Ok I was absolutely not joking when I mentioned on my post a few days ago, that so long the sun is out, I am going to be going spring-summer mad right here and today is no different. I have my inflatable paddling pool ready in my garden, I am ready to get tan and I have handpicked some of my favourite poolside (paddling poolside) looks from PrettyLittleThing.
I’m still wrestling a bit with my post partum bod. I definitely have an (even more) jiggly belly, a large scar, more wobbly bits and I don’t feel at my most body confident *BUT* I found plenty of swimwear options to make me feel myself, comfortable with a little touch of glam.
Now, I have to be the first to put my hands up and tell you I am definitely not a fashion blogger person. What I’ve picked out here is pretty easy looks, nothing too adventurous and just swimwear combinations that I do and would wear. I’m all about the comfort : both looking and feeling comfortable. You won’t see any wedges trotting around the pool with me I’m afraid.
BEACH / HOLIDAY BEAUTY.
This also reflects in my beauty / makeup when I’m on holiday : I try to keep it very simple and ideally, I would have had lash extensions done before I go away so I don’t have to bother with mascara. I am always barefaced in the day (bar SPF!) and in the PM I will just slather on some It CC cream, a swish of Benefit Hoola and Coralista (looks insane with a tan!) and then get my brows on. I also find if you are somewhere hot, going out with layers of makeup just feels a bit gross, particularly on my oily skin. Plus who has to be touching up every hour when you are having fun?!
In the swim/beach bag: Always some form of facial mist/spray to keep you cool and hydrated, a lip balm, sometimes a face powder depending on how vain I am feeling and obviously my SPF of choice : anything under 30 is a waste of space (DO NOT LOOK @ the SPF of my Hawaiian Tropic oil in the below picture pls).
BEACH & BAR READY – Yep..Ready for any eventuality : Swimming, sunbathing, sauntering and dancing.
I absolutely love this red kimono which I have on in the above photo. It’s super bright and I love a bit of a colour clash with the bright orange scoop neck bikini.
Don’t forget to slather on the SPF if you are beaching it as it’s so SO easy to frazzle, and if you are hitting the bar and getting a little loose then cover up as no one wants to be falling asleep and getting a penis drawn onto their back with suncream from a chuckling ‘pal’. I always will carry some form of headscarf with me too to cover my hair whilst on the beach. The combination of sand, seawater and sun is not the best on bleached hair.
DESIGNER GLAM : For those who may be partial to hanging at @ Club 55 in St Tropez (I went once, I thought it’s overrated although the boats ARE HUGE) and doing more socialising and people watching than anything else.
Swimming? I don’t know her. Plus it’ll ruin the fresh blow-dry. Now I am absolutely loving this PLT leopard print strapless ruched swimsuit ; it holds everything in nicely and although it is strapless it has a nice bit of support. It would look perfect on your boat party and/or soiree.
One thing I will warn you about with this cossie is the butt area rides up quite a bit but if you are sitting and sauntering then it won’t be a problem. You may want to give this a miss if you are playing volleyball or doing anything *too* active and you prefer not to show your cheeks to the beach.
POOL PARTY : Now this is a bit of me. A little care-free and fun and obviously we need our comfy dancing shoes to hand.
Both these scoop necks are super cute I’m not sure which one I prefer? This swim look would be perfect for holidays, girly trips away and day parties too. Hair up, minimal makeup, a bit of body shimmer and you are good to go.
I’ve just realised I’ve managed to subconsciously squeeze a bit of leopard print into every look – YES. You can never be too much Pat Butcher huns.
What I quite like to do, and it saves a little bit of ca$h, is to stick with relatively plain black bikini bottoms (these high-waisted ones are really nice, comfy and flattering) and then buy a few different bright tops to mix and match. PrettyLittleThing have LOADS of options for this at the moment ; one thing I would say is that the sizes seem to be a little big which I’ve never had before? I sized up on the bottoms to a 16 as my belly is a little large atm and they were a little big as where the scoop bikini tops…so I’ll be swapping the sizes, but that’s all relatively pain-free.
I am going on a little staycation holiday to the Lakes By Yoo (it’s glorious in the sun!) in the not too distant future where there will be lots of swimming, water activities and posing so I am super happy with my picks. Unfortunately I can confirm there will be no Ibiza-esque rave ups so I will be leaving my leopard print converse AKA my dancing shoes at home this time.
Do check out the PrettyLittleThing swimwear section for any of these bits and so much more. If you are ordering I would suggest doing it not TOO last minute so you can swap sizes if you need.
Talk to me! What looks are you loving? Have you got overly excited like me and starting sorting out swimwear, beachwear and holiday clothes?
*This is a sponsored post in collaboration with PrettyLittleThing.
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