After a week in Greece and the chaos of moving out of my apartment, I forgot to bring my beach bag to the Cape this weekend.  In fairness, I’m there every weekend for over two months of every year since I was born, so I should just leave a bag there.  The nasty sunburn on my forehead doesn’t help either.  Lesson learned.  But it was hard to stash stuff in my mom and sister’s bag, because I inevitably ended up forgetting something each day.  If you’ve read any of my travel prep posts, you know that I hate being unprepared, and always prefer to be over-prepared – especially since my mom and sister usually need to borrow something from me!  So here’s the stuff I can’t live without as a self-proclaimed beach expert…

Something balmy – People don’t realize that skin can get just as dry in the summer as in the winter.  My skin definitely handles summer better, but that doesn’t mean I stop taking care of it.  My lips are always dry, so I bring my Glossier Rose Balm Dot Com for them and any other part of my face that needs a little hydration and protection.

Sun protection – even though I have SPF in my day-to-day moisturizer (bareMinerals COMPLEXION RESCUE™ Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream is the absolute best thing ever), I confess to being a sun-worshipper.  I feel prettier, happier, and glowy with a tan, even though I know I should be better about it.  But I’m such a health freak in every other way that I allow myself this vice.  I love Bali Body’s oils, but for the days that I choose to be responsible, I’ve also got La Roche-Posay in my bag.

A refresher – For someone who loves the beach so much, I don’t do well in extreme heat.  I almost died climbing the Acropolis, and I have to be really careful about staying hydrated and going in the water to cool myself down.  I keep a bottle of Boots Botanics Rosewater Spritz in my bag so that I can spray myself basically every five minutes.  Glossier and Mario Badescu also make great sprays.

Hair defenders – My hair is thick, long, and colored, so I have to take good care of it.  I shudder when I look at old photos of my yellow, brassy, damaged hair, but I’m older and wiser now.  I bring my Wet Brush and comb Aussie’s 3-Minute Miracle Moist Conditioning Treatment through my hair before swimming to protect my hair from salt and sun.

Have a great weekend!  XX, Gabrielle