The Bag
I have a couple of these Anya Hinmarch canvas totes. They're great quality, have a little zip pocket inside for keeping your cocktail cash safe and I love the fun design. You can get something similar here.
Beach Bag Essentials
Top of my list is sun cream. I was one of those children who always got burnt on the first day of holiday and had to spend the rest of the week lobster pink and peeling, swimming in a t-shirt. I'm fair with lots of freckles and I don't want my face to look like a handbag when I'm forty. My favourite suncream is Soltan - great range of SPFs, good value and smells amazing (our family has always used Soltan and the smell makes me feel all holiday happy). Now I live in Hong Kong where there's no Boots, I have to stock up whenever I'm home (or in Thailand where amazingly the Boots are just like the ones at home!). I always use a higher factor suncream on my face. I like Clinique SPF30 Face Cream and Clarins Sunscreen Wrinkle Control High Protection SPF30. I've also learnt the hard way not to forget that lips need sunscreen too. Kiehl's Tinited SPF15 Lip Balm protects your lips while also adding a little pop of flattering rosy pink.
I'm having a bit of a Panama hat obsession at the moment. Giving you face added protection from the sun and hiding wild holiday hair while also looking stylish and chic I think its very hard to beat a Panama. I picked up this Ecua-Andino hat from O2 Hair Studio on Wyndham Street in Hong Kong (you can also buy online from the Ecua-Andino website).
A big black pair of sunglasses are obviously mandatory. My trusty Miu Miu's have travelled all over the world with me. You can get something similar here.
I discovered the Tangle Teezer last year and its now my number one weapon in my mission to tame my hair. This amazing little bright pink brush may look like a dog brush but its a whizz at getting knots out of tangled, sea-salty hair without pulling or tearing your tresses.
A bikini cover-up is essential for throwing over your swimwear when you're walking to or from the beach, lunching or sipping cocktails at sunset. When I was in Sri Lanka last year I picked up lots of gorgeous sarongs from Barefoot. They come in the most beautiful rich colours and bring back lots of happy memories of an incredible Sri Lankan holiday.
I love nothing more than just lazing the day away on a sunlounger. To keep me entertained I always have a stack of magazines, my iPod and a good book. I'm currently racing through Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. Set in New York in the thirties, its full of Great Gatsby-esque characters drinking martinis, riding around Manhattan in chauffeured Bentleys and gatecrashing fandangos in the Hamptons. The most recent addition to my suite of beach entertainment is my iPad. I love that I can read all my fav magazines and papers on here anywhere in the world (and it also means I can indulge in a little Words with Friends poolside...).
Last but not least, I'm never without my Canon PowerShot S100. I've always had Canon Ixus compacts until the compact PowerShot arrived. This baby lets you have full control over your photos (or if you just want to flick it to Auto and snap away, you have that option too) and I often think that it takes better photos than my SLR. My last PowerShot ended up at the bottom of the South China Sea so I'm going to be making sure that I keep a tight hold on this one.
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