I think I’ve never hated something more than packing. The simple thought that I have to decide in advance what I’m going to wear on vacation has to be the worst thing for me. I can’t even decide what to wear on a regular day of work (you can usually find me sitting half naked on my bed staring at my closet most mornings). Imagine having to decide in advance what to wear for multiple days in a row!!! My greatest fear is that I already know I won’t want to wear the items I packed by the time I’m on vacation. At the end of the day, I just need to accept that I won’t have the right pair of shoes with that one outfit or that one black top could’ve been cuter.

So here goes nothing to a guide of some of my essentials for my upcoming summer trips. First of all, there’s nothing more essential than a great sappy romantic book you read in 2 days to bring to the beach. Some of my favorites from my last vacations are Before we were Innocent, Every Summer After and Happy Place. I’m currently waiting on my sister to bring me some books for this summer (she’s the one with the actual good book recs), like The Seven Year Slip. Really looking forward to reading it in Sardinia next month.

Although I love to tan as much as the next girl, and I will even admit I have a slight obsession with it, I can’t do packing without sunscreen. The best body sunscreen is from La Rosée 30SPF oil spray, a clean brand and easy to slather on. For the face, I recently discovered a new face sunscreen during my last trip to Biarritz: Avène Eclat/Radiance Ultra Fluid 50SPF, which gave me a really nice glow. For when I’m wearing makeup and during the winter, I protect my face with Eborian’s CC cream, it’s seriously the best and covers some redness. But my real secret to keeping my tan is the SVR After Sun lotion. I religiously cover my body in this lotion right after I get out of my post beach shower and again before bed. It seriously saved my tan after my trip in Martinique when I got back to reality and Paris’ gray skies.

There’s nothing that screams vacation like sunglasses. When you live in Paris and half the year is gray, I promise you that you will take any chance you get to whip out your sunglasses. So to me, at least, vacations equals sunglasses. Without a doubt my favorite sunglasses are from Jacques Marie Mage, specifically the Besset model. The heaviness of the sunglasses and clear lenses attest to the brand’s high quality, all the while being the hottest luxury eyewear brand of the moment. And of course, they are the chicest accessory to elevate an outfit.

Now for the real packing, I’m always aiming to bring outfits I know I love and that will work so I won’t be stressed. Last summer I discovered COS’ minimalistic slip on dresses and they are now the staple pieces to my wardrobe. I quite literally bought them in every color they came in, they’re that easy to style and pack. I also found a gem in Spain last month from Massimo, super chic, long and brown, perfect for a summer night dinner. But this summer is a bermuda summer: perfect for the beach with Havaianas or with ballerinas and sandals for a visit in the city. And of course to accessorize my summer outfits, I’m usually packing my Dragon Diffusion chocolate brown bag or my Isabel Marant Suede hobo bag and multiple neutral bangles as jewellery. 

All this talk about vacation makes me want to go on vacation. BRB booking my next weekend away.