On the beach, it's not just towels and bikinis: there's all the girly essentials, from sun cream to raspberry gloss, via sunglasses and a facial mist. So this year we're playing it clever and packing 2 bags! As a carry-all, we're adopting the Manoush: floral and girly, bohemian and summery, the ultimate beach bag, spotted on Rushcollection — an address we'll check before visiting, as always.
MAC, the cosmetics brand we love, thinks of everything and lights us up summer and winter alike! The proof? A waterproof eyeliner with a frosted, luminous texture that applies easily and lasts all day! To use alongside eyeshadow or on its own, it comes in so many shades, each more delicious than the last! Liquidlast liner.
And while we're at MAC, we take the chance to arm ourselves with ultra-glossy, super-long-wearing nail polishes to dress our nails in the colours of the moment right through to the end of summer!
Accessorising your swimsuit with charm jewellery, colourful bracelets and other trinkets is a brilliant idea! Enhance your décolletage with bohemian jewellery from Agatha! Here, a lock-and-key necklace in silver-tone metal, and a cluster and leaf necklace in silver and glass.
Okay, we admit it: it's not so easy to scamper across the sand in 7 cm wedges, even if they're fun and candy-bright like the sweets of our childhood, in flashy pink and signed Agatha Ruiz De La Prada! That said, clever little things that we are, we'll manage to squeeze them into the beach bag and slip them back on like glass slippers once we hit the pavement! Spotted, in their day, on Rushcollection.
To perfect our pretty gingerbread tan, soften, smooth and delicately fragrance skin and hair, we smooth on Nuxe's Huile Prodigieuse Or! An ideal after-sun treatment for beauty lovers who care about their wellbeing! Made with plant oils of borage, sweet almond, camellia and St John's wort, plus vitamin E.
Top quality, softness, embroidery and bold colours: these are Descamps bath sheets, Vogue line, ideal for lounging on the beach or by the pool in the comfort of cotton.
Wedges are a summer must-have, and having them to hand is sensible, but flip-flops are seriously practical! They slip on in a flash and go with everything, and better still, these days rubber flip-flops matching baby's inflatable ring are a thing of the past: make way for girly flip-flops! Guess flip-flops, Isa and Bradley styles, passionately fashionable, as always!
Sunstroke can happen quickly, and there's only one answer: protect yourself! So at the first sign of heat exhaustion, we settle in the shade, Gucci cap on our head, because even in an emergency, we know how to stay girly!
An airy sarong to wear as a skirt or as you come out of the water: girly and elegant, style Rio 1001 Dessous.
Before exposing your body (meticulously protected) to the comforting rays of the sun, remember to get clean skin! And for that, a bespoke beauty prescription: a natural scrub with crushed grape seeds, brown sugar, Gironde honey and essential oils, an indulgent treatment by Caudalie! Apply 1 to 2 times a week, massaging in circular motions, for a little boost and velvety skin!
As mentioned earlier, a beach bag is a necessity, but we've had enough of the old shapeless fabric bag with faded colours and dubious style that has followed us every summer since, er... our first wisdom tooth came through? Bright flowers on a black background, a shape ideal for beach essentials: in short, a clever and stylish bag! La vie devant soie cotton tote, from Rushcollection.
The beach? The best place to arm yourself with the kit of a true little starlet! Hermès silk scarf with a redcurrant print tied around the hair, sunglasses with just the right amount of glamour, Guess, of course!
Multicoloured swimsuits with daring cuts: exoticism by Colors Do Brasil!
Ah, the beach! What a fascinating environment! For three quarters of the year we wander around covered from head to toe, but when beach time comes, quick as a flash we reveal our midriff and décolletage, not without a touch of apprehension! The beach has its little rituals: light sarongs, oil with a soft summer fragrance, sandy flip-flops and, for the most beauty-loving among us, fruity glosses with scents full of promise! Want to look your best on the beach? Stock up on accessories!
Three moves that change a beach day: stay in the shade during the hottest hours, reapply sun protection every two hours and after every swim, and keep a bottle of water within reach. If you feel dizzy, unwell or affected by heat, cool down straight away and seek advice from a healthcare professional.
Budget
Budget-wise, it all depends on what you put in the bag. After-sun care, dry oil or aloe gel, is around £10 to £25, a body scrub £15 to £25, a branded nail polish or eyeliner £15 to £25. Flip-flops and beach sandals start at around £15 and easily go up to £50 depending on the label. For a beach bag or cotton tote, expect £20 to £50, a sarong £20 to £50, swimwear £25 to £85. Designer pieces — silk scarf, cap or branded sunglasses — are another category, often several hundred pounds in store, with a much gentler second-hand price if you take the time to search. Prices vary according to material, brand and sale period.
Sources
- Santé publique France, prevention campaigns on sun exposure and skin protection.
- World Health Organization (WHO), publications on ultraviolet radiation and sun protection.
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