3 Non-Boho Ways to Wear a Peasant Dress Post-Festival Season

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream with Hyaluronic Acid ($20)

I cannot say enough good things about Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Gel-Cream. The product is fragrance free for extra-dry skin and includes hyaluronic acid which helps maintain skin hydration. What I loved most about this cream is that it’s cool to the touch when first applied and felt like the perfect water boost. Plus, it’s not at all oily, which is bothersome with similar skincare products. Definitely a desert go-to!

Milk Hydro Grip Hydrating Makeup Primer ($38)

There’s a reason people swear by Milk’s Hydro Grip Hydrating Makeup Primer. It’s meant to be applied before foundation or tinted moisturizer (whichever suits your fancy), and allows the makeup to stick to it while also giving a dewy finish. My makeup lasts hours without having to touch it up since I started using this primer—making it a total game changer for the festival and future concerts.

Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense Face Serum SPF 60+ ($16)

Say it with us: sunscreen is important. Neutrogena’s Invisible Daily Defense Face Serum SPF 60+ is a bit oily at first, but feels very lightweight and works incredibly well under makeup. The product contains ginger, Vitamin E, and Feverfew (a plant in the daisy family that has a number of anti-irritant benefits, per Aveeno). The sunscreen totally holds up in the desert sun and does not add any more texture to your skin! Be sure to reapply to get lasting SPF coverage, though!

Milani Make It Last Setting Spray ($10)

I came across Milani’s Make It Last Setting Spray at my local drug store for only $10.99…and I never went back. Like most setting sprays, you just spray it onto your newly applied makeup for a long-lasting wear. They also have a Matte and Sunscreen version depending on what look you are trying to achieve.

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder ($43)

Okay, so this setting powder might be on the pricier side compared to others, but it’s completely worth the splurge. Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder gives you a matte finish that’s perfect for oily skin (especially in that pesky T-zone area). I like to first apply the powder with a beauty blender, then tap it in with a powder brush for maximum results—like this Real Techniques facial powder brush from Ulta.

Still not convinced? I took this photo after HOURS of wear, and my skin still felt fresh (and my makeup looked cute TBH)!

Swipe through to see how all my looks lasted throughout the weekend. 😘

Hydration Is Key

All that dancing under the summer sun will leave you feeling thirsty, especially if you’re indulging in some cocktails. It is quintessential for your inner and outer beauty that you stay hydrated. Up your H2O game by adding slices of fruit and herbs in your bottle — voila, “Spa Water” to go.

Power to the Shimmery SPF

Lather up in SPF; your sunburn-free skin and older self will praise you for this. To take your sunscreen to the next level, mix in a loose shimmer powder. You’ll be glowing all day long.

Fight the Frizz

Keep the frizz at bay by starting your morning right, blowing out your hair with Caviar Anti-Frizz Blowout Butter. Y’all, this stuff is butter in your hands! The lightweight, melting cream-to-oil formula tames even the most defiant, frizzy hair while protecting from heat-styling and humidity. It helps seal in moisture and keep hair smoother for a longer period of time, 80 percent less frizz for up to 72 hours to be exact! AKA, while you dance the weekend away to your all-time fave artists!

Braided Babe

A half-up half-down look is the perfect way to stay cool and keep a polished look. The inside-out waterfall French braid is a festival goer’s BFF. To achieve this look, start with a natural center part for a sophisticated, softer look.

Begin by evenly applying Caviar Anti-Frizz Blowout Butter to damp hair and blow dry. Starting at the left or right section of your part, create three sections. Begin a regular braid, and once you’ve completed your first three over/unders, pick up a small section of the hair above the braid and incorporate it by bringing it under. Work at a downward angle, so that braids from the left and right will meet at the mid back section of your head. Continue adding upper pieces of your hair to the braid. Once you’ve reached the back center of your head, stop adding pieces and finish with a regular braid. Repeat on the other side; you’re almost done!

Separate hair with your fingers to create a thicker, full braid. Using small bobby pins that match your hair color, pin up braids, hiding the ends. Once you’ve completed pinning up your braid, add waves. The bigger the curling iron, the softer the body of your hair will be, creating subtle waves.

Refreshing Face Mist

Spritz your way to a refreshed face with a DIY face mist. To create your own, you’ll need glass spray bottles, rosewater, witch hazel, and tea tree oil. Mix equal parts rosewater and witch hazel and add a drop of oil. You will instantly feel rejuvenated upon applying.

1. Color Can Work In Your Favor

The colors you wear and use in your home are energetically connected to you and your own personal qi, or what is defined as your lifeforce energy. Black, navy and charcoal with a mix of whites and grays were particularly good colors for my zodiac animal (the rat), which is funny because my home is predominantly those colors.

While every zodiac animal has favorable colors, Cho and Morris discovered a combo of two colors to be the best colors for everyone in the Year of the Snake. "We think a vermillion persimmon color, a really fiery color that's connected to the wood snake, will be the best color for everyone for the Year of the Snake," says Cho. I happen to love this Persimmon Birds wallpaper by Nathan Turner and both Cho and Morris encouraged me to bring in this complementary color to all my blues and neutrals.

Of course, this doesn't mean you have to paint your space an orange or fiery red or buy a pricey sofa in that color. Maybe you always use a pen or notebook in that color or wear something in the vermillion persimmon family and start to notice how it makes you feel this year.

2. Crystals Can Impact Your Goals

Apparently, I have a lot of water in my Chinese zodiac, which can mean I’m very creative and intuitive. The crystal that's connected to all that water is labradorite, which has a bluish, watery quality to it. It’s also said to be supportive of wisdom and intellect. "Water is considered an element with a lot of depth," says Cho. "When you think about the ocean, there's so much life happening underneath. Water is really a connector, a communicator, and with a lot of depth of wisdom." That's the kind of energy I'm cultivating? I'll take it!

3. Know Your Bagua

Bagua in feng shui is like a grid or a mandala that you can overlay on your home. It can reveal obstacles and patterns in your home that you might want to unlock or rearrange. You place this grid over your bed or starting at your entry and it shows things like Abundance, Wisdom, Growth, etc. Morris and Cho overlayed the bagua over my bed and shared where I can place the labradorite to activate my career, communication and connection this year.

Mindful Living offers five floor plans to teach you how to read your mandala's home layout.

4. Plants Can Enhance Your Qi

Plant choice and placement can impact your home's qi too. For example, jade succulents are best placed in your Wisdom bagua area while the snake plant, which cuts through negative energy and signifies strength, is best placed in your Alignment area.

5. Timing Is Everything

There are auspicious hours/days/months and more challenging hours/days/months in the lunar new year. My best months are January, April, and August, while my challenging months are June and July. My best hours are 7AM to 9:00 AM to 3PM to 5:00 PM and 1AM to 3:00 AM, as well as a slew of days where I can make sure to align with important meetings, or plan an event, or even talk to someone about a difficult topic. I can be strategic with this time.

"My most challenging months are always the months that I overwork and I'm totally burnt out," says Cho. "So I look ahead and I definitely say no to the things that aren't the most important in those months."

Turns out, January 8th is a really great day for zodiac rats, so I'll be putting my labradorite stone underneath my bed then with the intention that I'm bringing in more wisdom, more resources, more support for my career and for my communication and connecting to others.

This is where your zodiac animal plays a part too. “Snakes have this magnetism and this charm and there's an attractive quality about them, but they're also really wise and thoughtful and clever, and that's actually a good thing for the rat,” says Morris. Those born in the year of the Tiger and Pig may find the 2025 lunar year more challenging, but that doesn't mean it's going to be a terrible year. (My challenging year is coming up in 2026, the Year of the Horse).

"It's not the year to push yourself," adds Cho. "It's the year to take care of yourself. It's the year to say no when you're going to be stretched thin. And it also reminds us you can't have your left side of your body without your right side of your body. There's a natural shift to things, and it reminds us there's times to be quieter. There's times to be more internal, and there's times where we'll have more challenges, but with the greatest challenge also comes the greatest rewards."

Mindful Living: A Guide to the Everyday Magic of Feng Shui

Learn more about your monthly forecast for 2025 and mindful rituals to get you through the year in peace and harmony in Mindful Living: A Guide to the Everyday Magic of Feng Shui!