Corrine Stokoe
For today's FRIDAY FAVES (which we haven't done in a loooooong time!) I thought it would be fun to give you guys some of my absolute faves for a beach vacation!
Some of these are cute finds from my online shopping prep for this particular vaca, and some are tried and true faves that I never leave the house with, and a few are new loves that I'll never vacation without again!
Yesterday I rounded up a ton of cute one piece swimsuits, so if you're on the hunt for some cute one pieces, that post is for you!
The maxi dress cover-up I'm wearing in this picture was a fun find for this trip! I love that it's super long and flowy and comfy.
I've also been toting around this straw bag all week! It's the perfect small bag that wasn't a total pain in the butt to pack, but it perfectly fits a couple bottles of sunscreen, a couple pairs of sunglasses, a book or a kindle (I use this one!) and a can of diet coke for me. Well, coke lite here. Which I always cringe at when I first get into another country and by the time I leave I'm all acclimated and I can't even tell the difference haha.
While we're on the subject of what's in my bag, I really can't speak highly enough about vacationing with a kindle. You can read it out in the brightest sunlight perfectly, it's super lightweight, holds a charge the WHOLE week (seriously, I haven't charged mine once!) and if you finish a book you can instantly download another. Obsessed is an understatement!
My favorite sunscreen is either Target brand (seriously) which gets a 75/100 score from Consumer Reports, is inexpensive, has a SUPER accurate spray, comes in 15 (hard to find!) 30 or 50 and “meets claim” for actually protecting you at the SPF it claims, Trader Joe's sunscreen (the #1 rated spray from Consumer Reports!!!) – I hoard this stuff and use it on my kiddos EVERY time we go to the beach, or Banana Boat SunComfort because it gets a 97/100 score from Consumer Reports for actually protecting you from the sun and it smells amaaaaaaazing. I also LOVE SunBum suncreen – also smells amazing and also works super well!
I really like the spray for a kind of random reason, not just because it's convenient and less of a mess, but I tend to get heat rashes on beach vacations and with spray sunscreen I never have a problem! I think it's because the spray sits lightly on the skin and doesn't clog my pores or something. I'm no doctor though, it just works so whatever!
Before a beach vaca I always either get a spray tan or do some self tanning. THIS is my favorite self tanner and I always use this mitt for applicaiton.
I also have been obsessed with THIS TANNING DUO for getting and keeping an amazing tan! The tanning lotion layers beautifully under sunscreen, and the after sun lotion will take the burn out of sun exposure and make your tan last forEVER.
I love having good hats when I hang out in the sun and this trucker hat I swear is the most comfy trucker hat I've ever found! It has like soft padding and a sweatband like thing inside it and I don't know it just fits on my head so well and covers my ears (weird pet peeve when hats don't!) so I'm kind of in love.
I'm super mad at myself for this but I already lost this pair of sunglasses on this trip! They were SUPER cute and I highly recommend the gold/pink lenses! I love them so much I'll have to re-buy them when I'm home.
In yesterday's post I was wearing this bag and it's seriously my go-to tried and true very favorite travel bag. It squishes into any corner or crevice of my suitcase or lies perfectly flat on top or anywhere I need to fit it in, it wipes clean if I get any sand or snacks or anything else inside, and it's nice enough to take out to dinner or casual enough to take to the gym or the beach or the pool or seriously anywhere. I couldn't love this bag more and yes I am ALWAYS looking out for a deal on it!
However, I know it comes with a steep price tag so I also adore these bags that are incredibly budget friendly!
Flip flops are one thing I just don't skimp on anymore. You don't need to spend a billion dollars but even on this trip I learned my lesson wearing some cheap flip flops one day and an hour later I had a blister on each foot! BOO.
Best flip flops EVER for a beach vacation – not that expensive and seriously so worth it! They wash right off after wearing in the sand and I don't know what it is about these but they are SO COMFY.
Well I've gotta wrap this up so I can go enjoy our last full day in the sun! Here's a roundup of my favorite beach items, both my tried and true loves and new faves for this trip:
