Because leather + sand + salt water = sticky, grainy, hot mess. Not to mention that lugging a hefty leather handbag on a holiday is the kind of hard work that makes a holiday a whole lot less of a holiday. We’ve plumped for a selection of the season’s finest accessories for lounging by the pool, packing for the beach or even trotting to work, and we’ve paired them with the best in summer beauty – from sun protection to the perfect coral lipstick.
Club Tropicana: Loewe x Paula's Ibiza L bag
Rose-tinted Garrett Leight x Nick Wooster Sunglasses will have everything looking warm and bronzed, just like your skin with a swoosh of By Terry Sun Designer Palette, which contains every shade of blush and tan imaginable.
Even-out complexion redness with Sisley’s Tinted Sun Care SPF 30, in five shades, which is as quenching as it is protective, before adding a colour pop to the nails with the universally flattering YSL La Laque Couture in Jungle Orange, and matching new Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick in the brilliant coral shade, First Light (out August). By day, coat hair in Sachajuan’s Hair in the Sun protective balm, and by night, wrap your hair up Goldie Hawn style in a Hermès Twilly Scarf. Treat the skin to a restorative Sensai After Sun Repair Mask for a bit of true holiday TLC.
Funky Cold Medina: Ashish Sequinned Striped Carrier Bag (pre-order)
For a rainbow without the rain we love Ashish’s sequinned striped carrier bag. And for surfer-girl hair without the surfing we love Original & Mineral’s Surf Bomb Sea Salt Spray which holds the waves in place without leaving a sticky residue. Churn up the colour with new Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Candy – it’s moisturising, tinted, sheer and with SPF 15 – and fast-drying, sky blue RMK Nail Polish.
Keep cool with a S'well Neon Pink Water Bottle, it’s non-toxic and stainless steel to keep liquid cold for 24 hours, then lather yourself in new and organic Susanne Kaufmann After Sun Gel. It smells like cantaloupe melon, contains reparative aloe vera and is supremely hydrating. From beach to bar just spritz the handy, poppy-red, refillable Frédéric Malle Travel Spray Case, filled with whichever 10ml vial of perfume you fancy – for summer plump for Carnal Flower or Lys Mediterranée which will make you smell like the Med.
Bonjour Tristesse at the Beach: Kayu fringed bag from Yoox
Whoever said monochrome wasn’t summery has never visited the French Riviera, or seen Jacques Deray’s La Piscine. Protect your skin with Aesop’s Protective Body Lotion SPF 50, it’s non-greasy and lightweight formula smells summery and citrusy, and gives high protection without leaving skin chalky. Or cover up with Vanda Jacintho’s Printed Crèpe Panneau, paired with these Calvin Klein Sunglasses, a contemporary take on the classic aviator, for that added je ne sais quoi. Top up the face protection with new, handbag-handy Chanel UV Essentiel in either SPF 30 or SPF 50, and to achieve the Cote d’Azur glow without the sun damage blend together Kjaer Weis’s cream bronzer in Dazzling and highlighter in Ravishing. Finish the day with une verre de vin blanc and deep hair condition, courtesy of the inimitable Davines SU hair mask. Voilà! Où est la plage?