5 Must Haves: for Island Life

Meet Sarah. She's a smartie lawyer who has the best curls on earth, and a smile that makes you melt! She's also super great friend who I've known since our days at UF when we were sorority sisters. I love her for so many reasons; because she's funny, smart, tells great stories, has the same name as my daughter (yay!), and.... likes my blog. :) lol, actually I mean that because she's one of my biggest advocates, which makes me smile. We all need those types of friends in our lives and I'm honored that she's one of mine.

This Miami native was living in Ft. Lauderdale a few years ago when she fell head over heels for a fellow hottie attorney who happened to live in Key West. So what did she do? She packed her bags with her ginormous nail polish and shoe collection (I'm fast forwarding a few months, of course, but you get the gist) and traded in her life on the mainland for love and success on the island. She's still practicing law, and adjusting to a lot of online shopping (no Target, oh my!).

So whether you're just visiting or plan to make an island leap, here are, in Sarah's words... 5 must haves for island life!

Hi all. I’m Sarah, a lawyer living in Key West. Yes, people actually live and work in the southernmost city! Since moving here 3 years ago, I’ve come to appreciate this slow paced, sun-filled lifestyle. So if you plan on moving to a sunny island (no, NYC doesn’t count) or just making an escape to one, here are my must haves…

Sunblock

Must. Wear. Every. Day. Nothing is worse than getting a horrible burn your first day back in the sun and then having to wear clothes until it subsides (me last weekend!) I use Oil of Olay with SPF daily on my face and Banana Boat Sport dri-blok when I’m out on the water or roaming the streets of Key West. The Olay is light and not too sunblock-y and the Banana Boat dries powdery, not goopy and lasts long.

Dresses & sandals

Both are closet staples. On an island, expect to walk pretty much everywhere. All my flashy heels from my former life are stashed in back of the closet and now I own sandals in literally every color and style. I recently introduced a hot pair of Nine West wedges in fuchsia into the mix. And since it’s ungodly hot here, light, flowy dresses are a must! My fav are BCBG dresses for work (with sandals when I’m not in court) and play.

Cute bathing suit

Obviously, you want a suit you look hot in. But I think even more important is finding a suit you feel comfortable in! Nothing is worse than having to adjust or re-tie a suit every 5 secs—not cute! I’m a huge fan of Victoria’s Secret suits. They offer such a wide range of styles and colors and often have sales and special promotions. I easily own about 10 of their suits.
TAGG mention: obv, what gal looks like this model?! Not fair, however love her colorful suit. Bold colors can be just as flattering as a basic black.
TAGG tip: Target is having a sale this week only on women's suits; just $14 per piece for bikinis, and one pieces are on sale, too.

Bike

Aside from hoofing it, this nod to your middle school days is the next most acceptable mode of transportation. We have three bikes, all bought second hand, with big baskets for carrying our drinks (see #5) and donned with crazy squeekers. I love the big beach cruiser types and there are a ton of bike rentals on the island so you too can ride like a local.

Cool coozie

Ok, I’ll admit it, we drink a lot of beer down here. A lot. And you never want your hand to be wet and clammy. In comes the coozie! Such an essential accessory to island life, many give it as wedding gifts, even for judicial campaign swag.

And you can’t forget…
 

Bright-colored mani/pedi

Since your fingers and toes are showing all the time, they need to be properly showcased! Paint on adventurous, bold colored polish that compliments, not matches, your outfits. Right now I’m obsessing over bright orange (pic: OPI in Hot & Spicy) and deep purple hues.