Sneak peek inside my suitcase – beach edition!

To round out my 23rd year of life, I am going to Mexico! I haven’t been in six years and I cannot wait to be back on the white sand beaches.

I booked a trip for the 4th of July and will be in Cancun for four nights. Here is what I packed.

The most important thing for this vacation is my bathing suit! I predict that I will be spending a lot of time ocean side and am pretty excited to get some color on my pasty legs. I went to Target to get some new bottoms and the black top. Everything was BOGO 50% off so I took advantage and bought four pieces. Believe it or not, I haven’t purchased a bathing suit in three years, so this was way past due. The two blue tops I purchased while in Spain six years ago. I made sure to purchase bottoms that would work with the tops I already owned and can’t wait to mix and match them during the five days.

I do not own a beach coverup and honestly felt like it wouldn’t be worth my money to purchase. I opted for two tops to wear that I already own to go from room to pool. One is a University of Oregon Nike top that hangs low and off the shoulder. The other is an embellished crop top from Nordstrom Rack.

I packed four shirts that I can wear over a bikini, during a day of exploring the ruins, or to a nicer dinner. The white shirt is from Forever 21 and the rest are from Nordstrom Rack. As with all of my travels, my priority is to be comfortable in weather-appropriate clothing. As it is going to be about 90 degrees Fahrenheit daily, lightweight tops seem like the best route.

To keep my carry-on lightweight, I am opting for only two bottoms. The shorts will be my primary bottoms with the hot weather. For dinners, I can dress up my outfit with some crisp white jeans from Paige Denim. The white is so perfect for  a summer night at the beach. Both were purchased at Nordstrom Rack.

I also brought along two dresses. I honestly don’t wear dresses often, but they are so easy to travel with. I mean, one item is an entire outfit! The red dress is from Macy’s and will be great for a fancy dinner. The stripped dress is from Saks Off 5th and can easily go from day to night by just changing my shoes.

Speaking of shoes, I brought along three pairs – more than I took to two weeks in Europe! I brought along some sandals that are totally beach-proof but also nice enough to wear into a restaurant. I believe I got them at Ross. A restaurant in Cancun is the perfect time to breakout my wedge sandals. These by Aerosoles are amazingly comfortable and I purchased them from Famous Footwear years ago. I also brought along my Nike’s for exploring and working out!

Because I plan on hitting the gym, I packed some of my favorite pieces. The tops are Montiel and Victoria’s Secret PINK and the shorts are from Under Armour. It seems that I will be repping my colleges while in Mexico!

I loved the roll technique so much while packing for Europe, I decided to do it again. Not only does it cut down on space in my suitcase, it prevents my clothing from getting wrinkly, which is especially great when I pack a day or two early. Here is all of my clothing!

Since my hotel is providing shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, I don’t need to bring much else. I am bringing my face wash, sunscreen, lotion, and deodorant. Just the essentials.

My makeup is pretty simple usually, but this trip I decided to step it up a little. I plan to use my Physican’s Formula powder and my Dior Amber Diamonds highlight as both eyeshadow and bronzer. I also am bringing along my Burberry and MAC  eyeshadows for a little extra variety. I am testing out a new-to-me eyebrow pencil by Anastasia. This is much more travel friendly than my old brow routine! I brought along two liquid eyeliners, one in black and one in purple. My waterproof Covergirl mascara finishes off my eyes. Because I am not bringing a foundation, I packed my Maybelline concealer in case I need to cover any spots. To battle the hot heat, I packed my Hourglass primer and my Laura Mercier setting powder. To add a flush (I am really hoping I don’t get this naturally through a sunburn), I brought along my Dior blush!

The brushes I like best are from RealTechniques, MAC, Sigma, and bareMinerals.

Here is the overview of all of my toiletries!

I also packed a few beach essentials, like sunglasses (I brought a second, cheap pair to wear while in the pool), a new book, and a beach-proof bag!

With that, I am all set for Mexico! I’ll be sure to follow up with a post about what I got up to while there.

-TM

What is in your beach bag? Let us know below.