Easy ways to make the most of your summer

Beauty hacks

Shopping in the winter or spring is the best time to buy a swimsuit. Since they’re not in season, most stores have them at a discounted price. It's also the time that most of their new shipments are coming in for the year.

One of my favourite makeup products to wear in the summer is a tinted moisturizer. It’s very light on the skin and gives an effortless summery glow without having to buy a new foundation shade for the summer tan. Some tinted moisturizers even have SPF in them, so you don’t have to add a layer of sunscreen. Then all I need is some waterproof mascara and I’m ready to hit the pool.

A fun tanning hack for those who don’t burn easily like me is to apply a thick layer of sunscreen in whatever pattern you want. Don’t apply sunscreen anywhere else in the area and lay out in the sun until you are certain you have acquired a tan, wipe off the sunscreen and you have a fun natural tattoo for however long your tan lasts.

 

Best summer snacks

My favourite types of summer snacks are sweet cold ones that help me cool off during a hot day. Make sure to pack your freezer with lots of refreshing sweets like popsicles, freezies and ice cream sandwiches. My favourite snack of all time is Chapman’s SuperCone Ice Cream.

When having people over for a party or event, chips are always the way to go and if you want to make a good drink, owning a punch dispenser and dumping assortments of pop and pink lemonade into it makes an easy thing most people will enjoy.

 

Fun day trips

If I want to go on a vacation with my friends, I’m unable to afford more than a day trip. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of that day. One of my favourite excursions is to go to an amusement park. I’ve always enjoyed the adrenaline of roller coasters and Canada’s Wonderland is only an hour from my house. Last year I went with 2 of my friends and we spent the whole day there and it was such a blast. If you’re OK with waiting in long lines and enjoying roller coasters, finding an amusement park near you is a great way to spend a day.

Another one of my favourite things is to go to a drive-in movie. Everyone brings snacks and pillows, and we all huddle in the back of someone’s car and watch a movie together. If you want to get a good spot you usually have to arrive very early, so it's nice to make a whole day out of it. You can take as many people as can fit in a car and you even get to watch the sunset together before the movie starts.

Another thing you can do is plan a two or three-day road trip. There’s no distinct destination necessary, but you could drive to parks, beaches, or other places you’d never think of visiting a couple of hours out of the way. All your friends could take turns driving the car and you could even sleep in the car if you wanted to save money.

 

Activities to stay occupied

Not every day of summer can be the best day ever. Sometimes the summer can feel mundane, with all the days combined into one just waiting for the next big party or event. So having little activities to keep yourself occupied helps to make every day special.

One activity that’s fun to keep you on your toes is biking. It’s a very calming activity that doesn’t require an extraneous amount of effort depending on how far you go, but it’s a nice way to get out of the house. I prefer to go on a bike trail but biking on the road can feel just as rewarding.

Another fun activity to do is have a water day with friends or family. On an especially hot day, go out and relax by the pool and maybe play some water games. If you don’t have a pool, invest in some Nerf guns or water balloons and have a water fight to stay entertained and cooled off on a hot day.

One of my favourite activities to do in the summer is to go to the library. I normally head downtown and grab some coffee before I adventure to the library to browse for my favourite romance novels and put them in a cute tote bag. I’ll even read one of the books at the library if I’ve got the time.