On packing for the beach

Maybe I have no business blogging about my upcoming excursion when I haven't even posted a thing about New York City.  But alas this is my blog and I'm going to do whatever I want.

I wanted to talk about all the excessive amounts of coconut smelling lotions I've bought in the last two weeks. 

Then I started thinking about all the wonderful products I'm going to bring to the beach that make the trip even more enjoyable. 

So being the list maker and the documentary that I am... I'm doing this simply for my enjoyment. 

First of all this. While on one of my few trips to Walmart in the past couple years I found this. It's the best deal. 32 ounces for $1.97. It has been amazing. Stop paying for everything else and just buy this. I can't find it anywhere else except the Walmart so. It's one of the three things I have to buy at Walmart. 

Holy good smell. Anything that says coconut this time of year I buy. This was a marked down at Marshall's. It is gorgeous and thin and has the best smell in the world. I have noticed it is a little too thin though for when I have really dry skin.

So that's why I bought this one. It's heavy and thick and luxurious. It looks kind of bland and basic. But when I smelled it there was no turning back. It's really thick and is good for really dry skin.

There's nothing that says the beach to me more than exotic coconut by Bath and Bodyworks.  The instant I smell it I'm waved with memories from all the beaches I've traveled to.  You can only find this one at their semi annual sales. I don't want my coconut mixed with mango or vanilla or any type of fruit or flower. This is just basic coconut. And for real. If I don't have this at the beach my trip is not complete.

Now to move onto other essentials at the beach. Again as you can see I'm all about scent. And when it comes to after sun moisturizer this one wins hands-down. Throw it in the fridge before I head out to the sand and when I come back it's the best drink my skin has ever had.

Again. I stopped buying all the other sunscreens I've ever bought and buy this.  It is advertised as lotion sunscreen instead of sunscreen lotion and I cannot agree more. Again it smells terrific and goes on perfectly even and smooth. The best part is- it is oil free so I feel okay putting it on my face even though they do have a specific formula just for face. I buy it in both SPF 15 and SPF 30. I start off the week with SPF 30 to protect my skin, but by the end of the week when I want a little more glow I turn to the SPF 15. 

Next to excellent sunscreen and a good moisturizer, a leave in conditioner is totally essential. This simple drugstore brand is one of my favorites. It smells fine, it works well. And the bottle is awesome with an on/off switch so I can throw it in the beach bag and not worry about it spilling everywhere. I'm sure there are better ones. And I'm sure there are worse ones. But this one works just fine for me.

Every single night I use Clinique three-step process. And it ends with this fabulous moisturizer. I use the gel myself because I tend to have oily skin.  After a day of sun and sand and grimy outdoorsy-ness- cleansing, toning and moisturizing with Clinique makes my face feel balanced and at ease. The moisturizing gel happens to be fragrance free which is exactly how every day face moisturizer should be. 

Holy cow. After those feet have been exfoliated in the sand all day, I lap some of this butter on them before bed. Another strong coconut scent and extremely thick and heavy.  I like to put this one in the fridge too so it's extra refreshing. 

For going out to dinner at night or whenever I want, Escada Ocean lounge is the perfect summer sent. That's all.