Well Considered: Summer Edition

Functional ice, better allergy meds, scalp tingles, red light recovery, and one very useful facelift PDF

My summer report from the front lines of me trying things, using things, carrying things, eating things, strapping things to my body, and occasionally becoming weirdly obsessed with products I did not expect to care about, as usual. I have a few discount links too.

First up: Claudent took an entire category and made it chic.

They make UPF sun-protective clothing that actually looks like something you would want to wear. Beautiful silhouettes, great construction, elevated fabrics, the whole thing. No more rash guard, wet suit hideous-ness. Think sun protection clothing if you’re wandering around Comporta, boating in Paros, pretending you know someone with a house in Mallorca, or walking to get an iced coffee on Pico.

They did a little pop-up at Platform in Culver City, which is where I really got to see the pieces up close, and I was so impressed. High value, beautifully constructed, and genuinely smart. These women are geniuses.

You bet I came home with this Caftan. But I was dying for this top. And white skirt! I will prob buy online.

Owala. I already love their water bottles, but now they have this very cute crossbody bag situation that holds your bottle and your little essentials. It’s the exact kind of thing that makes sense for summer hikes, errands (Amazon returns), long walks, travel days (walk to Vons), and those weird days where you don’t want to carry a whole bag (every day). It’s sporty, useful, and cute enough that it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing a hydration holster. I got the light blue.

Still obsessed with Seranova, my at-home micro-infusion kit. I use it twice a month, and it has become one of those little rituals that feels like I did something amazing in 5 minutes. I love anything that doesn’t require me to book an appointment, rearrange my life, or spend half a day in Beverly Hills looking for parking. It’s become one of my favorite at-home skin things because it sits in that sweet spot between easy and effective. USE CODE: GROOMEDLA

I have to give a quick hit to The Girlfriend’s Guide, the facelift consultation guide I made with my long time sister in beauty/aesthetics crimes, Robin Levine Shobin of Charlotte's Book. This is our downloadable PDF for anyone even thinking about booking a facelift consultation. Basically: everything you should know before you waste your money sitting in a surgeon’s office. Robin and I have lived, loved, and learned. We have asked the questions, had the consults, compared notes, and come out the other side with a public service announcement in PDF form. We also have a little prep and post op guide coming next, because this is who we are now: women with receipts, opinions, and downloadable resources. We’ve also both had facelifts. As they say, we’ve done the work. Literally.

Then there are Roxii Supercubes, which are functional ice cubes. We are now optimizing ice and I’m great with it. They’re nutrient-infused cubes that turn your drink into a little wellness moment without asking you to mix a powder, open a packet, or whip into shape. You just drop one in and suddenly your water feels like it got a summer internship in beauty and wellness. Cute. Hydrating. And delish.

Dermatone’s mineral reef-safe sunscreen has also been in the rotation. Mineral SPF can be tricky because sometimes it gives mime, chalk, or toddler at the beach. This one feels more adult. I especially love the idea of keeping the spay in a my bag (see Owala above) because sunscreen is only useful if you actually have it with you.

I’ve also been trying more and more ActivatedYou supplements. They make a lot of very functional, daily wellness support products, and I’m always interested in anything that can slide into a routine without turning the kitchen into a supplement command center. A Morning Lift mushroom coffee, skin food supps, vital strength and more things to support my aging AF self. Super into this one: Vital Strength Creatine + Amino Acids + Vitamin D3, espesh because it supports muscle tone and the development of lean muscle, endurance: and energy.^.

On the hair front, I’m doing OMI hair peptide gummies! OMI is peptide-focused - think: shedding, texture changes, density, hormones, stress, all of it. I’m IN. I take the supps, eat the gummies and use the mix in powder. My hair is thick as thievs. (Did I spell that right?).

Philip B is also always having a moment in my shower. The scalp serum is gorgeous, but the Peppermint Avocado Shampoo is the one I keep reaching for right now because it feels so good in summer. It has that clean, cool, tingly scalp thing without feeling cheap or screechy. Philip B has always been high quality, and this shampoo reminds you immediately. It’s fresh, clarifying, smells incredible, and it makes your scalp feel like it stole your last addy. The Peppermint Scalp Scrub is a weekly MUST.

Snack-wise, I am in a committed relationship with Crisp Power Protein Pretzels.
I cannot stop eating them. They’re salty, crunchy, high protein, high fiber, and they do the thing most protein snacks fail to do, which is taste like an actual snack. A meal bridge. A I have zero appetite from Tirzepatide but I need to get my P-grams in. I was spending so much money ordering on Amazon, I asked to become an affiliate. USE CODE: GROOMEDLA15

Wizard Wellness is another brand I’m very into, partly because allergy care has needed a glow-up for about 100 years. The allergy aisle has historically been giving dusty, depressing, and aggressively medicinal. Wizard makes the whole thing feel fresher, younger, and much more beauty-adjacent. It’s cute without being dumb, which is always the line. Allergies are annoying enough. There’s no reason the products have to look like they were designed during a sinus infection.

I also forgot to mention Kineon, which is the kind of thing I get genuinely excited about. Their MOVE+ Pro is a wearable red light and laser therapy device designed for targeted joint pain, inflammation, and mobility support. I’m testing it now, but I already love the idea of something you can strap on at home instead of turning every ache into an appointment. I love recovery tools that feel practical. Code: GROOMEDLA gets you a discount. I forget how much.

And of course, WeVibe, over at Womanizer, my most committed sexual relationship sent me more vibrators, because apparently someone over there understands my current life chapter. As a woman with zero interest in men, dating, or frankly being close to anyone with a pulse, this is my jam. Sexual wellness minus texts to decode, a dinner I want to cancel and most importantly, no one breathing near me telling me about their mommy issues.

And finally, Corla Health. More to come on this one, because I’m working with them and want to talk about it properly, but the short version is: online menopause and perimenopause care with actual hormonal support, labs, prescriptions, ongoing messaging, and clinicians who are trained in this specific stage of life. They treat things like hot flashes, sleep, mood, sexual health, skin, hair, and the general “why do I suddenly feel like my operating system changed overnight” portion of midlife.

Update! I got a link - that will give you a first month free for membership!!