Level Up Your Summer Fun With These Seasonal Essentials — As Seen On CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin”

Back-to-school sales may be starting to pop up, but the fact is that summer is still in full swing — not that anyone here in Austin needs a reminder given the scorching heat we’re all experiencing! So you’ll want to make the most of these last few weeks before the kids head back to school and all those trips to the beach, lake and pool come to an end. In my latest segment for CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin,” which you can view here, I shared some great products that will help you maximize your summer sun and stay healthy and safe while doing so. Keep reading for the scoop on everything seen on air!

DR. DENNIS GROSS ALL-PHYSICAL LIGHTWEIGHT WRINKLE DEFENSE SPF 30

Sunscreen is a necessity year-round, but it’s particularly important come summertime, when the UV index spikes on a near-daily basis. That said, the heat and humidity in central Texas make finding the right sunscreen a pretty tricky feat. First, if you’re looking for a reef-safe formula with the cleanest and most natural ingredients, you probably want to opt for a mineral sunscreen. Why? Well, chemical sunscreens can contain potentially problematic ingredients that have only recently come under scrutiny for their harmful effects on the planet and potential hazard to human health. Oxybenzone, for instance, been found to harm the DNA of young coral reefs, disrupting their growth and development, and which is an eye irritant and can also trigger skin allergies. Mineral sunscreens, then, are a much safer alternative for both our bodies and the planet.

But, of course, most of us are pretty particular when it comes to sunscreen. We want to make sure to find one that’s it’s not overly thick and goopy, so it doesn’t feel heavy on skin or clog pores. We want it to be water-resistant so that we won’t immediately sweat it off while waiting for the car’s A/C to kick in. It can’t pill under makeup or leave behind white streaks. It can’t have too pungent an aroma. The list of requirements is pretty long, right?

Well, here’s a sunscreen that has managed to tick off every single box on my wishlist — it’s literally my favorite sunscreen EVER!  It’s the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare All-Physical Lightweight Wrinkle Defense SPF 30 ($42 on Sephora.com). This lightweight, oil-free, and reef-safe sunscreen delivers broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection, but it also feels weightless on skin. Moreover, it doesn’t leave any white residue behind— in fact, it’s been tested on all skin types and it blends in seamlessly every time.

It features an all-mineral formula powered by transparent zinc oxide, plus, it contains antioxidant-rich lingonberry, bearberry, and sea buckthorn extracts to help prevent fine lines and wrinkles. It may have a lightweight formula but, in terms of power and quality, this is my heavyweight champ every single time!

HEMPZ TRIPLE MOISTURE HERBAL WHIPPED BODY CREME

Think dry skin is a winter-only problem? Think again! There are a ton of factors that can contribute to dry, itchy, scratchy skin during the summertime. Prolonged exposure to UV rays can cause skin to lose moisture and essential oils, and the chlorine in our beloved swimming pools and A/C units in our cars, homes, and offices can also exacerbate the problem. To keep the skin below the neck looking healthy and radiant, it’s important to nourish and hydrate it regularly. You can do so with the Hempz Triple Moisture Herbal Whipped Body Crème ($19.48 at Walmart stores), a 100% vegan body cream that features a delightful enchanted grapefruit and sparkling peach scent that perfectly captures the vibe of the summer season.

 This 100% vegan body cream is suitable for all skin types, and it does wonders to replenish and renew dry and mature skin thanks to ultra-hydrating ingredients like 100% pure hemp seed oil, shea butter, yangu oil, and apple fruit extract.

All Hempz products contain 100% pure hemp seed oil, which is incredibly soothing and moisturizing thanks to its fatty acid profile. It’s rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that boast anti-inflammatory properties and help to balance oil production, improve balanced hydration, and soften and condition skin. Plus, hemp seed oil has this lovely fluid quality, and it’s easily absorbed by skin, so you never feel sticky or stifled — in fact, it’s categorized as a dry oil rather than a wet oil precisely because it doesn’t leave skin feeling greasy or heavy! Similarly, the yangu oil in the formula is readily absorbed by skin, and it has antioxidants that help to prevent skin from photo-damage.

PERSONA NUTRITION 

To conquer your summer bucket list, you need to stay healthy, right? And while some of us are very vigilant about eating clean and making sure we follow a complete diet, we sometimes need a bit more of a particular vitamin or mineral in order to achieve our health goals. But how can we know where those gaps are in our nutrition plans? Well, that’s where Persona comes in! Persona makes personalized vitamin packs tailored to your individual needs, factoring in everything from your sleep cycles and exercise habits to your energy levels, digestive health, dietary plan (whether vegan, paleo, keto, etc), exercise routine (and the intensity of your workouts), your skin health, etc.

To start, head over to PersonaNutrition.com and take their assessment online, answering some questions about your diet, lifestyle and health goals. Using this info, Persona will build convenient daily vitamin packs customized just for you and deliver them to your door each month.Each vitamin packet will include your name and a detailed breakdown of the supplements therein. You’ll also receive a pamphlet with more info on each supplement and how it addresses your wellness needs.

It’s all backed by science, and Persona has a team of nutritionists on call 24/7 to answer any questions you may have.

Sign up now to get 60% off your first month. Visit PersonaNutrition.com/CBSAustin

INVISAWEAR

Summertime is filled with adventures. Some of us relish the vibrant energy of the nightlife, soaking up live music performances, attending comedy shows, and going dancing every chance we get. Others prefer to hit the open road and venture out to new haunts close and far — whether it’s a little-known beach, swimming hole, outdoor thrift market, or a vineyard. And outdoor enthusiasts lace up their sneakers or hiking boots and hit the trails for some heart-pumping, adrenaline-boosting escapades. But regardless of what you classify as an adventure, you want to prioritize your safety while doing so.

Fortunately, you can prioritize your personal safety — and do so in style with invisaWear, which specializes in wearable and discrete SOS devices. From necklaces and expandable bracelets to keychains and athletic bands, each invisaWear product features a charm with a button that you can double-click to discreetly and silently alert up to five pre-selected emergency contacts. Those contacts will receive a text message with your SOS alert and your exact GPS location, so they can send help quickly – even if you can’t speak or are unsure of your exact whereabouts. Plus, if you enable the free 9-1-1 feature, trained ADT agents will notify 9-1-1 and dispatch emergency personnel to your location, while also alerting your go-to contacts via text so they can be aware of the situation.

All invisaWEAR products use the same emergency response technology as ADT, the #1 name in security, so you can be confident help will get to you when you need it most.

Prices range from $149 to $500 at Invisawear.com

NIGHTCAP

Picture this: you’re at a bar with a group of friends, laughing and enjoying the music. You turn your head and look towards the door, or maybe you stare at the performers on stage for a bit, resting your drink on the table for 15 to 20 seconds. Your drink is never left unattended, but maybe your attention turns elsewhere — just for a few seconds. Without your knowledge, someone slips a powder into your drink — maybe GHB, ketamine, or GHB. There’s nothing to indicate that someone tampered with your drink, and so you carry on sipping your cocktail and laughing with friends. And then things start getting hazy. You suddenly start feeling extremely intoxicated, dizzy and confused. The room starts to spin. You feel like you’re seconds away from fainting. And then everything goes black. The next day you wake up only partially clothed, remembering virtually nothing about the prior night. You know you didn’t consent to any sexual dalliance, but your state of undress is confusing. Maybe there are physical signs of intercourse that point to you being a victim of a sexual attack. And yet you have no recollection, no inability to piece any of it together.

Sound like a nightmare? Well, it is. It’s a living nightmare. And sadly, it’s an all too common scenario experienced by people (most often, women) who have been the victims of drink spiking. Because of it’s surreptitious and illegal nature, there’s very little data on how often drink tampering occurs, but we know it’s an insidious and worrisome problem. A 2016 study led by University of South Carolina professor Suzanne Swan and published by the American Psychological Association’s journal Psychology of Violence, sought to uncover the prevalence of drink tampering. After surveying 6,064 students at three universities, they found that one in 13 students reported that they’d personally been drugged while out drinking with friends. Alarming, right?

Well, that’s precisely why Nightcap was created. Created in 2019 by Shirah Bernarde, who was then 16 years old, Nightcap constitutes a safeguard against drink spiking. Shirah invented Nightcap after hearing about the horrors of drink tampering from some college-aged friends. She wanted to find a pragmatic solution to combat the problem, a safety mechanism that could ensure the safety of her friends. She got to work and created the first Nightcap prototype using a scrunchie and some of her mom’s pantyhose. Her 21-year-old brother Michael, who was then a college student, saw the potential in her idea. Together, they set out to finesse the concept and introduce the product to the world, hoping it would resonate with consumers. And it did! In two years, more than 250 units were sold in 30 countries.

Nightcap was also featured on the hit show Shark Tank, where it was praised by Lori Greiner who said, “This needs to be in every woman’s hands.”

Here’s how it works: you wear the Nightcap scrunchie in your hair or on your wrist, pull the drink cover out from the hidden scrunchie pocket, then place the cover over your drink and pop in a straw. Each Nightcap scrunchie is reusable and machine washable. With Nightcap, you will have peace of mind in any social drinking situation. And what’s more valuable than that?

Pick up your own Nightcap for $11.99 at NightcapIt.com

SHAMIR GLACIER EXPRESSION LENSES

There are so many people and places to see this summer, so we don’t want anything interfering with our vision. Now, if you wear glasses, you know glare can be a real problem — whether you’re in the sunlight, driving at night, or on a Zoom call.

That’s why Shamir developed Glacier Expression, a new lens formula that reduces glare and allows wearers to see more clearly. With Glacier Expression lenses, you enjoy 70% less reflection than leading AR coatings, so you get to enjoy sharper vision while others see your eyes more clearly. The technology ensures there’s minimal visual background noise, plus it offers improved contrast sensitivity and light transmittance for the clearest possible vision.

To purchase Shamir Glacier Expression lenses, make an appointment with your optometrist. Visit Shamir.com for more info on Glacier Expression

HAPPY TO MEAT U

We love our grilling year-round here in ATX, but there’s something about grilling in the summertime that just feels magical — as fitting for the season as jumping in the pool or eating popsicles and ice cream cones. And any pit master will tell you that a great BBQ dish starts with a great cut of meat. And that’s where Happy To Meat U comes in!

Founded by Chicago native Scott Fischer, Happy To Meat U offers customers nationwide access to prime aged steaks and chops that were once exclusively available to top steakhouse and upscale hotel clients in the Chicago and Las Vegas markets. Happy To Meat U works with a team of third-generation master butchers with roots in Chicago’s famed Union Stockyards. All beef is locally sourced from Midwest farmers whose cattle is pasture raised and corn finished. That corn finish, along with the brand’s proprietary aging process, lends the beef an exceptionally buttery and nutty flavor. All dry and wet aging is done in house for the ultimate favor and tenderness— with the process lasting from 14 to 41 days . Plus, every piece is artfully hand cut — they never use automated machinery — and everything is cut to order so that, whether you’re buying a pack of burgers or a Filet Mignon, your order will be cut and shipped that very day.

In addition to outstanding beef, Happy To Meat U also offers an assortment of Steakhouse Seasoning Blends crafted in collaboration with Saltopia. The seasoning packs are a blend of pink Himalayan sea salt, peppercorn, roasted garlic, and turbinado designed to enhance the flavor of any protein or vegetable dish. There are 3 varieties: Perfected All-Purpose, Sweet & Smoky, and Kiss of Citrus.

You can find these top-notch proteins and spice blends on HappyToMeatU.com and QVC.com

SUNDAZE

Want a new drink to pack in your cooler for your next trip to the lake? Having friends over for a pool party and want something other than beer to serve up? I’ve got a crowd-pleasing new canned cocktail brand for you: SunDaze! It’s a line of canned cocktails made with fermented orange juice, so that the alcohol content in each drink is the result of that fermentation process — no other alcohol is added. Unlike many hard seltzers that feature added alcohol (often derived from fermented cane sugar, malted barley, or distilled corn alcohol), this canned cocktail features naturally crafted alcohol and minimal ingredients for a more flavorful and authentic experience.

SunDaze contains no added sugar, and each serving contains 100% of your daily recommended vitamin C serving!

It has a refreshing citrus flavor and it’s lightly carbonated for a little fizzy fun, plus it’s only 6% ABV which is comparable to beer in terms of the alcohol content. There are 3 flavors: Classic; Botanical, which is infused with adaptogens like rosemary and ginger; and Spicy Citrus, which has a hint of jalapeño and Thai chile.

You can find SunDaze at HEB and Total Wine stores.