Travel Essentials: Beach Edition
After a week of beach-bumming in the Dominican Republic (pictured above), I'd like to believe that I've mastered the art of beach bag packing. The secret: finding the right balance between enough vs. too much, and necessities vs. luxuries. Once you find these balances, your beach bag's full potential will be reached.
In all seriousness, being prepared always proves to be beneficial, especially while traveling. Devoting a few extra minutes to organization can make your travels even more enjoyable by eliminating any unwanted stress.
I've put together a list of some of my favorite beach-related products below. I hope you find them as useful as I do.
1) Mario Badescu Facial Spray - I keep this in my purse pretty much everywhere I go. It leaves my skin feeling softer, cleaner and more moisturized. A wonderful refresher for dehydrated beach skin.
2) Naples Soap Company Coconut Water Perfume - After a long, sweaty beach day I love to dab some of this on. It perfectly compliments (and improves!) that salty beach scent.
3) Clarins Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm - I am never without a lip balm. It is and will always be my most loved beauty product. This one has a wonderful rosy smell, feels great on my lips, and has great staying power.
4) Sweat Twist Brush SPF Mineral Foundation Powder - Sweat Cosmetics, a company started just last year, has created a range of sun care products and cosmetics that are directly geared towards women with active lifestyles. The makeup is literally designed for you to sweat in, which is why I love bringing it to the beach. This powder won't give you full coverage, but it's great for concealing some redness and riding of excess oil.
5) Shiseido UV Protective Stick Foundation - I typically don't wear makeup to the beach, but on bad skin days I like to have some coverage. This convenient little stick provides buildable coverage, has SPF, and is very easy to apply. Plus it's water resistant!
6) Shiseido Sun Protection Lip Treatment - Forgetting sun protection on your lips is a big no no. You need to protect that delicate skin from UV rays. I found this one right before I left on my trip and ended up loving it. It's moisturizing, doesn't leave a white cast, and works great as a base or wearing alone.
7) L'Oréal Voluminous Volume Building Waterproof Mascara - For the days you want to look extra good! I always come back to this mascara because of its great formula - it applies evenly, is never clumpy, and stays on pretty much all day.
8) Shiseido Oil-Control Blotting Paper - I switch off between the Sweat foundation powder (refer to #4) and this product when I need to de-shine my face. On days that I don't want any makeup on, I reach for these. They're super absorbent and gentle.
9) Somerville360 Tanning Towelettes - I actually use these prior to the beach as they help kickstart my tan. My skin can get pretty fair if I haven't had much sun exposure, but these towelettes take care of that problem. You can get a beautiful and natural-looking golden glow (with no orange color or streaking) that will last for about a week.
10) Coola Sport Continuous Spray SPF 30 - I prefer spray sunscreens. I find I get the best coverage and they're the easiest to apply. Coola offers a great range that smells lovely and feels great on the skin. I'd highly recommend the tropical coconut scent. You'll smell like the beach before you even get there.
11) Instax Mini 8 - There's something very satisfying about being able to hold your photograph seconds after taking it, especially now that developing pictures is becoming a thing of the past. Besides being highly entertaining, Polaroid cameras create the best souvenirs - tangible memories that you can keep forever.
Bonus recommendation: Bring these waterproof cellphone pouches. It protects and keeps unwanted sand from getting in your phone, while still allowing you to operate it. You can get underwater pictures too!
Let me know what your favorite beach essentials are in the comments below!
