It feels like everyone is fully booked for the summer, with an endless list of events coming up, basically going home only for sleeping (not even that if I get lucky).

My schedule this week: An interview for a new job on Tuesday, Drinks with friends on Wednesday, Garden Party on Friday, Best friend’s wedding on Saturday

Add going to the gym daily, and it's like Tinder in real life! It feels like I'm just constantly going in front of people to be judged, and honestly, after finding a cheat code, I’m starting to like it!

It's the same story every year: June, July, and August are BUSY: music festivals, friends’ weddings, after-work drinks—that turn into a longer night at the terrace.

A busy schedule can be draining, but there’s one thing I enjoy about it:

In the summer, I’m constantly meeting new people – well, let’s be honest, I’m not excited about meeting a bunch of dudes.

Read: I’m talking about meeting new girls; those other guys are just competition.

Going on outdoor dates and having late-night drinks at the bar are the best times of the year. But the problem is that every other guy has the same summer plans as me.

I’m probably not the only bachelor at a friend's wedding, and I’m definitely not the only one at a music festival. So there is a lot of competition, and let’s be honest, in the dating world, you need to stand out to have a chance.

If you are thinking, “for summer’s festivals, I need”

1. New Outfit
2. New Fragrance
3. Get in good shape

Come on…
That’s the baseline. You’re doomed to fail if that’s all you’ve got, and you know that yourself.

The problem is that everyone knows about those things. The festival will have thousands of guys like you, all with the same goal. And let’s be honest, you will not be the only guy at the festival who’s done the basics: being in shape and wearing a new outfit.

But lucky for you, there’s something you might learn today that those other guys have never heard of.

Studies call it “a Trait that plays an important role in sexual selection.”

Something so deeply rooted in psychology and the subconscious actions of humans that when people hear about it, they go, “Yeah, that’s SO true, but I have never seen anyone say it out loud!”

But it has the same problem as everything else:

Gatekeeping is over:
The coolest restaurants, the best workouts, the cleanest outfits, everything is available online, and it’s almost impossible to stand out.

This trait is no different. Thousands of people have already discovered it. Soon, there will be hundreds of thousands, and before long, it will become common knowledge. People are already making TikToks about it, and soon those TikToks will become popular. When that happens, the edge disappears.

But this summer, you are still ahead of the game.

See, it’s well-known that one of the key factors of first impressions is your skin. Vibrant, glowing skin acts like a magnet for dates. There’s a reason why skincare is a $100 billion industry.

But even the giant skincare companies, which are always introducing new products and the latest scientific findings, have missed this one.

They have missed something BIG about skin.

More specifically, regarding the coloration and tone of your skin. A study by Foo et al. (2017) calls it a “Trait that plays an important role in sexual selection.”

But it’s NOT the type you are thinking of. Not sun-tanning, not melanin from UV. Instead, it’s something that’s scientifically proven to be more attractive than melanin*
*(Stephen, I.D., et al. (2011), Stephen, & Harrison (2015), Coetzee et al. (2012))

Carotenoids are nutrients found in colorful foods like salmon, tomatoes, and carrots. Some people recognize carotenoids because they are the natural pigments that give salmon and flamingos their color!

Carotenoids aren’t necessarily a new thing for humans; everybody eats them.

Just not consistently, and not enough to see a difference in our skin tone.

But when eaten consistently, in big quantities (like a lot of salmon or shrimp), carotenoids accumulate in our skin.

The best skin tone results are achieved by using a combination of different pigments, such as:

1. Bright red lycopene, from tomatoes
2. Warm, orange beta-carotene from carrots (be careful, some is great, but too much will turn you orange)
3. Deep red astaxanthin (careful, make sure it’s from natural algae, not synthetic!)

But doing this with only your diet is extremely expensive and, honestly, just too much work. Eating massive amounts of the same foods every day is almost impossible:

2kg of Salmon-shrimp-tomato-carrot soup every day?

No thanks, but I have good news for you: supplements exist!

You must remember one thing, though: not all supplements are created equal!

I have tried the good ones and the bad ones, trust me.

Nowadays, I’m a bit more careful. Here’s my criteria for supplements:

- Made in Europe, I avoid brands that hide the origin (most weird gummies, etc.)
- Custom blend, not a megadose of beta-carotene, it’s cheaper, but that alone will make you orange, which is not a good look.
- Naturally sourced pigments, no synthetic versions (again, cheaper alternative but questionable for health)
- 3rd party lab tested for safety

My favorite is Zephyrian (buy here). It meets all of my criteria, is easy to travel with, discreet, and easy to use. I actually take them year-round, not just for festivals. I just make sure not to mention it to others in conversations; I act stupid when someone mentions my skin tone.

“Haha, you’re crazy, I don't do anything, it’s like that naturally.”

Make sure that you do the same.

(and it is all natural, so I’m not even lying)