Pick One: The Beach, The Mountains, The Desert
“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag
If you had to pick one place for a getaway/vacation/escape would it be the beach, mountains or desert? Yup, choose one. It’s hard, right?! Mary, a Friend of Boketto and sometime Shop Girl, said “I’ll take a month and do all three, please!”
We feel ya, Mary.
Read on to learn what some other Team Boketto folk picked when pressed to commit to their #1.
CHRISTINA IS DIE HARD THE BEACH
Crashing waves, low/high tide, shell-hunting. Water that hits vast swaths of seemingly endless sand, or rocky coastlines that edge up to cliffs. Palm tree-dotted to grassy dunes. The ocean is a favorite for so many, for uncountable reasons.
The research of Wallace J. Nichols, has found that our brains are hardwired to react positively to water and that being near it can calm and connect us, increase innovation and insight, and heal us on a deep level. This unique state has also been proven to have a number of benefits from lowering stress levels, to offering relief from mild anxiety, pain, and depression, improving mental clarity and focus, and improving sleep quality.
Makes perfect sense to us— and to Shop Girl extraordinaire, Christina.
On a more pragmatic level, an ocean holiday calls for preventative actions and post-sun care. Sunscreen, water, a good read plus a generous, absorbent towel is de rigeur as you head out for the day. And when the sun sets, soothing your lips and skin is a self-care protocol we don’t skip. Followed by more water.
We suggest: Zoca Sun Soothing Salve, Home LA Turkish Towels, Katherine Clary The Wine Zine, Boketto LAB Lip Care.
TAKE JELENA (& PASHA) TO THE MOUNTAINS
If you know Boketto Founder, Jelena Nikolajevic, you know she is an avid outdoors person. From daily walks along the James River, hitting a rocky trail on her bike, or a camper van excursion to rock climb a craggy face— the mountains are where you'll find her feeling her best. In fact, she took the photo below, today, in Pisgah Forest.
While we don’t need proof that spending time in nature can help improve our mood, research does draw a line between time spent in woodlands and boosted feelings of happiness and well-being. Whatever you call it— forest bathing, ecotherapy, mindfulness in nature, green time or the wilderness cure— humans evolved in the great outdoors, and your brain benefits from a journey back to nature.
When spending time in the great outdoors (you’ll find Pasha blissed out in The Catskills) you’ll benefit from having both insect repellant for obvious reasons, and magnesium lotion to soothe post-hike sore muscles on-hand. Make room for some homemade GORP— with goji berries— and replenishing your skin after a day spent in dappled sunlight with a luxe Vitamin D Creme.
We suggest: La Lyra Liberation Insect Repellent, Ancient Minerals Magnesium Lotion, Five Seasons TCM Ningxia Goji Berries, Living Libations Sun Dew Vitamin C Creme.
JENNIFER IS NEVER NOT THINKING ABOUT THE DESERT
Magnetized by the open skies and warm day/cool night combo, Mexican culture blending with the mythic idea of The West, epic sunsets becoming impossibly dark, celestial-filled skies— it’s hard to resist the pull of spending time in the desert.
Not the most popular of the three options laid out above, but for sure the high-contrast landscape, low population/auto density, and a necessary slower pace (hello, siestas!) all add up to a restorative, life-affirming, creative retreat. Also a tip of our hats to low humidity, high vitamin D, lots of solitude, few insects… that’s heaven on earth if you ask us.
Jennifer, our Creative Director, is ever-inspired by the purity of the landscape, and mettle of the people in the American Southwest— but is loathed to be far from some of her more urbane, high-performing products. Hydration is key (skin, nose, and from the inside) perfectly paired with a wide brimmed hat, bandana + sturdy shoes. The truth is out there.
We suggest: We Studio Organic Cotton Bandana, ION Sinus Support, Quinton Hypertonic Trace Minerals, Boketto LAB The Oil.
Cover photo: Nick Simonite