Travels: Beach Bag Essentials

Today I'm kicking off Beach Week on Style Within Reach and I thought I'd share a few of my beach bag essentials. I've been looking for a big straw bag that I can stuff full of stuff and recently picked up the one above at T.J. Maxx before we headed South last week. 

A few of my essentials.... 

Zip Close Bag: For storing valuables, iPhone and headphones. 

Reads & Sunglasses: This is a given!
Turkish Beach Towel: This is a new one for me -- but I love the versatility of these thin, woven blankets. I plan to lay my absorbent towel on top of it and spread out on the sand.

Reusable Water Bottle: For staying hydrated. 

Sunscreen: I typically bring SPF30 for my body, SPF 60 for my face (I love this + this) and SPF chapstick (don't forget this - burnt lips are the worst!)

Sandals: I usually wear flip flops to the beach, but like to pack sandals for trips to grab lunch or a drink beachside.
Panama Hat: Perfect for shielding your face from the sun and covering up messy beach hair!

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Travels: Beach Bound

Image credit.

Well friends, we are officially on vacation starting Sunday morning! Though I'll be working from the beach - I hope to get a few days of pure relaxation in! We'll be getting up at 4am and driving down South to Isle of Palms, SC to spend the week with my boyfriend's family on Sunday. I can't wait for our first trip of the year! Next week will be full of beach related content here on the blog so be sure to check in! Hope you have a great weekend.

My Style: Old Navy's Skinny White Jeans

 

Old Navy skinny jeans, Old Navy top, Steve Madden sandals, Milly bag, Forever21 earrings. 

 

 Old Navy skinny jeans, gifted Matisse sandals, Rebecca Minkoff bag, J.Crew cardigan, gifted Valerie Nahmani Designs necklace.

If you haven't noticed, I love white jeans. I'm not afraid to wear them year round - as seen here but I was especially excited to wear this trend for this month's collaboration with Old Navy. Right now all denim is on sale at Old Navy making the affordable jeans even more of a deal! They have a ton of different styles -but I'm loving this cropped version for spring. I love how great white pants look with both black and cognac accents! How do you style white denim? 

Photography by Sarah Culver.

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This post is sponsored by Old Navy. Check out Old Navy's latest fashion lineup in store or online at oldnavy.com.

Decorating: How To Style An Entryway

Target x-benches and mirrors, Lamps Plus lamp, Urchin from Eclectic in Charleston, everything else vintage.

 I put this how-to feature together for Glitter Guide in collaboration with Natalie and am so excited about the way it turned out! You can see the full series of photos here, but I thought I'd share a few of my favorite snaps from our shoot along with my basic tips on styling an entryway in your home. This is the one area of our home that I actually consider "done" (and it's probably because I was forced to get it ready for this shoot!). More photos and my tips after the jump.

Travel: The Best Travel Outfit

H&M hat, Old Navy jacket (old) and dress,  gifted A*Thread tote, Target watch, Gap weekend tote (old).

I used to fly all the time - now it's just a few times a year but between my time in the car and on a plane I've finally determined the best travel outfit. Comfort comes before all else when I know I'll be spending hours in a tiny car or airplane seat so I always wear jersey - whether it's leggings or maxi dresses. I always hope to look somewhat put together when arriving at my destination so a long, flowy dress really does the trick. I hate doing my hair before early morning trips so a hat does a great job at hiding that, and I've found I go crazy without a watch on a long flight! Flip flops may not be the most stylish choice - but they slip off easy for security and on the plane when I promptly put on slipper socks! Do you have a go-to travel outfit? Any tricks I'm missing? We are driving 9 hours this weekend to the beach - and I'll be slipping on this maxi dress for our 4am wake up call -- that's for sure!

PS- speaking of the beach - next week will be BEACH WEEK here on Style Within Reach! I have a bunch of fun, beach related posts for you to enjoy while I'm....soaking up the sun and sipping margaritas :)