The Savvy Co-Ed Goes To the Beach

Finally, the weather is taking a turn for the better! Which means that swimsuit and beach season is just a few days away, and it’s time for CL girls to pick out their summer pool-and-lake-and-ocean-side staples. From skin protection (yes—you have to use it) to swimsuits and cover-ups to accessories, this CL intern has everything you need to get your summer beach-laying days off to a great start.

Before we focus on beach fashion, let’s make sure we protect our most important fashion accessory: your skin! Skin care and protection, especially for all you fair-skinned girls like me, is of the utmost importance as the days get hotter. I even had to wear a light sunscreen when I was walking in between classes because I was getting burned, so as a girl who has been wearing sunscreen for 90% of her life, I’m begging you to USE SUNSCREEN! There are so many options now that won’t leave your skin with a sticky, shiny sheen that there really is no reason to not use at least a little bit of SPF. However, there are different types of screen that you can use on your body than you can use on your face. For your body, I would suggest Neutrogena Fresh Cooling Body Mist Sunblock. It feels awesome and cool when you spray it on, which is a nice relief from a hot summer day. I use SPF 70, but it comes in SPF 30 and 45 as well. It’s waterproof and sweatproof and only costs $9.99 at Target.

For your face, I recommend another Neutrogena product, Ultrasheer Dry-Touch Sunblock with Helioplex. It also comes in SPFs 30, 45, and 70 and is non-comedogenic, which means that it won’t clog your pores. It feels like lotion when you put it on your face and doesn’t have the sunscreeny smell. Plus it comes in a cute little bottle that fits perfectly in your beach bag, and also costs $9.99 at Target. Check out Samantha Crotty’s post on Summer Fun in the Sun for more sun protection products!

If you’re looking for even more protection (like I have to), I swear by Lancôme’s Bienfait Multi-Vital Teinté, a tinted moisturizer that has SPF 30. I wear it every day because it works just like a foundation, but provides your skin with hydration and UV-ray protection. It’s a little pricier at $45.00, but it really is worth every penny.

Onto the main event: the swimsuit! Every girl knows how important it is to find a swimsuit that flatters her figure, and I think that the big it-piece that will flatter every girl’s figure this season is the one-piece. A good solid-colored one-piece is going to be your best friend this season—be careful with a busy or horizontal pattern, unless you have Gisele Bündchen’s bod, it could overwhelm you and people will pay more attention to the pattern on the suit than they will to you, which is never a good thing. There are so many styles to choose from that are very slimming.
This monokini has a very flattering neckline (I love the 1950s neckline on almost anything), elongates your torso, and the keyholes near the chest are subtly sexy. It’s $29.99 from Target, and the black fabric will, as every girl knows, further slim your look.

My next pick is another monokini, also from Target ($29.99), but has a little bit more pop. It has a little bit more coverage as well as a flattering Grecian neckline and puckering around the chest—perfect for you small-chested girls like me. The asymmetrical strips of fabric across the front provide a little coverage as well as an interesting factor to the suit, and the color (it also comes in purple and cherry red) really makes it pop.

The most important thing for a girl to be when she’s in a swimsuit is comfortable. If you aren’t comfortable, it will show, so above all, find a style that works for you that you feel beautiful in, and your attitude will rub off on the people around you!

As far as accessories go, I think that the only beach accessory that is necessary is a bracelet or two. The huge chain necklaces that celebrities are photographed wearing are completely unnecessary, will give you weird tanlines, will probably snag your suit fabric, and who wants to clean the sunscreen off of the necklace anyway? A few bangles with a great suit add a little extra sex appeal, and they don’t get in the way when you’re trying to tan. I love Forever 21’s Floral Etched Bangle Set in gold ($6.80). The color will make your skin look tan and the engravings add a little interest to an otherwise everyday bangle. I promise, bangles add a little extra sex appeal, and you will still look like you belong at the beach.

Now that you’re armed for your summer days, I hope you found my advice helpful! Good luck all you classy co-eds, and happy sunning!

Megan

Megan is a junior at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and can’t wait to get her tan on!