Reasonably Certain

My Hot Girl Summer Routine in 2025! ft. Journaling with Intelligent Change

• Ellen Larson • Episode 48

Share episode

EP #48: This episode, join Ellen as she shares her updated Hot Girl Summer Routine for 2025. She shares her latest beauty tips, favorite summer activities, and reflections on her weight loss journey. She was also gifted two journals from Intelligent Change which are the perfect way to align with yourself and your goals for summer! So this summer, learn how she’s reinventing herself, embracing new habits, and planning fun outings with friends!


FOLLOW ELLEN:

https://www.instagram.com/larsonellen/

https://www.tiktok.com/@larsonellen

https://www.youtube.com/c/ellenn

https://bento.me/ellenn


TO BE FEATURED IN REASONABLY CERTAIN:

☆ Q&A with Ellen: https://forms.gle/onN4potuyDm4hn6g8

☆ Dating Mishaps and Wholesome Moments: https://forms.gle/vDVZVcauc3JypcDE9


FOLLOW REASONABLY CERTAIN:

https://www.instagram.com/reasonablycertain/

https://www.tiktok.com/@reasonablycertain

https://linktr.ee/reasonablycertain

Follow on Spotify: 

https://open.spotify.com/show/0suDCk9ZpKFby2QKm54pdY?si=8fecd442bd014907

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reasonably-certain/id1755043636



WATCH REASONABLY CERTAIN ON YOUTUBE:

https://bit.ly/45VSnBh



Business Inquiries: reasonablycertainpod@gmail.com


Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.


>> Ellen:

Hey, guys. Welcome back to Reasonably Certain. My name is Ellen. This is episode 48. And in today's episode, we're going to be discussing my Hot Girl summer routine in 2025. It's been about a year since I did my last Hot Girl summer episode. So let's discuss. Because things have changed since then, and I wanted to discuss it, obviously. So anyways, before we get into that, let's discuss what I've been up to this week and get back into a bit of a normal routine. And I did my nails. I'm so happy with them. They look so cute, and they're like summer nails. I can put a photo in because, like, I'm so far from the camera, you won't really be able to see. But I did my own textured nails now. Now that I look at it, it kind of looks like a condom. It's supposed to be like a shell. So I just did, like, some extra little stripes of gel, and I actually really like it. And then I did, like, a little starfish, I guess you could say, in the middle finger. And, yeah, it's basically just pink and blue and yellow, and I really like it. And I did some chrome on it as well. So, yeah, these were cute, but they did take me, like, five hours. But I did it on Saturday this weekend because it was rainy all day, and, Yeah, not good weather. So that's what I did over the weekend. I also, yesterday. Cause today is Monday. Yesterday, I went to El Corang Glai with my friend Marley. Cause we, like, got some afternoon ice cream, and then we were like, should we just, like, walk around and shop a little? And. Oh, my God, you guys. Like, it's so tempting to buy stuff. But anyways, so we went and we looked at all the makeup brands in El Cor D? Anglace, and I wanted to find an eyeshadow to replace my transition shade that I've been using for a very long time from the Desi and Katie Friendation palette from Dose of Colors. I think that came out in 2017. Yo. Yeah, that came out in 2017. So that palette, I think it's, like, my favorite palette of all time. The shadows are, like, the perfect amount of pigmented and blendable. And the shade that I use is called necessary. And I ended up buying two Mac eyeshadows recently, like, literally last week, just to see if they would work as a. As a transition shade to replace that, because I'm running out of it. And that was a limited edition palette, so. It does not exist anymore, and I just need to find a shade to replace it so that when I run out, I have a new transition shade for my eyeshadow. Anyways, I got Omega and wedge from Mac, and they're both pretty shades, but they're not a dupe for necessary. So if, you know, I'm, guessing, like, maybe the shade I'm looking for is closer to, like, soft brown from Mac or like I. When I. When we were at El Corang Glace, like, they didn't have that many in store because it was like the Mac inside El Cor Glaz. So obviously they didn't have quite as many shades to look at. but they had cork and espresso. And the shade that I want is, like a little darker than cork and a little lighter and a little bit more neutral than espresso because espresso seems like a little bit too cool tone brown. So if that makes any sense to any of you listening or watching, please leave me your recommendations. same with the Isuma, eyeshadow, because I talk about it all the time. I'm wearing it on my lids now. It is the shade alloy from the industrial 2.0 palette, and I'm almost out. The good news is she is re releasing her palettes next month in August. The bad news is, why would I buy an entire new palette for one shade? So I've. I've been like, I've tried, like, four different dupes now, and they're just not quite giving the same vibe as the Isuma shadow is. So if that resonates with any of you guys listening, I'm also looking for dupes for that because my two eyeshadows that I, I use every single day are both from limited edition palettes, and they're both about to run out, and I need dupes. So that's. That's the really crucial item and topic on my mind. Very annoying, first world problem. But, also my last episode was about me starting a new weight loss journey and starting Manjaro. And I successfully went to the gym last week and followed the Evolve you app. And I even went this morning and I did my, you know, second official week, leg day. And yeah, I'm really liking the Evolve you app. It's just, like, silly that I paid for it. And I was like, yeah, let me start this back in January and now it's July and I'm finally, like, getting around to doing it. but I will say the weightlifting. I do like weightlifting. Like I've always liked it, but I don't know why. I was just like, avoiding it for a long time. Like, since COVID I have not been in, like in, in the gym. Like, actually like I was before COVID So I'm, finally, after five and a half years, getting into the groove of weightlifting again. And yeah, it's been good. I'm proud of myself. Speaking of, like, kind of reinventing yourself, starting a weight loss journey, starting any sort of like a life goals that you have as you can see if you're watching. But hopefully I can explain this as best as I can if you're listening as well. I have two journals and a deck of cards from this brand called Intelligent Change next to me. And I reached out to them because I already had this deck of cards that were gifted to me by my friend Yoli. I think it was she gifted to them to me for Christmas or my birthday last year. I think it was my birthday last year here. And I really enjoy these because it's just like a fun, like, icebreaker game or like, if you have friends over for like a dinner night or something and you want to like, just break the ice or have some like, fun discussions at the table, it's literally just called Table Talk. They have like a bunch of different decks of cards that you can choose from. So I already had this before I even reached out to them. but I really love, like, little games like this because as I get older, I think, like, I'll be transitioning as soon as I can get a bigger apartment. I would love to host more, and then this would be like the perfect thing for hosting a dinner party and then just having like, some fun, tipsy conversation conversations at the dinner table. but what I actually worked with Intelligent Change on this time is they gifted me two journals. They gifted or. Well, they let me pick out two journals. So I picked the best year journal and then I picked the five minute journal, which is like what they're known for, one of their bestseller, but this is the fitness edition. So I thought it was very fitting, literally very fitting, because I'm obviously starting a new weight loss journey again. But this time I really feel like my brain is in the right place to kind of like dedicate a significant portion of my time and mental energy to working out and losing weight. So I was like, why not document it even more through this journal? And so I wanted to just explain to you a little bit about each journal and also why I'm starting them now. Because I recently decided that I kind of. Well, I like making mood boards and lists all the time. But I decided like, since I just turned 30, it's like a new decade of my life. I feel like it's a big milestone, like a new chapter for me. And I don't always like having to like, feel like I have to make goal lists by the calendar year. So I was like, well, my life is my life and I'm running on my own calendar year, AKA my birthday. So why wouldn't I start my goal lists with like day one of the new year of your year, like how old you are. So I was like, okay, well, I just turned 30. I think it's a nice, like the best year journal will be for like 30, my year of being 30. And it won't be for like 2025 or 2026 or 2024. It will be for my year of being 30 years old. So it will be from May of this year until May of next year. And then my fit journal will. Well, hopefully it only takes about six or seven months for me to really complete my goals. But you never know how long it will take. So it's nice to have something to keep you on track. And yeah, let me explain to you a little bit more about each one so that you can see if either one of these might be something you're interested in. So the best year journal is for people who love reflecting and setting intentions without long term commitment. So there's like 75 plus prompts and you can set intentions for the year ahead. You don't have to do like New Year's resolutions. Like I said, you can just start this whenever you want. You don't have to wait for a specific day. Same with a fitness journey. You don't have to wait for like the next Monday or whatever. You can just start it on whatever random day you want. You don't have to wait for a specific day to start this. You'd whenever you start it is whenever you start it. So the prompts in the best year journal, they help you reflect on your past year, uncover lessons that you learned, celebrate wins in a judgment free process, and it helps you set intentions for the next year and find your flow. And it doesn't require a lot of time. So it's not supposed to be like a big time commitment. And so you can make it very customized and use this to visualize your next 12 months. And I talk about this all the time because I'm literally obs_essed with like analyzing and planning My life, to like a bit of an obsessive degree. But I love this. And I also love physically writing. I do love typing things out, but something about writing just can't be replaced. And I've been low key, like loving the idea of returning a bit to an era of like, you know, when like people back in the 2000s when all they had was maybe like beepers and pagers and like, maybe if they were lucky they had a cell phone. But really like what their source of truth was for their life was like just a jam packed, like physical planner that was maybe a little smaller than this, but they would just bring it with them everywhere and it was like their life in a book. I kind of love that because it's like, I feel like we always make journals and it's like maybe you writing it for a day or two and then you're like, oh, I just lost like steam. I can't do it anymore. But like, you should like, I don't know, I think it's like fun to make it like doodle in it. Make it your own. Write literally everything you need to write about yourself in it. Make it a planner, make it a journal. Like we don't have to have separate things for those. I think that's why, like, these both fit really well together. And then the 5 Minute Journal Fitness Edition helps you transform and kind of identify your fitness goals for just five minutes a day. Same thing with the other journal. Like you're not supposed to spend a ton of time on this because I think unless you're like really dedicated to the craft of journaling, if you're just starting out and this is like a new habit that you're implementing, it can be a bit difficult to just like spend like 20, 30 minutes a day journaling when that was not previously something that you did. I'm just starting working out again for the first time when it's not previously something that I did and it's taking a lot of effort. So like, it's like how many things can you add a at once realistically? So I think five minutes a day is perfect. It helps you set goals, reflect on what you've done so far, shift your mindset over time and just generally like help you attain your health and fitness goals. So it has about four months of daily journaling pages in here and it has five daily prompts that are focused on gratitude, self care and reflection. And it helps with weekly planning for your exercise routine and your meals. If that's something you're into. And then you can also track like sleep, mood, energy level, water intake, and general, like, health habits if that's something you're into as well. So essentially it helps you just like keep track of habits that you set for yourself to keep yourself healthy and on track to whatever your health and fitness goals are, whatever you decide that they are. So I think that's helpful for me because sometimes, like, especially I think with typing things out, although I do like it because then I can share it between devices and I can update it and I, think I spend a little bit too much time on screens. So I also like these because it's like, okay, let's, let's get rid of the devices for a minute. Let's not look at screens for a minute. Let's just use. I'll also, by the way, my handwriting gets so sloppy because I never write. So it's honestly good practice, even just as an adult, for those of us who don't physically write with a pen or pencil very often to write and not look at a screen, that sounds like really silly and really simple. But it's true. Like, I don't know if you're like me, I'm staring at a screen practically 24 7, except for when I'm sleeping. So any chance I can take to not look at a screen and do something a bit more like, rooted in myself, calm for my nervous system, not like adrenaline inducing, just chill, calm, meditative, focusing on yourself. I think this is super helpful. So sorry, that was a bit of a long spiel. But I do really like the whole idea behind this brand. So if you have been looking for something to kind of help you jumpstart whatever goals you have in your life, I think this is really nice. And yeah, there will be links in the description if you're interested. Now let's move on to my hot girl summer routine and what I've been doing. Where about, I don't know if I want to say, halfway through summer, I feel like summer just got started. But then I feel like it ends so fast. But I feel like in Barcelona, summer realistically ends around like the end of September, so we still have some time, but it feels like we're already halfway through because school and everything gets kicked back up in September and whatever. So not that it applies to me, but it feels like. It just feels like summer is done in September, even though it's not really done. This has been my hot girl summer routine so far this year. So I pick one day each week to spend A few hours in the sun. Like, I talk about this pretty much every episode. Like, I. I know tanning is not really good for you, but I feel like I don't spend any time in the sun. So I feel like the summer is my one chance to, like, get some actual time outside and, like, not be cooped up in my apartment looking at a screen. So for me, I really enjoy, like, dedicating at least a few hours. Usually it's on, like, a Saturday afternoon because I don't have that much time the rest of the week. And I try to spend Sunday, like, preparing for the week. So Saturday is usually my sun day, where I spend time in the sun, whether that's, like, at my gym or at the beach or at a pool somewhere. So that has been, like, my number one activity every week is like, I have to just be laying in the sun for a few hours every week. And if I miss that little session that I clock into every weekend, it makes me very sad. So I'm like, I only have so many sunny weekends to really take advantage of. So I want to make sure that I'm actually, like, literally, like, in. Same with, like, going to the gym. Like, in my planner, in my calendar, I'm literally, like, Saturday afternoon. U. beach. Like, nobody can take away my beach time. That is my beach time. I am going to the beach. I can meet you before or after, but in the middle, I am going to the beach. So that is very important to me this summer. And while I'm laying in the sun, I love listening to audiobooks. Sometimes I listen to music, but, like, lately I've been trying to be like, okay, listen to an audiobook. You've paid for Audible for a long time. Use it. Hey, Audible want to sponsor me? Hey, girl. But the book I am listening to currently is all about love by bell hooks. Loving it so far. I'm not that far into it, but the most recent chapter I listened to was talking about, like, parental and child love. Like, the relationship between parent and child and how children, like, when you think about it, they really have zero rights because their parents could be terrible. And they have no rights to say, like, oh, my parents are terrible, because first of all, children don't know. And second of all, if their parents are terrible, they have, like, no rights unless something, like, really extremely illegal is happening. and it's able to be proven and pursued by legal enforcement. But her law enforcement. But anyways, she made a good point where it was like, a lot of parents make excuses or make like, exceptions to be abusive to their children because, like, it's just seen as normal among parents. But if you were to replace your child with any other member of society, it would be seen as like, extremely. You're like, irresponsible and extremely abusive to be doing what you're doing. But. But for some reason, when it's your child, like, it's okay. So she was pointing out how, like, as a child, you really are in a precarious situation if your parents don't know how to parent well. And the sad thing is most parents don't know how to parent well. So then, yeah, sorry, kind of a sad topic there. But I find it really fascinating. So that's the book I'm listening to currently. And then the next thing I do is I plan at least one fun summer type of activity per week with my friends. Even if it's just going to a rooftop for like one sunset cocktail or spending the afternoon at the beach. Like, that's usually a friend activity. Like sometimes I'll go by myself, but I love going with friends to the beach on Saturday. Or like, u yeah, like I said, like a rooftop. I love rooftops in the summer. That's my other like, number one favorite activity. Because the rooftops, like, yeah, you can go in the winter, but it's a summer activity. So I try to take advant advantage of like a beach and rooftops. Also, this is a bit of a new one for me, but I've been wearing more summer dresses and I never would normally do it, but I've been loving it and pepper mayo has been my go to all summer long. And I found pepper mayo on TikTok like a few months ago and I had heard of it and I was like, what the hell is pepper mayo? But then I looked at their website and I was like, wait, they shipped to the eu okay. Slay. That's like so rare. When I find an online website and they have cute dresses and they sell it in my size. Oh, okay. Jackpot. Like, that never happens. So I already ordered two separate orders from them. And granted, like, one of the dresses was a little bit big and one of the dresses was a little bit small. But generally, if you're curious, I'm usually like a US 1416 and I'm a, EU 46 in almost every single pepperto dress that I've purchased. And I'm really happy with them. Like really happy with them. I love the vibe of like, more like resort wear. Fun, flirty, like a bit out there dresses, like, I'm saying more out there because like last year for summer, I wore a lot of like beige pants from Abercrombie and like a black tank top and like sandals. And it was, it was cute, but it was still very casual. And I feel like something changed in me when I went to Miami. And I know I can't stop talking about Miami, but I really like that trip, like, changed something in me. But seeing how much people get dressed up in Miami and like, that they wear like very fun and flirty and flowy and colorful dresses and like, it's just much more vibrant and colorful. Like Barcelona'not like, as fashion wise, Barcelona is not the same as Miami at all. Like, Miami is very like, also Miami is a bit of an enigma in itself. But if you can imagine Miami fashion, like, I really loved that. I was like, oh my God, wait, like, yeah, you're allowed to, like, wear fun and flirty and like colorful outfits and like, yeah, like, duh, hello. I just get stuck in a box so much. Because in Barcelona, people do not dress up like that. They do not dress up like that. I would say even though it's a Mediterranean city, it's very kind of like alt. And a lot of people wear very, like a lot of black clothing. I would say, like, almost, I'm, being a bit exaggerated here, but honestly, it's almost like a Mediterranean version of Berlin, if you could under or if you could get that vibe. Like, literally it's like if Berlin clashed with like Mediterranean vibes. So it's not like we're dressing like super alt and super like Rick Owens vibes, but it is nowhere near Miami vibes, if you kind of get what I mean. So from Pepper Mayo, I got like a bright green dress, I got a bright blue dress. And they're also very short. And I'm, not used to wearing short dresses. So from going like, from long, like linen type pants last year with a tank top to like bright, short, like kind of out there dresses this year, I'm like, whoa. Like, that's a big change for me. But I did wear a lot of dresses like that in Miami as well. And I was like, you know what? Like, this is fun. Like, I actually, enjoy getting dressed up and it makes me feel like it's worth getting dressed up. Like, duh. And then I've been bringing my Canon G7X with me everywhere and I thought it was going toa be like a bit of a ridiculous purchase because I was like, oh my God, it's so overhyped on social media. Like, what if it's not that good? Guys, it is that good. It is that good. I take. I offer to take pictures of everyone with it because I know that people, like, they'll take photos, but usually it's with, like, an iPhone and maybe, I don't know, like, it's not always the most, like, satisfying feeling to see the photos. You're like, o, okay, yeah, like, it was a nice photo. But I have never seen people light up the way they do when I take a photo of them with my Canon G7X, I ll like, I'll be a bit pushy and I'll, like, insist I'll be like, girl, no, like, you will love the photo. I can. I can pretty much guarantee you that you will love the photo. And I love, selfishly, I love seeing the reactions on people's faces when I take a few photos of them and I show them and they're like, wait, I look so good. And I'm like, I know, girl. You look so good. Like, the iPhone is not doing you justice. Like, the camera and the Canon G7X, whatever they do is, like, it is like magic. It makes you look amazing, which is really just like, how you look in person, but it just, like, takes m it there. So without any editing, without any filters, without anything, it's just like, straight off the camera. So stunning. I love bringing it with me everywhere. And then when I'm dressed up in my pepper mayo summer dresses and I'm out with my friends at a rooftop and we bring the Canon G7X with it's like just camera, shoot, flash, flash, flash. And then we're all like, yes, bitch, we look so good. So that's been, like, my new favorite thing to do. U and then also nailing my summer beauty routine, so, like, identifying my ideal makeup routine and hairstyles for super hot and super humid weather and lots of walking around so specifically with my makeup wearing, like, less glowy products as far as, like, base. So, like, my foundation, I'm not wearing, like, glowy foundations because I'll. I will be glowing. Oh, girl, I will be glowing with the sweat on my face. So I don't need glowy products. I also don't need extremely matte, but I'm going for, like, a bit satin matte or natural finish. Not glowy, not super matte, but like a, natural leaning matte. And also just in general, dryier products. So, like, for my base, when I'm. First of all, when I'm In a rush. And second of all, when I know I'mnna be, like, outside sun beating down, sweat stash on full force, like, I'mnna need makeup to stay, I will use the NARS soft matte concealer as my foundation. And then I will specifically avoid putting too much on my upper lip. So, like, that's something. Like, in the winter, I don't have to worry about that. In the summer, I, like, pretty much can't even put really make any makeup on my upper lip. Like, I try to blend it in so it doesn't look, like, obvious that I don't have that much makeup on my upper lip. But if I do, it will crack and it will look, mmm, disgusting because I just sweat on my upper lip so bad. Like, the first place I sweat on my whole body is, like, my fucking upper lip. So when I'm wearing makeup in the summer and it's hot and I'm walking around and I speed walk, and I don't even realize how fast I'm walking. And then I get to the location, and all of a sudden I have just a full handlebar mustache of sweat. And so that's the thing I do is, like, I use NARS soft Mac concealer, and I don't use as many, like, heavy cream products because, like, the more that you get sweaty and damp and dewy from the humidity, it just kind of, like, starts to degrade your makeup if it's really cakey. So I actually try to use a little bit less in the summer, but, like, try to make what I'm using as impactful as possible so it looks like I'm wearing just as much and my hair, u. my hair just even now. I haven't even been outside today, guys. It's very, very, very late. And the night on Monday, and I just straightened and curled my hair, like, a few hours ago, and it poofed up in, like, an hour. It's so annoying. So my hair just does not like to stay slick straight, especially if it's down. And I just realized something that I think I. I think I look better with my hair pulled back. So the Delaney messy bun I did for my birthday and just, like, I call it like a flippy ponytail, where it's basically the same concept, but in order to reduce tension, I put one ponytail with just, like, the crown of my hair and then the perimeter of my hair that's, like, on the edges like I do in a separate ponytail. So it's like the center is one ponytail, and then the Rest of my hair, like up to my ears and everything. And the nape of my neck comes in in a second ponytail just so that there's not so much tension on like the more fragile sections of hair. And I leave like two little bang pieces out and then I just straighten my hair. And then when it's in a ponytail, I do one little flick at the end just to give it something interesting about it and I think it's really cute. So like this little flippy ponytail has been my go to all summer because it looks like I put effort in, but also my hair stays more straight because it's not like touching my scalp and m my neck and getting all sweaty from my skin and it's not touching me and I can't stand the feeling of when I'm hot and a bit overstimulated. And then I feel like hairs getting stuck to me. U so any hairstyle in the summer that looks like put together but is not like touching my back is great. So the bun and the ponytail have been my go to. I also enjoy. Like I need to remind myself that I'm still allowed to leave

the house after like 8:

00pm but I like going on night walks because the sun

doesn't set until 9:

45 right now. So even like on Sunday night I was out with Marley and we were out just like eating some french fries and a Coke after El Corang Glaz. And I didn't even realize how late it was because we didn't leave until

like 9:20. And I was like, oh my God, it's 9:

20 and the sun is like still up. So that was crazy. But I didn't even feel late at all. And then I got home and it was like 10pm And I'm like, whoa, oh my God, now it's dark. That's crazy. So I like walking at night here, first of all, because I never feel unsafe. Like the people are out late at night, there's street lights everywhere, there's people everywhere. So I never feel unsafe. And then also it's just nice because the sun is out so late. So it's not like you're going out in the dark at 6pm and you're like, oh my God, this is so dumb. It's dark already. But I love like late night summer walks. It's so nice. And then also, like I just said, because of my you know, weightlifting, weight loss journey, I've been lifting weights more specifically than my incline treadmill sessions. So I was going to the gym, like semi regularly. Like I would very much go in spurts, but like I have been going semi regularly for the past like eight months. But just maybe doing some sort of weightlifting if I'm really feeling up for it. But like most days if I made it to the gym, I was like, I'm just gonna do incline treadmill and I would just be watching or listening to like Brazilian funk and pretending I'm on a Runway and putting it on like a, a six incline and just being like boom, boom, boom, boom for like 30 minutes straight and then leaving. It's great and everything, but it's just like incline walks are great, they're never bad. Like let me just put that out there. But for my goals, it was just kind of like I'm spinning the wheels for like no reason. Like if I really want to see results and I'm making the effort to go all the way to the gym, I should be prioritizing weights and then doing some cardio. But like I can also create my cardio, by like killing two birds with one stone. Because I walk home and it's like a 20 minute walk each way. So I can just build that into my routine and save time as well. Cause it's like if I'm gonna be on like a time crunch with all the other stuff, I have to do weightlifting for me right now is the most important rather than just treadmill cardio. And last thing about my hot girl summer routine and vibes, planning trips to take advantage of slower work times. So like living in Europe, especially the summer is the slow time here. So I have been trying to make the most of going on trips, obviously like Miami, that was a pretty big one for me. And then I'm going toa be going to Copenhagen soon and I would like to do another trip to Madrid and just make it like a long weekend because the train is only like two and a half hours so it's really not that long. And like I really should go. Cause I have friends there that I need to visit. So I should be exploring more of Spain in general. Like I need to go to see just as well. Oh my God, I haven't even been to C. Just I think since 2023. So it's been like two years already since I was last in se. Just I want to go to Garaf again just to go to the beach and lay on the beach there. Cause it's like a very chill, quiet beach. So I just need to go to more of the beaches that are not In Barcelona proper, because again, we only have so much summerime and I need to go to the other beaches. but that's pretty much it. It's just like trying to take advantage of the summer as much as I can and like, not wasting time. And I get frustrated if I get to the weekend and I don't have plans because I'm like, bro, I'm wasting like a precious summer weekend. There's only so many. There's only so many. I can't waste it. So that's my most, like, biggest goal is like, taking advantage of being in the sun, going to the beach, dressing up, fun with my friends, having a little rooftop cocktail. Like, that is my vibe for the summer. And lifting weights at the gym. And then my summer essentials. This one has been my summer essential for like, I don't know, three years now. The beauty of just on sunscreen that I use on my face and then I use aquife for sunscreen, Chapstick for my lips and that shit works good. and then I use. I just bought. It's probably not very good for me, but I got the Malibu Keratin gel, which is like, it's like a orangey gel that you put on and it has sometimes like low SPF, like SPF 5 or SPF 8, but it helps like moisturize your skin. I feel like it's like you're putting like ghee or like butter on your skin to like bake in the sun. Like a freaking rotisserie chicken, which you kind of are. Basically, you're just like a meat suit, like baking in the sun. But yeah, it works though, because it helps me tan and not burn. So whatever's in there is working. So not sure that I recommend that, like, from a dermatologist standpoint, but from a let's get tan in the summer and we only have so much time to be in the sun standpoint. The Mallib Buk Carratin gel is great. I got this really cute pair of pepper mayo sunglasses. I'll include screenshots of these on the screen if you're watching. Cause, ah. Cause I'm. I'm too lazy to go up and physically get them. I also bought a pair of heels from asos. They're no longer on the website though, so I don't know. I'm not sure that I can include a link for them. But they're just like these maybe like 2 1/2 inch white strappy square toe heels. And I got them for Miami and I've Been wearing them all summer. Cause I'm like, wait, even if I go out in Barcelona, like, I'm not usually walking all the way to the destination. So if I just have to walk to the bus or walk to the metro and then walk to like, the restaurant or wherever I'm going, I can do it in those heels and like, I can walk around Barcelona in those heels. So I. I felt like for the last two years that I couldn't wear heels in Barcelona, like at all. And then I was like, no, no, no, no, no. Like, I want to wear heels. And I don't. I don't want to be like, restricted just because I live in a more walking heavy city to like, never wear heels again. I have like so many pairs of heels that I want to wear. So, yeah, those white strapy heels have been my literal ride or die shoes all summer. And then I got a very large beach blanket that's like 4ft by 6ft. It's amazing. And it's very thin, so it's not like thick like terry cloth, like a T, like a bath towel. It's like linen, like linen pants vibes. So it feels like a linen bath sheet or like sheet that you lay on at the beach. And it folds up very small so you can put it in your bag and it's not a big deal. You can shake it out and the sand doesn't get stuck to it. And it's very easy to wash and dry. And I don't know why I never used it before. Like, it took me two years to buy it since moving here, but it's just like a 4ft by 6ft beach blanket sheet. Just like look for like a beach blanket sheet on Amazon. And I don't know. Cause I feel like maybe I just wasn't like looking into that stuff when I lived in the US But I never saw people in the US Use those until I moved here. And I was like, wait, People bring like straight up giant, like thin blankets to the beach instead of like a towel. And then I was like, wait, that's a genius. Because you don't need to lay on a towel. You can bring a towel to dry off if you plan on swimming, but I don't normally plan on swimming, so I just bring the blanket and it's great. I love it. I also have a portable phone charger that is like a little chunk that just sticks to the back of your phone because it's magsafe. That has been genius because it's so slim. It's so easy to just pop in my purse. It doesn't take up a lot of room. And then especially because I feel like I'm always the friend, like taking photos or taking videos, that my battery tends to die a lot faster. So if I know I'm going to be out for the day, I will just bring that little like chunk of a portable charger with me. And it is so sleek, so cute, so easy to bring withs. You don't need cords and stuff like that. It's just a little magnet that goes boop on the back of your phone. I also got this like cute small raffia purse from ASOS to go with all my summer dresses. And I do sometimes like, I do kind of dislike getting like a specialty purse that's like just for a special occasion. But I really feel like this one is cute. Cause it does go better with all my summer outfits rather than like my PN bag. Like my PN bag is gorgeous, but I feel like it is low key. Kind of like more of a winter bag. And then this raffia bag, or is that the right name for it? But whatever, you can see it in the photo. It's like, like the beach, beach bag, beach basket type of material. and I think it's just so much cuter and it goes with the outfits so much better. Not that my pull in bag doesn't like, it's not like my pull in bag clashes like it's a cream bag. Like a cream bag can't really clash with any outfit. But the raffia bag really just kind of ties the vibe all together and I think it's much cuter. and this is like a bit of a TMI M M recommendation, but from walking so much and from wearing heels so much, the bottom of my feet peels so much from like friction rubs from wearing heels and just like I said, walking a lot. So I always try to keep my feet moisturized, especially like before I go to bed. So I'll shower and then I'll get in bed. But I'll like let my feet dangle off the bed for a few minutes or I'll put socks on. But it's literally, it looks like a deodorant stick, but it's just like feet moisturizer. And I just keep it next to my bed and I'll just like put it on like my heel and like the ball of my foot. And I do that before I go to bed. And then it helps your feet be like nice and moisturized and not like cracky and peeleely because you don't want to have, like, cracky, dry heels. Especially if you're wearing heels in the summer or sandals or whatever, you have your dogs out. You gotta keep them moisturized. And last one I have been wearing. I never thought I would be wearing a strapless bra, but like I said, guys, a lot of this came out of necessity from the outfits that I wore in Miami. And then since I wore them in Miami, it kind of. It's almost like it opened the door and gave me permission to be like, oh, well, if I can wear them in Miami, why can't I wear them in Barcelona? So then I kind of brought that same vibe of what I was wearing there back to Barcelona. And unfortunately, or whatever, I mean, it just is what it is. A lot of the dresses that I'm wearing for, like, summer dresses, either from Peppermeo or wherever they're from, Meshki, whatever. Like, I could sometimes wear a regular bra with them, but it just looks better if I don't have bra straps. So I kind of have to wear a strapless raa with a lot of them. And the skims bra I have does work, and it's relatively comfy, but just like with boobs that are my size, it's. It is very annoying. But it's been working, and I will tolerate it for the photo and for the dress. And then I also also have been wearing this specific pair of shapewear that I have. And just this past weekend, I actually cut the legs off of the shapewear. Cause I was actually complaining last episode about how I have no shapewear, and I can't find any that I like that's really just like, stomach control, but also is kind of like a boy short brief attached to it. Because I don't want to feel, like, naked underneath the dress, but I also don't really need, like, constriction around the tops of my thighs and my butt. I just want it around my stomach. Anyways. So I do like the shapeear that I was wearing in Miami that's just like, it comes up to your ribcge under your bra, and then it goes down, and it has shorts that were like 6 inch in seams. And I was like, I don't want sexension teamams. So then I just took my eyebrow scissors, and I was like, click, click, click, click. And I cut it to basically a boy short, brief length. So actually I cut it, and hopefully it doesn't completely unravel. because I just chopped it off. But now it's kind of Perfect. So I have like my go to underwear for summer dresses and I did just buy another pair off Amazon that should be arriving this week. that is basically the same shape as the one I just, you know, chopped my other ones into this week. So I'll let you guys know if you can just buy that one from Amazon and not have to cut apart in shapewear at home. Maybe the ones that I bought from Amazon will be like what I'm looking for. Cause I ended up spending a lot of time on Amazon this week looking for shapewear. And you have to definitely check the S the size guide because it is so inaccurate or inconsistent from post like Amazon listing to Amazon listing. Cause some of them in Excel was like the equivalent of like a US small and some of them in Excel would like properly fit me. So I was like, okay, I need to check this size guide every single time. And also from Amazon. this is kind of a side tangent steering away from my summer essentials. But I'm always really interested in like video editing, how to make like really good content in general. And I love learning like the tech side of it. So I did buy an ND filter for my phone. And if you don't know what an ND filter is, I'm not even really fully sure what it does. But I know that it helps balance the exposure in your shot. And if you want to shoot like more cinematic shots, you kind of need it like to make the iPhone look like a cinematic camera. And I was like, yeah, if I want to like really like level up my vlogs with my B roll, it would be so sick, especially for when I go to Copenhagen to have like cinematic level, like movie level B roll. And all you need is an ND filter. And then obviously you need to have some knowledge in like color grading and editing afterwards. But to get the footage like there enough to look cinematic in the first place, when you're putting it in your editing software, it needs to be filmed in like log with an ND filter. And I was like, got it. So I bought one from newer and it was like €47. So it wasn't cheap. But it just, it can fit virtually any phone because it just clips and like screws on. But it's like a clip like this and you just screw it to tighten it. And it just is like literally it's like a sunglasses for your camera lens. because the iPhone can tend to overexpose and make your shots really bright and you just want to like tone it down a little bit to make it look more cinematic. but FYI, shooting in Log takes up a shitload of memory. So if you're going toa do that, you have to like basically clear out your phone before you film like that. So I'm gonna be studying more of that because I just think, like, it's always fun to take my filming to the next level, even if only four people see the video. but I think it would be cool to step up my filming a bit for when I'm in Copenhagen. So that is it for this episode, guys. Again, check out the intelligent change journals I have linked in the description if you want to try them. I think I really recommend either one of these, honestly. If you have any sort of goal setting that you want to do in your life, I think it's really fun. Or the cards, again, like I said, if you are around my age, I feel like once you're in your 30s, like people have kids, they're married and stuff, people usually have homes. You're not going to the bars so much. So I feel like the next best thing is having like cute little dinners at home where you host your friends and then you can have this deck of cards on the table to just kind of just like as a little conversation starter. So, yeah, that's it for today's episode, guys. Thanks so much for listening and watching and I will see you in the next one. Bye.