SUMMER BIKINI GUIDE

Hey cuties! The other day I shared my summer swim guide where I talked all about one pieces and shared over 25 shoppable suits for you in allllll sizes – weee! If you missed it, you can check out my guide here. And today I’m sharing part two of my swim guide by talking two pieces!

In this guide I’ll share sizing info on what I’m wearing, honest reviews of each suit, shopping links, look for less options and plus size options for every style so you can all get the look not matter what size or budget you’re working with.
My go to! I’ve almost always worn high waisted bikinis for a few reasons: they’re flattering, they show off my smallest point and pull me in at the middle, they make me look longer than I actually am (I’m 5 foot), they’re comfortable and they’re retro-chic. They also hide your pooch or middle, which is not a priority for me but not a bad thing either. This string bikini top however isn’t what I usually pick, it’s harder to feel supported in a style like this and I often gravitate towards a actual cup / bra-like top instead. I’m a 34/36 D in the bra department, but you cant quite tell here since my girls are squished in to this top. I’m wearing a size medium top but I couldn’t have gone to a large, I also had to really adjust the straps because my boobs sit kind of high up. I’m wearing a size L bottom, I could have fit into a medium but just went with the large to be safe.

SHOP THE LOOK: (CLICK THE IMAGES TO SHOP)

The Stripe is Right! Another high waisted suit I gave a whirl was this aerie one, which comes in a one piece version too. I pushed myself to try the bikini version even though it wasn’t a style that I would normally be super comfortable in. I don’t love how low cut and wide the neck is of the bikini top, so this style isn’t my top choice for my body but I tried it anyways. When you’re wider / broader up top like I am, a wide neck style doesn’t do me any favors and sometimes doesn’t support me as much as I need. Aerie is all about accepting your body as is and wearing whatever you want despite your insecurities, so their brand messaging gave me the push I needed to try something different. I like that this bikini fits high on my booty giving it a different shape and showing a little more cheek. Cheeky bikinis are totally trending, but if you actually have ass (guilty) most normal styles fit like cheeky styles, and cheeky styles fit like thongs… but since Aerie does a great job of building their suits for real women this style shows the perfect about of tush, it also does a little V in the back that makes it super flattering and comfortable. I’m Wearing a size medium in both styles.

SHOP THE LOOK: (CLICK THE IMAGES TO SHOP):

Double Duty! I love a swim piece that you can wear as real clothes. You cant go wrong with a tie top bikini. I mean HOW CUTE is this now with the map print – I’m obsessed. This isn’t going to make you feel great in the coverage area, but I tied the crap out of my top to make sure nothing slipped out. Like I said, I love that this bikini top can double as a real top too (which I wore as an actual outfit in nice a few weeks ago) but the really great thing about a top like this is you can manipulate your girls to move it around and push your boobs up so they look GREATTT! I thought this print was kind of busy so I kept it simple on the bottoms front and mixed / matched with another pair you’ll see later in this post.

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Showing some skin! I never met a striped bikini I never liked, and this one is no exception. I don’t really wear low cut bikini styles because they never give me enough coverage and just aren’t as flattering. Sometimes they pull and pinch to create a muffin top effect I can usually avoid with a high waisted styled. I had a #colormecuitie who wrote in to me asking about finding styles that don’t do this and the solution is to go with something that hits you higher on your bikini line / right in the grooves of where your legs / pelvis creases. If you can kind of follow the line of your oblique muscles, and have something that hits higher up, you’ll be less lily to pinch. I think if the “instagram model” bikini shot, I’m sure you know what I mean here its where you see random girls on your instagram explore page that are pulling their bikini all the way up so its essentially a thong a little bit of coverage up front. They’re super skinny so its hard to relate to, but a pulled up style like that is actually a little more flattering even on curvy girls – plus it will help you prevent the pinch. My top in this look is also a different style than I usually wear because its more boxy and straight across instead of a true bikini or swear heart neckline. My boobs are big enough that they can show through and sit up high enough that you can still tell I’m a girl lol, but if you’re more boyish I’m not sure is it will be the most flattering cut. The good part about this style is that if you love the print, it comes in a bunch of other styles. And if you like the style, it comes in a few other colors. I’m wearing large bottoms, medium top & linking all the options below.
SHOP THE LOOK BY CLICKING THE IMAGES BELOW:

Scalloped Suit! I’ve had a suit crush on this cute scalloped style for every so I have to get it this year. I mean it has everything: polka dots, a tie up top, high waisted and a scallop detail? honestly what more could you want! I wore it last weekend in Miami with red hot sunnies and a striped skirt over the top, because why not?! I’m wearing a size medium top & large bottoms.
SHOP THE LOOK BY CLICKING THE IMAGES BELOW:

Boater babe! Decided to switch things up with this cute off the shoulder boater neck suit! Off the shoulder is nothing new for me, but I don’t usually go for white suits because they’re kind of boring – but since this one is still exciting because of the neckline detail and cute accessories I paired it with.
SHOP THE LOOK BY CLICKING THE IMAGES BELOW: <br />

Zesty! I LOVE LEMON PRINTS So obviously I had to say yes to this printed pretty. It’s the same silhouette as the first blue stripe suit I featured first, so I have the same issues with the top.
SHOP THE LOOK:

SHOP THE LOOK FOR LESS & PLUS STYLES:
I also found a identical one for a serious deal on amazon click the images below to shop. The first style is a mock off from Amazon, the second is the exact cover up I’m wearing in the photo, the 3rd & 4th are plus options:

& Thats it! I hope you liked this swim guide and it pushed you to try something new! Let me know if you want me to do any other swim reviews for you this season.