In a few days I'll be in Maui! I'm so excited gathering my essentials that I'll be taking with me...
We go to Maui every year and this year we are going for 12 whole days! It usually falls right after my birthday so I always love getting a couple of new swimsuits for the trip;) I've always been very picky about my swimsuits and used to have so much trouble finding one I liked that I once had a dream of designing swimsuits just to be able to have what I was looking for! Well, I'm happy to say, these days there are many "suitable" suits to choose from and I'm going to let you in on some of my faves, and where I find them.
This year, I'm loving the color-blocked swimsuit look, so I'm mixing and matching for a classic chic black and white look. Each year I seem to get obsessed with a different swimsuit brand. Last year it was all about my sexy black Mikoh one piece. This year it's all about Vitamin A.
Vitamin A is known for their signature "California Cut" bottoms which are the perfect mix between the "Full Cut" (still a little too 'mom jeans' for me;).... and the all too popular "Brazilian Cut" (which I'm just plain getting too old for;)
What I learned about swimsuits is this... Once you go QUALITY like this, you never go back. Are they more expensive? Yep. It's kinda crazy what swimsuits cost these days for how little material you actually get. BUT, when you're wearing that little....you want to look your best, right ladies? Brands of this caliber are just different. Vitamin A is an exceptional brand with seams that lie flat against the skin. The quality is meticulous. The fit is hip slimming, curve-hugging, bust boosting, figure flattering perfection! They also have nailed the simple, solid colors I love so. Gone are the days of the bright loud prints, thank goodness. They are also made right here in sunny California and do their part to lighten their environmental footprint, I like that.
The suit in the photo above fits amazingly well. This bikini top is the Vitamin A Neutra Bralette in White Ecolux, which is a matte superfine jersey made with recycled nylon fiber to conserve resources. I have always been a fan of the classic triangle top, but these days, turning 44 years old a week from today... it's just not offering the support I need if you know what I mean. This top, with its more bra-like shape, is very flattering on. The bikini bottom is the Vitamin A Neutra Hipster in Black Ecolux (they also have a hipster full cut version if the California Cut isn't for you.) I love these bottoms because they are simple, yet have cute cut out side panels. It matches the cutout in the center of the top. Don't be afraid to mix and match, it's so fun and easy to do with solids. It's also easy to do if you find a print you like... you can just get the print in one, and pair it with a solid colored bottom to tone it down a bit.
You'll also see in the pic above that I'm also not going to Maui this year without as couple more of my essentials... my Protect safe sunscreen with SPF 30. As you know I've started my Safe Product Movement this year, so this and my Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 for face will definitely be packed;) The other thing that I'm so excited to take is my Rose Water Uplifting Spray. It's one of my favorite things and will be perfect to spritz on when it's hot... and after that plane ride to keep my skin hydrated.
So what other quality swimsuit brands can I recommend for you? L Space has always been a favorite of mine, great styles to choose from and excellent quality. I also love ViX Swimwear. Their Bia suit has an amazing way of looking great on so many different body types, very flattering. If you're looking for your first luxury, quality suit, I'd recommend this bottom in black and this top in black. You simply can't do wrong with it. This was my first quality suit and I absolutely loved it and have recommended it to many of my friends who have loved it too;) It has gold hardware sliders that you can adjust on the top and bottom to make it look best on you. This Bia style also offers a brazilian and a full cut bottom to choose from. I like their brazilian because it's not AS skimpy as other brazilian cuts...it fits kind of like the california cut mentioned above. It's also one of the best triangle tops that actually fits larger busted women beautifully! With that said it also looks amazing on smaller busted women...it's simply one of the best all around suits in my opinion.
One thing about all of these quality swimsuits... where the heck do you find them?? I live in California and the only store I've seen these brands at is Nordstrom and some specialty boutique bikini shops in beach towns. So this is where you have to turn to online shopping. What I used to do is just order a few to try on to see which brands I liked. Once I learned what brands looked best on me and what size I was in those brands, it became pretty easy to shop. My tip is to read the fine print on websites about shipping and returns! Some swimsuit sites only offer exchanges or store credit...not refunds! I stay away from those because I always want to option to return a swimsuit if it doesn't fit, because they have to fit perfectly. I've returned a lot of swimsuits over the years!
A couple of the sites that offer great quality swimsuits that I use are southbeachswimsuits.com and mollybrownswimwear.com. They also have cute cover ups and dresses for your vacation shopping! Here's the thing ladies, these expensive swimsuits go on sale! Big sales! You can find great deals on amazing, high quality, luxury brands. I recommend sites like 6pm.com and zappos.com to find great deals. Here's what I do... I find a style a like and write down the exact brand name and style name. I then google it! I shop around to find the best deal. Now this trick doesn't work on new styles that were just released that season, but there are some great deals on past season suits out there, you just have to find them. I once got a $200 ViX suit for $16 for the top and $16 for the bottom on 6pm.com.
Here's a couple of my other new faves... First this color is called "mimosa" so it was kinda calling my name;) Shop the bikini top here and the bikini bottom here.
Vitamin A Bikini, Beautycounter Protect Sunscreen, Beautycounter Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer
Next, this Bikini top is very flattering on. It has no hardware and the material is so luxurious. This color is different than any other I've seen...
Mikoh Bikini in Lychee, Beautycounter Rose Water Spray
The bottoms I chose to match this top are really pretty too and come in this same Lychee color.
One store that I love to go take a look around before I go to Maui is Target! I LOVE their "long lean tanks" and Vintage Tees. I collect them in white because I wear them with anything and everything.
I got this really cute cover-up romper that is absolutely adorable on. The flared sleeves makes me feel like I'm bringing out my inner Stevie Nicks. I'll be steaming this, sorry about the wrinkles....
I know some of you might still be covered in snow out there, but I hope this inspires you to get ready for some summer sun! Follow me over on Instagram over the coming days as I'll be wearing some of the items in this post!