What’s In My Beach Bag

Anyone who follows me on Instagram will know I’ve just spent five blissful days in the Turkish town of Kalkan. Though the title of the post suggests this feature is about beach bags, ironically we didn’t actually lay on a beach during our hols as the resort isn’t blessed with any sand. Instead some ingenious locals have carved out paved platform terraces into the rock face with hammocks and sun loungers aplenty and ladders reaching down to the sea.
Regardless of whether there was a sandy beach or not, this was a lazy holiday and so a beach bag was definitely required.

Adam snapped these images a week or so before I headed to Turkey. Invariably the contents of the bag changed slightly so the ’Shop the Post’ widget has a few extra items in there.

The Bag

I am a straw hat kind of girl, in fact I took two on this holiday. The temperature was heading into the forties so it was an absolute must-have. My love of the straw has now spread to bags too as they seem to go with all manner of bikinis, cossies and kaftans and so my M&S bag was a bit of a bargain at just a tenner (during one of their 20% off promotions). I particularly like that it had a zip across the top rather than a popper as well as a few pouches for phone and whatnot. The natural one unfortunately looks to be sold out but the black version is still in stock.

Watermelon Pouch

This watermelon make-up bag was one of those I-really-don’t-need-it-but-this-is-lots-of-fun-purchases, as was the gold pineapple keyring (which incidentally made the make-up bag much easier to locate). I can’t find the bag on the H&M website at the mo but they had a load in store next to the till. The pouch was just the right size to slip in a deodorant, anti-bacterial hand wash and a few make-up essentials as well as a tin of Zam-buk. I picked up my little jar in South Africa but Rose & Co have a UK license to produce the handy balm which is a godsend when it comes to cuts, bruises, insect bites and other minor ailments.

Sun Protection

As I’m fair skinned I take a lot of sun protection with me on my hols favouring Avon Sun and Boots Soltan. I try my best to keep my face out of the sun and rarely go below factor 30, hence a rather honest turkish man telling me my skin looked like the snow!

Make-up

Like most of us I switch my beauty routine when hitting a hotter country. I am still paranoid about my acne scars so have never plucked up the courage to go make-up free. I made a note last year when RMS reader Jennifer recommended No 7 Superlight foundation and slapped on a layer in the morning over a mineral sunscreen. I loved the fresh coverage and SPF though sadly was advised on the wrong shade. It was too light and as I forgot my bronzer I did slightly resemble Casper for the holiday duration! While out and about I topped up with Soap and Glory’s One Heck Of a Blot mattifying powder which I’ve found to be super lightweight and great for getting rid of shine.
I also packed a Clinique Chubby Stick to build up a soft creamy layer of colour leaving my lips feeling moisturised. I have also been known to double up and apply a pinch to the cheeks for a bit of subtle colour.

Talc

We did spend one afternoon horse riding on the white sands of Patara and on returning back to the ranch my legs were covered in wet sand. I took a tub of baby powder to dust on to my skin absorbing the moisture. Hey presto the sand glides off! Handy if you like to have a picnic on the beach too as sandy hands = sand in your sandwiches.

Towel

My leopard (or is a jaguar?) towel was a H&M buy a few years ago and I’ve included a link to this seasons palm leaf version in the widget below (which matches my H&M sunglasses case too). When in Turkey I got a bit carried away by the plethora of turkish cotton towels on offer and snapped up a couple of hammamas as they were so light and absorbent with a gorgeous patterned weave. As well as using as a beach towel I plan to use as an outdoor throw and picnic rug now we’re back home. Don’t even get me started on the amount of tea towels I bought after having a few vinos.

Other essentials

It goes without saying you need a good beach read. Miranda’s currently enjoying The Bees (as announced in our recent book club post)
I also take along a waterproof bag to stash any wet bikinis. Primark often have them in for just a few quid which beats a Sainsbury’s carrier bag.

So what do you have in your beach bag? What are your essentials for you, your other half and your family when hitting the sand?

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