Despite the unpredictable weather of late, given that it’s December, I think we can officially say that summer is here. And because Cape Town is blessed with some of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world, that means it’s time to hit the beach.
Of course, a Luxury Cape Town girl doesn’t just slip on her flip-flops and head for the sand. There’s slightly more preparation that goes into the whole operation, and nothing short of a considered beach ensemble and carefullly packed beach bag will do.
And so, without further ado, here’s the list of what goes into my beach bag.
THE BAG
I’m currently loving my striped, nautical-inspired beach bag from Accessorize. Too gorgeous… Hurry, before they all sell out!
THE BIKINI
Finding the right swimsuit for your body type is crucial. Luckily, some clever designers have made the nightmare of bikini shopping a whole lot easier. BIG THANKS to Margit Roberts of LoveWaterLove for creating a range of ‘high fashion swimwear to compliment all figures’.
You can even play mix and match with tops and bottoms on the website to find your perfect style.
Available at Bonafide, Mungo & Jemima, and Rainbow
www.lovewaterlove.co.za
THE TOWEL
Stretching out on an oversized fluffy beach towel makes us feel like we’re in St Tropez. Country Road stores currently have one I’m coveting, in lovely vintage-inspired designs (with their signature orange and navy blue colour scheme of course).
THE SUNSCREEN
There’s nothing luxury about melanomas and premature ageing, so if we’re hitting the beach, sunscreen is a non-negotiable. My personal favourites include Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Sun Defense SPF 50 and Clinque City Block SPF 40 for my face, as they don’t leave you oil-slicked and shiny. For my body, I slather on Nivea Moisturising Sunblock.
www.thebeautystore.co.za
THE FACE SAVER
Us LCT girls like to keep our cool. MAC’s Fix+ Finishing Mist not only keeps your make-up in place for those long summer nights out on the town, it’s also awesome to pop into your beach bag for a refreshing spritz during the heat of the day.
THE SUNNIES
Now, shades are quite a personal choice, but I’ve been loving my D&Gs from Sunglass Hut.
THE BEACH READ
Last year we were popping our favourite books into our beach bags, but this year, it’s all about Kindle. Ask Santa to leave one in your stocking, then download your favourite reads from Amazon to devour at the beach. Don’t forget to protect it a cute cover!
www.amazon.com
