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THE 7 BEACH ESSENTIALS OF MAY

With this, you are immediately beachproof

It usually starts in the evening, my beach anticipation. My father, a cool old sailor, taught me to look at the sky so I don't need Diana Woei or Piet Paulusma to tell me whether it's going to be a nice day or not.

‘Red in the night, sailor’s delight’ is the motto (and ‘red in the morning, sailor’s warning’ by the way), so when I see a pink/red sky rising in the evening, I start grabbing my beach bag because if there's one thing that makes a person happy...

1. A nice blanket

Towels are so passé, for a cozy beach day you should bring beautiful hammam towels. They are lighter, dry better, feel less thick and warm, and are also much more photogenic.

”The sun is lovely, but it is wrinkle-causing number one”

2. A hat

The sun is lovely, but it is wrinkle-causing number one, so put on a hat. You will still get tanned.

3. Books

Now you have time to read. I suddenly devour books. Primates of Park Avenue is finished and now I have that delightful La Parisienne by Ines de la Fressange. My tip: make sure to have a book whose content matches where you are. Summer, in my opinion, calls for lightness. Preferably books set on warm beaches and fast yachts. But that's just me...

4. The statement sunglasses

You have very little to make a statement on the beach, so make sure your sunglasses are big and eye-catching.

”You are scantily dressed, so you can't show off”

5. Cheerful nails

See above. You are scantily dressed, so you can't show off. Make sure to have a perfect mani and pedi, and since a beach day calls for cheerfulness, I would give each nail a different color. Or you dip the top in a different shade of pink. Something like that.

6. Fun water

Soak the label off your bottle and add some mint leaves and pieces of lime to your bottle. Just look how cheerful that looks and how refreshing it tastes.

7. Chilled Starbucks Coffee

And then my shot Milan meets New York in a portable cup. Summer in a cup, those Starbucks Chilled Coffees. Just grab it from the fridge of your supermarket and into the bag it goes. The best coffee with just the right amount of milk for that little refreshment and energy shot you crave. I give my love the Caffè Americano, for the true coffee lover, because it's just a bit stronger. I choose the Skinny Latte variant. That might be ideal considering the bikini body.