‘Things We Love’ Summer Sail with Hawaiian Tropic

It was anchors away for a handful of fashion and beauty bloggers on Wednesday afternoon when Hawaiian Tropic and Glam Media invited us aboard The Atlantica for a sail along the Hudson River. Dressed in floaty dresses, jean shorts, colorful, vertiginous heels and jeweled flats, we sauntered onto the first cabin for cocktails, cheeses and crudite, ice cream sandwiches from CoolHaus wrapped in edible paper (the Guinness chip was to die for). The island themed sail called for the appropriate cocktails, which included Bahama Mamas, chilled wines and a Mexican spread, reminding me of a vacay in Playa del Carmen. The lavish affair was to introduce the new line of sunscreen products from Hawaiian Tropic.

The Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion Sunscreen, which comes in SPF levels of 12, 30 and 50, is definitely going into my summer beach bag. Not only is it hydrating (12 hours of moisturization to be exact), it smells divine, with ribbons of soft shea butter. As an African who does love the beach, I normally skip SPF (bad Glamazon! bad Glamazon!), mostly because I forget that even though my skin doesn’t burn, the UVA/UVB rays are still permeating through my pores, causing damage to my skin. I used the Silk Hydration Lotion Sunscreen in SPF 50 later during the day and was happy to see that it didn’t leave any white streaks or greasy feel on my skin.

Comical side note: For the longest time, I only thought Hawaiian Tropic only made sun tan oil. During a trip to South Beach during MTV Spring Break in 2002, I doused myself in the tanning oil, following suit with my other girlfriends, to get a tan. Needless to say, I came home after a week at the beach looking three shades darker than my foundation.

Following lunch below deck, we were given large canvas totes from Land’s End, filled with lots of beauty products that I’ve already started using. The ‘Things We Love’ tote bag was filled with Urban Decay 24/7 pencil, Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Effect Coconut Papaya After Sun Lotion (which gives you a subtle sheen with specs of gold glitter to enhance your day in the sun), NEST Fragrances votive candle, Tarte Amazon Bronze, Sanuk flip-flops, Nivea cream pots, Starbucks Refreshers energy drink (which I guzzled down an hour after the cruise), OPI Nail lacquers and a handful of other beauty products to be reviewed later.

1. Dove Clear Tone Skin Renew Clinical Protection Deodorant, Available at Drugstore.comfor $7.99
2. Echo Design Bikini Bags, Available at Zappos.com for $20
3. Ettika adjustable Neon Satin Cord with gold Faceted Beads, Available at Ettika.com for $40
4. Fekkai Summer Hair After Sun Daily Mask, Available at Fekkai.com for $25
5. Flywheel Giftcards, Available at Flysports.com for $30
6. Goody Quik Style Paddle Brush, Available at Target.com for $11.99
7. Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Effect Coconut Papaya After Sun Lotion, Available atUlta.com for $6.79
8. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion Sunscreen SPF 50, Available at Walgreens.comfor $10.99
9. Lands’ End Natural Zip Totes in Melon, Available at LandsEnd.com for $35
10. Nest Fragrances Votive Candles, Available at Shop.NestFragrances.com for $14
11. OPI Holland Collection Polishes, Available at Amazon.com for $6.99
12. Philip B Katira Hair Masque, Available at PhilipB.com for $40
13. Reach Toothbrushes from the Jeff Lewis & Shoshanna Gruss Collections, Available at Amazon.com for $6.12
14. Sanuk Women’s Ibiza Stitch Sandals, Available at Sanuk.com for $20
15. Schick Hydro Silk for Women Razor, Available at Soap.com for $11.49
16. Sonia Kashuk Assorted Cosmetic Bags, Available at Target.com for $5.99-$24.99
17. Starbucks Refreshers Sparkling Green Coffee Energy Beverage, Available at Grocery stores nationwide for $1.99
18. Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balms, Available at Target.com for $16
19. Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer, Available at TarteCosmetics.com for $37
20. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil, Available at UrbanDecay.com for $19