Salty skin. A bite of fresh watermelon. The brush of a sea breeze. Under the mid-August sun, everything else just melts away. It’s the very moment when a thought materializes in your quiet mind: “This is the life.”
Luckily, there’s a way to stretch that feeling far past summer afternoons—thanks to the secrets of the Mediterranean lifestyle. As a Barcelona-born brand, we’re revealing the recipe for living well in every season, infused with the advice of a few friends along the way.
Join us on our journey to turn summer daydreams into everyday reality with a little Mediterranean touch.
Table of Contents
Reconnect with your senses
Dipping your toe in the water and catching a chill. Pausing to hear the music on the boardwalk. When you’re on vacation, stopping to smell the roses goes from wishful thinking to a requisite, naturally. But why does it seem to take extra effort to sharpen our senses in everyday life?
Science shows that stress and anxiety can dull the way we perceive our surroundings. Luckily, movement can help improve how your body handles stress. Combined with conscious breath, holistic exercises such as yoga can trigger helpful hormones in the brain, giving you that vacation feeling anywhere. As ISDIN ambassador and supermodel Judit Mascó puts it, “Self-care is all about nurturing myself—inside and out.”
Another source of inspiration? Mother Nature. “Sun exposure boosts serotonin production, the neurotransmitter known as the feel-good hormone,” explains ISDIN Medical Affairs Specialist Alessandro De Luca. Serotonin helps regulate your mood, sharpen focus, and promote emotional balance. So the next time you pause to soak up a little sunshine, remember: You’re not just enjoying the day—you’re nurturing your well-being from the inside out.
Lastly, look to seasonal activities that engage your sense of touch, smell, and taste. Think apple picking in the fall or a floral-arranging workshop in the spring. Once you feel more in tune with your mind, body, and world around you, you’ll find yourself noticing the little things more often.
Make mealtimes sacred and savor the sobremesa
Sobremesa literally translates to “over the table,” but the cultural meaning is a bit more nuanced. It’s that time spent after a meal, before clearing the plates or asking for the check, enjoying the company of those at the table. Carving out time for the sobremesa year-round helps create meaningful connections with family, friends, and colleagues.
Judit shares, “I love being able to enjoy the Mediterranean lifestyle. To laugh. To feel. To enjoy life’s everyday pleasures.”
In fact, the lunch break is an art form in and of itself in the Mediterranean. Phones and shoptalk are discouraged, and stopping for an authentic break from the workday is just as important in busy October as in relaxed August.
The lunch break is an art form in and of itself in the Mediterranean.
And while it might seem like a pause in productivity, science says otherwise. Eating a satisfying meal releases more of those feel-good hormones in the brain—making the sobremesa the perfect time to build rapport with a new coworker or spark inspiration for your next creative idea.
Enjoy the bounties of the season
Holidays in Spain signal the time for a trip to Grandma’s pueblo and with it all of her seasonal platos and postres just begging for second helpings. Not to mention the bundles of fresh lemons, oranges, and pomegranates she insists you take home with you.
As it turns out, Grandma is onto something (like always). We caught up with ISDIN Content Specialist Mar Cinca from her family home in the Catalan countryside. She shares, “If you think about it, our grandparents only ate what was in season. It’s definitely a pillar of the Mediterranean diet.”
Just like the seasons of the year, our body and nutrition cycles follow natural rhythms. And the most intuitive way to get in touch with your nutrition needs is to follow the harvest. Turn to seasonal fruits and vegetables to get the vitamins and minerals you need for slowing down in winter or boosting energy in summer.
The most intuitive way to get in touch with your nutrition needs is to follow the harvest.
Consider stopping by an outdoor market and asking the vendors what’s in season. When you shop fresh, you support local farmers and reduce the carbon footprint of your diet—making for one delicious win-win.
Skincare is the perfect excuse for self-care
Lastly, soothe your soul and wrap your senses in an evening regimen that suits you. Diana Orero, Author of Love Your Skin, shares the importance of quality beauty rest: “A good night’s sleep is almost like a trip to the spa for your skin.”
It’s true—your skin switches to regeneration mode at night, making it the perfect time to focus on rest and repair. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant that helps support your skin’s natural nighttime recovery. Find it inside luxe serums and rich creams.
This connection between rest and radiance is something Judit embraces wholeheartedly: “For me, beauty is about happiness, well-being, and feeling good—all of which are reflected in your skin.”
Soothe your soul and wrap your senses in an evening regimen that suits you.
But remember, skincare is just one part of a soothing evening routine. Opt for little luxuries, like incorporating relaxing music and soothing aromatherapy (think Mediterranean lavender or rosemary) into your last hour before bed.
A peaceful sleep allows you to fill your cup so that you can be your most authentic self—something that tends to feel more within reach when your mind’s settled into vacation mode. And as Judit beautifully sums it up: “It’s about doing less, but making it matter more. After all, a beautiful day is shaped by the choices we make.”
“It’s about doing less, but making it matter more. After all, a beautiful day is shaped by the choices we make.”
Judit Mascó, supermodel and isdinlover
And just like that, the sun sets on our summer daydream.
Until tomorrow, in August eternal.
Behind the blog:
Article written and reviewed by:
Amy is a content strategist who turned a part-time obsession with skincare into a full-time passion. Her experience as a creative storyteller includes a range of lifestyle and technology topics across Washington D.C. and Barcelona. What's in her travel bag? Eye contour cream and sunscreen, always.
