Skin Care Real Talk with Dr. Shereene Idriss

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Hello sunshine.

Hey besties. Today on the bright side, it's wellness Wednesday, y' all. And the no BS board certified dermatologist, Dr. Sherene Idris is here to share the best and worst ingredients for our skin, which products are worth the splurge, and whether filler is aging us. It's Wednesday, July 10th. Hi, I'm Simone Boyce.

I'm Danielle Robay and this is the Bright side from hello Sunshine. Simone, we're talking about skincare today. I gotta know, what's your regimen? Give it to me.

So my regimen is largely focused around my needs, which is I have acne prone skin. I have for my entire adulthood. And so I have spent so many hours inside the dermatologist's office. Danielle. But during that process, throughout all the pain and all the pokes and prods that I've endured, I have learned so much about my skin.

Yeah.

So my routine is very simple and straightforward. I use a very gentle cleansing jelly by a brand called Naturium. Female owned, sold at Target. Very affordable. It's awesome. After that I put on azelaic acid in the morning and at night azelaic acid 15%. Great to keep your skin clear and reduce any discoloration. After that I put on an SPF which is by a brand called Zitstika. It's a non comedogenic SPF that doesn't make you break out or make your skin feel greasy. And then at night I do wash again, which I know is controversial. And then I put on azelaic acid retinol for sleep and maybe some squalane oil or some sort of moisturizer.

That's so good. You really got it all buttoned up.

How about you? What does your routine look like?

Oh, okay. I'm going to be honest. I'm not going to, I'm not going to front with any of this. In the morning I wash my face with whatever face cleanser I have at the time. Brand agnostic. It's whatever is there. And if I'm at a hotel, I'm happy to use the hand wash soap or the bar soap. I'll like, use whatever is around.

Oh, my gosh. It's so drying. That strips your skin.

I know, I know. And then I'll use a Kiehl's face lotion and I use an spf. That's the only thing I'm really consistent about. And at night I do the same thing. I don't. I sometimes use an under eye cream, if I can find one in my drawer. But I don't really have a regimen. And I've been to the dermatologist and they give me a regimen, but it's like four steps and I have random samples from them. And I know I'm supposed to do it in a certain order, and I just never totally understand what I'm doing. So here's my question for you though, because I actually misspoke the other day. I said, my great grandmother lived to 101. She lived till 103. My mom corrected me.

Wow.

And she used like two things her whole life. And it was like Pond's face cream, which was like very of her time. And she had awesome skin. And part of me is like, I know there's science behind this, but does any of it actually matter? Like, do you see a difference?

Oh, my gosh, yes.

Okay.

Oh, 1,000%. I think a lot of it is the makeup of your skin. Like the composition of your skin, the oil ratio on your skin. Like, a lot of that is really important. I think it just depends on the person. Like, you can wash your face with the hotel bar soap. I cannot do that because it'll strip my skin and my skin will freak out and get irritated. But, I mean, I am loving where my skin is at right now, and it's because of the active ingredients I'm using. Azelaic acid is like a wonder ingredient. I. I had used it in the past and then I stopped using it for some reason. I rediscovered it recently. It is like a game changer. It's amazing. So, yes, I believe in skin care. It can actually work.

I'm actually really excited today because Our guest is Dr. Sherene Idris. She's a board certified dermatologist whose research backed Real Talk. She's Real As It Gets has garnered millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok. She's one of the Internet's favorite dermatologists and really an expert in the skin issues associated with aging. So here she is busting myths about the holy grail of skin care, which is retinol.

Retinol lies that need to die from a 40 year old board certified dermatologist who also happens to be a retinol veteran. Number one, you cannot use retinol in the summer. This should die because the earth is round and some climates are summer all year round and everybody can use a retinol if they can tolerate it.

I am with Dr. Idris on this one. Retinols, retinoids, give me all of them back. In 2018, Dr. Idris was so frustrated by all the skincare misinformation she saw on social media that she decided to set the record straight herself by breaking down her own nighttime skincare routine using the hashtag pillow talkderm. So that term, pillow talk derm took off very quickly and it turned into her answering follower questions about which products and procedures are worth it and which ones are just marketing. And believe me, she did not hold back.

Well, six years later, her skin is just as glassy as it was back then. And I know you can't see it, but either check Instagram or trust me because I promise it is. And she has a science backed skincare line available at Sephora. Dr. Idris is here with us today to talk about her hero ingredients, the truth about filler, and how to care for your skin at whatever age you're at.

Dr. Idris, welcome to the bright side.

Thank you so much for having me. It's brighter already with you guys here.

We love that.

We are so excited to have you. We can't wait to get the real real from you. But before we get started, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What would you say is your skincare philosophy?

My skincare philosophy is that it is about consistency over intensity. Like you really want to be going after your skin's biggest problems and not falling into this fear of missing out on skincare, which a lot of people and they end up buying themselves problems along the way that they can't fit because they're stuck in this tornado of a skincare world. And so it's really about being consistent. It's not about going wrong and strong, but being consistent with what it is that is targeting your biggest problem.

This is exactly what I wanted to ask you about because while I love skincare, I feel like it has been taken over by capitalism. There was an article in the Cut that compared skincare to a psychological safety blanket, which I thought was a really great. In my opinion, the Internet is sort of to blame. But what do you think is behind our obsession with skincare?

I mean, I think the US has finally caught up to the rest of the world in the sense that they're finally trying to understand how to use skincare, why are we using it? And that's because of the pandemic, right? We were all locked up, we were not wearing makeup. I think our culture in this side of the world is pretty much like, cover it up, slap on some makeup, ignore it. Like, you know, like you never really focused on our skin as much as we did on makeup, which covered it up. And over the past four years, ish, the focus has shifted and we are now looking more towards how do we make our skin better because we had time to try to understand what was on the market and how it actually worked. And I don't mind going slow as long as people understand the philosophy in order to understand how to better help themselves than to throw crap in the market just because you want to try to gain virality or you're trying to appeal to a younger generation who can push a product or a brand further. And unfortunately, it's just become overloaded in that sense.

Yeah, we live in drop culture right now. And so you want to have a drop every month. And it's just, it's not necessary.

It's not necessary. Like everything great was once new, but not everything new is great. And you have to remind yourself that with skincare, especially, like tried and trues are tried and true for a reason. And if it really is great, then in two years it's still going to be great. So there's no need to feel like you're missing out if you don't jump on it today.

Well said.

Well, in addition to being a dermatologist, I mean, you have this huge social media audience and you start all your videos the same way. You say, I'm a 40 year old board certified dermatologist. Why do you feel the need to start with your age in your videos?

It's so funny. I started that on a whim last year when I was 39 and it just kind of clicked and stuck. And it's funny because people are like, oh, you're filtered. Oh, you do a million cosmetic procedures. Oh, but you're only 29. Oh, but oh, but oh, but oh, but, but no, there's no oh, but. It's like I'm as transparent as it gets. It's not like I'm a celebrity who's hiding plastic surgery that I had on my face or some kind of procedure that I've had. So I figured if I started it by just removing the veil and just stating what I am exactly as I am, it would get Rid of all of those comments and it didn't fully get rid of the comments, but I guess it clicks. And people like to hear my age now before I present myself. So I think that's going to be going on for a while. But yeah, I am a 40 year old board certified dermatologist.

So what is the secret behind that 40 year old glass skin that I'm seeing right here?

It really is glass. I'm gonna be honest.

Do you have an elaborate skincare routine or are you of a less is more kind of girly?

Very honestly, like my skin line was born from my philosophy, less is more. And there was a time when I had a 12 step skincare routine and this was back in 2019 after I had my son. And I was literally using all of these over the counter products to target my melasma and my discoloration because I couldn't be on prescript because I was breastfeeding, et cetera, et cetera. And so I had a 12 step skincare routine and it was completely unviable for life. It was not sustainable. It was a waste of my time. There was no way I could get through it. And I just felt like I was chasing something that I could never fully attain. And so when I would talk to my patients about having an even skin tone, I would also give them a 12 step routine and their eyes would glaze over. And so when it came to starting a skincare line, I truly, genuinely wanted to simplify problems with very simple solutions. And so I thought to myself, what are the 10, 12 most important ingredients? I do not want to have bullshit marketing claims. I want them to be put in at levels of efficacy that have been demonstrated either by the manufacturers or through science, through time. And I want to make sure that they make sense in the products that they're in. And so that's how the first three products were launched. And those are the staple of my skincare routine. I have been using them every single day Since August of 2021, a year prior to launch when I finalized the formulas. And I obviously am testing different things as we go along, but the hyper serum and the moisturizer are the two things that I use consistently every single day, twice a day. And sunscreen.

What's the biggest lie that we're fed about our skin?

That we need moisture, Moisture, Moisture like you don't need hyaluronic acid, you don't need moisturizers every single day of the year in every single climate that you live in. I think it depends on your skin. Type. I think it depends on the climate that you live in, and I think it depends on your stage of life and what it is that you're trying to target. But this whole idea that we need to constantly hydrate our skin, I think it's an easy sell because people know that hydration is a thing. So you don't have to convince the public of that. But the reality is over. Moisturizing your skin can break your skin barrier down and cause more problems down the road, too. And if you live in a very humid climate and you're oily and you're more acne prone, do you really need to moisturize before you apply sunscreen? No, you don't. Because the sunscreens and the moisturizer skin enough. So I think that is one of the biggest lies that have been sold in perpetuity throughout the beauty industry, throughout time, because it's been an easy one to get your point across because people know that they want their skin to be hydrated.

I actually think I always felt that. So thank you for clarifying. I've never heard that one. You debunked a good myth for me.

Oh, I'm excited. Just the tip of the iceberg.

Exactly. Okay, we've got to hit pause and take a break, but we'll be back to bust more skincare myths with Dr. Sherene Idris.

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We're back with Dr. Sherene Idris, the Internet's favorite dermatologist.

So, Dr. Idris, earlier you mentioned that there may be 10 to 12 tried and true ingredients that we see over and over again in skincare. I want to talk about those. What are your must have hero ingredients?

So remember what I said though. Target your routine based on your problem. And my biggest problem genuinely, truly is discoloration. I am Middle Eastern. Originally they used to throw me in the sun when I was a kid and I would burn to get some color because they thought it was healthy. Myth, lie, do not repeat. And so the damage is done before you're 20. And so I would have sunspots coming up in my 20s. And it wasn't until I had my son, my second IVF where my melasma started to flare up and overnight I legitimately looked like the Crypt Keeper. It really had an immense psychological toll on me. So for me it's really about keeping my skin tone even, keeping that hyperpigmentation melasma at bay. Over the counter is never going to treat melasma, but being on a routine that keeps your pigmentation suppressed will minimize how bad your melasma flares up. And I feel like I'm proof of that because I don't really use hydroquinone unless I just come back from the beach or somewhere really hot and it's flaring. So that's the long winded answer to get to the conclusion. Yeah. So glycolic and lactic together are a beautiful combination to even out your skin tone. Lactic acid is great for brightening. Glycolic also helps with anti aging, promoting collagen production. Skincare brands can never claim that because that's bordering on a drug because it's changing the nature of your skin. But those have been tested and shown in studies. And so that is why I like to use glycolic acid mixed with lactic acid. Additionally, obviously vitamin C. Everybody knows about vitamin C, it is a great ingredient to have in your repertoire. But alone it doesn't do much. And trust me, I have tried it just alone. And then retinol azelaic acid hydroquinone. Those are three that I usually reserve as prescriptions because a hydroquinone you can no longer get over the counter and you shouldn't Be on it forever. Retinol. I really do believe you have to know the type of and the percent of the retinol that you're using to know what your skin can tolerate. Because you might not tolerate the strongest, but if you get a little bit of something light every day, that's better for you. And then azelaic acid, because to really see a difference with hyperpigmentation, it should be at 15%, and that is prescription level. You're not going to find that over the counter. So those I've kept out of the major feed line on purpose because they're going to serve you better as prescriptions.

Can you tell us a little bit more about the effectiveness of medical grade skincare versus over the counter skincare? I mean, do over the counter products even move the needle? Should we even be buying them? Or should you put all your money into medical grade skincare?

I'm going to flip that on you and ask you, do medical grade products even move the needle and should you be spending all of your money on that and not on over the counter products? Medical grade means nothing. I'm a dermatologist. Dermatology tested means nothing. Right. And I have a skincare line and I'm the first one to tell you that saying dermatologist tested doesn't mean much. Okay, great, you tested it. But then what? You have to have an independent study done by a third party who's reviewing it on people who are blinded and don't know what they're using on their skin to see the results of the products that you've created. Medical grade use traditionally is basically a term that is used to describe products that are sold through estheticians and providers and doctors offices. But they're not better necessarily than what you can get over the counter. And they're going to claim that they're using higher quality ingredients. Not true. I could have claimed my brand is a medical grade brand, but I chose not to because I find it to be misleading. Because people are spending more money on medical grade products thinking they're getting something better, but that's not necessarily a guarantee.

Okay, what about prescription versus OTC though?

Okay, that's different. I am probably one of the very few who will tell you prescription is not necessarily better than over the counter. And I'm not saying this to that skincare line. I do not have retinol in my skincare line. The reason I am saying this is because people, especially in the American culture, often think we need the strongest, we need the biggest, we need the largest we need more is better. Stronger isn't necessarily better. When it comes to this vitamin A class of retinoids, when it's too strong, it can be irritating. And if it's irritating, you're only going to damage your skin. In the long run, I would much rather you be consistent with something less irritating. Using it and tolerating it every night of the week without any irritation, without any inflammation, versus using something extremely strong, which is a prescription, and only able to use it once every week or once every two weeks because your skin breaks out or flakes in the process. And so there is a philosophical approach here. Obviously the prescription is going to be more active and ready to go to work right away, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it's better for you if your skin cannot tolerate it.

So to this point, I have another debunking question for you because for 10 years all I heard was retinol, retinol, retinol. And now all the women on the Internet are telling me that retinol is gonna thin my skin. So what's the verdict here?

It's all gonna thin your skin. It is not going to thin your skin. There was one prominent person, I think, physician or something, there was one person who was like pushing that myth forward and it is not true. Retinol has been shown to truly increase collagen production in your skin by stimulating your fibroblasts. It does expedite cellular turnover of the top layer of your skin, but it is not thinning your skin because it is increasing the density of collagen beneath the surface within the dermis. And so over time, that is how we see smoother looking skin. Skin that has less fine lines, the appearance of fine lines and deeper wrinkles become less, quote, unquote prominent. Is it going to plump your skin up from a raisin to a grape? No, it's not going to do that. But is it going to make your skin overall slightly thicker, more durable, less prone to getting fine lines?

Yes. So is there a difference between retin, a retinoid and retinol?

Yes.

Where do I start?

I don't understand. Let's say, okay, umbrella term, the retinoid category.

Okay.

Okay. The active is tretinoin. Active means the second you put it on your skin, it starts working. The step before that, active are the retinals. R E T I N A L. Those have to get converted to tretinoin once they're applied on your skin to start working.

Okay.

And the step before that are the retinols. R E T I N O L which need to get converted to retinals that then get converted to tretinoin. So they have two steps they have to go through before becoming active. Retinals have one step and tretinoin is right away active.

So I should buy a tretinoin or what am I buying?

You should try first. If you're trying to really be diligent about this and you have sensitive skin. A retinol, yes. It needs two steps before it becomes active. But I would rather you use a retinol more nights of the week than not and your skin be happy than use a tretinoin one night of the week and your skin flare up and your face fall off because it was too intense for you.

I like this. I like consistency over time. I'm like a moderate type of personality. Okay, I want to talk to you about Botox and filler because I've been hearing new things and I've heard before from the skincare girlies on the Internet where I get all of my information about skincare. And I'm very excited because we have an expert here. Finally. Okay, filler. I heard recently that a lot of people are moving away from filler in their face because it never quite dissolves. It starts to move and it could even age you. Do you use filler for your patients?

I do, I do. And I think this is again where the pendulum is swinging. Okay, if you go back to 2018, right, Kylie Jenner lips, the lip sucking glass shot, whatever.

The Snapple bottles.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. The really square jawlines that everybody was promoting. The intense before and afters that you would find on social, like within 10 minutes. I was very adamantly against that and I was shouting from the rooftop. Subtle can be dramatic. Subtle can be dramatic. It's not about trying to get that instant gratification drama. Unfortunately, people like instant gratification and they went for the drama. What happens? They get their faces shoved with a shit ton of filler way too often, way too young, way too regularly, and not necessarily done by the right person because they're chasing a deal. And therefore, what happens if you fast forward six, seven years, their faces look like balloons, they're blown up, and now they're like, whoa, this is terrible. Because they were not doing it with a long term view in mind. I think if things are done correctly with the right candidate in front of you in a very subtle way, to the point where I even tell my patients, you're going to ask me, why the hell did I spend money if I don't fully see a difference. That is what holds your face slowly over time. Why does my face look like this? I've been treating myself for 10 years. I inject my own face, and I don't think I look like a puffer fish. I don't think I look deformed, and I don't think I look like. Not me. If you look at me from now versus 10 years ago, I'm more or less the same. But I was not injecting myself with five syringes four times a year. It was maybe one syringe twice a year, maybe two syringes every other time. But it was very, very light. And I think people have lost sight of that. That your face and aging is a journey. And the goal with these minimally invasive procedures is not to get drama today, but to hold onto your face slowly over time. And if you really find the person whose aesthetic approach you respect, who is willing to hold you back and tell you no and go against what it is you fully want, but you respect their approach and you respect their subjectivity, then I think you will find yourself in the good hands. But if you're chasing a Groupon deal, if you're chasing a price tag, if you're chasing a fad, it's not going to work. You want to grow with someone.

Moderation. I really like your philosophy.

Everything in moderation.

If you could give me like a one word answer on this, let's say I have a little bit of money saved up. I want to go to my dermatologist's office, and I want to get the best bang for my buck procedure to tackle something like hyperpigmentation or acne scarring between lasers, microneedling, chemical peels, Morpheus 8. Like, where's the best place to put your money when you're actually at the dermatologist's office?

Okay, I want to talk to you exactly how I talked to a patient. I want to tell you the following. You can go and get liposuction, but you're not going to maintain a six pack if you don't go to the gym. There is no point in getting a laser treatment if you're not on the right skincare routine. And I did that once. I said that once to a patient who wasn't even paying, by the way. It was a free consult. I was offering and she got pissed. She goes, no, but tell me what to do. And I was like, go, get out of bitter skincare routine. And she was like, but what laser? I'm like, I would Tell you this, if you were paying me, and I'm not even. You're not even paying me. So literally, you start with a skincare routine targeting that problem. You have hyperpigmentation from acne marks. You get on a skincare routine that is targeting how to fade your brown spots. You have a lot of textural issues. You get on a skincare routine that is helping promote collagen production. You try to tolerate good exfoliating acids. You try to even out your actual texture. You have rosacea. You get on a skincare routine that is calming in n. So we first start with a skincare routine that we know is not going to trigger your skin, and then we approach with discoloration. That is why I started, because that's what most people have. Not just from my own personal experience, but also my patients. You start with a skincare routine targeting hyperpigmentation. You usually can get 60, 70% improvement if you're militant. And then we can decide what are the lasers. We want to try to see what takes us to that next level, if we even feel we want to get to that next level. Or we apply a prescription hydroquinone first and then jump into the lasers. And whether it is a fraxel, an ipl, whatever, an Alex laser, whatever you want, they're all different variations. So you got to try different things out. But if you're holding on to every penny expecting one fraxel to create a miracle for you, you're only going to be disappointed because the damage is under the skin and it's going to come back out. And that's why I'm so adamant about the skincare routine.

Dr. Idris, that's what I did. I got a fraxel in January, and my mom looked at me. I went home for 4th of July, and she looked at me and she was like, all the sunspots are back. What happened with the fraxel? And I was like, I think it's not one and done because you weren't.

On the skincare routine.

Yes.

It's not one and done because the damage is under your skin. And so you gotta keep it suppressed. You gotta keep it at bay.

And you can keep it at bay with skincare.

Look at my face. I have no filter, okay?

It's crazy. You have no sun damage.

I have had no lasers on my face since September 2022, when I launched my skincare line. That was the last time I did a treatment because I felt pressure that I had to do one before I launched. I am telling you when you are on a solid routine and you are militant about it, and that's why I truly, genuinely tried to simplify mine, you will see results long term.

Dr. Idris, I'm sold. I'm not just saying this. I am going to buy your skincare line.

I'm happy to even send it to.

You, but like, no, no, I want to support.

You're very sweet, but you should be militant about it. And I really, genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, I mean it. And patients come in willing to spend $2,000 on a Fraxel. Of course I can make a quick buck, but I would rather keep that patient long term and see them through a better result than you, for example, who's now pissed that you spent $2,000 and now your pigment is back. Are you going to go back and trust that person to take care of you as you get older?

No, no, I'm never going back there.

You're such an angel, Dr. Idris. Thank you for being honest. I love doctors with integrity because so many of them just want you to come in and they want to make money off of the highest priced procedures.

I think it's not just doctors. I think it's human nature. Of course, you know, you have to feel rich in your heart. I don't want to get all Kumbaya and like meditative on you guys.

Well, this is the bright side. After all, there's a lot of Kumbaya.

Yes, I guess you can get Kumbaya here. But like, I really think growing up, I'm the youngest of three girls. I am Lebanese and I was made fun of to no end. You're so white. You're white like a chicken. It broke my confidence as a kid, but because I was the youngest, I just learned how to fight back. And there's a reason why I ended up in cosmetics. There's a reason subconsciously. I probably ended up in dermatology with, with skin. Because I was made fun of my skin my whole life growing up. And I really, genuinely in my heart feel passionate that you can gain confidence by helping yourself through your skin, no matter how you decide to look at the glass. And you can find beauty and charm in everybody that walks through the door. And I really mean this, and I'm not just saying this to appear like an angel. I'm really not an angel. I'm kind of an asshole on the other side. But it is the truth. Like, you can find that beauty, you can find that confidence in. You can truly help yourself. And I think it is such A disservice when people try to push false hopes and dreams, whether it is in jars or through procedures or through surgeries without telling the person. Let's first work on you and help yourself to get there so you can help yourself get there. And skincare is one avenue of it. So back to your original question, though, someone you did ask me about, for example, acne scars, which is the best one, microneedling frazzle, et cetera. And I'll tell patients when it comes to scars and textures especially, Rome wasn't built overnight. You cannot remodel collagen overnight with one treatment. It is several treatments. And I go through the different types of procedures with my patients who have scars so that they can experience each one. So then we can then make a decision together how best to proceed. Do we want to do subcision with a little bit of light filler superficially to pick up that scar? Do we want to do an abrasive sort of fractionated laser on top of your skin to break down your skin? Do you want to do microneedling or do you want to introduce heat to help promote collagen from within? And so we go through various different procedures together and then we make a joint decision on how we want to proceed. And it takes a good year and a half to start getting results after doing four or five treatments. And it doesn't happen overnight. But if they have the right expectations, they're only happy because they're seeing the results and they knew what to expect.

I love this so much. I think our culture is so obsessed with new now, next. And you are promoting the exact opposite. It's playing the long game in every sense of that term. So you are just so excellent. I hope you come back. You taught me and Simone so much today. Thank you.

You're a truth teller, which is what we need more of.

You guys are very sweet and thank you so much, so much for having me. I hope if anything, this helps one person who listens to helped me and me. Well done. Great success.

Dr. Sherene Idris is a board certified dermatologist and founder of the science backed skin care line Dr. Idris. You can catch her giving all kinds of skincare tips and advice on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. We need to take another quick break, but when we come back, we're spicing things up in a summer segment inspired by Book Talk.

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And we're back. Okay, Danielle, are you ready to add a little spice to this show?

Simone, I thought you'd never ask.

Okay, before we do, I know about Booktok, but I don't know that I'm familiar with Spicy Book Talk. Are you?

Yes. Okay, so Booktok is the corner of TikTok devoted to reviewing and rating books, right? Well, Spicy Book Talk is the corner within that corner dedicated to romance and romantasy novels, some of which might be too hot for this podcast.

My people. Okay, maybe that's fair. Some of them are definitely a little too spicy for this show. But I gotta say, I love the idea of rating something based on how spicy it is. It's a perfect metric. So we're gonna do that right now with the help of our friends at Walmart who created a line of hot sauces inspired by the Booktok spicy scale of 1 to 5 chili peppers.

It's called Melinda's Spicy Books Hot Sauce Set. There are five different spice levels. So we have mild, medium, hot, flaming, and burning. And because Simone and I love a trend, we tried the sauces, and then we picked things that we liked at Walmart that corresponded to each sauce's level of spice.

Oh, I am so excited to get into this. I love spice. I'm a spicy girl. So I'm dying to see what you pick too.

So besties we're gonna sample the hot sauces once again. This one is the mild flavor. Ooh. And it's mango habanero. It only has one spicy pepper on it, but it still has a kick. And this one reminds me of the Maybelline lifter plump lasting lip gloss in mauve bite because it still has a little bite to it, but not too much.

I chose the mango colored no boundaries woven beach tote bag because Mango habanero, a mango beach tote. It just makes sense.

It makes total sense.

Okay, now we have hot sauce number two. This is the medium, the green one. Okay, so let's give this one a try again. She's doing the tequila shot style on the palm.

Delicious.

Ooh, that is delicious. I taste the lime, I taste the vinegar. That would go perfect on my summer taco. Okay, for this one. This one reminds me of the bubble skincare bounce back refreshing toner spray. It kind of reminds me of that little heat effect that you get on your face. A little sweat whenever you start eating something really spicy. It's the perfect fix for whenever you're, you know, need a little refresh.

I went with the tall stainless steel Hudson tumbler with flip up straw. It's the 30 ounce, and it's in the orange color. I mostly chose it because I was like, okay, two jalapeno peppers, orange. Plus, I love a tumbler. I bring one to work every day. Okay, Simone, we're officially getting hot. This is the spicy books chipotle hot sauce. What do you think about this one?

By this color, you can tell that it is loaded up with some potent chipotle flavor.

My tongue is on fire with this one. I have to go with the summer camp sunscreen because even if it's hot outside, you gotta protect your skin with that spf.

Mm. Okay, I'm gonna go with the fire dragon party tube inflatable raft. Because I can just envision myself on that raft in my pool. The balance of the cool water with this hot, hot sauce on some guac and chips, I'm here for it.

I see you closing your eyes. You're really envisioning that.

I am. I'm going there. All right, it's getting real, Danielle. Next up, we have the spicy books Flamin hot sauce.

This one really has a kick. Okay, I'm gonna say that the flaming red Savina reminds me of the olive and June instant press on nails in the lavender shimmer color. And I'm gonna tell you why. All that shimmer makes me flaming hot. You pop those Bad boys on in a car ride on your way to a night out and all of a sudden you are flaming hot.

Absolutely. I'm all about a car. Manny. For mine, I'm gonna go with the free assembly cotton cropped button down shirt. Whenever you're eating something spicy, you always want to have a little access to ventilation. And nothing does that like a button down shirt.

That's true. Okay, our last one. Are you ready to be put to the test?

Let's do it.

I can take it.

This one is called Burning. We're gonna taste this one again. It's definitely the reddest of them all. Hard to talk after that one.

For burning, I have a burning desire to rock the no boundaries. Pink sunglasses, spicy sauce in the mouth, spicy summer outside. You need a little eye protection.

Very grease lightning. I love it. I'm going with the scoop block heel mule sandals. Because if it's gonna be hot in my tongue, hot on my mouth, I have heat on my feet and girls have heat too. So pink metallic sandals. Sign me up.

Well, I'm sufficiently awake now.

Yes, we're ready to record 10 episodes.

Now shop Melinda's Spicy Books hot sauce set plus a curated collection of summer accessories, fashion and beauty so you can have your own spicy summer now at Walmart. That's it for today's show. Tomorrow we're joined by author Alexine Farrell Falmouth. She's here to talk about her book Twelfth Night, which is the summer YA pick for Reese's Book Club.

Listen and follow the bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Simone Boyce. You can find me Simoneboyce on Instagram and TikTok.

I'm Danielle Robay on Instagram and TikTok. That's R O.

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