The Essential Edit — May
My most-used clean beauty and wellness finds from May.
May felt like the official start of summer skin. More glow, less makeup, and a few finds that made both very easy.
As the weather warmed up, my beauty routine naturally became more minimal. I’ve been gravitating toward products that deliver that healthy, rested, just-back-from-vacation look without requiring much effort. Think glowy skin, a tinted lip, and formulas that do the heavy lifting for you.
From a face tan with zero trace to a body serum I can’t stop using, these are the clean beauty, wellness, and style finds I’ve had on repeat.
Here’s what earned a permanent spot on my vanity this month.
Beauty
The face self tanner I've been ending my skincare routine with. Zero fragrance, zero trace. I apply it as the very last step at night when I want to wake up with a natural glow. I use it with this brush for a seamless application.
I featured this in my summer beauty trends article, and it's been in constant rotation ever since. The sheer, buildable lipstick formula creates that effortless, lived-in look I keep reaching for. I wear shade Onyx.
The luxe skincare SPF I genuinely look forward to wearing. I featured this in my Clean SPF Guide as one of three formulas I seriously can't live without — and I stand by that. I apply this to my neck and décolletage too, and my skin stays soft, hydrated, and luminous all day. Saying you enjoy wearing your SPF feels like a big deal, and here we are.
This sheet mask is back for a second month — proof that it wasn't just a one-month obsession. If I'm skipping foundation, this is my prep. It leaves my skin looking plumper, calmer, and noticeably more radiant every single time. It's become my shortcut to that glass-skin look.
Body
This body serum with 2% Niacinamide. I wear it two ways: as an overnight body mask layered under my body lotion, or alone as a lightweight daytime hydrator. It soaks in instantly, zero heaviness — which makes it the perfect summer skin step.
Wellness
A chic upgrade to my flossing routine. I’m a consistent flosser but dreaded the hands-in-mouth situation. This electric flosser completely changed that — it makes reaching the back teeth effortless, comes with a travel case, and the floss is BPA & PFAS free.
Wear
This Doen dress. Already been complimented on it multiple times. 100% organic cotton, easy to throw on, and it reads so elevated. The definition of an effortless summer dress.
This post is part of The Essential Edit — my monthly clean beauty and wellness roundup.
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The electric flosser detail is the one I didn't expect, but it makes complete sense once you think about it.
Floss sits between teeth, against gum tissue, for real contact time. The BPA & PFAS-free label stops feeling like marketing and starts feeling like a reasonable minimum standard.
I've been watching this same scrutiny spread into grooming products more broadly. I built a small app (mangood.app?ref=substack-awareness) that scans grooming ingredient labels for endocrine disruptors, similar to what you're doing here with oral care. The category crossover is where things are getting interesting.