Morning lovelies! Since it is such a beautiful day here and I plan on laying out by the pool for the next 48 hours straight, I figured this was a good time to let you guys peek into my beach bag! Dig it…
The bag I actually use to go to the beach or hang out by the pool changes almost constantly, with every trip. This week I am using a Coach tote bag that my lovely mommy actually gave me for a gift at my Bridal Shower to take on our honeymoon. I love it because it’s big, but not so big that it’s a pain in the ass to carry around, and has lots of little compartments for lots of key things. It’s perfection for the beach! SO now let’s look inside.
So much crap! BUT I don’t over-pack my beach bags because my whole life I’ve grown up about 5 minutes (or less) from the beach. My parent’s have a pool at their house (which is where I go if no one’s around to go to the beach) and it just doesn’t make sense to lug around all this crap you don’t need. I’m sure this will all change next summer when Baby R is going to be old enough to go to the beach… I’ll be THAT mom with like 20 bags, a mini tent, a mini pool, beach-ready stroller, a cooler bigger than my house. I’ll pretty much look like a BENNY next year. ::GASP:: No.. I would never let that happen.
ANYWAY! So this is what I got. From the left we have my bikini, which I insist on wearing even 8 months pregnant. I have had to get a larger size though. The small tops no longer fit me. After 24 years I have graduated to a bigger size. Who would have ever guessed it? Then we have my favorite beach cover up, featuring Marilyn Monroe, that I still surprisingly fit into. I got the bathing suit and the cover up from Victoria’s Secret. The bathing suit is from this year’s collection but the cover up is from almost 2 years ago (another honeymoon purchase) so I’m not sure if it’s still available.
In this little baggy I keep small things that I don’t want to get lost in my big bag and then have to spend like 15 minutes searching for.. dumping everything out just to remember you put it in a little zipper compartment earlier. No, I’d rather skip the moment of panic where I assume I lost these things. I usually keep things in this little wristlet because I do change up my beach bag so often and I don’t want to have to worry about making sure I grabbed everything from the little zipper compartments. In here I keep: my iPod, a headband to keep my sweaty hair out of my face, bobby pins or little clips, and a chapstick of some sort. Whichever chapstick I’m using at the time, it will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have some sort of spf to it. You wouldn’t think it, but it is very important to keep your lips hydrated and protected while under the sun. Right now I’m using Baby Lips by Maybelline. It’s a little bit of a gloss too, but I just grabbed it from my collection because it has an spf of 20 and it will keep my lips safe.
Now, if you’re questioning the vast array of sun tan lotions and oils I have, I swear there is a reason I must carry around 3. I tan differently on different parts of my body, especially since getting pregnant. My stomach, since it is so robust and close to the sun, burns almost immediately. My chest and nose have always burned, and my arms, legs, shoulders, and back, never burn. SO. Since I’ve been pregnant I generously apply spf 50 all over my baby bump to make sure it doesn’t get burned because let me tell you, that is not a fun feeling. Usually when I’m winding down with the tanning I’ll even put my cover up over my belly. It’s super sensitive. I use spf 30 on my face and my chest because they’re not AS sensitive as my large stomach but still need a certain degree of protection. The rest of my anatomy I lather up with tanning oil and let it bake away. By the end of the day… I somehow have an even tan. It’s a phenomenon, but it works for me I suppose.
While laying out I ALWAYS have a magazine and a book with me. I usually finish the magazine before my day under the sun is complete, so I always carry a book with me for extra reading. As you can tell, I haven’t laid out since last month when we had that weird streak of 80 degree weather, so I have still yet to finish last month’s Comso! hah. The book I have on hand is “Have a Little Faith” by Mitch Albom, one of my favorite writers! He can get a little deep though, and always has a tendency to make me emotional, so I have to read his books in small doses, hah. I always have an extra pair of sunglasses on me in case I forget a pair and I always have a hat handy when my face has had too much of the sun.
So that’s it, kids! That is what I keep in my beach bag at all times. Also, my phone, that goes without saying, and a bottle (or 5) of water. Gotta stay hydrated! And with that, I will leave you now since the recliner by my parent’s pool is calling my name. Have a great day loves! Until next time. <3