Guest Post: Capital Style

First, a big thanks to Kelsey for having me today! I LOVE the beach, so when she asked me to write about the must haves in my beach bag...well she didn't have to ask twice. So without further adieu, here are the 5 things you will find in my beach bag.

J. Crew {$165}

1. Sunscreen: I have darker skin and don't really sunburn (except that time I sat out from noon till 6pm on a cruise ship somewhere in the Caribbean - not smart), but I am concerned about sun damage and super concerned about wrinkles as my twenties disappear in the rear-view mirror. I usually use an SPF 15 or 20 - like Coppertone - on the bod and a SPF 30 for my face - like Kiehl's sunscreen.

2. Hair care: I wear my hair natural which, for those of you who do not know me, is super curly. If I put it up in a ponytail, by the end of day, it snarls and starts turn into dreadlocks and that's on a normal day. Add surf, sun and sand and well, you got a big ol' mess so I need stuff to fight the frizz. I am a huge fan of the "Not Your Mother's" line of products. It's affordable and available at most drugstores. My go to these days is the "Kinky Moves" curl defining cream {$5.99}. It does exactly what it says and gets rid of the frizz. That is after I brush out the tangles. I use a big flat brush cause it doesn't rip out my hair. I also love the ribbon hair ties - they actually hold thick hair and don't rip it out!

3. Tunes: I love music just about as much as I love fashion, so I'm certainly not hitting the beach without a soundtrack. One of our summer interns recently told me about Songza and I'm obsessed! It is "music conceirge" that offers you music for the situation. Just pick a playlist and voila - chilling by the water, beach party, BBQ - music for any occasion!

4. A good book: I saw they're doing a film version of Anna Karenina with Kiera Knightly. I'm pro reading the book before seeing the movie so that's my summer reading. For something a little lighter, I'd recommend "Let's Pretend this Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson.

5. Sunglasses: Remember how I said I was worried about wrinkles, yeah, wan't joking. I don't really leave the house without sunglasses, so they are definitely a staple for the beach. This summer I'm into the cat-eye shades.

So here's to sand-filled wishes and rum punch dreams! Hope you all stop by Capital Style sometime to say hi!