Get Organized For the Beach

Going to the beach for the day is like staying somewhere overnight. You always need wayyyy more than you think you should! Now I’m a big fan of streamlining it, but you do need some supplies if you’re going to a sandy strip of nothing for the whole day. A little organization beforehand can help get your hot derriere to the beach sooner!

What You Need
A large, sand-friendly tote for a beach bag
A plastic toiletries bag, or even Ziploc bags
Plastic bags

Organize It
Instead of just throwing everything in the tote, you can divvy it up so it’s all easier to find once you need it!

In the plastic toiletries bag (or Ziploc) put small and valuable things like your cell phone, lip balm (I love Alba’s Un-Petroleum with SPF 18), tissues, keys, and other assorted items you may want and need. This way you can find everything easily while keeping it all safe from sand and water.

In one plastic bag, put food items such as chips, granola bars, and PB crackers. Basically anything that doesn’t need to be kept cold. In another bag, throw your sunscreen and anything else that could leak or ooze (like hair products). Stuff the toiletries bag and plastic bags in your tote along with your beach towel and clothes.

Keep your cold food items – drinks and sandwiches for instance – in a lunch bag or cooler, depending on how much you’re hauling. (I’d get a cooler on wheels if it’s a lot.) Get a beach chair with straps to free up your hands, toss the tote across a shoulder, grab your cooler, and head on down to the beach!

Keep It Together for Future Beach Excursions
If you’re headed back to the beach in the not-too-distant future and you have room for it, leave your beach tote (sans towel and clothes so they can dry and/or get washed if needed), chair, boards, and umbrella in the trunk for next time. This way, you only need to worry about food and yourself, and won’t rush off without something important. Everything else is packed and ready to roll!

If you’re staying close to the beach, streamline it even more and stash drinks and food in plastic bags in your tote. Less to fuss over and haul. But even if you can’t do that, preparing a little beforehand and buying helpful beach tools – like a chair with straps – makes the lugging so much more pleasant. Organized inside and out!

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Boost Your Beach Body Confidence in 5 Easy Steps

Nothing can make me gaze at my wool coat in longing like the first day at the beach. There are very few places to hide in a yard of nylon. Earlier this month, I dug my toes into the sand for the first time this summer, and I swear I would rather be taste tested by a shark than rip off that coverup for the first time. (Maybe that’s a little extreme.) But, seriously. You can feel like a hottie on the beach and this is coming from someone who did not always feel that way. A lot of it is how you treat yourself and your beach experience. Here are my top five ways to own the beach.

1. Flattery will get you confidence. The biggest part of beach confidence is – tada! – the swimsuit. Buy a swimsuit that flatters your figure and that makes you feel good. Generally that means trying on an awful lot of them. I have the cutest swimsuit of my life this season, but I’ve tried on a ton in the process to find it. But you’ll feel the worth when that blazing heat hits your skin! Bring your bestie to give you a more objective less critical opinion on how you look.

P.S. If you’re not sure what types of swimsuits will flatter you the most, check out magazines like InStyle and Fitness for spreads on how to flatter your figure. I always check those out and it helps me zero in on what will look best on my body type.

2. Take in the big picture. Sure, you may see a handful of celeb-worthy bodies on the beach (at least where I go). But just as beaches vary around the globe (or even in the same state!) so do those of us staking out real estate on those beaches. We’re not all nipped, tucked, and airbrushed! And that’s okay. Embrace what you love about yourself and flaunt it!

3. Cover your eyes. Nothing spells cool and confident like the right pair of sunglasses. You don’t have to spend a fortune to keep this staple accessory up-to-date either. Besides checking the mirror, ask a friend which trends look best on you. In my part of the world, Target and Kohl’s have great looks and prices.

4. Become a beach design star. There is a simple joy in coordinating beach accoutrements. After cursing mine year after year, I finally got proactive and bought beach items that go together. I started with a blue canvas tote I love from a trip to the Cape and added a solid blue chair so my patterned swimsuits would go. I favor shorts and T’s as cover ups so I just buy ones that go with my current swimsuit. Just throw on a pair of flip-flops (I love Roxy) and away you go. You’d be surprised how a coordinating ensemble can boost confidence!

5. Powder your nose. I know it’s the beach and all, but there’s no harm in dabbing on some makeup if it increases your confidence. For me, a touch of concealer and a swish of a light, sheer powder (or a bronzer) boosts my BBC (Beach Body Confidence) level. Neutrogena and Physician’s Formula offer all natural, sheer powders and you can grab them at almost any store with a cosmetics department.

So whether you’re crashed out on a blanket reading, strutting down the coastline to get some exercise, or bobbing with the surf, you can in fact feel cozy in your own skin – and show it off with confidence!

On another topic completely unrelated to bikinis, the final days of the Smashwords summer/winter sale are upon us. Until the end of July, you can download my newest mystery novella Biohazard and The Jester’s Apprentice for free! And Dead Locked is 50% off!