7 Products That Changed My Life This July

We’re in the hot, sticky thick of summer, a dizzy blur of beach trips, late-night garden parties, and alfresco dining. As a Leo, I can’t help but love it. On the flip side of all that rollicking, though, is battling the elements every waking hour we’re outside. I’m talking sun protection, bug repellant, and—to put it diplomatically—sweat and smell management. And when you slip back into your icy AC haven, you’ll need to take special care for hydration, recovery, and comfortable sleep. The products I was drawn to this month all support that extra bit of maintenance required to remain refreshed, and maybe even feel inspired, amid the relentless temperature spikes.I tend to stay far away from gourmand scents. I’ve always associated overly sweet stuff with the middle-school-era sense memory of walking into my local mall’s Bath & Body Works. But this sumptuous new Collection Privé concoction from Dior’s Francis Kurkdjian might just be the bottle to convince me otherwise. It takes inspiration from the memories and flora of Christian Dior’s South of France getaway: citrus trees and early-spring almond blossoms and cocktails made with sirop d’orgeat. The latter is especially present in the scent’s initial top notes, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome. The fragrance quickly evens out to a crisp bitter almond and tonka bean, embodying the warm, relaxed energy of an outdoor dinner party at dusk. The woody drydown really is the highlight and, to stick with the metaphor, ushers you straight into a dreamy summer evening beneath the stars. It’s this expertly executed blend of notes—the overpoweringly sweet and citrusy mixed with what smell like sandalwood and possibly vetiver—that make this a unisex scent in the truest sense of the word. If anything, the scent makes the case for a long, thoughtful conversation with nature, not a quick exchange. Needless to say, it’s a new favorite in my collection.DiorParadise Eau de ParfumFor those not yet educated on exosomes: They’re tiny extracellular vesicles that cells release to communicate with other cells. They’ll send signals that can influence healing, inflammation, collagen production, and overall skin recovery. As you can imagine, there are face products aplenty packed with this ingredient, meant to improve elasticity and firmness in the crepe-iest corners of the face. Now, (Plated) has a product meant to do the same for areas like the neck, arms, stomach, and thighs. As a true Leo sun-seeker who also gardens outside daily, I really appreciate something a bit more targeted for areas on the body prone to sun damage–especially those that I’m less vigilant about than my face. I’ve been using this on my neck and arms—and OneSkin’s peptide-infused body moisturizer on the rest of my body—and have noticed my skin there feels less ragged, more hydrated and buoyant.Last weekend, as I embarked on a 36-hour trip to Chicago to interview Caitlin Clark onstage at a GQ event, I packed this bottle with a little bit of skepticism. As the name implies, it claims to de-wrinkle whatever you apply it to. I had every expectation of whipping out my hotel iron the day before the conversation, but a few quick spritzes—along with some smoothing and stretching of my clothes—eliminated the light fold lines in my pants. I still can’t quite believe this thing exists! To be clear, this is not a replacement for a steamer or an iron. It’s meant for light wrinkles in clothes made of natural fibers like cotton or linen (read: what you should be wearing in summer). But it’s nevertheless extremely handy for quick weekend trips. I’ll be traveling with a bottle in my suitcase from here on out.Everyone needs a little extra help with sweat in the dog days of summer. I have found AKT’s deodorant balm to be especially useful in preventing an excess of perspiration around my underarm area. (So has my boyfriend: We’ve been fighting over who gets to use the single tube we have in our household for the past month.) Naturally, I was thrilled to learn they now make an unscented version (SC.00) meant for use all over the body, which is especially well-suited for sensitive skin. It’s a game changer for anyone who would rather not sweat all the way through the back of your shirt during the first 10 minutes of a barbecue.AKTThe Deodorant Balm SC.00 No NotesDuring a pocket of free time on a work trip to sweltering Paris, my boyfriend was walking around the Marais and happened upon a local, family-run fragrance shop named Zielinkski & Rozen. He brought me home their best seller, the unisex Black Pepper, Vetiver, Neroli, Amber concoction. From what I hear, this is like the Santal 33 of Paris—used as a now-ubiquitous interior scent around the city. But as an American who has not been overexposed to the perfume, I can say it’s a novel, solid composition that leans peppery and masculine on my skin, great for a date night out or to be worn all day once the temperatures dip in fall. (That day cannot come soon enough.) So yeah, my boyfriend earned points!Zielinski & RozenBlack Pepper, Vetiver, Neroli, Amber PerfumePharrell Williams’s functional skin care brand Humanrace has a clear perspective in the grooming world. The brand’s products prioritize function above all else, forgoing scent entirely to focus on using the best ingredients for the task at hand. The packaging is simple, sleek, and even includes braille—it feels like something you’d find on a spaceship. Nearly all of its products come with refills to avoid plastic waste. Beyond all those thoughtful details, this Recovery Body Lotion is a great magnesium-rich formula to apply after a pump at the gym, a weightless and relaxing recovery step to help you wind down after working hard in the heat.HumanraceRecovery Body LotionI’m an overly sensitive sleeper, especially when it’s hot out. So much so that when I travel, I need to blast one of those eight-hour playlists of white or brown or pink noise on Spotify. (Dreading my instantly washed Wrapped results this year.) But at home we run two of these guys—I call them my pretties—on opposite sides of the bed. The machine uses a real fan that was developed something like 60 years ago based on sleep science—no digital noises that might be interrupted or affected by an annoying software update. And I can credit it to many sound nights of sleep despite celebratory Dodgers fireworks, snoring, or a meowing cat outside our bedroom door.