The next time you head out to enjoy a day of sun and sand forget about packing your tired tote bag with a sandy towel, flip flops and tanning oil. Bring your beach experience to a whole new level with these hot surf-chic accessories you didn’t even know you needed!
Towel
Why just go with the rattiest towel from your closet when you can go luxe instead? Get a fluffy, bamboo cotton Surfmonk Oversized Beach Blanket ($110), which is super cozy and comes with a pocket for your cell phone or wallet. It’s like the Rolls-Royce of beach towels. Available at surfmonk.com.
To compliment a low-key look get a SurfMonk Carry Shoulder Strap ($20) to tote your towel easily to and from the beach. You can also wrap other items up in it to make your towel do double duty as a bag. Available at surfmonk.com.
Sun Protection
Forget bringing your oily old bottle of sunscreen from last year. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t protect your skin from the sun’s incredibly harmful rays (you should!), but you can consider some of these cool alternatives.
First up is Tocca’s SPF30+ Towelette Pack ($28). No longer do you have to guess how much messy sunscreen you need to be covered up. Each towelette has enough lotion to allow you to easily cover yourself from head to toe. Available at Sephora.
UVSunSense Wristbands ($6.99) are a great and simple way to let you know when it’s time to apply more sunscreen or get out of the sun by changing colour depending on your level of exposure. These easy and fashionable sun safety reminders work well with sunblock. Available at your local pharmacy.
If you don’t want to wear a bracelet let Coppertone’s MyUVAlert app for the iPhone let you know when to reapply the white stuff depending on the UV index forecasts and how long you’ve been outside. It also offers helpful sun care tips. Available at apple.com.
Music
Whether you’re blasting the latest Rihanna hit or a classic by The Beach Boys, music will really set the tone for a day under the sun. If you’re bringing an MP3 player, consider getting Allsop’s Splash Pack DriPod case to keep your device safe from damage. Available at allsop.eu.
If you’re into jamming with your friends you don’t have to leave your car radio on. There are a number of portable speaker systems out there to hook up to your iPod. Try this Grace Digital GDI-AQSCE103 Eco Extreme Waterproof Floating Case ($50) with a built in speakers. Available at amazon.ca.
Aside from these awesome innovations, get yourself a killer pair of shades, a cute bag, and some woven jewellery and you’ll be the coolest bunny on the beach in no time!
