Summer must haves

We have all been sooooooo looking forward to the summer months. Time to kick back and chill, sleep-in a little, have friends over for BBQs and spend as much time as possible close to a beautiful body of water… Here are a few of our favorite "essentials" that will help us proclaim, very loudly, that "summer is here at last"! Sun Hat: Outrageously stylish but functional too. These raffia Madagascar super wide brim sun hats are the best excuse to want to stay shielded from the sun. Wear the brim up or down. Gorgeous, darling. Buy here. Beach Bag: A large canvas tote bag with rope handles is the epitomic symbol of summer. Especially when it's as adorable as this one from Boden. It's equally perfect for farmer's market runs as it is for beach outings. Barefoot Sandals - Audrey discovered these barefoot "sandals" while surfing the internet. How fun are these to stroll along the beach or wear at home while entertaining in the back yard. Or for a beach wedding. Plus for $14.95, you can get a pair to match each of your bathing suit coverups! Pretty sexy, we think… Buy them here: BarefootSandals.com Bandanas - These are truly the new "head gear"for summer. These head scarves were created by a cancer survivor, Bonita, who says that most of her clientele are men and woman wanting to wear them because they truly look good on everyone. Perfect for wearing while biking, boating and driving with the top down or just when having a bad hair day, these stylish and fun bandanas are available in many different prints and colors. Bonita created these bandanas for herself when she was going through chemo for breast cancer, so she offers great products for women who are also going through the same experience. Check out the video to see how you can be stylin' this summer and the website to buy. Summer Sandal: We love Camper shoes for their creative styling, outstanding comfort (soles are all rubber for shock absorption) and their corporate philosophy (freedom, comfort and creativity). Perfect for travel and those long walking tours. Oh, and Camper makes shoes for the guys too. Crossbody Bag: Ok, so the great big beach bag has its place, but sometimes summer freedom comes with carrying almost nothing. As can be done with a convenient yet stylish crossbody bag like this one (because we know you wouldn't be caught dead with a fanny pack), in playful summery colors, leaves hands free to explore flea market finds, pick strawberries… We found this one on eBags. No Frizz Hair Product - I have the type of hair that is 50% curly and 50% straight. Add some humidity to that and I get 100% frizz. A dear friend of mine bought me this product by Living Proof that is a god-send (I think she was tired hearing me complain about my hair all the time). They carry two lines of product, no frizz and full, for fine limp hair. My friend gave me the Restyling Spray to get rid of the frizz. What I like about it is that I put it on wet hair before drying but when the humidity hits, I just spray some more on and voila, no frizz. Summer, here I come! Buy directly from the Living Proof website or on Amazon. Self tanning towelettes: Some of us have not had the time, the opportunity or the inclination to try to get that fluorescent white glow subdued with some actual outdoor tanning time. These Comodynes self tanning wipes come to the rescue of unalluring pastiness. They provide a tan effect in 2 to 3 hours and are definitely not as messy as sprays or lotions. Good for travel too. We found them on Amazon.com. Lip gloss: We have a thing for Lancôme's Juicy Tubes, which are celebrating 10 years of glossiness this year. For a reason too. Juicy Tubes lip gloss has great staying power. Literally. It's stays put on the lips. Fun colors and flavors too. Time to pout. Beach Picnic Table: Although I have had mine for years (about 9 or 10?), this table in a bag is definitely worth mentioning. The portable table is light, durable and easy to assemble. Perfect for the beach, family picnics, camping or outdoor concerts in the park. A Crate and Barrel classic. Picnic Blanket: There are many picnic blankets out there but this is one of the best. It comes in a variety of colors and patterns, has a water resistant backing (cause nothing ruins a picnic like a wet bottom) and comes as its own carrying case. We found it on Amazon. Wine sticks: In case you didn't know, you need these… for the beach, the backyard, Shakespeare in the Park… Great gift idea too, especially when accompanied by a nice bottle of vino. I bought mine at a local wine shop, but you can also find them on Amazon. Pet Bottle. Let's not forget the other family members that enjoy the summer outdoors too. A few months ago I wrote about my favorite water bottles. Good Life Gear also has the perfect water bottle for your pet. It has the same look as the "human's" bottle but is unique in that it has a ball in the neck of the bottle (similar to a hamster bottle) so that, when inverted the ball prevents all the water from pouring out. Fido licks the ball, moving it enough for water to slip through. Available on Amazon. Do you have some of your own "musts" that should be added to the list? Let us know! Read more: http://www.thesucculentwife.com/our-summer-musts/#ixzz0tOfHCvsz