A little while back I was contacted by Man Crates to see if I’d be interested in writing a post about my “Do or Die” essentials. Man Crates a new company that ships awesome gifts for men in custom wooden crates! At Man Crates, it is their mission to end the difficulties that have long been associated with buying gifts for men! I told them I’m be happy to team up with them, so I present to you now some things in life that I cannot just live without, especially during these hot summer months:

images via: 1 / 2 / 3 / my own / 5

 1) Sunglasses. I don’t wear them just to protect my retinas from the sun’s harmful rays. I have an enormously difficult time seeing in the sunlight. I don’t know if it’s my half-Asian genes that make the squinting worse, but I may as well walk around with my eyes shut if I don’t have my sunglasses on my face. Kyle was amazing enough to buy me a brand new pair of Oakley LBD sunnies for my birthday this year, and I don’t go anywhere without them on my face.

2) iPod Classic. I bought my very first iPod off of eBay back in 2006 (I think). It was a 1st generation iPod Mini (pink in colour), and I loved it to pieces. When it finally kicked the bucket, I was pretty sad, but then Kyle swooped in to the rescue and bought me a shiny new iPod Classic. I’ve had it ever since, and it remains loaded up with my favourite songs for in the car. I also semi-joke that if someone were to break into my car, I’d be more upset if they stole my iPod than anything else. It’s true!

3) Pedicures. My feet get super dry and cracked in the summer, so I try and get a pedicure at least once a month and then just micro-manage my toes at home in between. My all-time favourite go-to colour is China Glaze’s Four Leaf Clover, but I love all colours bright and fun for the summer months.

4) Iced Passion Tea Lemonade. I’m all for ice cold drinks in the summer, but nothing quenches my thirst more than a iced passion tea lemonade from Starbucks. And what’s even better is that during my Pinterest browsing I found a decent copy cat recipe. Now all I have to do is buy a tin of the passion tea and I can make it at home by myself! Generally I just buy lemonade at the store, but sometimes I’m spoiled and Kyle mades the real stuff for me. You can find the copy cat recipe I use here! (And pardon the name in the photo – they clearly misheard it when I told them!)

5) Kleenex. Allergies. I got ’em. And I seriously cannot go outside for the first few weeks of summer without having at least a half-dozen sneezing fits. Once a year I stock up on a multi-pack of pretty little Kleenex travel packs and call it a season. I’m definitely THAT person who every one thinks is deathly ill, but I swear, it’s just allergies!

So there you have it, my summer do or die essentials! What’s on your list??

Disclosure: I was contacted by Man Crates to write a post discussing my “Do or Die” essentials. I was not compensated in any way by Man Crates or any of the companies mentioned above. All opinions, as always, are my own!