I'm Nordstrom's Beauty Director—The 10 Essential Items I'd Pack for a Sun-Soaked Vacation
From an SPF sampler to a shimmering body oil and beyond.
Summer is officially here, which means I'm firmly focused on all the fun to be had over the course of the next three months. The possibilities are endless. Beach days! Road trips! Patio brunches! With that being said, I'm most excited about my annual summer vacation. This year, I'm not traveling anywhere. I'm lucky enough to live by the water, so I'm planning on indulging in a week-long staycation, spent under the sun (with adequate sun protection, OFC). That means I'll need effective products that can take me to the beach and beyond.
Who better to turn to for product recommendations than Autumne West, Nordstrom's National Beauty Director? She's an expert in testing (and tightly curating) the best in beauty. I asked her to create an edit of the 10 essential items she'd pack for a sun-soaked vacation, and she delivered. Keep scrolling to see all of her picks, from a cult-loved SPF sampler set to a multi-purpose color stick, shimmering body oil, and more. Consider this your summer '26 shopping list.
1. Vacation Sun Belt 4-Piece Sampler Kit
"This is the carry-on edit that features a belt bag with SPF 30 lotion, a face mist SPF 50 you can spritz over makeup, a Baby Oil SPF 30 that gives you that legendary sun-kissed shine (safely!), and an after-sun aloe gel for when the day is done. It's everything you actually need, already packed in sample sizes, making it flight friendly."
2. MAC Cosmetics Shimmer Squirt Plumping Lip Gloss Stick
"This one has ginger root and capsicum for a plumping tingle, coconut oil for nourish, and non-grainy glitter that somehow feels elegant. A single swipe and your whole look is done for the vacation day where the natural glow is the look."
3. Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40
"My vacation skin philosophy is less is so much more. This skin tint is makeup, skincare, and mineral SPF 40 in one dewy step. The niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, squalane is doing the work on your skin."
4. Ogee Sculpted Face Stick
"One stick to bronze, blush, highlight, and contour, with cold-pressed jojoba oil, green coffee oil, and elderberry extract doing actual skincare work underneath it all. It melts into skin and builds so naturally. Toss it in your beach bag and you are fully set."
5. Westman Atelier Sun Tone Bronzing Drops
"This is a bronzing drop that's matte, buildable, never streaky, and hydrating. A few drops mixed into your skin tint and you look like you've been in the south of France for a week."
6. Good Weather Skin All-Over Sun Milk Face & Body SPF 50
"A clean mineral SPF 50 that does double duty on your face and body, and the formula is genuinely beautiful. Squalane, sea buckthorn oil, and non-nano zinc work together to nourish while they protect, leaving behind the prettiest sheen. This one has a permanent spot in my beach bag."
7. True Botanicals Bronze Well Regenerative Glow
"This one is a Nordstrom exclusive and I'm obsessed. It's carotenoid-rich oils and apricot kernel do the serious skin work while bronzing shimmer casts this warm, golden radiance that reads as deeply healthy. It fights dullness, dryness, and fine lines while making you glow. The kind of bottle I keep on my vanity year-round, not just for vacation."
8. Tom Ford Soleil Blanc Shimmering Body Oil
"Bergamot, cardamom, coco de mer accord — just the notes alone transport you to somewhere with a view. This body oil is gold and platinum leaf shimmer in a silky, jojoba-rich formula that makes your skin look like it's lit from within."
9. Supergoop Glow Oil SPF 50 Scented Sunscreen Body Oil
"Argan oil, grapeseed oil, meadowfoam seed oil, and SPF 50 in a formula that's water-resistant for 80 minutes. The coastal scent is so good. Apply it by the pool, spritz on after a shower, just use it everywhere. You'll be glowing and protected."
10. Byredo Bal D'Afrique Body Mist
"I like to wear fragrance still, but switch up to a body mist, and the new Byredo Body Mist fit the build. It's refreshing and airy but still the beautiful scents that Byredo is known for. Bal D'afrique mist is floral and balanced with citrusy and musks to keep the spicy warmth that it's known for... but just with a lighter twist."
