Ever since I moved to NJ in September of 2014, I have been determined to experience all that Jersey has to offer, especially during the summer and especially the shore! Last summer I ventured out with a few of my girlfriends and I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the beach was (we went to Long Branch) and how all the colorful umbrellas looked as I gazed down the shoreline.
Being a previous city dweller, I was poorly equipped for the beach (weekend) lifestyle and knew that I had to get my gear together without spending a lot. Below you will find a list of my beach must-haves and some easy tips on how to pack and organize for your day in the sun without too much trouble and without too much to carry!
Cosmopolitan Closets’ Beach Essentials
Umbrella – preferably in a cabana stripe for me
Backpack chair – these are easy to carry from the parking lot to your spot
Wheeled cooler – nothing is better than an ice cold beverage, but carrying a heavy cooler in the sun is no fun!
Towels – the more stripes the better!
Sunblock – I have become allergic to the chemical sunblock so I have found a good mineral linked below.
Floppy Hat – There isn’t a more stylish way to keep the sun at bay!
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| This is my beach set up! Cabana stripes galore! The umbrella and towels are from Amazon. You can find them here and here. The towels and umbrella are ok quality, but they get the job done for me. The chairs were purchased at Target and you can find them here. The yellow towel is also from Amazon and the beach mat underneath it I found at Target. My striped beach bag is old, but Forever 21 has the best ones for cheap! In order to not over-stuff my bag, I roll my towels and bring a small striped makeup bag for sun essentials like spf, hand sanitizer, wipes and chapstick.
His and hers set up #2! |
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| I found this rolling cooler bag at Bed, Bath and Beyond (which you can find here). It worked perfected and wasn’t too heavy, from the ice and food, to carry. |
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| This Sistema juice jug is everything! I found it @Marshalls for $7.99, but you can find it here. I brewed fresh iced tea and it didn’t spill and kept cool all day long!
Here is my fave beach hat, with my sunscreen necessities, which you can find below! I pack them all up in this cute striped toiletry bag (Kenneth Cole Reaction) I found at Century 21.
I absolutely love this mineral based SPF that I found at Target. For someone with sensitive skin like me, who also is allergic to the chemicals in regular sunblock, I found that this worked well and did not irritate my skin!
You cannot go wrong with a colorful beach hat, I found mine on Amazon of course! You can find it here. |
