The summer solstice is my Super Bowl. I was born in the summer, and my name literally means ‘The Sun.’ When the weather gets warmer, I defrost. I relish al fresco dining, summer outfits, and the smell of coconuts and vanilla (my signature summer scents). As a Black woman, I grew up inundated with beauty standards that valorized lighter skin and told me to get out of the sun. But for years, I would bare my skin to the sun in pursuit of my summer shade. I’ve always felt most myself after a sun-drenched day.

Cut to a decade later, and I’m paying for my devotion with endless bottles of sunscreen and piles of protective clothing. While I still enjoy a healthy amount of sun exposure—my serotonin depends on it—finding the best self-tanner has proved to be my sun-obsessed solution. Luckily, the past few years have transformed the self-tanner industry into a certified skincare category. From skin-first formulas to high-end options for all skin tones, sunless tanner is a staple for glowing skin year-round.

How to Choose the Best Self-Tanner

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been burned—maybe literally—by self-tanners. Thankfully, these days, gems abound. To find the best of the best self-tanners, we went to the experts. Ahead, Sabrina Johnson, spray-tan stylist and esthetitian, and Ashley McNabb, makeup artist and founder of Ashley McNabb Artistry, share everything to know about the best self-tanners.

Best Self-Tanner Ingredients

To keep your glow going, avoid anything that will dry out your skin and undo your skin prep. Johnson advises, “Avoid self-tanners with harsh chemicals like parabens, sulfates, and phthalates.” Alcohol, which is found in many quick-drying formulas, can also be harmful, but it can exacerbate dryness and dehydration.

Look for the following ingredients in your self-tanner:

• Antioxidants: (Niacinamide, Resveratrol, Coenzyme Q10, Ferulic acid, Copper, Zinc, Selenium)
• Hyaluronic acid
• Glycerin
• Aloe vera
• Vitamins A, C, and E

What to Do Before Applying Self-Tanner

“The biggest mistake you can make when using self-tanner is not prepping the skin,” says Johnson. Here are some steps to prep your skin for the best self-tanner results.

Dry-brush your whole body. Yes, dry brushing can stimulate circulation and lymphatic drainage, but it’s also worth it simply for the exfoliation factor. Just brush in broad strokes toward your heart—gentle pressure and sloooow movements are best.

Do a body scrub. According to Johnson, “Skipping exfoliation can lead to uneven application and patchiness. Avoid chemical exfoliants like AHA, BHA, and retinol before and after tanning as they will make your tan fade faster.” Buffing away excess dead skin cells with a gentle body scrub helps the results last longer.

Do an everything shower. An indulgent shower routine feels like a luxury, but before you self-tan, it’s a necessity. Since you can’t shower for 8-12 hours after application, the best at-home self-tan starts in the shower. Focus on replenishing your skin’s moisture with nourishing ingredients. For extra exfoliation, I love using the Esker Body Plane with a lightweight body oil to really wick away dead skin while sealing in moisture.

Moisturize. After your everything shower, dry off and use a deeply moisturizing lotion all over your body. Make sure you get your hands (and in between your fingers), your feet, ankles, knees, and elbows extra moisturized.

Prep your face. Just like your body, a smooth canvas makes for better application. Use a gentle (physical!) exfoliator and, depending on the instructions for your self-tanner of choice, moisturize deeply.

Hydrate from the inside out. This is key to maintaining an even tan for as long as possible. Prioritize naturally hydrating fruits and veggies, experiment with DIY spa waters, or consider adding electrolytes to your H20.

How to Apply Sunless Tanners

Though applying a self-tanner at home can be intimidating, a few tips and tricks go a long way toward achieving an even, natural glow that suits your skin tone. McNabb takes us through her top tips for streak-free, sun-kissed skin.

Start small. It’s always smart to test the product on a small part of your skin before applying to your whole body to make sure you like the color.

Work your way around. Whether applying with your hands or a glove, do it in small sections. Blend in circular motions and pay extra attention to the ankles, toes, knees, and elbows, as these areas can be tricky to blend.

Don’t forget the SPF! Some people apply self-tanner and forget additional sun protection. Don’t make that mistake.

The Best Self-Tanners, Tested and Reviewed

Thankfully, finding the right self-tanner has never been easier—and you don’t have to risk turning orange in the process. “Each product offers different benefits, so consider your skin type, desired outcome, and any skin sensitivities when choosing a self-tanner,” says Johnson.

If you’re standing in the self-tanner aisle or toggling between product types, consider this your definitive guide to the best self-tanners.

Best Face Self-Tanner

Saltyface Tanning Water

The TikTok-viral face tanner that actually delivers—a water-light, scent-free mist made with organic DHA from sugar beets that builds gradually for a sun-kissed glow that reads as real. Gentle enough for acne-prone and sensitive skin, it slots seamlessly into your existing skincare routine as a last step.

$42 at Saltyface

Best for Beginners

Brown Bee Gradual Tan Daily Moisturizer

If the idea of self-tanner still makes you nervous, this is your entry point. A 4-in-1 daily moisturizer packed with hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and jojoba oil that builds a natural, hydrated glow over time—no mitt, no stress, no commitment.

$38 at Brown Bee

Best for Pale Skin

Tan Luxe The Butter

The foolproof option for fair skin that wants a genuine glow without the orange. This richly nourishing butter — loaded with cocoa butter, shea butter, and raspberry seed oil—develops gradually over 2-4 hours into a buildable, luminous tan that’s as hydrating as your favorite body moisturizer.

$42 at Tan Luxe

Best for Dark Skin

St. Tropez Self Tan Dark Bronzing Mousse

The one that delivers a deep, rich tan that actually looks like time spent in the sun. St. Tropez’s dark mousse tailors to your skin tone over 4-8 hours, developing into a streak-free, long-lasting bronze with 100% natural DHA and no self-tan smell.

$45 at Ulta Beauty

---

The Takeaway

Finding your self-tanner match is a little like finding the right foundation. It takes some trial and error, but once you’re there, you’ll wonder how you ever went without it. Whether you’re easing in with a gradual formula or going full bronze, the most important thing is the prep. Do that right, and the rest is easy. Summer skin, sorted.

This post was last updated on May 12, 2026, to include new insights.

The post Too Good to Gatekeep—These Self-Tanners Are the Secret to Your Glowiest Summer Skin appeared first on Camille Styles.

There’s a particular kind of afternoon that I want to bottle up and remember forever. The kind where nobody is looking at their phones, the wine glasses keep getting refilled, and somehow two hours pass, and no one has moved from the table. That’s how I remember the day that Camilla Marcus joined a group of friends and me for lunch in my backyard to celebrate the launch of her cookbook, My Regenerative Kitchen.

We’d been trying to make it happen for weeks, and when it finally came together on a warm spring day, the afternoon delivered everything we’d imagined. We set big platters of food on the table outside, served everything family-style, and lingered in that easy, unhurried way that only happens when the food is simple and the company is everything.

The menu tasted like spring. Chilled pea gazpacho passed around in little bowls. A fennel salad. Rose dark chocolate bark for dessert with coffee. Natural wine and sparkling water. And these tartines, which were the thing everyone kept talking about afterward.

The Chef Behind the Recipe

If you’re not familiar with Camilla Marcus, she’s one of those cooks who makes everything feel both effortless and considered. Her approach to cooking is easygoing and intuitive, grounded in a deep appreciation for seasonality and the farmers who grow the food. She’s also the founder of west~bourne, her direct-to-consumer brand making feel-good provisions inspired by California’s bounty. I’d known Camilla for a few years and am always excited for a chance to cook together—and these tartines perfectly represent the way she thinks about a meal.

The recipe comes from her cookbook, My Regenerative Kitchen, and her description of them is perfect: the ultimate chef snack. Equal parts creamy and crunchy with peak-season ingredients. No rules, and absolutely no fuss.

Canyon “Essentials” Dinnerware, Set of 12

$385 at Casa Zuma

Cocina Salt & Spice Tray

$249 at Casa Zuma

The Sunday Salad Set

$248 at Casa Zuma

What Elevates This Tartine Recipe

When it comes to food that’s this simple, the beauty’s in the restraint. The last thing we want to do is complicate something where every element is so good it earns its place. That means the bread matters (thick-cut, from a good bakery, fried in avocado oil until golden and crisp). The tomato is key (find the best heirloom you can get your hands on). And the blue cheese—frozen and shaved thin so it melts into lacy ribbons over the warm bread—is the secret ingredient that takes this to another level.

The roasted beet tartine—yogurt or crème fraîche spread thick, golden beets layered on top, finished with toasted pepitas—has slightly more surprising ingredients. Beets and crème fraîche are a combination I knew I loved, but something about the contrast with the crisp fried bread made it feel completely new. Cool and creamy against all that crunch.

The Salt Ritual

$78 at Casa Zuma

A Few Tips for Success

Serve these as a starter, a lunch, or, honestly, the sort of snack that becomes the whole meal because you can’t stop eating them. They’re best when the tomatoes are at their peak, so definitely keep these top of mind as we head into the summer months.

We made these in a large cast-iron pan and kept them coming in batches. (You won’t believe how much the simple touch of frying the bread elevates these tartines.) And keep in mind Camilla’s more-is-more rule when it comes to the crème fraîche. It keeps these tartines feeling absolutely indulgent.

If you’re building a spring lunch around these, the pea gazpacho and a simple fennel salad round it out perfectly. Add a bottle of something cold and pink, clear your afternoon, and linger as long as you possibly can.

This recipe is from Camilla Marcus’ cookbook, My Regenerative Kitchen.

Tartines with Heirloom Tomato, Blue Cheese, and Golden Beets

---

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

No reviews

• Author: Camilla Marcus
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Chef Camilla Marcus’ tartine recipe from My Regenerative Kitchen — fried bread, heirloom tomato, blue cheese, golden beets. Simple, seasonal, and worth every bite.

---

Ingredients

Units USM

• 2 slices thick-cut bread (a simple country loaf or brioche works beautifully)
• 4 tablespoons avocado oil, plus more to garnish
• Maldon salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 1 heirloom tomato, sliced
• 6 slices blue cheese, frozen to firm up, then shaved
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sheep’s milk yogurt or crème fraîche
• 6 slices roasted golden beets
• 1 tablespoon toasted pepitas

---

Instructions

1. Drizzle a cast iron skillet with enough avocado oil to coat the bottom, and get it hot over medium-high heat. Fry the bread evenly on each side, moving it around and flipping as you go, until nicely crisped and golden brown all over. Remove from the pan and drain on a rack or kitchen towel — hit it with a pinch of Maldon salt immediately while still piping hot.
2. On one slice, layer the tomato slices, then top with the shaved blue cheese and finish with a drizzle of avocado oil, Maldon salt, and cracked pepper.
3. On the other slice, spread the yogurt or crème fraîche in a generous layer, top with the sliced golden beets, and garnish with the toasted pepitas. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve immediately, while the bread is still warm.

• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 5
• Category: sandwich

Keywords: tartine

The post This Tartine Recipe Is Peak Spring on a Plate appeared first on Camille Styles.

If you’ve ever wondered why you can eat a “healthy” breakfast and still feel starving by 10 AM—or why your energy tanks every afternoon like clockwork—there’s a good chance it comes down to what’s on your plate. Too many carbs (without enough protein and fat!), skipping meals, or relying on snacks are your blood sugar’s worst nightmare. As a nutrition consultant, this is one of the first things I work on with clients, because once you understand blood sugar (a.k.a. blood glucose), so many of those frustrating symptoms start to click into place.

In this guide, we’re covering the basics of blood sugar, why it matters for hormone balance and overall health (especially for women), and a full blood sugar balancing meal plan you can start this week.

Beginner’s Guide to Blood Sugar

Without knowing exactly what it means, you’ve probably heard of the term. Blood sugar plays a role in energy, emotions, cognitive function, hormonal health, sleep, and more. You may already be familiar with spikes and dips in blood sugar. Hello, hanger! That said, few recognize its effects daily. In essence, blood sugar is the amount of sugar (or glucose) in your blood at any given time. And it’s produced when we break down carbohydrates. Be it a slice of cake or a piece of toast, that carb is absorbed into our bloodstream. Immediately or eventually, it’s used as a source of energy.

How Does Blood Sugar Work?

Here’s the best way to visualize and think about blood sugar:

1. You eat food. Let’s assume you ate a balanced combination of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Your digestion breaks down your food. Carbs get broken down into glucose. This is your body and your brain’s primary source of preferred energy.

2. Blood sugar levels rise. Glucose enters your bloodstream, and blood sugar levels naturally increase. How much they increase is dependent largely on the macronutrient breakdown of the meal. More carbs = higher blood sugar. More protein + fat = lower blood sugar spike.

3. Insulin is released. As soon as your body senses the rise in blood sugar, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin is an important hormone involved in managing blood sugar levels. We want not too much, but also not too little.

4. Blood sugar lowers. Insulin acts as the key that opens your cells and transports glucose from the bloodstream into cells. Glucose is either used immediately for energy or stored for later use. Insulin is what keeps blood sugar from getting too high.

The Goal: A Gradual Rise in Blood Sugar

The goal is to have a gradual rise in blood sugar levels after we eat, and a slow and steady decline in the hours after. We want to avoid large increases in our blood sugar. Why? Because they lead to a very drastic and significant decrease. In other words, it’s not just about high blood sugar levels. We want to minimize low blood sugar levels and crashes, too.

Finding a Happy Medium

Just like cortisol and inflammation aren’t inherently bad (in fact, they’re vital for keeping us alive!), the same goes for blood sugar. Glucose also isn’t the enemy, and neither is insulin. Ultimately, it’s a matter of eating in a way that keeps glucose and insulin at a happy medium. We’re not avoiding carbs and sugar altogether. Rather, it’s about maintaining a healthy balance and honoring the foods that make us feel our best.

How to Achieve Steady Blood Sugar

Large spikes lead to equally dramatic crashes, and those crashes are what trigger the cycle of cravings, fatigue, and overeating that so many women find themselves stuck in. Here’s where to start.

Pair Protein + Fiber at Every Meal

This is the single most impactful change you can make. Protein slows digestion and blunts glucose spikes, while fiber acts as a buffer—slowing the rate at which sugar enters your bloodstream. A breakfast of just toast and juice will spike blood sugar fast, but add eggs and a side of sautéed greens and the response looks completely different. Aim for at least 25-30 grams of protein and a solid serving of fiber-rich veggies or whole grains at each meal.

Take a 10-15 Minute Walk After Eating

This one is free, easy, and backed by a growing body of research. Walking after meals helps your muscles use glucose for energy, which lowers your post-meal blood sugar response. You don’t need to power walk or break a sweat; a casual stroll around the block or even pacing while you take a phone call works.

Prioritize 7-9 Hours of Sleep

Sleep and blood sugar have a bidirectional relationship: poor sleep worsens blood sugar regulation, and unstable blood sugar disrupts sleep. Even a single night of inadequate rest can decrease insulin sensitivity the following day, meaning your body needs more insulin to do the same job. If you’re doing everything right with food and movement but skimping on sleep, you’re undermining your own progress.

Manage Your Stress

This is the underrated one. Most people don’t realize that stress raises blood sugar even if you haven’t eaten anything. When cortisol is elevated, your liver releases stored glucose into your bloodstream to prepare for a perceived threat. Chronic stress means chronically elevated blood sugar—no food required. Everything from deep breathing to building buffers in your schedule isn’t just a nice-to-have. They’re a metabolic tool.

What Causes Blood Sugar Imbalance?

Along with the aforementioned habits, you also want to avoid inconsistent meal times. Not eating enough or not eating consistently (every 3-4 hours, ideally) can both be highly stressful to the body. For this reason, I don’t recommend intermittent fasting for most women! Interestingly, both an overly sedentary lifestyle and working out too much will impact blood sugar levels. Again, it’s stressful on the body. Last but not least, gut dysbiosis (think bloating, etc.) will also negatively impact glucose levels.

Foods That Help Balance Blood Sugar

While there are many foods that help lower and regulate blood sugar, these are some of the best! They cause minimal blood sugar spikes, support sustained energy, and aid in fullness:

• Animal protein sources (eggs, chicken, turkey, salmon, sardines, grass-fed beef, shrimp, bone broth, etc.)
• Plant-based protein sources (tempeh, tofu, edamame, hemp seeds, spirulina, etc.)
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Darky leafy greens
• Non-starchy veggies (tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.)
• Celery and cucumber
• Cruciferous veggies (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc.)
• Berries
• Cottage cheese
• Avocados
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Olives
• Beams
• Legumes
• Kimchi
• Sauerkraut
• Cinnamon
• Apple cider vinegar

Your 5-Day Blood Sugar Balancing Meal Plan

This is a flexible framework, not a rigid prescription. Feel free to repeat your favorite meals, swap proteins based on preference, and adjust portions to your hunger and activity level. The through-line: every meal and snack pairs protein + fat + fiber-rich carbs to keep blood sugar steady.

Day 1

Breakfast: Two-egg veggie scramble with sautéed spinach, bell peppers, and a quarter avocado. Serve with a slice of sprouted grain toast.

Snack: A handful of almonds + a few slices of green apple.

Lunch: Large mixed greens salad with grilled chicken (5-6 ounces), cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, and olive oil + lemon dressing. Side of quinoa.

Snack: Celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of almond butter.

Dinner: Baked salmon (5-6 ounces) with roasted broccoli and sweet potato wedges drizzled with olive oil.

Day 2

Breakfast: Overnight oats made with rolled oats, chia seeds, unsweetened almond milk, a scoop of protein powder, and topped with berries and a drizzle of almond butter.

Snack: Hard-boiled egg + a small handful of walnuts.

Lunch: Turkey and avocado lettuce wraps with shredded carrots, cucumber, and a side of hummus with sliced bell peppers.

Snack: Full-fat Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of ground flax and a few raspberries.

Dinner: Grass-fed beef stir-fry with broccoli, snap peas, mushrooms, and cauliflower rice. Season with coconut aminos and ginger.

Day 3

Breakfast: Strawberry matcha smoothie with a scoop of vanilla protein powder (or collagen peptides) added in.

Snack: Sliced turkey rolled around a cheese stick.

Lunch: Lentil soup loaded with carrots, celery, and kale. Serve with a side salad dressed in olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

Snack: A handful of walnuts + blackberries.

Dinner: Grilled chicken thighs served alongside roasted Brussels sprouts and a small portion of brown rice.

Day 4

Breakfast: Two-egg omelet with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. Side of sautéed greens.

Snack: A pear with a small handful of cashews.

Lunch: Grain bowl with quinoa, black beans, grilled chicken or tempeh, roasted sweet potato, pickled red onion, cilantro, and tahini dressing.

Snack: Veggies and guacamole.

Dinner: Slow-roasted cod, baked sweet potatoes, and grilled asparagus.

Day 5

Breakfast: Chia pudding made with full-fat coconut milk, topped with hemp seeds, sliced almonds, and a handful of blueberries.

Snack: Cottage cheese with cucumber slices and everything bagel seasoning.

Lunch: Large salad with mixed greens, canned wild salmon, avocado, cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds, and a lemon-tahini dressing.

Snack: An apple with a spoonful of no-sugar-added peanut butter.

Dinner: Turkey meatballs with marinara (no added sugar) over zucchini noodles, with a side of roasted cauliflower.

Tips to Make This Meal Plan Work for You

• Eat within an hour of waking. Starting your day with a protein-forward breakfast sets the tone for stable blood sugar all day. Skipping breakfast means running on cortisol—and playing catch-up by lunch.
• Pay attention to eating order. When you do eat carbs, try eating your veggies and protein first. This simple swap can blunt the blood sugar spike from the same exact meal.
• Pair, don’t restrict. The goal isn’t to eliminate carbs; it’s to always pair them with protein, fat, or fiber. An apple by itself will spike blood sugar more than an apple with almond butter.
• Meal prep is your friend. You don’t need to spend a whole Sunday in the kitchen. Even prepping a few basics (hard-boiled eggs, a batch of quinoa, washed and chopped veggies, etc.) makes it so much easier to throw together balanced meals during a busy week.
• Move after meals. Even a 10-15 minute walk after eating can significantly reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes. It doesn’t need to be intense, just get moving!
• Hydrate. Dehydration can actually concentrate blood sugar levels. Aim for at least half your body weight in ounces of water daily.

If you’re ready to go deeper—beyond just blood sugar and into the full picture of how to eat, train, and build a body that actually feels strong—my Strong(er) Body Blueprint covers everything from protein targets and progressive overload to the metabolic habits that keep blood sugar balanced for the long haul.

Edie Horstman

Edie is the founder of nutrition coaching business, Wellness with Edie. With her background and expertise, she specializes in women’s health, including fertility, hormone balance, and postpartum wellness.

This post was last updated on May 11, 2026, to include new insights.

The post A Nutritionist’s 5-Day Meal Plan for Balanced Blood Sugar appeared first on Camille Styles.

Let’s talk about premenstrual syndrome, better known as PMS. If you’ve ever felt bloated, emotional, exhausted, or just a little off in the days before your period, you’re far from alone. Research suggests that up to 75% of menstruating women experience PMS symptoms each month. And as a nutrition consultant, I can vouch for this. It’s one of the most common topics that comes up in my client sessions. But remember, just because something is common doesn’t mean it’s inevitable. Below are a few natural ways to relieve PMS symptoms that I often recommend to clients.

What Causes PMS?

After ovulation, the body enters the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. During this time, progesterone rises, and estrogen fluctuates. If pregnancy doesn’t happen, both hormones drop sharply in the days leading up to your period. It’s this hormonal shift that gives most of us (menstruating women) a run for our money. They typically trigger many of the symptoms associated with PMS, including bloating, fatigue, mood changes, headaches, breast tenderness, and cravings. While we can’t completely eliminate these, we can support the body through them.

Why You Feel So Bloated

If your jeans suddenly feel tighter the week before your period, you’re not imagining it. Many women notice increased water retention in the week before their period. Hormonal fluctuations influence fluid balance and sodium sensitivity, which is why that familiar pre-period bloating can appear almost overnight. Fortunately, a few simple nutrition habits can help ease some of that fluid retention.

Strategies to Combat Bloat

Most importantly, become more mindful of sodium intake during the late-luteal phase of your cycle. Ultra-processed foods, restaurant meals, and packaged snacks tend to contain large amounts of sodium that can contribute to fluid retention. Instead, focus on meals built around whole foods such as colorful veggies, protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbs. Staying well hydrated and including potassium-rich foods (like avocado, bananas, leafy greens, and sweet potatoes) may also help support fluid balance.

Brain Fog or Clumsiness Before Your Period

Bloat aside, you may also feel mentally foggy—or slightly uncoordinated—before your period begins. While research on this is still evolving, hormonal fluctuations influence everything from fluid balance to sleep quality and neurotransmitters in the brain. All of which may contribute to that “off” feeling many women recognize. If this tends to happen for you, it’s often a signal to slow down slightly during this phase of your cycle. Prioritizing sleep and (to the best of your ability), avoid overstimulation. Think late nights, excessive caffeine, and HIIT sessions.

Natural Remedies for PMS Cramps

Let’s talk cramps. Menstrual cramps are caused by uterine contractions triggered by compounds called prostaglandins. In essence, higher levels of inflammatory prostaglandins can make cramps more intense. Several natural strategies can support your body during this time:

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fats have anti-inflammatory properties that are known to reduce menstrual pain. Fatty fish—I love salmon, sardines, and mackerel for omega-3s—are excellent sources. You can also get omega-3 fatty acids from plant foods, like walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds.

Magnesium

Magnesium is involved in over 300 processes in the body, including muscle relaxation and nervous system regulation. Many women find that adequate magnesium intake helps reduce cramping, headaches, and sleep disturbances around their cycle. I recommend taking magnesium at night before bed!

Ginger

Like magnesium, some research suggests ginger may work similarly to common pain relievers by helping reduce the prostaglandins that trigger uterine cramping. Try adding fresh ginger to tea, smoothies, or stir-fries in the days leading up to your period.

Sleep

Prioritizing sleep in the week before your period can make a surprising difference in how you experience PMS. Hormonal shifts during the luteal phase can affect energy levels and mood, so giving your body a little more rest can help support recovery, reduce irritability, and improve overall resilience during this phase of your cycle.

Gentle heat and movement

Last but not least, don’t underestimate a heating pad, warm bath, or light movement (walking, yoga, etc.). These relax the muscles of the lower abdomen and improve circulation.

Mood Swings and PMS

Inevitably, the emotional side of PMS is often the most frustrating. Hormonal shifts can influence neurotransmitters like serotonin, which is why mood changes, irritability, or increased emotional sensitivity are common during the late luteal phase. A few habits that can help stabilize mood during this time:

1. Prioritize balanced meals. Meals that include protein, fiber, and healthy fats help stabilize blood sugar (and support brain health!), encouraging stable energy and mood throughout the day.
2. Be mindful of caffeine. If you’re prone to anxiety, irritability, or breast tenderness before your period, consider slightly reducing caffeine during this phase of your cycle.
3. Consider herbs like vitex. Vitex (chasteberry) has been studied for its potential role in supporting hormonal balance and reducing PMS symptoms in some women. As with any supplement, it’s best used under the guidance of a healthcare provider.

If emotional symptoms feel severe, persistent, or interfere with daily life, it’s worth speaking with a healthcare professional about the possibility of PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder).

A Gentle Reminder During Your Cycle

One of the most helpful shifts I encourage clients to make is simply recognizing that the body is not meant to feel the same every day of the month. Energy, mood, and recovery naturally fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle. Instead of fighting those rhythms, supporting them can make the entire cycle feel more manageable. Nourishing foods, adequate rest, and small lifestyle adjustments often go much further than trying to “push through” symptoms.

Edie Horstman

Edie is the founder of nutrition coaching business, Wellness with Edie. With her background and expertise, she specializes in women’s health, including fertility, hormone balance, and postpartum wellness.

This post was last updated on May 10, 2026, to include new insights.

The post The PMS Cures No One Talks About (But Should) appeared first on Camille Styles.

pring has a way of making you want to cook again. The farmer’s market is suddenly worth the trip, the produce drawer is full of things that are actually exciting, and dinner feels less like a chore and more like an occasion.

Pasta is our answer to all of it. Light, fresh, and endlessly adaptable, it’s the perfect vehicle for spring’s best offerings: asparagus, artichokes, peas, broccolini, arugula, mint. These aren’t the heavy, wintery pasta dishes you’ve been leaning on since October. These are bright, fast, and built for open windows and longer evenings.

9 Spring Pasta Recipes Worth Adding to Your Rotation

Consider this your permission slip to eat pasta all season long.

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Zucchini melts into a silky, creamy sauce that clings to every noodle—brightened with lemon, artichokes, and kale. Think of it as the secret ingredient you’d never guess.

Get the recipe

Green Goddess Pasta Salad

Loaded with in-season vegetables, chickpeas, and a dressing bursting with basil, spinach, and chives, this vegan pasta salad is made for spring gatherings—and even better the next day. Don’t you love when that’s the case?

Get the recipe

Lemony Spring Pasta Salad with Olives, Artichokes, and Bacon

Crispy bacon, briny artichoke hearts, and peppery arugula come together in a bright blender dressing The kind of pasta salad that earns a permanent spot in your spring rotation (and takes a total of less than 30 minutes to make).

Get the recipe

One Pot Parmesan Orzo

All the comfort of mac and cheese, packed with spring vegetables and ready in one pot. The orzo absorbs everything as it cooks, making this one as easy to clean up as it is to eat.

Get the recipe

Broccoli Pesto Pasta

Jenny Rosenstrach’s weeknight philosophy in one dish: unfussy, real, and made entirely in one pot. Proof that pesto doesn’t have to start with basil.

Get the recipe

Blistered Broccolini Pasta with Garlic, Lemon & Toasted Breadcrumbs

Charred broccolini, tons of garlic, and a squeeze of lemon—finished with toasted breadcrumbs that add the crunch this pasta was made for. Simple ingredients, big payoff.

Get the recipe

Ratatouille-Style Roasted Vegetable Pasta

The most produce-packed pasta on the list, and worth every minute of prep. This is the one to make when you want your dinner guests to gasp a little.

Get the recipe

Green Sauce Pasta

Five ingredients, one very vibrant sauce—peas, asparagus, spinach, basil, and parmesan make this the greenest pasta on the list. Peak spring in a bowl.

Get the recipe

Pesto Pasta Primavera

Light, satisfying, and weeknight-easy, this is Camille’s go-to answer when dinner inspiration runs dry. Frozen peas are the secret weapon you didn’t see coming.

Get the recipe

This post was last updated on May 9, 2026, to include new insights.

The post The Spring Pasta Recipes That Prove Warmer Weather Makes Everything Taste Better appeared first on Camille Styles.

There’s something about spring that makes everything feel possible again. The longer days, the lighter air, the instinct to open the windows and start fresh—it’s energizing in a way that’s subtle but so powerful.

If you’re coming out of a season of hibernation (more comfort eating, less movement), I’ll say this first: no guilt, because there is a season for everything. But spring has this particular energy that makes me want to be more intentional—to choose how I feel each day, rather than waiting for some future version of myself to magically show up.

So here’s what I’m actually doing this season to feel my best. I’ve learned it’s never just one thing. An approach that covers food, movement, sleep, and nervous system support is what really moves the needle. And once you’ve tapped into that cycle and gotten truly hooked on feeling good, you’ll want to repeat those healthier habits over and over.

I’m being fully transparent here because I love reading other people’s actual unfiltered routines—it’s the only way this kind of post is truly useful. I’m not a doctor. I’m just someone who has done a lot of trial and error, reading, and experimenting on herself. Take what serves you and leave the rest.

If you’re craving a reset right now, here’s the simplified spring self-care routine that’s been making the biggest difference for me.

What Is Spring Self-Care, Really?

For me, self-care is less about adding more to your routine and more about refining what’s working really well:

• Eating in a way that gives me steady energy
• Moving my body consistently (but not excessively)
• Prioritizing sleep and recovery
• Supporting my nervous system
• Letting go of what no longer feels aligned

It’s a shift from “fixing” yourself to supporting yourself.

Food as (Delicious) Fuel

As someone who genuinely loves to cook (and eat!) I really lean into the vibe of a season to inspire a rotation of healthy meals that I love and know make me feel good.

My Go-To Spring Meals

Breakfast (after a period of intermittent fasting, I’ve been loving my AM meal again):

• Greek yogurt with berries and granola
• Cottage cheese toast with fruit and honey (here are all the health benefits of cottage cheese)
• An olive oil-fried egg with avocado

Lunch (simple and repeatable):

• A fully-loaded sandwich with turkey, avocado, sprouts, and dijon
• Big kale salad with leftover protein

Dinner (where I take my time—cooking something simple but sitting down to really enjoy it):

• Protein + carb (like sheet pan chicken thighs with sweet potatoes or shrimp tacos)
• Paired with a roasted vegetable or salad served family-style
• And there’s always room for pasta or pizza night. I’ve learned that when I create space for the foods I actually crave, everything else stays more balanced.

The biggest shift: prioritizing protein and healthy fats at meals so I’m not constantly reaching for snacks. It keeps my energy steady and makes meals feel more satisfying.

Less-But-Better Movement

If there’s one thing I’ve changed when it comes to exercise, it’s this (and it might seem counterintuitive): I work out less—but more intentionally. Feeling strong and fit doesn’t have to mean pushing yourself harder. For me, it’s about consistency and how movement makes me feel—which ultimately, is so much more motivating than working out for aesthetics alone.

My Weekly Routine

• Daily walks (non-negotiable):
  30 minutes most mornings + a short walk after dinner
• Strength training 2–3x per week:
  Pilates, weights, or an at-home workout—focused on full-body strength

That’s pretty much it. Walking gives me energy and clears my head. Strength training keeps me feeling strong and capable. I’m no longer chasing a feeling of exhaustion—I’m focusing on sustainability, energy, and feel-good endorphins.

A More Intentional Approach to Supplements

Over time, I’ve built a supplement routine that supports my energy, sleep, and digestion—but I’ve also learned that more isn’t always better.

If you’re dialing in your own spring self-care routine, start simple:

• A high-quality multivitamin
• Omega-3s
• Magnesium for sleep and relaxation

From there, you can layer in more based on your needs.

Ritual

Women’s Multivitamin

$33 at Ritual

Perelel

Omega DHA + EPA Fish Oil

$32 at Ritual

Arrae

Magnesium

$45 at Arrae

---

Sleep Is the Foundation

High-quality, consistent sleep is the foundation of everything—it impacts every other aspect of health, but it’s often the one that doesn’t get the high priority it deserves. After years of struggling with sleep, I can genuinely say that I’ve mastered great sleep most nights. And when I don’t, I know just what to do to get back on track. These are the sleep rules I live by:

• Going to bed earlier (before 10 pm whenever possible)
• Reading instead of watching TV at night
• Keeping my phone out of the bedroom
• Creating a cool, dark, and quiet sleep environment

When my sleep is dialed in, everything else—energy, mood, cravings—falls into place. You can deep dive into my full sleep toolkit here, where I share exactly how I check all of these boxes every night.

Your Nervous System Is Key

Regulating my nervous system has been a long journey, but it’s been the biggest shift for me over the last year—and it has nothing to do with food or workouts.

It’s really been about simplifying my life. I’ve been slowly doing that through:

• Saying no to things that feel off or misaligned with my top priorities/values
• Reducing unnecessary commitments and leaving white space in my calendar
• Letting go of versions of myself that I’ve outgrown
• Trusting my instincts more quickly and following my gut

Spring naturally invites us to clear things out physically, but I think the deeper work is clearing out what’s draining us mentally and emotionally. When your nervous system feels supported, everything else—from digestion to energy—starts to improve.

5 Simple Spring Self-Care Habits to Start This Week

Okay, so if you want to jump-start your own spring wellness routine, here are some simple ways to do it that will make a major difference in how you feel:

1. Eat a protein-rich breakfast that will actually keep you full until lunch. Here are my favorite high-protein breakfast ideas.
2. Take a walk every day. Even 10–20 minutes counts.
3. Strength train 2-3x a week. This could be lifting weights, but it could also be pilates or any type of resistance training.
4. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier every night this week. We get our highest-quality sleep before midnight.
5. Remove one thing from your calendar that doesn’t feel aligned with how you want to spend your time.

Self-care doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.

The simpler it is, the more likely it is to stick. For me, this season is about choosing habits that support how I want to feel: energized, clear, and fully present in my life. Not perfectly optimized, just aligned.

And that shift, more than anything, is what makes everything feel like it falls into place more easily.

The post The “Less But Better” Spring Wellness Routine for More Energy, Better Sleep, and Less Stress appeared first on Camille Styles.

There is nothing quite like a memoir to crack you open. Not in the dramatic, obvious way—but in a slow accumulation that happens when you recognize something true about yourself in someone else’s story. A really good one clarifies something you haven’t found the words for. Until now.

The Best Memoirs by Female Authors Will Shift Your Perspective

We’ve always loved sharing the books that move us, and this list has been a long time coming. These aren’t the memoirs you’ll find on every “must-read” roundup (though a few have earned their moment in the spotlight, here’s looking at you, Strangers). They’re the ones we keep pressing into people’s hands, the ones that stay with you long after the last page, and the ones that made us see marriage, ambition, grief, and the shape of a life a little differently. Whatever you’re carrying right now, one of these will meet you there.

On Love, Marriage, and What We Don’t See Coming

Some of the most clarifying books ever written about love are the ones about its unraveling. But I wouldn’t think of these as cautionary. These three books ask the questions most of us are carrying—and think we’re carrying alone.

Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden

Belle Burden’s 20-year marriage ended without warning during the pandemic: her husband announced he was leaving, offered no explanation, and nearly overnight became a man she didn’t recognize. What follows is a reckoning with the ways women make themselves small inside a marriage, and what happens when one woman decides to stop. Consider it essential reading.

$21 at Amazon

Threshold

Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life by Delia Ephron

Ephron had just received a leukemia diagnosis when a man she had briefly dated decades earlier reached out by email after reading one of her essays. What followed was a love story that unfolded in hospital waiting rooms and remission celebrations. Tender, funny, and deeply moving—the rare memoir about late-in-life love that earns every emotion it asks of you.

$10.59 at Amazon

Threshold

Trying by Chloé Caldwell

What begins as a fertility story takes a turn that reshapes everything—including what Caldwell thought she knew about her marriage and her own identity. Spare and wry, this is one of those books that gets harder to put down the more uncomfortable it gets. It rides the line between heartbreaking and funny in a way that feels true to life itself.

$13.54 at Amazon

---

On Reinvention and Reclaiming Your Story

These are the books about women who rewrote the narrative—sometimes quietly, sometimes dramatically, always on their own terms. The consistent truth: identity is something you build, not something that happens to you.

Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson

A radiant, deeply personal account of a woman reclaiming her own narrative—on her own terms, in her own words. Tender, self-aware, and far more moving than you might anticipate (if, unlike me, you haven’t been hungrily devouring her Substack). Easily one of the most memorable books on this list.

$10.32 at Amazon

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Alderton’s memoir of her twenties—the bad dates, the great friendships, the slow work of becoming yourself—reads like a message from your most honest friend. If you haven’t read it yet, consider this your sign.

$9.97 at Amazon

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

What looks like a career memoir turns out to be something more interesting: an unusually candid account of a complicated marriage and a series of bold bets that led her to become one of the most beloved figures in American food. Garten writes about luck as something you prepare for, not wait for.

$16.06 at Amazon

More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth

The second youngest editor-in-chief in Teen Vogue history writes about ambition, race, and what it actually takes to break barriers. This isn’t the polished version, it’s the honest one.

$10.56 at Amazon

---

On Inner Life, Grief, and Learning to Rest

Not every book on this list will leave you feeling inspired in the traditional sense. Some will just make you feel less alone in what you’re carrying. I like to think of that as its own kind of nourishment.

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May

When May’s life came to a sudden halt, she didn’t push through. She wintered. This hybrid memoir weaves her own story with natural history and mythology to make a quiet, radical argument for rest. Not self-help — something richer. One of the most healing reads we know.

$10.29 at Amazon

The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

Hardin was, by every outward measure, a successful suburban mom — until the opioid addiction she’d hidden for years caught up with her, and she found herself convicted of 32 felonies. Startling in its honesty and unexpectedly redemptive. A book about the gap between the life we show people and the one we’re actually living.

$13.39 at Amazon

A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung

In two years, Chung lost both parents—her father to decades of precarity and a healthcare system that failed him, and then her mother to cancer, just as COVID made the distance between them feel insurmountable. This is a book about grief, yes, but also about the particular guilt of upward mobility in America: what it means to build a different life for yourself while the people you love remain at the margins.

$10.40 at Amazon

Drinking: A Love Story by Carolyn Knapp

An older title and one of the most enduring on this list—recommended by Camille’s mom, who still thinks about it years later. Knapp writes about her relationship with alcohol with a novelist’s precision and an intimacy that makes it feel less like confession and more like a conversation. I think it’s one of the most beautifully written memoirs about addiction ever published.

$9.65 at Amazon

---

On Family, History, and the Stories We Inherit

Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls

The 2025 Pulitzer Prize winner for memoir, and unlike anything else on this list. A graphic memoir tracing three generations of Chinese women: Hulls’s grandmother, who survived the Communist revolution, fled to Hong Kong, and poured it all into a memoir—only to unravel in the aftermath; her mother, who inherited that silence and its weight; and Hulls herself, who spent nearly a decade drawing and writing her way toward understanding. If you’ve never read a graphic memoir, start here.

$21.16 at Amazon

The Wildcard

Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton

This is a serious reckoning with a life spent performing a persona she created as armor—and the boarding school abuse at the center of it is not what you’d expect. More than a celebrity tell-all, it’s a story about survival and self-invention that earns its place on any list of books about the distance between who the world sees and who you know yourself to be.

$11.02 at Amazon

This post was last updated on May 7, 2026, to include new insights.

The post These Memoirs Made Us Call Our Therapist (We Have No Regrets) appeared first on Camille Styles.

There’s a certain kind of person who draws you in without trying. I’ve always noticed them in small moments: the friend who answers a question without hedging, the woman at dinner who says exactly what she means, the coworker who doesn’t rush to fill the space after she speaks.

They’re not louder or more charismatic than anyone else in the room, but something about them feels settled. Their attention isn’t scattered. They aren’t scanning the room for approval. Being around them makes you feel calmer without quite knowing why.

Featured image from our interview with Roti Brown by Michelle Nash.

How to Be More Magnetic: A 7-Day Reset That Actually Changes How You Show Up

For a long time, I assumed that quality—magnetism—was innate. Something you either had or you didn’t. I thought it belonged to naturally confident people, the kind who were simply wired that way. I didn’t think it was something you could build, but in 2026, I’ve chosen to see it differently.

What we call magnetism is often the result of small, repeatable behaviors. The way someone takes care of their body, or how they protect their time. The way they speak, dress, and move through the world. What they tolerate—and what they decide they no longer will.

When those choices compound, something shifts, and your life begins to reflect them to you.

How Magnetism Is Showing Up in My Own Life

I started noticing that shift in my own life this past year. I’m in a relationship that feels energizing instead of destabilizing. I stepped into a promotion that matched the responsibility I had already been carrying. None of it came from trying to be more impressive. It came from reducing internal friction and moving with more intention.

The surprising part was realizing that magnetism isn’t mystical at all. It’s behavioral. So if you want to learn how to be more magnetic in your own life, these are the small daily practices that changed the way I move through the world—one habit at a time.

Day 1: Build Physical Confidence

One of the most counterintuitive shifts I made this year was starting with my body instead of my mindset.

For a long time, I treated confidence as something mental—a perspective to adopt, a belief to strengthen. But I’ve found more traction by reverse-engineering the process. Before trying to change how I think, I focus on changing my physiology.

Confidence feels abstract until your body feels capable. When your body starts providing evidence that you’re strong, well-fueled, and rested, your mind tends to follow. I’m letting go of a fake-it-until-you-make-it approach and instead diving into embodying confidence from the outset.

This year, incorporating strength training into my routine, eating enough, and protecting my sleep transformed how I show up in the world.

What Changed for Me

• I picked up heavier weights in my workout classes—and felt more confident as my strength grew.
• I stopped skipping meals in the name of productivity.
• I treated sleep like part of my job.

As my strength increased, I stopped bracing before I spoke. When I fueled properly, my decisions became clearer. When I was rested, my reactions slowed down. None of this felt dramatic in the moment. But over time, those physical signals started to accumulate. My body had proof that it was capable—and my mindset adjusted accordingly.

Try This Today

• Swap one workout session for strength training.
• Eat a protein-forward breakfast.
• Choose a bedtime you’ll treat as non-negotiable. Repeat.

Reflect: Where am I trying to force my way into confidence instead of building it physically?

Day 2: Protect Your Energy

For most of my twenties, I mistook availability for kindness. I responded instantly, I over-committed, and I said yes because I didn’t want to be difficult. I’m sure every woman reading this can relate.

Of course, I wondered why I felt resentful. The answer? Magnetism doesn’t grow in exhaustion. It grows in discernment.

What Changed for Me

• I stopped overexplaining my no.
• I delayed responses instead of replying from pressure.
• I left events when I was ready—not when I felt obligated.

The surprising part? People around me adjusted.

Try This Today

• Say no without adding extra justification. (Standing up for yourself doesn’t make you a bad person.)
• Delay one non-urgent response.
• Don’t over-clarify a decision you’ve already made.

Reflect: Where do I overexplain myself out of fear that I won’t be liked?

Day 3: Refine Your Language

I used to think confidence meant being quick—quick to respond, quick to clarify, and quick to prove I knew what I was talking about. But the most compelling people I’ve worked with are deliberate, not fast.

What Changed for Me

• I removed “just,” “sorry,” and “kind of” from my vocabulary.
• I paused before answering questions.
• I stopped cushioning opinions in disclaimers.

Try This Today

• Pause for two full breaths before responding.
• Say your opinion once, without softening it.
• Let silence exist without filling it.

Reflect: Where do I dilute my words to make others comfortable?

Day 4: Dress With Intention

I used to treat certain clothes as aspirational. I’d wear them “when I felt more confident.” Or save them for bigger moments. 2026 is the year I stop waiting.

What Changed for Me

• I edited my closet the way I edit my calendar—keeping only what actually fits my life.
• I stopped buying pieces that felt almost right. (And that almost fit, but didn’t.)
• I wore outfits that matched how I wanted to show up that day.

When what you’re wearing aligns with how you want to move through the world, you stop adjusting yourself mid-conversation.

Try This Today

• Build one outfit that feels more intentional.
• Remove three items that feel like a past version of you.
• Wear something you’ve been saving (for the right occasion, for when you lose weight—anything).

Reflect: If I dressed like someone who trusted herself completely, what would change?

Day 5: Raise Your Standards

I used to think standards were something you stated out loud. Now I see them in everyday decisions. The plans you decline, the conversations you don’t entertain, and the situations you choose to step away from.

Standards aren’t about what you say you deserve. They’re about what you stop allowing in your life.

What Changed for Me

• I stopped initiating one-sided dynamics.
• I declined opportunities I didn’t actually want (even if they sounded impressive on paper).
• I asked directly for what I needed instead of hinting.

I didn’t make announcements—I made adjustments. As a result, the right people rose, and the wrong ones drifted away.

Try This Today

• Ask directly for what you want.
• Clarify expectations instead of hoping they’re understood.
• Decline something that drains you—even if you could handle it.

Reflect: Where am I accepting less than I would advise a friend to accept?

Day 6: Choose Depth Over Noise

There was a season of my life when I consumed constantly. News, opinions, hot takes, and reactions. I thought input was the same as importance and growth. But magnetism requires digestion.

What Changed for Me

• I reduced passive scrolling.
• I read long-form instead of headlines.
• I let myself think before forming an opinion.

When you aren’t constantly absorbing noise, your thoughts sharpen. Your opinions feel truly earned, not borrowed from a stranger on the internet.

Try This Today

• Replace scrolling with 20 pages of a book.
• Spend one hour without consuming content.
• Follow one curiosity deeply instead of five shallowly.

Reflect: Where am I consuming more than I’m creating or thinking?

Day 7: Choose One and Commit

In the past, I approached personal change the way most of us do: in bursts of motivation. I’d try to overhaul everything at once—my routine, my habits, my mindset. Spoiler: it never lasted.

What actually changed my life was much smaller. Instead of reinventing myself, I started reinforcing behaviors that already made me feel capable. Strength. Boundaries. Precision. Standards. Depth. Each one started as a single decision I repeated long enough that it became part of how I move through the world.

Magnetism isn’t built in dramatic transformations. It’s built in consistency.

What Changed for Me

• I stopped chasing dramatic resets.
• I picked one behavior at a time and practiced it until it felt normal.
• Once it felt natural, I added another.
• Over time, those choices stacked. My life began to reflect the standards I was practicing.

Try This Today

• Choose one habit from this week to practice daily for the next 30 days.
• Write it into your calendar so it has a place in your day.
• Keep a simple checkmark system—one mark for every day you follow through.
• Watch how quickly consistency starts to compound.

Reflect: If I behaved this way consistently for six months, who would I become?

The Kind of Magnetism That Lasts

A year ago, I was capable but unconvinced. I worked hard, but I still second-guessed myself. I wanted more responsibility, but I wasn’t fully inhabiting the life I already had.

What changed wasn’t my personality. It was my behavior.

I started sleeping enough. Lifting heavier. Protecting my time. Speaking more directly. Dressing with intention. Consuming less noise and thinking more deeply. None of these choices felt dramatic on their own. But over time, they created a different baseline for how I moved through the world.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped asking whether I was enough and started behaving like I was. And that’s the real difference.

Magnetism isn’t about attracting more attention. It’s about reducing internal friction. When your behavior matches your standards—when your words don’t require apology, and your body feels capable of carrying your life—people notice. Not because you demand it. Because you don’t need to.

So choose one habit. Commit to it. Let it compound.

And remember: you don’t need to become someone else. You just need to live more fully as yourself.

The post 7 Small Habits That Will Make You More Magnetic appeared first on Camille Styles.

Mother’s Day doesn’t need a packed reservation or an overcomplicated plan to feel special. In our experience, the best celebrations happen at home—when the table is set with care, the food is simple and seasonal, and no one’s rushing off to the next thing. Brunch is the sweet spot: a little slower and just indulgent enough to feel like a treat.

These easy recipes are collected with that in mind. Think fresh, spring-forward dishes that come together easily, a few make-ahead options so you’re not stuck in the kitchen, and just enough intention to make the morning feel considered. Whether you’re hosting your mom, gathering with friends, or carving out a moment for yourself, this is about creating a meal that feels as good to make as it does to sit down and enjoy.

Sweet Potato & Jammy Egg Breakfast Bowl

This is the kind of breakfast that feels right for a morning when you want to make things a little more thoughtful. It’s packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, but still feels like the kind of meal you’d want to linger over on a slow morning. 

Get the Recipe

Asparagus, Potato, & Goat Cheese Frittata

This frittata is everything we want from spring cooking: simple, colorful, and built around the season’s best produce. With tender asparagus, creamy goat cheese, mushrooms, and baby potatoes, it’s the kind of dish that works just as beautifully for brunch as it does for a light dinner. 

Get the Recipe

Green Shakshuka

For the mom who loves a savory breakfast, this is such a lovely alternative to the usual sweet brunch spread. It’s warm, colorful, and layered with flavor, with just enough flexibility to dress up with whatever fresh toppings you have on hand. 

Get the Recipe

Bacon, Egg, and Avocado Breakfast Taco

Not every brunch centerpiece has to be elaborate to feel memorable. These tacos have that easy, gather-around-the-table energy, with a combination of creamy, crunchy, smoky, and fresh that always works. 

Get the Recipe

Burrata Toast with Blood Orange, Pistachios & Honey

If you want something that brings a little beauty to the table without requiring much time, this toast more than delivers. It’s ready in about 15 minutes, but the mix of citrus, burrata, honey, and flaky salt makes it feel far more special than the effort suggests. 

Get the Recipe

Smoked Salmon Toast

If you want something that feels fresh and special without turning on the stove for long, this is the recipe. It has that classic bagel-and-lox energy, but in a version that feels lighter, prettier, and a little more gathering-friendly. 

Get the Recipe

Pumpkin Spice Grain-Free Granola

For a menu that leans fresh, light, and a little elevated, this granola fits right in. It’s crisp, flavorful, and easy to make ahead, which makes it ideal for a morning when you want things to feel relaxed and still beautiful.

Get the Recipe

Berry & Yogurt Parfait

This is one of those easy additions that makes the whole brunch feel a little more complete. The berry sauce can be made ahead, and once layered with yogurt and granola, it brings a fresh, colorful contrast to the table. 

Get the Recipe

Chai Challah French Toast

Set out with fruit, coffee, and a big bowl of whipped cream, this is the kind of recipe that instantly makes brunch feel more complete. The chai spice gives it a deeper, more unexpected flavor that makes it stand out from the usual French toast situation. 

Get the Recipe

Citrus Olive Oil Muffins

These muffins feel like spring in baked form. Between the lemon and orange zest, the moist olive oil crumb, and the poppy seeds throughout, they bring a bright, cheerful energy that fits beautifully into a lingering brunch. 

Get the Recipe

Spiced Peach and Pecan Baked Oatmeal

A good baked oatmeal has a way of making brunch feel instantly more homey, and this one does exactly that. The golden top, soft berry-filled center, and crunchy nut-and-coconut finish make it feel simple, wholesome, and worth gathering around.

Get the Recipe

Maman’s Rose & Elderflower Lemonade

This is exactly the kind of pitcher drink we love for a spring brunch menu. It’s light, make-ahead friendly, and the floral notes give it that easy-going, but special feel that works so well for a slower, more celebratory morning. 

Get the Recipe

Strawberries and Cream Pavlova

A pavlova always feels like a small event in itself, and that’s part of the charm. The contrast of crisp shell, marshmallowy center, and softly whipped cream gives every bite a texture that feels a little unexpected and completely irresistible.

Get the Recipe

This post was last updated on May 6, 2026, to include new insights.

The post Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes You Can Absolutely Pull Off appeared first on Camille Styles.

Certain dishes subtly steal the show—this is one of them. When I hosted a long, leisurely lunch in my backyard to celebrate Camilla Marcus’ cookbook, everything on the table felt fresh and beautiful. But this salad was the one everyone kept going back for. It’s crisp, a little tangy, a little sweet, layered with texture, and somehow gets more delicious the longer it sits.

The best part? It holds up in the sunshine (no sad, wilted greens here!). You can dress this salad ahead of time and trust it to stay vibrant through a warm afternoon outside. For anyone who loves to host (or just wants something make-ahead friendly), that alone makes it worth bookmarking.

This recipe comes from Camilla’s cookbook, which is filled with thoughtful, ingredient-forward dishes that are elevated and totally doable at home.

Why This Salad Works

Camilla has a way of thinking about food that shifts how you cook—especially when it comes to something as simple as a salad. She says:

“The idea is to get that base to absorb the acid and salt, almost like a quick pickle, and then coat the whole salad with oil at the end, trapping the flavor.”

Once you understand that framework, everything clicks. Instead of tossing ingredients together at the last minute, you’re building layers—letting the vegetables marinate just enough to soak up flavor while keeping that essential crunch. And this one really delivers on that promise.

Here are some of the hard-working ingredients for this fresh salad you’ll enjoy season after season.

• Crisp celery or fennel for that refreshing, high-water base
• Sweet dates to balance the acidity
• Salty blue cheese, shaved thin for richness
• Smoked almonds for depth and crunch
• Preserved lemon + chili brine to wake everything up

It hits every note: crunchy, creamy, bright, a little unexpected—and completely addictive.

An Every-Season Salad For Hosting

I’ve made this a few times since that lunch, and every single time, someone asks for the recipe. It’s unexpected in the best way—simple ingredients, but layered to feel thoughtful and elevated without trying too hard.

Add this salad to any spring or summer menu. It brings that balance of beauty and ease that makes everything feel just a little more special. And once you try it, you’ll see exactly why we couldn’t stop going back for another bite.

The Whole Stalk or Bulb Salad

---

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆

No reviews

• Author: Camilla Marcus
• Yield: 4

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 ounces blue cheese
• 3/4 cup chardonnay vinegar
• 4 dates, pitted and chopped
• 12 ounces celery (4-5 stalks) or fennel (1 bulb), washed and dried
• 1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon
• 1 tablespoon brine from pickled chilis
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup smoked almonds, toasted and chopped
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin avocado oil

---

Instructions

1. Prep the blue cheese. Place the blue cheese in the freezer for at least an hour (or overnight) so it’s firm enough to shave.
2. Infuse the vinegar. Bring the vinegar to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the chopped dates, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes to soften slightly. Strain, reserving the liquid.
3. Slice the vegetables. Thinly slice the celery (on a slight bias) or fennel using a mandolin or sharp knife. Save the celery leaves or fennel fronds for garnish. Place the sliced veg in an ice bath to keep it crisp.
4. Marinate. Drain and dry the vegetables, then add to a bowl with the preserved lemon, chili brine, reserved vinegar, and salt. Let sit for 3–5 minutes.
5. Assemble. Scatter the almonds and dates on a serving plate. Pile the marinated vegetables on top, then finish with shaved blue cheese, herbs, a drizzle of avocado oil, and cracked pepper.
   
   

The post A Crunchy Salad to Enjoy in the Sunshine appeared first on Camille Styles.

The afternoon slump has a way of showing up right when you need your energy the most (or maybe that’s just me). If you’ve ever found yourself reaching for another coffee or something sweet to power through until 5 p.m., you know the feeling. As a mom of two and a nutrition consultant, I’ve found that this daily dip isn’t random. It’s often tied to what you’re eating, how you’re eating (yes, this matters!), and how you’re supporting your body from the start of the day. Let’s get into what causes the afternoon slump and how to move through it with more consistent energy.

What’s Actually Behind the Afternoon Slump?

There’s a natural dip in energy that happens in the afternoon, largely due to your circadian rhythm and the way cortisol levels taper off after the morning hours. That part is normal, but the intensity of the afternoon slump most people experience usually has more to do with blood sugar than anything else. When meals are built around quick-digesting carbs (think conventional bread), or you’re not getting enough protein earlier in the day, energy tends to spike and then drop just as quickly. That drop often hits right when you need to be the most present or “on” for your work or kids.

On top of that, long stretches of sitting, inconsistent hydration, and poor sleep can all make that dip feel much more noticeable.

Why Your Morning and Lunch Set the Tone

One of the biggest shifts I see—both personally and with clients—is what happens when you start approaching your earlier meals with your energy in mind. When a fiber-forward breakfast includes enough protein and some healthy fat, your blood sugar stays more stable. This is key (along with getting outside for a short walk), and it will carry you through the morning without that early crash. The same idea applies to lunch. A meal that includes protein + fiber + fat gives your body something to work with so you’re not running on empty a few hours later. A little bit of meal prep goes a long way.

What to Do When the Slump Hits

When the afternoon slump hits, the instinct is usually to reach for a glass of cold brew (or a soda and a cookie). While the jolt of caffeine and sugar can feel helpful in the moment, the combo often leads to another crash later on. Which, in turn, makes it harder to wind down at night. It’s a vicious cycle! What tends to work better is taking a step back and paying attention to what your body is actually asking for.

Reading Your Body’s Signals

Sometimes that looks like getting up and moving your body, even briefly. A short walk, a few minutes outside, or simply stepping away from your screen to stare out the window can help reset your energy and improve focus. Other times, it’s realizing you haven’t had enough water and catching up on hydration. And in many cases, it’s a sign that you need something more substantial to eat to carry you through the rest of the day.

Smarter Snacks for Steadier Energy

Speaking of needing to eat more consistently, snacking can either support your energy or make the afternoon slump worse, depending on what you reach for. Foods that are high in sugar or refined carbohydrates tend to give you a quick boost, but it doesn’t last. And you often end up feeling more tired not long after. Not the goal! Choosing snacks that include protein, fat, and fiber helps slow digestion and keeps your energy more stable. In my own routine, that usually looks like something this:

• Cottage cheese with Everything But The Bagel seasoning + seedy crackers for dipping
• Sliced cucumber with hummus and a grass-fed meat stick
• Apple slices with almond or peanut butter and cinnamon
• Hard-boiled eggs with flaky salt and 1/2 slice of sourdough with butter
• Steamed edamame
• Fig smoothie
• Greek yogurt with chia seeds and berries (with protein powder mixed in)
• Deli turkey paired with a handful of cashews or pistachios
• Matcha with whole milk when I want a gentler caffeine lift without the crash

Small Habits That Support Steady Energy All Day

In many ways, steady energy isn’t about one perfect habit but rather a handful of small ones that stack together. Getting outside for natural light during the day, breaking up long periods of sitting (put a note in your calendar to get up!), and staying on top of hydration all play a role in how you feel by the afternoon. Sleep is another important piece, of course. As a mom, I know that’s not always in your control, but creating a simple wind-down routine or keeping your bedtime somewhat consistent can still make a noticeable difference in your energy the next day.

Creating More Consistent Energy in Your Afternoons

The afternoon slump might be common, but it’s often a reflection of how your body is being supported earlier in the day. When you start building meals that actually keep you full, staying more consistent with hydration, and giving yourself small resets throughout the day, your energy becomes a lot more steady and predictable. And when your afternoons feel more manageable, everything else tends to feel a little easier too.

Edie Horstman

Edie is the founder of nutrition coaching business, Wellness with Edie. With her background and expertise, she specializes in women’s health, including fertility, hormone balance, and postpartum wellness.

This post was last updated on May 4, 2026, to include new insights.

The post Beat the Afternoon Slump With These Realistic, Nutrition-First Energy Fixes appeared first on Camille Styles.

I’ve always had a complicated relationship with articles that promise to reveal what successful women do every morning. Not because I don’t want to know (I absolutely do!). But those pieces tend to blur together fast: wake up early, drink water before coffee, work out, and don’t (ever! ever! ever!) touch your phone. The details change; the formula never does.

I never walk away feeling like I actually know how these women start their days. And more importantly, I never walk away feeling like any of it is for me.

So when I sat down to revisit one of our most-read pieces—a roundup of morning habits from women I admire—I wanted to go somewhere different. Not to a checklist of habits, but something more honest: how do women who are actually busy and actually juggling a lot, *actually* create clarity before the day starts asking things of them?

Morning Rituals for Clarity—According to Women Who Actually Live Them

Our Wake Up Call series has always been where we go for the real answer to that question. So I went back to those conversations, pulled the best moments from our archive, and reached out to a few new faces.

What I found was something better than a perfect routine: a sense of ownership over how the day begins. Here’s what that looks like in practice.

They Start With How They Want to Feel

Before any habit, there’s a decision. Mimi Bouchard, creator of Activations and author of Activate Your Future Self, believes that question—how do I actually want to feel today?—is the foundation everything else stems from. “Calm, clear, energized, magnetic… whatever it is, let that be the anchor,” she says. “Then give yourself permission to get there in different ways on different days. Some mornings it’s journaling. Some mornings it’s a workout. And some mornings it’s honestly just snuggling in bed. But seeking a consistent feeling? That’s the throughline. Everything else can shift.”

Mimi has also found that without this step, even a full routine can feel hollow. “You can do all the habits, but if you’re moving through them on autopilot, it doesn’t really land.” It’s a deceptively simple reframe—and it’s a pattern that keeps showing up across every conversation I’ve had about morning rituals.

They Protect One Non-Negotiable Moment

For Nicole Wegman, founder and CEO of Ring Concierge, that moment is school drop-off. “Dropping my daughter off at school is the one moment in my day that’s completely non-negotiable,” she says. “It grounds me before everything else starts moving. I’ve learned that if I go straight into email or work mode, the day can feel reactive from the start. Even if everything else is moving quickly, having that slower, more present start makes a big difference in how I show up for the rest of the day.”

Creator and host of the Note to Self podcast, Payton Sartain-Ross finds her anchor in a few simple steps: a large glass of water, her skincare routine, and time outside with her dog Winnie in the morning sun. “I consider my morning walk and being in the sun an essential ritual,” she says. “Feeling the sun on my skin, gently moving my body, and getting some fresh air always makes me feel more awake and connected.”

Across our Wake Up Calls, this pattern holds. Catt Sadler, Emmy-winning journalist, entrepreneur, and host of the Catt Sadler Now podcast, keeps it straightforward: “I don’t like less than seven hours of sleep anymore. The older I get, the more sleep I require. I make listening to my body a priority.” It’s a good reminder: protecting rest is just as valid as any other morning ritual.

“I’ve learned that if I go straight into email or work mode, the day can feel reactive from the start. Even if everything else is moving quickly, having that slower, more present start makes a big difference in how I show up for the rest of the day.” – Nicole Wegman

They Get Into Their Bodies Early

Across interviews, movement keeps showing up. But before you skip it, hear me out: this isn’t an intense, optimized, get-your-heart-rate-up workout. Think of it more as a way to align your mind and body before the day really gets rolling.

Sartain-Ross’s morning sun and walk. Camille’s own post-school-drop-off strolls with Adam. And Bobbi Brown’s principle of “exercise before order.”

It’s a simple principle that the famed makeup artist and founder of Jones Road Beauty, takes seriously. “Exercising—even 10 minutes of movement—changes everything,” she says. “This morning I just walked around the park, and it energized me for the day.”

The women in our archive echo this. Lauryn Evarts Bosstick of The Skinny Confidential and The Bossticks podcast, builds movement, sunlight exposure, and hydration into the same moment: “I immediately open the shades and drink a mint water or warm water with lemon on my walk to the coffee shop, so I get light, movement, and hydration.” Shani Van Breukelen, creative director and co-founder of AYOND, keeps it intuitive: “Sometimes I may stretch and work out or spend extra time doing my skincare routine. I am not too structured in the morning—I like to listen to how I feel.”

They Create Space Before Input

This was the most consistent thread across every conversation: the women who feel most grounded in the mornings are the ones who delay the outside world (and protect those early hours fiercely).

Wegman is intentional about not going straight into email. “Once that tone is set—reactive, response-mode—it tends to carry through the rest of the day,” she says.

Melanie Masarin, founder of Ghia, has found that the first two hours after waking are her most creative and clear, and she now treats them as sacred. At least twice a week, she doesn’t go into the office until 11 a.m.—protecting that morning window for writing, strategy, or whatever needs a clear head.

“Blocking off that morning window has been key to finding enjoyment in my work this year,” she says. “Without it, follow-ups pile up, projects don’t move forward, and I feel like I’m just in execution mode.” – Melanie Masarin

They Ground Themselves in Ritual

Dianna Cohen, founder of Crown Affair, builds the same principle into her mornings through ritual rather than scheduling. She starts with a three-minute gua sha massage, then eases into journaling, a stretching, and breakfast before she heads toward her inbox. Her advice for anyone wanting more intention: “Start small. Consistency matters far more than duration. Even two or three minutes daily is better than occasional, longer sessions.”

Mimi has a similar awareness: “A successful morning to me is just being able to do what I want. As long as I’ve had one moment that feels like mine before the day starts asking things from me… I’m good.”

In Camille’s morning routine, she’s come to think of this first hour as sacred. No email, no social media. Just coffee, skincare, time outside with her dog, and some combination of reading, journaling, or writing—whatever she’s pulled toward that morning. She closes it out by writing her top three priorities for the day. Even if everything else goes sideways, she knows where to keep her focus.

From the Wake Up Call archive, Nicole Gibbons, founder of Clare Paints, has her own version of this: “One ritual, as strange as it sounds, is that I clean my kitchen every morning. It’s become a daily ritual that helps me start my day with some productivity momentum.” Beauty creator Anna Mae Groves turns on music, reads, journals, and prays with her morning coffee.

Different shapes, same idea: a small ritual that’s entirely yours, before the day’s chaos creeps in.

They Hydrate Before (and Sometimes After) Their Coffee

Yes, we know about the cortisol spike. And yes, many of us are drinking our coffee first thing anyway. Brown heads straight downstairs for two glasses of water with electrolytes or AG1, and only then allows herself her espresso. And Masarin has held the same ritual for 15 years: hot water with lemon, ideally drunk in bed with her boyfriend before either of them reaches for a phone. “It’s the gentlest part of my day,” she says.

Real estate broker Tracy Tutor wakes up when it’s still dark and immediately chugs 16 ounces of celery juice before making her coffee. Liana Levi, founder of Forma Pilates, keeps a bottle of water on her nightstand and reaches for it before she’s even fully awake.

Others have developed their own rituals around hydration. Agatha Relota Luczo, founder of Furtuna Skin, starts with a shot of olive oil and warm lemon water.

As for me? Coffee first, always. It’s what I look forward to, and I’ve made peace with that. I let it brew while I do my red light mask and snuggle my cats. It’s a moment of connection, peace, and yes—caffeine before water. But rather than being strict about my routine, I orient my morning toward joy.

They Turn Small Moments Into Something More

Bouchard’s approach to the morning hours leans hard into habit stacking. Taking a walk becomes an opportunity to connect. Brushing your teeth becomes a moment to stretch. “The minutes are already there,” she says. “You’re just finally using them fully.”

It’s a romanticized form of efficiency, and one I’ve been thinking about a lot. The shower is where I do my best brainstorming and creative thinking. (Science supports me.) I also love closing my eyes and taking a moment to meditate while I brush my teeth. Neither takes extra time—they make the time I already have feel more expansive.

They Let Their Routines Evolve

Wegman put it plainly: “Being a mom and an entrepreneur forced me to let go of the idea that a ‘perfect’ morning needs to look the same every day.” She no longer tries to check every box. Instead, she focuses on presence, even when the structure changes.

Masarin describes the same shift: “I have so much energy in the morning. I used to dive right into everything, but I’ve learned to slow down and channel it where it needs to go most.” Her advice is to understand when your mind is sharpest, and protect that window instead of filling it with the first thing that demands your attention. “The goal is to swim with the current. It makes life a lot easier.”

Bouchard allows her mornings to shift too. A good morning, for her, is “space, freedom, choice—I can listen to my body, follow my intuition, and do what feels right on that specific day.”

Morning Rituals for Clarity, at a Glance

Here’s the short version—a handful of ideas worth trying, in whatever combination feels right for you.

To set the tone:

• Decide how you want to feel today. Let that be the anchor, not a to-do list.
• Write your top three priorities before other tasks come up.
• Take even five minutes for stillness.

To ground your body:

• Start with a large glass of water before anything else.
• Get outside, even briefly. Morning light and fresh air shift everything.
• Move your body, even for just 10 minutes. Exercise before order.

To protect your focus:

• Treat your early hours as sacred thinking time, and think of them as your most creative window.
• Delay input (email, social, the news) for as long as possible.
• Start small. Even two minutes of ritual is better than none.

To make it stick:

• Pay attention to your energy and work with it, not against it.
• Let your routine evolve as your life does. Rigidity is the enemy of consistency.

Your Morning, Your Way

There’s no single version of a perfect morning in any of these stories. No universal wake-up time, no checklist that guarantees clarity, and no routine you have to follow to get it right. What shows up again and again is simple: a few minutes that feel like yours, a small ritual you actually look forward to, and the willingness to let it all evolve as your life does.

That’s what I keep coming back to. Not the structure, but the intention behind it. Make your morning something you genuinely look forward to. That’s the whole secret.

This post was last updated on May 3, 2026, to include new insights.

The post Forget the 5 a.m. Club—Here’s What Successful Women Actually Do in the Morning appeared first on Camille Styles.