Summer Beach Essentials
Sunday, May 02, 2010
By Jennifer Bakken
1. A spray tan. So I must admit that although I am a huge fan of self-tanning cream, I got my very first spray tan only about 2 weeks ago and I’m now a true believer in the benefit of a little airbrushing before you hit the beach. Bottom-line, when you’re “tan” putting on a bikini is a much less humbling, (or excruciating), experience because somehow most every body just looks a little better/leaner/sexier with some color. A couple things I recommend doing to ensure that your tan doesn’t leave you looking like a blotchy oompa loompa: go to a highly recommended salon, (I got my reco from a friend with good taste and a lot of experience in getting spray tans); make sure you get airbrushed and that you don’t just go the booth, it may not be the most comfortable thing to stand naked in front of the cute little 25 year old that’s spraying you, but like any professional you can feel confident that she’s seen it all; they will probably tell you this after you’ve been sprayed, but I would stress it again - do your best to get the solution off of your palms and in between your fingers, excess color here is not a good look; finally, have your self-tanning lotion ready for use by day 3 when you may be starting to feel like you’re looking uneven, and as always I recommend mixing the self-tanner with regular body lotion and then applying liberally.
2. A figure-flattering bikini.
I’ve written about this swimsuit before as it’s one of my personal favorites and consistently one of the most flattering cuts I’ve seen on all body types: J.Crew, $78 (total, for top and bottom). The main reason this suit is so flattering is because it’s so forgiving. You may question how a “string bikini” could be “forgiving” but as it was told to me by a friend that will soon be launching her own swimwear line, because you can “customize” how tightly you make these drawstrings both around your hips and back, you can minimize cutting into your curvy parts, (i.e. no muffin-tops for this beach-goer).
3. A cute cover-up. I must admit I have a few of these, some are a little are a little dressier or sexier, and others are very casual. All of them though share the same purpose: to “cover-up” on the way to the beach, and to allow me to continue on with my afternoon after the sunbathing portion of the day is over. Everyone should have something cute and easy that they can toss on and feel confident about wearing with a pair of flip-flops to the after-party, whether that is at the local bar or your friends’ backyard bbq. Here are a couple ones to buy right now;
cheap and cute: Old Navy, $24.50;
long and fabulous: Diane Von Furstenburg @ DVF.com, $285
4. Sunblock.
My favorite sunblock is actually not "sunblock” or “suntan lotion" at all; it's just my daily moisturizing body lotion that has SPF15 already in it. It works perfectly because for my skin a hearty dose of 15 protects my skin perfectly, it's not greasy - soaks right in, and the best part of all - it doesn't smell! You can find Eucerin, if you don't already recognize it or use it yourselves, at any local drugstore.
5. A wide, plush beach towel.
Last year Josh and I were lucky enough to come across a killer sale at Marc by Marc Jacobs when he had marked down his $50 (a.k.a. overpriced), beach towels to $10; (very fairly priced as they're thick and huge). We're going to look for the same deal in-store this year, but until then if you're in the market here's another one by him this year that I found online, substantially cheaper than last year's - maybe he learned none of us are paying $50 for a towel unless when we lay on it makes us look 10 pounds thinner: marcjacobs.com $19
6. Lipstick and lip gloss with SPF. The reason I can't live without BOTH of these products is because my lips burn pretty much every time I'm lying in the sun for extended periods of time. If I don't make sure that beyond being moisturized with protective gloss that they are covered with some shade of lipstick for extra sunblock - they're toast. So just a little tip for any of you that may share the same issue, add a little lipstick for extra cover-up to avoid the burn.
7. A classic tote.
There are a million killer designer totes out there, but this year I say keep it simple. I don't know of any tote that's more tried and true other than the canvas tote bag that Lands' End has made for as long as I can remember, (literally I can remember my mother carrying one of these around when I was small.) They're classic, practical and cost effective, so you don't care what happens to them at the beach or at the park. I say buy one, or two of them today: landsend.com prices range $17-$30.
8. Flip-flops.
The best flips that I've purchased to date, and by best I mean the most comfortable, versatile, durable, and fashionable are my Havaianas. I currently have 5 pairs and when you check out their site you'll see why. The amount of patterns and colors they have to choose from are insane, as is their price point: us.havaianas.com $18
Jennifer Bakken is a San Francisco based wardrobe consultant.
For more information: www.cabinetdenvie.
1. A spray tan. So I must admit that although I am a huge fan of self-tanning cream, I got my very first spray tan only about 2 weeks ago and I’m now a true believer in the benefit of a little airbrushing before you hit the beach. Bottom-line, when you’re “tan” putting on a bikini is a much less humbling, (or excruciating), experience because somehow most every body just looks a little better/leaner/sexier with some color. A couple things I recommend doing to ensure that your tan doesn’t leave you looking like a blotchy oompa loompa: go to a highly recommended salon, (I got my reco from a friend with good taste and a lot of experience in getting spray tans); make sure you get airbrushed and that you don’t just go the booth, it may not be the most comfortable thing to stand naked in front of the cute little 25 year old that’s spraying you, but like any professional you can feel confident that she’s seen it all; they will probably tell you this after you’ve been sprayed, but I would stress it again - do your best to get the solution off of your palms and in between your fingers, excess color here is not a good look; finally, have your self-tanning lotion ready for use by day 3 when you may be starting to feel like you’re looking uneven, and as always I recommend mixing the self-tanner with regular body lotion and then applying liberally.
2. A figure-flattering bikini.
3. A cute cover-up. I must admit I have a few of these, some are a little are a little dressier or sexier, and others are very casual. All of them though share the same purpose: to “cover-up” on the way to the beach, and to allow me to continue on with my afternoon after the sunbathing portion of the day is over. Everyone should have something cute and easy that they can toss on and feel confident about wearing with a pair of flip-flops to the after-party, whether that is at the local bar or your friends’ backyard bbq. Here are a couple ones to buy right now;
cheap and cute: Old Navy, $24.50;
long and fabulous: Diane Von Furstenburg @ DVF.com, $285
4. Sunblock.
My favorite sunblock is actually not "sunblock” or “suntan lotion" at all; it's just my daily moisturizing body lotion that has SPF15 already in it. It works perfectly because for my skin a hearty dose of 15 protects my skin perfectly, it's not greasy - soaks right in, and the best part of all - it doesn't smell! You can find Eucerin, if you don't already recognize it or use it yourselves, at any local drugstore.
5. A wide, plush beach towel.
Last year Josh and I were lucky enough to come across a killer sale at Marc by Marc Jacobs when he had marked down his $50 (a.k.a. overpriced), beach towels to $10; (very fairly priced as they're thick and huge). We're going to look for the same deal in-store this year, but until then if you're in the market here's another one by him this year that I found online, substantially cheaper than last year's - maybe he learned none of us are paying $50 for a towel unless when we lay on it makes us look 10 pounds thinner: marcjacobs.com $19
6. Lipstick and lip gloss with SPF. The reason I can't live without BOTH of these products is because my lips burn pretty much every time I'm lying in the sun for extended periods of time. If I don't make sure that beyond being moisturized with protective gloss that they are covered with some shade of lipstick for extra sunblock - they're toast. So just a little tip for any of you that may share the same issue, add a little lipstick for extra cover-up to avoid the burn.
7. A classic tote.
There are a million killer designer totes out there, but this year I say keep it simple. I don't know of any tote that's more tried and true other than the canvas tote bag that Lands' End has made for as long as I can remember, (literally I can remember my mother carrying one of these around when I was small.) They're classic, practical and cost effective, so you don't care what happens to them at the beach or at the park. I say buy one, or two of them today: landsend.com prices range $17-$30.
8. Flip-flops.
The best flips that I've purchased to date, and by best I mean the most comfortable, versatile, durable, and fashionable are my Havaianas. I currently have 5 pairs and when you check out their site you'll see why. The amount of patterns and colors they have to choose from are insane, as is their price point: us.havaianas.com $18
Jennifer Bakken is a San Francisco based wardrobe consultant.
For more information: www.cabinetdenvie.
