Full Coverage Friday #9: How To *Actually* Feel Good In Your Skin This Summer
My new bikini body ritual has nothing to do with losing weight.
Hello hello! It’s an exciting time over here—in addition to planning the Beautyfor sale next weekend, I’m gearing up for my sister-in-law’s wedding tomorrow, and I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED. I’ll take any opportunity to get professional glam and scream-sing Mr. Brightside, and this one feels extra special because I get to do both in honor of two people I love very, very much.
Not only is this wedding important because I get to walk down the aisle with my newly minted little sister (and soon-to-be brother-in-law!), but also because it’s my first big event post-rehab. I’ve done a lot of work in therapy to prepare, but one thing I didn’t do? Starve myself to fit into a skin-tight dress.
Instead, I chose something I knew I’d be comfortable in all night—no matter how many passed apps I scarf down during cocktail hour.
For me, that’s a totally new approach. Especially considering wedding season typically overlaps with summer, which—as I wrote about earlier this week—has historically been my relapse season.
In Monday’s essay, I talked about how summer can make you hyper-aware of your body in all the worst ways. Lately, though, I’ve been trying to shift that awareness from judgment to joy. Because feeling good about your body doesn’t have to mean changing the way it looks. Sometimes, it just means changing your relationship to it (and, in my case, opting for the looser-fitting dress that doesn’t require Spanx-induced superpowers to look flattering).
This year, instead of spiraling about how my body looks, I’m tuning into how it feels—and redefining my “bikini body ritual” in the process. Not as a list of things to fix, but as a collection of small, sensory moments that bring me back into my body in a way that actually feels… good.
I’ve always believed that the right products can shift your entire vibe, regardless of how you think you look (which, by the way, is probably a whole lot hotter than your inner critic would have you believe). So this summer, I’m stacking my routine with the stuff that makes me feel soft, strong, and fully in it.
None of these products will give you abs—but they will make you want to slow down, smile, and maybe dance around your apartment naked. And honestly? That feels like enough.
The shimmery sunscreen that catches the sun just right (and still keeps me protected): Kopari Golden Sunglaze Body Mist Sunscreen SPF 50
The bronzing oil that makes me look lit-from-within: Sol de Janeiro Glowmotions Glow Body Oil
The tinted SPF that leaves me radiant on makeup-free days: Kosas
Sunlit DreamBeam Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40
The beach-y body wash that leaves skin soft and mini-skirt ready: Saltair Seascape Serum Body Wash
The scrub that’s less about exfoliation, more about exorcising my negative thoughts: OUAI St. Barts Cleansing Scalp & Body Sugar Scrub
The lightweight body lotion that makes me feel like I’ve been on vacation: by/rosiejane Missy Everyday Body Milk
The cooling spray that feels like AC on the go: La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water Soothing Face Spray
The ice globes that instantly cool me off (and calm my nervous system): Skin Gym Pink Liquid Cryocicles
The body tool that makes me feel like a rich housewife with zero stress: Esker Beauty All-Over Roller
The feel-good fragrance that sparks serotonin: Future Society Solar Canopy
The nostalgic body spritz that brings me back to the early aughts: Rare Beauty Find Comfort Body & Hair Fragrance Mist
The aluminum-free deodorant that smells amazing and actually works: AKT Deodorant Balm
📰 “The Bikini Body Is Dead—Long Live the Bikini Body” – Well+Good
I wrote this a few years ago, but the message holds up: the “bikini body” is a lie we’ve all outgrown. This piece looks at how the term has evolved (or been rebranded) and how brands are still trying to sell us our own worth in SPF-scented packaging.
📰 “Body Sculpting Products Are Booming—But At What Cost?” – Allure
This sharp, essential read breaks down the rise of “sculpting” body care—think firming creams, toning scrubs, and everything marketed as a shortcut to a snatched waistline—and asks the important question: Why can’t our body rituals be about pleasure instead of punishment?
📰 “My Algorithm Wants Me to Think I’m Fat” – Body+Soul
What happens when you’ve done the work to heal your relationship with your body... and then your phone pulls you right back in? I, for one, can seriously relate. This essay captures the gut-sinking experience of watching your algorithm regress into toxic territory—and what it takes to resist internalizing it. A must-read for anyone who’s ever had TikTok trigger a body spiral.