Getting vacation ready

Last weekend I went to Barnes & Noble on a mission to buy several books on my wishlist to bring on vacation with me next month.  My boyfriend and I are doing a beach vacation this year and summer vacation to me means lots of reading.  I can usually get through five books in a week.  However, I walked out of B&N with 15 books, which is absurdly more than I need to bring, and now I'm trying to figure out which ones to pack.  Not to mention, I also downloaded two books to my iKindle app on my iPhone, but I'll most likely make these my plane reads.

I'm also trying to find a new bathing suit, which I detest shopping for, but it's a must have for a beach vacation.  Then I started thinking about what my must haves are for this trip, and this is what I've come up with so far.  Who knows if there will be more.

1. The perfect bathing suit.  I'm not sure this actually exists (for me, anyway), but I'm going to try and find it this weekend.  Being a bigger girl, I like the miraclesuits, although I don't exactly agree with the "miracle" part.  Nordstroms has a few right now that are super cute, like the Camila one piece (with optional shoulder straps). 

2. The do it all dress.  You know the one that you can wear to the beach, around the pool, and then out to dinner with some cute sandals and great accessories.  I have a few of these dresses, one that is similar to Piperlime's Rachel Pally long sleeveless caftan.  

3. The comfy shorts.  The kind that I can wear a few days in a row and they still look great.  I bought a couple of pairs of the Gap's roll-up bermudas and, not being a "shorts" person at all, I have to admit I really like these.  They look great with a tank and some flip flops.

4.  Books.  Lots of books.  A few on my list this year: The Gathering by Anne Enright, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson, The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff and Lost by Gregory Maguire.

5. Make-up.  I don't wear a lot of make-up as it is, but I have to have my go to lip gloss, my Burt's Bees chapstick, my Stella McCartney scent, and my all over shimmer.  Sephora is definitely where I go to get everything I need, but I have recently become very addicted to a product that I accidently came across at CVS.  New York Color sparkle eye dust in smokey topaz is probably one of the best things I've found - ever.  It takes two seconds to apply and it gives your eyes a sparkle boost.  Totally.  Addicted.  The best part?  It's like $3.

6. Sandals.  Beach vacation = flip flops.  Every day.  But, I have to class it up at some point, right?  Enter the Dolce Vita Dylan sandal.  I bought these a few months ago and they look great with shorts or white chinos, as well as that super cute little black dress.

 

7. Hair.  I need to remember to get my hair cut before we leave, that's a definite must.  My hair doesn't love the heat, and the humidity is the worst.  My hair goes from somewhat wavy to full on frizzy curls.  Gross.  Thank God for Frederick Fekkai.  His latest line, Marine Summer Hair, is ideal for any summer.  Especially the beach waves spray and the zero humidity frizz control. AND, his products are coming soon to a CVS near year. 

8. Accessories.  I absolutely love love love accessories.  It's my all time favorite thing to shop for.  Bags, necklaces, rings... sigh.  It makes me happy.  I'll definitely need a cute practical bag for the flight and for traipsing around St. John.  Hello Anthropologie's Lush & Wild tote.  Super summery, super roomy, and super affordable.  It has an over the shoulder strap, which is ideal for the airport, and for walking around on a lazy Friday morning in Coral Bay.  My favorite ring at the moment is one that I bought in Ireland in April.  It's a very large square shaped piece of hard plastic from Top Shop.  Subtle yet not so subtle.  As for a necklace, I've had some great luck with Target lately and found some really cute stuff.  Like the Long Beaded Floral necklace.

9. Sun block.  My skin isn't a fan of the sun, especially the Caribbean sun.  So, I'll be wearing lots of sun block.  Neutrogena pure & free baby sunblock stick is always in my bag because it's perfect for those excursions where I may not be fully prepared (sitting outside at a cafe, enjoying a park bench).  Since it's a stick, it's easy to swipe on, especially on my shoulders if I'm wearing a tank top.   

10. My new iPhone.  Fingers crossed that I actually have this in time for our vacation.