, decorating the board and of course eating every delicious morsel on them.

I just gave this seventeen inch marbled charcuterie board by Mud Pie as a gift (but really as a gift for me). The copper plated initial adds a swanky understated factor to the housewares find.

This weighted conversation piece comes with a hammered cheese knife to compliment the design.
I piled on gourmet berries, cheeses, chocolates and crackers.

Charcuterie is a French word and means cooked meat; mainly pork, which is why Pepperoni, Salami, and Proscuitto are the main attraction.

This one showcases simple slices of DeLallo Pepperoni that contains beef. I have put Coastal Living Magazine award-winning party plates together with smoked salmon drenched in minced olives, lemon and onion.

When the kids are around I swap the aged cheese and Brie for a dish of peanut butter and cheese strips and the occasional crustless PB&J.

For thirty-six dollars this is the cutest non-wooden snack tray I’ve seen.

I’m swigging San Pellegrino Terme these days but add on a matching marble wine stopper for twenty dollars.

Summer Luvin’ No. 5

All photos by Steven Drescher

Touted by the makers as Crisp, Radiant, and Addictive Eau De Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford’s Collection for men and women has secured my number five spot for top picks of luxury goods for Summer 2019.

“Eau De Soleil Blanc… (is) drenched with sparkling citrus. The vibrant twist on the floral amber warmth mirrors crystalline reflection of the white sun, a sensuous gleam of sky on water.”

Containing notes of Bitter Orange Peel and Moroccan Orange Blossom plus Ylang Ylang from the Comores Islands, the fifty milliliter bottle is summer in a bottle for one hundred and twenty eight dollars.

I didn’t leave with just one. Not when the Tom Ford Private Collection is one of the most prized by aficionados around the globe.

Cool, Salty, Refreshing…Costa Azzurra Acqua is an aromatic fragrance with fresh fougere and citrus facets.

Hemingway could have penciled the ambiance of the blend merging cool air and refreshing waters as one.

“The salty waves of wind and sea collide with the warmth of the sun on the body, tempering its pulsating red-blooded heat. An instant hit of exhilarating sea air mixes saltiness with the woody macchiato of the beach, a wild tangle of cypress, juniper and myrtle.”

A one hundred milliliter bottle is one hundred and eighty dollars.

Summer Luvin’ No. 6

Photos Steven Drescher

I never thought I would cross this threshold: wear makeup to the beach. Formerly, for forty-plus years strong, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and lip balm we’re the only components to my midsummer kit and kaboodle. This cosmetics conversation piece, coveted by women of every age and ethnicity, is for the cabana days, pool days, yachting and sailing adventures where the world’s lakes and oceans are the backdrop.

For Summer 2019 Anastasia Beverly Hills released the fourteen color, forty-five dollar RIVIERA Eyeshadow Palette.

The nautical stripes and embossed, gold lettering foreshadow, the shadows inside.

This lux beauty score straight out of swankey Southern California speaks to my soul. The shadows are affectionately named:

  • Yacht
  • Seychelles
  • Palmero
  • Seaside
  • Inheritance
  • Monte Carlo

Travel from the Estate to the Bahamas in shades reflective of the world’s most desirable waterfront vacation destinations. The creators urge artists, those with a wanderlust, and all color enthusiasts to:

“Set sail with 14 all-new paradise-inspired mattes and metallics, from vibrant jewel tones to bright pops of color”

Don’t mind if I do.

Summer Luvin’ No. 7

There aren’t many other pieces of gear that scream “a new season is here” (for a man or a woman) than a new pair of Nikeys.

I slid on an ultra, lightweight pair of Women’s Free TR 8 Training Shoes to take on Summer 2019.

All whites offset the heat. Toss on a ballcap or visor to block out the sun no matter the location of the workout and celebrate. Health is wealth.

Summer Luvin’ No. 8

All photos Steven Drescher

My favorite luxury body cream is Estée Lauder’s White Linen. Launched back in 1978 this floral and fresh scent is described as cool, clean & crisp.

The Fan Scallop seashell on the porcelain jar captures the essence of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The top notes contain lemon and peach. The middle: orchid and hyacinth among others. The fragrance, created by Sophia Grosjman ends with honey, Tonka bean and oakmoss.

A seven ounce jar featuring the seashell sells for fifty-five dollars. If a jar can be located. This item sold out across the board before anyone could mark Memorial Day.

The elements capture the purity of white linen dried in the sun.

Summer Luvin’ No. 9

All photos Steven Drescher

I am counting down my favorite gear for Summer 2019. Number Nine on my list is this Kate Spade Pink and White Weekender Tote.

If summer sunshine could be captured in the essence of a bag, this piece manages to make the magic happen.

I’m able to fit four large beach towels inside with one on top.

Add a Pelican Case for the phone, cash and keys; plus, a favorite koozie and boom – beach day vogue.
Idyllic in color and pattern this carryall is a fragrance freebie.

Summer Luvin’ on these Lux Goods

All photos Steven Drescher

Summer is well underway and I know we’re all either lovin’ on the summer sunshine if we reside on the North Coast, or trying to escape the tropical heat for a climate more tepid if in the South Florida region.
I’ve been out and about and as always unplugged, even forgetting, to bring one of my iPhone 7 Pluses along with me.

But, I did my homework. I shopped. I scoured Dillard’s Department store and am toting around these luxury goods to create a summer full of unparalleled products. Once I release these, I’ll release some social media photos to remind everyone exactly what Paradise is.

Here’s Number Ten. The Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Radiant UV Base containing a Broad Spectrum SPF 50.

This is the caviar of face sunscreens on the market. The Re-Nutriv brand is a brand within the Lauder brand. Introduced in 1956 the line contained (and still does) rare and precious ingredients. At the time those were Turtle and Shark Oil plus Royal Jelly. Though those aren’t any longer politically correct ingredients, here is what the product does contain and why I recommend this to anyone and everyone who needs a face sunscreen.

  • “Rock of Life” Algae. This ancient life form has survived and thrived for over three billion years. The precious fossils are found in Shark Bay Australia, South Africa’s Umbilo River and the Red Sea. The repair and protective benefits are all yours.
  • EGT. A supercharged amino acid and anti-oxidant recharges skin’s energy to build on the reserves of vitality.
  • Silketare. Comes from an incomparable sea plant only harvested a few times per year. This remarkable extract helps skin to restore its natural ability to product energy and encourages optimum cell performance.

This UV Base can be worn daily over a serum and/or moisturizer and under makeup. The soft focus optics produces a luminous look give a burst of glowing vitality.

One ounce sells for seventy-five dollars.

Non-acegenic, this is the one tube to tote all year. I always toss on a Panama Jack hat and my polarized Costa Gannetts for a day at the beach or the pool and that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call face sun protection.