I am writing this month’s blog post from sunny Mexico and I am loving the beaches here!

As usual, I am wearing lots of sunscreen and staying mostly in the shade but swimming in both the pool and the ocean has been my favorite thing to do here. Well, that and eat tacos and drink chelados (beer over ice with lots of lime juice in a salt rimmed frosty glass)

Anyway, I thought I’d talk about three things I like for life at the beach.

A couple of you have asked about these inexpensive cotton cover up dresses I have. They are not your usual flowy beach coverups but I find those loose dresses kind of swallow me up since I’m short. Plus these dresses are great for an evening out as well and the ruched sides are pretty flattering for most people.  I have them in three colors and I wear the white one over my bathing suit and the black one out at night. They are easy to pack and don’t wrinkle easily. Here is a picture of the white one.

Another thing I love is this mascara. As a redhead, I have light blonde lashes and I feel like a bunny without mascara. Not everyone wants to wear any makeup at the beach but if I have sunscreen and mascara – I feel good. Waterproof is the way to go so I don’t have to worry when I go swimming. There are lots of waterproof kinds of mascara but L’Oreal Telescopic is my favorite for natural lashes without clumps. It has a skinny brush so it is not great for creating fat lashes but it is good for lengthening.

Finally, I use lots of sunscreen – here is my current favorite that can be purchased at T and T Market in Calgary-  since I want to protect against sun cancer as well as not look leathery when I am older. BUT – I still like the look of a tan when I’m at the beach. So I fake it! Self tanners have gotten a lot better in recent years and if you know how to apply it -they look pretty natural. I like this one, you can see it as it goes on and put it where you want it. I often use plastic gloves to apply it (to avoid the dreaded stained palms) and prep the skin by exfoliating before hand.

Let me know what your beach essentials are and what your favorite beach is in the comments below!