Life as an island girl was as glamorous as it was relaxing thanks to some of the best things I packed in my carry-on bag:
Island Girl Essentials by lilly-neubauer featuring a sun hat
Perfect Sun Hat - The sun on the beach is intense. Markus and I were good all week until we got scorching burns from laying out by the pool on our last day. Thankfully I was wearing a big sun hat the whole time so my face survived untouched! It was also great for keeping my sea breezed hair managable. Bonus points for looking like Lovey Howell (the millionaire's wife) in Gilligan's Island.
Longhorn Fashions Printed Maxi Dress - I bought this dress from my sistah's store in one of her epic Facebook flash sales before we went out of town. It was awesome for an easy change before dinner. It's full coverage but lightweight for hot summer nights, and any wrinkles from packing fell out as soon as I put it on. Goes great with an arm party!
Tarte BB Cream Tinted Moisturizer - This tinted sunscreen is so awesome! It has good, semi-sheer coverage, SPF and is made with natural Amazonian clay and free of parabens and other gross stuff. Tarte is one of my favorite cosmetics lines for being natural but high performance.
Rash Guard - I was nervous to buy a rash guard before our trip because I could not imagine wearing anywhere besides the beach and, well, I did not want to look like a big dork. Roxy had some really cute options, and my pick did a great job of blocking the sun while I was out on the water all day while adding a little flair to my swim outfit! My striped style is no longer online, but I debated it with this floral one for a long time. They are the same cut and fabric, so I might have to add it to my new collection!
Posing in our hut's hammock in my Buy Me Brunch tee and Noonday Collection bracelets.
Buy Me Brunch t-shirt - I bought this shirt when I saw it on the company's instagram page and realized it was my dream job title. The fabric is a great weight and the cut is super flattering. It's a small business based in the Bay Area. Make sure you bring your sense of humor (and be down for a little potty mouth) when cruising over to their site. (Mom - just skip it.)
En route to the pool with my tuaga seed bracelet and patchwork makeup bag.
Noonday Collection Patchwork Makeup Bag - This bag is straight up awesome. It carried all my jewelry and accessories to the island like a champ. Then I used it as my "supplies" bag and toted it on boats and all around the island with me, carrying my sunscreens, sunglasses, camera and even my paperback books and highlighters (I have to annotate anything I am reading, even beach fiction...once an art history student, always an art history student).
Noonday Collection Violet Horn Bracelet (and friends) - Oh how life as Noonday girl served me well while on this island. I loved all of the fun bracelets from the collection for throwing on with a cover-up for the pool, layering for a more "dressed" dinner look and adding some pop to casual outfits. I love how well Noonday travels: lightweight, easy to throw around and everything I brought was $30 or less, so easy to replace if something got lost or eaten by sharks (you never know). I had full on arm parties passing through the airport both ways and didn't have to remove anything since it is all made with natural and paper products! The violet horn bracelet was a favorite, and I also kept the tuaga seed bracelet and my guapa wrap bracelet high in the rotation.
Thanks to these essentials and wonderful people, I could have stayed on island time forever. What are you must haves for a beach or island trip? How do you think I fared?
