Beach Bag Beauty That Won't Weigh You Down

I wish I could say that I'm spending every weekend at the beach this summer, but alas, it's not meant to be. I'm poor and landlocked. 

However, for the one or two occasions when I do escape to the beach, or even my grandparents' nearby lake cabin, these are the beauty essentials that I absolutely have to bring:

I'm definitely an over-packer, but I try to keep things simple in the summer. Not all of these things are 100 percent necessary, I'll admit, except for the sunscreen. 

Yes, I bring TWO sunscreens. I like to apply Neutrogena UltraSheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen on my face first thing in the morning and then use Neutrogena UltraSheer Face & Body Stick on my body and for touchups throughout the day. The stick is particularly great to keep in my bag because it's easy to just swipe it on with zero mess. It smells really good, too. 

I'll bring a few toiletries if I'm going to be away overnight. Obviously a toothbrush is included, but I also like to bring a good facial cleanser and moisturizer. Even in the summer, my face tends to be on the dry side. I've accumulated a lot of cleansers and moisturizers, but I like to pack my Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask and Clinique Redness Solutions Cleanser because they come in pretty, convenient tubes. The Moisture Surge Overnight Mask isn't really a mask, if you ask me, it's just a normal but very hydrating moisturizer. The cleanser doesn't eradicate redness completely, but it does soothe my skin very well while gently cleaning it. They're also both fragrance-free.

As for my hair, I'm happy to use whatever shampoo and conditioner I find in the guest bathroom shower, but I do need to bring some sort of styling cream if I don't want my hair to be a puffy, frizzy mess. My mini bottle of Bb Styling Creme helps give my hair hold and shine, and it doesn't take up much space in my bag. I just run it through my damp hair after a shower and then let my hair air dry.

I don't always bring makeup on summer vacations but when I do, I like to keep it as minimal as possible. I don't really have time for mascara and eyeliner, but I always want my skin and eyebrows to look good. 

I recently fell in love with Perricone MD's No Makeup Skincare line, so now I bring along their Foundation in Fair/Light and their blush, which I can also use as a lip tint. Both have SPF, and the entire line is great for a natural beauty look. 

I also bring my favorite concealer, NARS Sheer Glow in Vanilla, and an awesome brow pencil that I recently got in my Ipsy subscription box, Ofra Universal Eyebrow Pencil. 

No beach getaway packing list is complete without lots of lippies. 

I generally have at least five lipsticks in my purse at all times, so it's not like I'm going to leave them all behind just because I'm on vacation. A few of my current favorites (from top to bottom in the above photo): Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red, Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Striking, Perricone MD No Lipstick Lipstick with SPF 15, Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in Adorned, and Wet 'n' Wild Megalast Lip Color in Don't Blink Pink. 

I like to have a few different choices for fragrance, so it's a good thing that I tend to stockpile sample sizes and rollerballs. 

Above, some of my summer favorites include: Lush Dirty Perfume (a very fresh and clean but manly scent), TokyoMilk Dark Tainted Love (unique and potent), Dolce & Gabbana The One (summertime sexiness for grownups), Diptyque Volutes (impossibly chic and sophisticated), and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb (the only unabashedly floral perfume I've ever loved). 

Here I'm wearing the lipstick, blush, and foundation from Perricone MD, and (in case anyone wants to know) a bikini top from Old Navy and sunglasses that I made myself. The book is To Rise Again At A Decent Hour, by one of my favorite authors, Joshua Ferris. 

Your turn! Are you heading to the beach this Fourth of July weekend? Tell me what you're packing, with an emphasis on beauty products and beach reads, please!