How I get through summer – StyleScoop

Hells bells gal’s, it’s gonna be another scorcher this summer. And if you’re like me (that is ageing gracefully haha), you’re probably freaking out about trying to beat the heat as we get into the thick of it, and I hear you. Man, oh man do I hear you? I spent the first half of Summer 23′ lying on my bed with the air-con on full blast. It was the only way I could survive, so naturally I’m dreading the summer of ’24 as it already feels too hot even though we are still technically in spring!

Having spent the better half of last summer in a plume of air-con gas, unable to function, I went on a mission to find other ways to survive the heat and I picked up some nifty tricks along the way that I’m taking with me into summer 2024. Armed and ready, so bring on the heat!

1. Swimwear with Sleeves

I had no idea how awesome swimwear with sleeves was until I bought one last summer from Roxy (on a whim) and now, I only want swimsuits with sleeves. I’m not big on tanning and most of the time I avoid even getting into the pool because I don’t want to burn my arms or deal with hideous uneven tan lines. Having a swimsuit with sleeves is such a game changer because I can swim in the heat and cool off (like a normal person), and not feel uncomfortable or burn my arms.

Having discovered swimwear with sleeves, I am now converted and so I bought myself another one for this summer.

I discovered the brand Iconix on Takealot and decided to try them out. I was a bit freaked out about not being able to try an unknown brand of swimwear on before hand, and a little put off that Takealot doesn’t accept exchanges on swimwear (even though I do get it), so I took a chance and ordered the size that best suited my measurements. It was R499, so not a massive dent to the pocket if it didn’t fit.

Now, I’m kind of obsessed and want more swimsuits from this brand. For the price, Iconix seem like a really good quality brand. I’ve yet to test my swimsuit out in the water, so I can’t vouch for how it holds up in the long term, but my first impressions are that I’m quite impressed.

The style I went for was the Pretty Petals Long Sleeve swimsuit with a zip. I love the floral pattern design and the black panels on the side are very flattering and slimming. It also has booby padding for the girls and an extra layer of lining in the front to make you feel less erm exposed. I also really like the cut of this swimsuit, especially on the leg. There’s more room to cover the rear and the cut on the leg isn’t so high that the swimsuit ends up slicing your cheeks in half.

Like I said, I had a Roxy one last season and it was okay. I just felt the torso was a bit short and the zip strangled me to get it on and off, but the Iconix one is great.

The Maaji swimwear brand (sold by Colorbox) used to sell full piece, reversible swimsuits with sleeves, but I don’t see any on their website this season. Better still, because I don’t know if I’m quite ready to spend R5k on a swimsuit – even if it is reversible and you get two options. But I still really liked them so maybe if they have them this season, and I find one I love, maybe, just maybe I shall splurge!

2. Thermal water spray for your face

These little guys from French skincare brand, Avene are life savers! Yes, they are pricey at R100 for a small 50ml bottle/can (OF WATER), but when the heat gets really intense, trust me, R100 is nothing considering you’d pay thousands in that moment just to get some relief from the heat!

Earlier this year at the Retro concert at Times Square, boy oh boy was it hot! We were having so much fun, singing and dancing, and I used up a whole can of Avene in that one night. Needless to say, everyone “came in for a spray” whenever they saw me reaching for my bag and it really helped offer instant relief.

One spray and you’re instantly cool-ed!

I keep these little treasures everywhere. They fit neatly into my small bag and I have one in my car and another in my equestrian bag. If you’re a big bag hoarder, you can opt of the larger size of Avene Thermale, but for me the little ones are perfect-o! I do however, keep the big, 150ml can next to my bed and should probably get one for my desk too. And my kitchen! Yes, I need one for when I’m cooking in the heat.

3. Misters for your patio

You know those awesome summer restaurants where you sit alfresco under the stars (or a pergola in the day) and enjoy a super indulgent mist from some magical place up above? You know what I’m talking about right? So why not bring the glorious mist to your own home?

We installed some misters on our patio and they are absolute game changers. I don’t know why it took us this long to get them, but I am so glad we have them for this upcoming summer. It took my hubby a couple of hours to set up two sets (of 7m kits) and now we get to enjoy a cooling mist at the plug-in-of-the-hose-pipe.

Now before you rush out and buy the first mister you see. You get good ones, and you get really kak ones too and I got both! HAHA. I won’t share the kak ones, but rather if you want a good quality set, that you can also build on, be sure to check out the Mobi Mist Kit from Lumeno. You can get it on their website or from Takealot if you prefer. From the supplier direct, you can also purchase add ons to make your kit bigger and more customisable.

DIY Tip: When you install a mister, run the plastic piping along a thin thread of flexi wire and secure it with cable ties. This will look much neater and not look like an afterthought. Also those tie things you get in the DIY kit look pretty gross if you ask me. If you look at those misting systems in the awesome restaurants, you’ll see that they’ve installed them really neatly, most of the time along a thin piece of wire.

4. An unobtrusive hand held fan

Remember when we used to think old ladies were, well, old when they fanned themselves with those elegant paper fans? Well, last year I was one of them. I walked around with my mom’s paper fan, fanning myself without a care in the world until I noticed the side eyes from the “kids”. It made me feel like a Golden Girl.

I figured I’m a modern old bag, so I might as well own it. And so I upgraded to a very nifty, electronic handheld fan, that is modern and tech savvy, and even the kids like it. It’s from the brand JISULIFE on Takealot and this little guy is my best friend. I take him everywhere with me; to dinner, to concerts, to weddings, to the mall, everywhere and I can’t tell you how hard this little gem has worked to keep me cool without sticking out like a sore thumb.

It has two speed settings and two ways to hold it. It unfolds so you can hold it like a stick in front of your face, or fold it back and let it rest on a surface so you can be hands free. It even has a torch – but I’ve only used it once. Still, a cool thing to have – I guess.

I’m already on my third one, having lost my first two. It comes in three colours; white, pink and brown. My first two were brown and my current one is pink. The brown IMO was the best colour and didn’t look so obvious. The pink is a little more noticeable, but not too bad. I really wanted another brown, but Takealot didn’t have stock at the time, and I am also secretly hoping that I find my brown ones.

Wear Biker Shorts under your dress

This seems obvious, but really, so many women don’t know and I only figured it out last year myself, because I was desperate. There is nothing like wearing a cute summer dress in summer, but on those really hot days, it gets real annoying when your hot and clammy thighs rub together. This has nothing to do with weight and size. The clammy thigh stick happens to all women, and we don’t need to live with it.

Biker shorts! Biker shorts! Biker Shorts! The best ones I bought were from H&M and they were like stockings. Super comfy and easy to wear, and I liked that they didn’t have all tummy tucking stuff which I find just adds more bulk. They fitted just like stockings, but shorts! I’ve tried to find these again and have not been successful, but I am hoping that it’s just a delay and that they bring them back again.

Wear a big ass hat

If the sun is beating down on you, a hat is your best friend. I’m a hat girl through and through, but sometimes when the sun is really intense, my Panama hat and straw hats feel too hot. My favourite is the Lake Visor by Hannah Lavery from The Local Edit. Unfortunately this piece is not on their website at the moment, but I’m hoping they bring it back. It’s happened before. It has the best, oversized peak that covers your entire face and I love that it gives me so many tying options… visor, peak, even a bonnet haha!

Be sunscreen smart

I exclusively use Zinc Oxide on my face and body and won’t touch a chemically loaded SPF with a fishing rod. All those nasty chemicals – no thanks! My pigmentation, which I suffered with for years was caused by chemical sunscreens and since banishing them in all forms (creams, makeup, anything that contains SPF), my pigmentation has vanished.

Please be mindful of the sunscreen you use. You can read about the nasty chemicals to look out for in another blog post I did, but basically if you see the words Octinoaxate in the ingredients, RUN!