June Diary: Self-Care Rituals for the Beginning of Summer
There is a precise moment when I understand that summer has truly arrived. It is not the first fierce heat of July, which I find almost brutal. It is June.
June has always been my favorite month of the year. The fact that it is also the month I was born may have something to do with it.
What I love most about June is that it changes my daily rituals. The days become longer, mornings slower and my approach to self-care shifts almost instinctively.
The first thing that changes is my skincare routine. Every morning, after washing my face, I reach for a bottle of rose water. It is a familiar gesture because I did not invent it. My grandmother passed it to my mother and my mother passed it to me. Three generations, the same scent, the same refreshing feeling on freshly washed skin.
During summer, rose water becomes almost indispensable. I use it as a toner every morning and often throughout the day when the weather becomes warmer. Whether it is the classic Acqua alle Rose (stock up on this if you visit Italy) or the Rose Water by Santa Maria Novella, it remains one of my favorite summer beauty rituals.
June is also the moment when I introduce more masks into my routine. Sheet masks for the face, nourishing treatments for the hands, small acts of care that feel particularly satisfying at the beginning of summer. I rarely consider skincare a chore; for me, it is part of creating a slower rhythm for the day.
Another June ritual is homemade rose drink. Not with just any rose, but with the roses from my garden, picked in the morning before the sun climbs too high. I leave the petals to dry slowly and then infuse them in cold water for several hours, adding a few fresh petals before serving.
While researching historical beauty rituals, I discovered that Marie Antoinette also had a favorite rose-based drink. There is something charming about imagining the same flower moving between gardens, kitchens, vanity tables, and boudoirs across centuries.
When I work, I often keep a small bowl of candied rose petals on my desk. They are one of those slightly unnecessary luxuries I find impossible to resist. Sweet, floral, and beautifully old-fashioned, they make an ordinary afternoon feel a little more special.
This time of year also brings back certain objects. A lace robe I found years ago in a small Parisian shop reappears every June. I wear it during early morning walks in the garden before the day begins.
The same happens with my favorite straw bags. One in particular, a woven clip-clasp bag from the 1950s discovered in a vintage shop in Florence, returns every summer. I carry it to the market, on long walks and on city days before the strongest heat arrives.
June always changes my mood and, inevitably, my work. New colors appear, softer palettes emerge, and ideas begin to take shape inside sketchbooks. I am already curious to see how these early summer rituals will find their way into future drawings.
With love,
Madame
Handpicked Art selection from the Boutique
A few June Favorites
*This post may contain affiliate links, this means that if you buy something through them I receive a small percentage that allows me to support my work. Thank you!
