It’s the time of the year where I leave the world behind (Facebook / Internet, that is!), say “Bye boss, see you in a week’s time, with my tan of course”, pack the right essentials and jet off to… paradise
 

Hmm …pack the right essentials? That’s hard. I need this, I need that, I need that metallic ones too, oh I need my whole closet!

Often I over-pack for a beach retreat. We all know we WILL use the same top twice (or even three times!) and use that same pair of board shorts throughout the vacation, but yet I overdo it all the time. I don’t usually pack denims whenever I hit the beach but, hey, distressed and acid wash is in, celebs are seen in them at South Miami, so why should I leave those behind, ay?

 See what I mean?

“Pack light, girl. You know you won’t use all of it.”
“Yeah….right.”
“Let me show you how to do it the right way.”
And this is my momma’s recipe for to HOW TO PACK SMART! And ironically, it worked!

Step 3: With the Step 2 list, just pick additional items from Step 1. Step 3 should only consist of apparel that you’ll wear on another typical day: + an extra top, + a pair of  flats, one statement accessory and a clutch that you’ll wear for night.

And that (Step 2 and 3) will be in my luggage bag during my vacation.
Yes, my jaw dropped as well. Only that? Well, trust me, tried and tested and I had untouched tops and shorts / skirt sitting quietly in my luggage bag at the end of the trip.

Why? You wonder.

- Re-used tops I wore the night before, after all it’s not that dirty and it’ll get wet/dirty at the beach, innit?
- Pareo / Sarong is versatile. I wore it as a head gear, skirt or a dress. Don’t worry if it gets dirty as the fabric is so light that you  can wash and dry it within few hours!
- White button down dress is perfect for day and night. Come night, just throw on those statement necklaces and a scarf as a headgear and voila!
- Mix and match same tops and bikinis in order to have different looks. It makes a whole new wardrobe when you wear a tank top with a pair of board shorts on Monday at the beach, and wear the same tank top (which you can use it as a toga top when you remove one strap and put it over the other hand) with a pair of skirt, headscarf and oversized chandelier earrings on Wednesday night.

Still feeling it’s underpacked for a girl? Try this ensemble recipe and let me know.