Shecky’s

Like many of you out there, summer is a Sheckster’s favorite season, but when the temperature rises (feels like…106?!), it can be hard to keep your cool, especially traveling to and from work in this gross mess. We’ve thought up a list of things that will help you from becoming a total bee-hatch during the dog days of summer.

Beauty: When the heat goes from hot to hotter, it’s hard to look effortlessly put-together like we so often try to do (key word ‘try’). Looking a mess makes us moody, and before you know it we’re cancelling our after-work plans and swearing off everything that isn’t our bed in our polar bear air-conditioned room. Our hair frizzes, our skin dries out, and it’s just not a pretty picture. Luckily, a lot of products out there feel our pain and help make us look just as hot as the steamy streets outside (minus the icky-sticky factor!).

Tote LUSH’s Lip Service ($6.95) lip balm in your work bag. It’s made with cocoa and Shea butters, plus olive oil and beeswax, making for impeccable moisture when your smacker needs it most. While the product will work long after application, you may be tempted to keep applying…and applying.

Bed Head’s Spoil Me ($16.50 at Drugstore.com) is a de-frizzer, smoother and instant re-styler that’s perfect for morning use and all-day easy touch-ups. Its weightless feel and non-sticky hold leaves your hair smooth, soft and ready for hours at the office after a treacherous commute.

Treat Yourself: We know it’s bathing suit season and we’re trying to eat healthy, but sometimes you just gotta treat yourself. Sometimes something seriously sweet is all we need for a mid-day boost to make us feel like we could rule the world (er, we can get through the next five hours of work!).

Ciao Bella Gelato (Click here for where to purchase!) is everything we want in a summertime snack. It’s cold, creamy, and comes in cool creative flavors. Varieties include smooth chocolate hazelnut, Indonesian cinnamon and white chocolate. There’s also a full line of sorbet flavors, including tart blood orange and wild blueberry. The tasty treats are available as pints, single serving cups and specialty bars, sure to instantly cure your summertime blues.

With cupcakes continuing to be all the rage, Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery (located in New York City, but you can also order them!) has it in the bag (or the box?). Options include Lemon Yummy, a lemon cake with lemon buttercream frosting, and Sassy Red Velvet, made of red velvet cake with chocolate almond buttercream frosting. No matter what flavor you choose, a few mouthfuls are sure to perk up your pesky pout and your afternoon work rut. Mini cupcakes and full-sized cakes are also available, so take your pick!

Yeah, beautifying yourself with these summer-approved products and noshing on our favorite sweet treats won’t dig you completely out of your summer hole, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. Other mood changers include mid-day walks (in or out of the office depending on the heat level!) or a super-cheapy picnic in the park with your besties or beau.

-Lynden Halpern

GIRL TALK TIME: What do you think of these summer suggestions? What are your favorite ideas for keeping cool in the summer? Any summer work boosters that you’d like to share?