The Summer Glow Up
How to channel your future self now.
This post is presented in part by LMNT and U Beauty.
Last weekend, Adam and I had our first adults-only weekend at home I can remember since becoming parents. Both kids had weekend plans away, and we seized the chance to fully embrace a staycation. Since my birthday was on Thursday, it turned into one long birthday weekend where we got to relax and do whatever we felt like.
On Friday, we logged off early and jumped in the pool, drank rosé, made my salmon and avocado salad, and went to bed early for the longest sleep I’ve had in a while. Saturday, we walked Ladybird Lake, grabbed breakfast tacos, rode bikes, and capped it off with a cozy date night at Jeffrey’s bar. The whole weekend reminded me just how luxurious it feels to have no real plans and let your mood lead the way.
I always get a little reflective around my birthdays—nothing makes me more emotional than the passage of time, and birthdays feel like this big reminder of just how fast it’s flying. But I also welcome these reminders as an opportunity to zoom out on my life and get really intentional about how I’m spending it.
Here’s where I landed: I want this next year to feel deeply alive. I want to be fully engaged in the good things and the hard things, to feel the full range of emotions, and bring presence and vitality to every experience. In other words, to live this year with no regrets.
Before we dive in, a couple life updates and things I’m loving:
🔨 Malibu reno update: Concrete is poured, framing is almost done (!!), and things are getting real (!!!) I just shared our design plans for our cozy media room—get caught up here.
📚 Latest read: I tore through Keith McNally’s memoir and loved it. Yes, it’s full of the iconic NYC restaurant stories I hoped for, but it went much deeper. His vulnerability re: his relationships and health challenges was unexpectedly moving.
💧 Upgrade your water: For my fellow LMNT lovers, my fave electrolytes are now in Lemonade Salt for summer. If you want to try, use this link to get a free sample pack with any purchase.
💫 Summer skincare: Very excited to have U Beauty sponsoring today’s post. I’ve been using their iconic duo (the Resurfacing Compound and SUPER Hydrator) for almost a year, and they’ve been game-changers for me—my most effective skincare lineup ever. Use code CAMILLESTYLES for 20% off. You will love.
There’s something about the start of summer that makes me want to fully embody my best self. TBH maybe it’s all the talk of “Hot Girl Summer” (in all its forms) but I love the idea of stepping into this season as the most magnetic, joyful, grounded version of me.
So, today I’m sharing how I’m glowing up my summer. To be clear: this is not about giving myself a makeover or being unrecognizable by August (because that’s crazy.) It is about squeezing the most juice out of these months ahead and enjoying them to the absolute fullest. And I’ve found that when I feel my best mentally, physically, and emotionally, I’m free to dive more fully into whatever life holds.
Meet your future self
If you’ve gone through my Vision Board Workbook or attended one of my workshops, you’ve heard me talk about connecting with your “future self.” It’s a simple but powerful tool for designing a life with intention.
Visualizing your future self helps you:
Decide what changes you’d like to make
Identify the habits that will support those changes
Stay consistent with those new habits
Show up with the energy to fully embody this version of you—starting now.
It may sound like a lot, but here’s how you can do this in a simple but powerful way. Carve out some time this week to envision the best version of yourself this summer (to be clear, not a celebrity or someone on the Internet). Just you, this season, living in alignment with what feels good and true. What are you doing? Who are you with? What are you wearing? What’s bringing you joy?
You can absolutely use this practice to help with your life vision (you might create a 1-, 2-, 5-year Future You in your mind), but I also like to channel it each season to set smaller goals and lifestyle changes I want to incorporate immediately. With this practice, you can become more aligned with your future self, starting today.
My own Future Self vision for summer looks like this:
I wake up in my comfy bed made with my favorite linen sheets feeling well-rested and calm. I make coffee and go out on my patio to feel the sunshine and spend some time journaling and praying to get grounded before the day begins. I feel great in my body—energized, light, listening to it for what to eat and how to move that day. I have a nourishing breakfast with my husband and kids—smashed avo and eggs on homemade sourdough. I’m not rushing because I know I have plenty of time to do what I’ve prioritized that day. I feel clear and excited to dive into what I’m working on (writing this Substack, my fave!), and I’ve carved out time for fun—to jump in the pool and play with my kids. With everything I’m doing, I’m FULLY present.
Notice how this version of me isn’t a fantasy—it’s entirely possible in my real life. I’m not envisioning myself on an island off the coast of Italy, because—I’m not going to Italy this summer (shoot!). That’s the magic of this exercise. You don’t have to wait for a different version of your life to show up.
My friend Shira talked about this in her Substack last week (one of my fave subscriptions), and I love the vision she shared for her future summer self:
I’m on the beach, sitting crosslegged on a chair and it has one of those super plush hotel-ish towels on it. I’m wearing my favorite black triangle bikini and I feel REALLY EFFING GOOD — not because I suddenly look like kendall jenner (an unrealistic look for my frame and genetics) — but just like the hottest version of meee. I’m eating a lettuce wrapped shrimp taco with ample guac and pico. I’m enveloped with the smell of sunscreen and salt water when my son Oliver comes up to me. He’s happy and peaceful and I wrap my arms around his spindly lil body. I feel the touch of my sweet bf Ian’s hand on my back. I’m content and at ease.
Daily Habits = Where the Magic’s Found
Once you have this powerful vision in your mind's eye and it's so real you can taste it, you can reverse-engineer your summer. I find it helpful to ask:
What is my future self doing that I’m not doing now?
What am I doing now that my future self would not be doing?
Make a list of whatever comes to mind under each category. A few of my own:
My future self leaves more margin in her days, so she’s not rushing and feeling stressed.
My future self doesn’t snack mindlessly at night—it messes with her sleep and makes her feel bloated in the morning.
It sounds simple because it is, but there’s something so powerful about actually asking yourself what your future self would do and how you can do that right now. When you keep bringing to mind this picture of who you want to be and referring back to it daily, it helps you make decisions aligned with this version of you. It’ll keep you motivated on tough days, and most importantly it keeps your WHY front and center.
Once you’ve made your list of goals, identify what daily/weekly habits will help you reach them. I like to create a Habit Tracker to hold myself accountable to putting these new practices into action. Here’s how I did this using ChatGPT:
The prompt: Help me create a summer glow-up plan. Here are my goals: [list them]. Put together an actionable plan for how I can achieve them. Create a weekly habit tracker in Google Sheets to help me stay accountable.
One thing to call out: this process is meant to be FUN and life-giving. It’s not about overhauling yourself, and it’s important to remember that we are always evolving—there is no finish line to achieve our “ideal selves.” We’re all on a journey of self-discovery, and the process is about getting to know ourselves better and taking a proactive approach to feeling as happy, healthy, and authentic as possible.
My Summer Glow-Up Plan
Below, I’m sharing my own glow-up plan to spark some ideas. Feel free to take what serves you and leave the rest.
SKIN Glow Up
The goal: Even out my skin tone and get my melasma under control
The plan:
A simple skincare routine that focuses on evenness, discoloration, and glow. Summer is for a streamlined routine (not a ton of products), and I’ve been using U Beauty for several months and am totally hooked on how radiant it makes my skin. I use the The Resurfacing Compound to minimize the appearance of texture, minimize pores, and fade fine lines; The SUPER Hydrator to deliver deep hydration without making me super shiny through the day, and The RETURN Eye Concentrate to target visible fine lines, puffiness, and dark circles. Many of you have asked me if the U Beauty routine is “worth it,” and for me, it’s a game-changing investment. I’ve streamlined my routine—The Resurfacing Compound can replace up to 8 steps in one —and I can see/feel the difference when I stay consistent.
Oral tranexamic acid prescribed by my derm—hands down the most effective thing I’ve tried for melasma. Note that you shouldn’t take it if you’re on birth control or have an increased risk for blood clots.
Moxi Laser + PRP: I just did this laser for the first time, and so far I’m loving it. It’s supposed to be incredibly effective for evening out skin tone without flaring melasma. I’m going to Molly at Milk and Honey for two more sessions and will report back at the end!
ZIIP device 3 - 4 times a week: I love the ZIIP Halo for lifting and toning skin, but you have to use it often to really see results.
WARDROBE Glow Up
The goal: Land on a classic, sexy summer wardrobe that feels like me
The plan:
Create a mood board with visual inspiration that speaks to me (see above—check!)
Try on outfit combinations from my closet, then photograph and store in an album on my phone to make getting dressed easy.
Fill in wardrobe gaps with strategic pieces to help me create outfits aligned with my inspiration.
BODY Glow Up
The goal: (vulnerable share) Lose the few pounds that I’ve mysteriously gained this year. (Okay it’s actually not that mysterious, I leaned a little too hard into bread and ice cream for a few months.) I know the set point where I feel best and where my clothes fit like I want, so I want to get back to that point in a healthy, non-extreme way.
The plan:
Focus on how I’m eating, not just what I’m eating. Savor meals slowly, chew my food, no multitasking while eating (because this inevitably leads to overeating).
Lock in my hydration routine. When I drink lots of water throughout the day, I feel so much better, and this is especially true when I add electrolytes to my water. Fave brand is LMNT, which doesn’t contain any sugar, artificial ingredients, or anything else questionable. I feel more energized for workouts and genuinely notice a difference in my mood throughout the day.
Unprocessed whole foods that lean paleo to keep me energized and satisfied.
16/8 intermittent fasting when aligned with my cycle (if you’re curious about this, Fast Like a Girl will tell you all you need to know.)
Make cooking a joyful, creative ritual. Plan fun meals, romanticize cooking, take my time with it as a creative outlet.
NERVOUS SYSTEM Glow up
The goal: Feel less rushed and stressed—prioritize fun and experiences.
The plan:
Prioritize high-quality sleep—wind down early, no phone in bed, and lights out by 10 when possible.
Add white space to the calendar—resist the urge to overschedule and spend some summer days just hanging out with the kids without a plan.
Embrace slower, sensory-rich rituals all summer long: Morning coffee outside with no distractions, music while cooking, walks without podcasts, just noticing the world.
Let go of perfection: air-dried hair, minimal makeup, outfits that feel effortless. The vibe for summer.
Say yes to fun: spontaneous swims, slow dinners with friends, unstructured afternoons.
This final part of the glow-up may not be as “visible,” but it’s everything. When my nervous system is calm, everything else flows and feels deeper and more joyful.
-
Drop a comment and share one intention you’re setting for the season ahead. Let’s inspire each other. 💛