Refresh!

Summer is here in NYC, and with temperatures breaking 100, all of us need ways to beat the heat while we're on the go.  Be kind to the people next to you on the subway, and try one of these effective methods of keeping (and smelling) cool!

- Philosophy Pure Grace and Amazing Grace fragrances: a little spritz of either (or both-they layer beautifully together) will truly have you smelling like you just took a nice, refreshing shower.  The former is a pure, clean, unisex scent (think ivory soap); the latter, a more feminine version (think clean laundry hung out to dry).  I love these products and find them totally unlike anything else on the market (they're head and shoulders above Clean's scents, which smell tacky and cloying to me). 

- Aveda Blue Oil: this little rollerball beauty is a real life saver.  A little dab on your pulse points will give you a strong, refreshing, minty chill (but chamomile will keep you from smelling like a candy cane).  I had some of this at a baseball game last summer where my husband and I were roasting in the heat; even he had to admit that it made him feel cooler.

- Crabtree & Evelyn LaSource body wash and lotion: I've known this unglamorous brand for as long as I can remember, but I didn't know they had anything besides old-lady scents until I came across this stuff at my college bookstore.  It smells fresh and clean like real water and oxygen--if you've ever gone swimming in a waterfall before, you'll recognize the smell.  It's far beyond most products that have watery notes but smell like cheap men's cologne; on a hot, landlocked day in the city, a cool shower with this light blue gel leaves me feeling like I've taken a swim.  

- Caudalie Beauty Elixir: this tingly mist refreshes like no other, loaded with essential oils in an exclusive formula originally formulated for the Queen of Hungary.  It's also available in a value set of 3 travel sized bottles, which is perfect for carrying in your handbag.  I love this product for travel and use it as toner in part of my everyday beauty routine!

- Borotalco: the classic Italian talcum powder that has graced the behinds of the inhabitants of the bel paese for over a century.  I discovered this while living in Rome and I haven't been without it sense!  This smells more adult than Johnson & Johnson's but not at all cloying.  This is great for preventing chafing and sweat stains (gross, I know, but come on, it's a fact of life!  I'm just being real with you. ;))  

Stay cool!  Be sure to post your comments and any additional tips you have to share.