Maeve Likey: Second Summer
Sizzle sizzle.
Is it just me or does it feel like summer — proper summer — only just started? December was unseasonably chilly and (for the most part) was taken over by end-of-year celebrations and all the stress that comes with Christmas. January felt like a really long hangover.
I have a theory about this: It’s called second summer. Basically, to me, it feels like you get a second (better?) summer come February 1. The weather is warmer and so is the water. With kids back at school the beaches are empty during the week (lush) and it’s not near-impossible to get a park, book a house down the coast or organise an impromptu camping trip.
In my (albeit) limited experience, second summer can last all the way into April and represents a time that feels lazier and more laid back than the initial rush that takes hold in December and continues into January. It’s a time for weekends away, afternoons at the pub and Saturdays stretched out on the concrete at Clovelly.
With this in mind, I have put together a list of my top recommendations for your second summer, simple things that make life just that little bit better. For my friends in the Northern Hemisphere (or those lucky enough to be visiting their shores come June) consider this a head start on your preparations. Enjoy!
I can think of no purchase I’ve made in my life that has brought more joy to those around me than what my friends and I affectionately refer to as “the mat”. For the last two summers, it has come folded up with us everywhere we go, the ideal companion for days at the beach, picnics, camping and weekends away (and the site of some of my favourite conversations to date). Woven from recycled plastic, it’s durable, easy to clean and a paradisiacal place to gather and lounge. Plus, its bright hues make it the perfect proverbial homing signal on a busy beach full of people.
The only make-up any of us need when our skin is smooth and sunkissed from hours of lapping in the sun and bathing in the sea. I have been using this ever since my friend Pepi discovered it in high school and am yet to try a better — or cheaper — eyebrow gel (I’m looking at you Glossier and Anastasia Beverly Hills). I’ve recently started getting my eyelashes tinted (the ends start to go blonde when I’ve spent too much time in the sun) and a swipe of this on my eyelashes makes them look long and wet, like I’ve just stepped out of the ocean.
Do you know how people describe books as sizzling? Well, this one really is, with every page feeling like a gust of hot wind hitting your face. Set on the sun-scorched southern coast of Spain, Levy transports you to the white villages, dusty mountains and salty seas of the region. Dreamlike and strangely compelling, I read this book in one sitting while on holiday. It’s perfectly appointed for a weekend away, or for when you want to feel like you're on a sweltering beach in Spain (even if you're not).
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Pediatrics SPF50+
I have seldom found a sunscreen I like, and it means I have spent a lot of time getting burnt. I hate the oily white (sometimes purple) cast most of them give my olive skin and often the heavy, creamy texture will cause me to break out on my face and the back of my arms. Thankfully last year a French pharmacist recommended this to my mum and she passed it on to me. It has an almost gel-like consistency which means not only does it rub in easily and leave no trace but it feels lovely to apply. It's actually a “children's” sunscreen which just means it’s suitable for sensitive skin, smells delicious and comes in a cardboard tube that has cute illustrations of animals on it. As a wise friend once told me, “the best sunscreen is the one that you use”.
Last Christmas my dad bought me a snorkel in preparation for the trip we took to Lady Musgrave Island on the Great Barrier Reef (part of the same group of islands where my parents met and the place we spent all our summers until I was six). Recently, when we had friends visiting from London we decided to bring our snorkels down to Gordon’s Bay and the childlike glee it gave us all seeing squid, a sting ray and of course, the famous blue groper was equal parts hilarious and heartwarming, especially when Amy looked up from the ocean, spat the snorkel out of her mouth and declared without an inch irony, “this is awesome!”. Safe to say for her birthday just past I got her this snorkel so we can continue to explore the seas together. When I told my dad his gift had prompted this new hobby among me and my friends he was very pleased with himself and smugly declared that he brought his snorkel everywhere he went while backpacking in his twenties, which — while I hate to admit it — is probably what I'll do too the next time I go away.