'Ello! Our weather elevator is currently docked in hell, which means that summer is definitely on the horizon. I'm praying that despite my extremely empty pockets and the screaming heat, I'll be able to get out and enjoy the season at some point. I have noticed that some of my tastes have shifted a lot for what I've been into compared to last summer. This year, I found myself much more inspired by colors rather than activities or outdoor stuff, so it was fun to explore all of that and get myself into those summertime vibes (I had initially said that last part seriously, but when I remembered that this was also the name for last year's summer inspiration post, it felt like fate to keep it so I could link you to it. LOL).
Fashion: 90s fashion, cutoff shorts, old tees, low-top shoes, ruffles, rompers, floral print, overalls, bodysuits, jersey mesh, wrestling tees, fanny packs
I've really been digging the resurgence of '90s fashion as of late. I'm a '90s kid and personally, I never thought it went out of style lol, but it's been really cool to see the trends circling back around. It's funny, when you're younger you think you have your finger to the pulse with a trend thinking its new, but then get older and realize that it was just new to you. Every trend is recycled in some fashion. Now that I'm old enough to see a trend recycling, it's been cool to watch and be part of. The new thing for me this time around has been the old tees. I started seeing the old rock concert tees in stores a few months ago and I wasn't on board because most of the people I saw wearing those shirts didn't even like rock, so it felt a little fake to me. I love classic rock, but I've never owned any of the shirts and didn't want to start just because of a trend. So rather than the band tees, I've been into the '90s DARE/PSA-related shirts and retro wrestling tees.
God gave me a few extra pounds for my 30th birthday so while the plus here is the fact that 17 years of praying for boobs has finally been answered, the minus is that the rest is in my stomach, ruling crop tops out of the equation this year. lol Which is a damn shame, because I'm probably more into them now than I was when I could wear them. Enter rompers and playsuits, which would do a good job of hiding the extra weight while allowing me to still look seasonally appropriate. The last couple of years I preferred backpacks for my summer adventures and while I'm still into them, I also want something smaller and more portable to put my essentials in, so like any good '80s baby/'90s kid, I'm now on the hunt for a fanny pack. Don't judge me.
Hair: fun buns, ponytails, messy top knots, textured hair, ombre to pastel, loose waves, half ponytail buns
My natural hair is finally growing out but when I leave it in its regular state, it's still a small curly 'fro because of all the shrinkage. I'm still growing it out and trying to strengthen it so I don't bother with it too much. Re-enter my wigs, which are much easier for me to work with. Last year I was really into braids and buns, and this year I'm into ponytails and buns. I know current vernacular would have me call them space buns, but I'm a Black kid who grew up in the '90s. Those are always going to be Afro puffs to me, even if I like the name space buns. lol I don't want some crazy neon color in my hair though--I was into pink and orange ombre last year, and now I just want a relaxed pastel ombre, something a bit cooler in tone. Big, textured waves and bedhead are on the list this year as well; I've been enjoying the messy, effortless look.
Beauty: highlighted, glowing skin, bright lips, long and wispy lashes, bronzed body
My beauty regimen and preferences are pretty simple; I don't want to bother with a ton of makeup but I want my skin to look sun-kissed and have a bit of glow. A tinted moisturizer or BB cream is the heaviest coverage I want on my face right now. I've been into highlighter for a couple of years now but at a lesser level; I take a gold cream shadow and put it right above my cheekbones in a crescent moon shape to play up the golden undertones in my complexion. I tap it on so it doesn't have the look of a strip down the sides of my face, then take a fan brush with no product on it (or a little translucent powder if I want to dull it down a little) and blend out the sides so that the glow looks a little more natural. If I want a more intense glow, I'll layer a little bronzer or gold powder eyeshadow on top of the cream and blend that out as well. I'm definitely not into highlighting at the level of social media influencers, but I do enjoy the effect it has on the face.
I'm still into the false lashes, but long, wispy lashes that aren't so heavy on the eyelid. Metallic accents on the eyes in addition to said highlighter are also becoming go-tos of mine for summer. Finally, a bright, vivid lip to finish everything off would be all I need. I still love my matte lipsticks, but I've been into satin finish lipsticks as well. The extra moisture they provide on the lips is welcomed, especially at this time of year when it feels like my entire body is drying out. lol
Headspace/key words: wanderlust, waterslides, outdoors, aesthetics, adventure, exploration, vivid
I wanted to try something new with the Headspace portion of the See section and start using key words. When I think of certain things or seasons, certain words come to mind. When I'm struggling to figure out what my headspace is like for these posts, I just think of what words come to mind when I think of the season. This year, travelling isn't high on the list but exploring local places is. I'm developing a few business ideas for my local area but because I spent so long in the house dealing with my anxiety, there's been a lot of development that I've missed so in order to continue working on those ideas, I have to get out and be a tourist in my town. I don't mind that. It can sometimes trigger a reverse response when you immediately try to jump and do larger things, so starting small would probably make things much easier for me in the long run.
If I were to travel though, I'd want to go to the Blacklight Slide, which is going to Brooklyn next month. My Twinsie's supposed to be going to the Brooklyn event, which would have been awesome to go to. The closest the event is getting to me is Phoenix, but that's not until October. I've said this before but summer is the season that I feel like my senses really come alive, so visual inspiration has been big for me this year. I want to see and explore things this summer. Will I actually be able to? Honestly, who knows. But a girl can dream. lol
grilled meats, cold salads, crispy finger foods, parfait, frozen yogurt, sandwiches, cold sweet treats
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nautical and beach-related projects, bright furniture and decor accents, popsicle and fruit-themed decor, bright colors, neon-colored pieces, lights
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Nautical and beach decor have been longtime favorites of mine for the summer months but I've also been liking popsicle and fruit-related decor (hence the sense headers in this post) and neon accents, something that's a bit newer to me. I don't mind bright colors but I think I've always been a little apprehensive about neons. I'm starting to come around, but they're still something I'd only rather have during the summer. Most of these are colorful, which was more my focus rather than the beach and nautical decor. There are three photos that don't have links (the ones that have no numbers); there was no actual tutorial for them but I kept the photo for visual inspiration.
saltwater, fruity and floral scents, combinations of scent profiles, scents with crisper notes
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I'm still into my fruity, floral scents but I'm also liking saltwater and slightly musky scents for this summer. If I had to name a cologne that fit some of my scent profile I'd put it between Acqua di Gio and Nautica for Men. I also like combining different scents, like a lighter-based masculine scent with a stronger feminine scent (or vice versa), so that I can have a bit of both scent profiles without them overwhelming me. I've been liking slightly drier, crisper scents than I usually prefer for this time of year and it's different, but I like that I can see how things shift and change for me over time rather than fighting change in myself like I used to.
I remember when I was first starting my Seasonal Inspiration series and thinking to myself, "How am I gonna keep this going? If I'm inspired by the same things each season, where is it gonna be interesting after the first year?" At the time, I honestly felt that question was based off of truth, which was that my tastes and preferences never shifted. The actual truth was that I wouldn't allow them to shift. I wouldn't allow myself to be inspired by other things. Spring meant something specific to me, and I wouldn't stray from that. I wouldn't seek out external inspiration from anywhere and as a result, things did stay the same for a long time. But this year, if you checked out my Spring Fling post then you'll know that the inspo board is now a bit different from last year's, especially in the See category. I guess what I'm getting at is to not be like me and allow yourself to change and shift.
*Mandy's Note: The timestamp on this says June, but it's actually July when I'm editing these in, so the livestreams below are only a few days old rather than a few weeks.
radio favorites, throwback and old favorites, upbeat tunes
I'm doing my last little bit of spring cleaning so now I'm getting to the more tedious things, like my media. As I was reorganizing my music, I realized how many great tunes I'd totally forgotten about over the years. I tend to immerse myself in whatever I'm into at the time and everything else kinda goes out the window, so it was cool to see that much like with fashion, music too can circle back around at a different point and inspire you all over again. The popular songs I was listening to 10-15 years ago are now throwback tunes, which I've been into more than current music. I'm going to make a post about that in a couple of days.
I believe last year was when I started doing seasonal inspiration boards and I recommended some new apps to try out if you were in the market for new music. This time, I'm going to recommend some YouTube music livestreams to you instead if you're into chillstep, light EDM and ambient music. I'm trying to listen to more upbeat music, especially when I'm trying to hype myself up for a day adventure, so my inspo visual is me out in the sun with some some fun, light-hearted beat playing in the background, wind blowing through my weave, letting all my cares blow away....until I get home, of course. lol Anyway, here are a few channels and playlists I found.
1. Pulse8
I want to say this was the second music channel I subscribed to a few months ago. They upload tons of playlists and mixes, most of which have a bunch of chill music with different themes, and they're pretty underrated in my opinion. They should have way more than 195k subscribers. This is a good channel for you if you're into chill music. Here's their current livestream.
I believe last year was when I started doing seasonal inspiration boards and I recommended some new apps to try out if you were in the market for new music. This time, I'm going to recommend some YouTube music livestreams to you instead if you're into chillstep, light EDM and ambient music. I'm trying to listen to more upbeat music, especially when I'm trying to hype myself up for a day adventure, so my inspo visual is me out in the sun with some some fun, light-hearted beat playing in the background, wind blowing through my weave, letting all my cares blow away....until I get home, of course. lol Anyway, here are a few channels and playlists I found.
1. Pulse8
I want to say this was the second music channel I subscribed to a few months ago. They upload tons of playlists and mixes, most of which have a bunch of chill music with different themes, and they're pretty underrated in my opinion. They should have way more than 195k subscribers. This is a good channel for you if you're into chill music. Here's their current livestream.
This is an OG for me. I heard about SuicideSheep before I got around to listening to him, then I heard a few of his mixes without realizing it was him, and when I finally went to check out one of his playlists on my own, I understood why so many people were talking about him. There's an array of stuff, from chillstep to ambient, progressive house to dubstep and the like. There's a large variety of artists profiled on the channel so you won't be short of exposure if you're trying to find new artists to check out. The video I included is the current livestream, which nearly 1k people are listening to right now.
I've listened to this channel a couple of times over the years, but haven't subscribed yet. The current livestream has a combination of chill tunes, dance tracks, and deep and tropical house. It's more upbeat and fun than the Pulse8 list, which is a simple chill list.
I've listened to the mixes here a couple of times over the years, usually when I want a little more hip-hop than electronica in my music. This channel mixes jazz, chill and hip hop so if you find yourself in need of less dubstep and a little more jazz or hip hop, try this channel out. I wouldn't recommend this channel if you're trying to find something upbeat; this is a very mellow channel and the vibe is more for a turn down, not a turn up. lol Here's their current livestream:
I actually just found this channel when I was trying to get my last livestream choice in the post so they're completely new to me. I've been listening to the stream for a minute and I'm getting tropical house with more of a pop sound to it. I also hear a bit of chillhop, so I guess there's a bit of variety. It was a different sound from the other livestreams I included so that was why I picked it.
So that's what I've been into when I think of summer. This is a smaller note, but what do you think of the newer sense graphics? I wanted to do something new from last year's inspiration series, so I thought I'd change up the graphics and make them a bit more fun. I love the spring graphics because they were my first try at this particular style, but if I had to pick my favorite I'd have to go with this set. I hope you like them though.
Anyway, what's been inspiring you for summer this year? I hope this helped you get more in the spirit if you hadn't found anything to get you in the mood just yet. Start thinking about what you'd like to do this summer, because I'll be back in a few days with my Summer Bucket List and I'd love to hear what you're trying to get into this summer. See you soon!
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