His and Hers: Swimsuits

K: Swimsuits are tricky. Every girl alive knows the pain of swimsuit shopping. This year, it seems like one piece swimsuits are all the rage. I wore a one piece here and here on the blog, but if I’m being completely honest, I’ve always been a two-piece kind of girl, especially on a beach vacation. I like getting more of a tan and I’ve found that two piece suits are just more practical. I discovered two this season that I really love. We only managed to capture a few photos of the second one (featured all the way at the bottom of this post), but I wore them equally on our trip. We bounced back and forth from the pool to the beach throughout the vacation, loving every minute of it. 

I debated posting these photos. I’m not a swimsuit model. I have areas of my body that I’m self conscious of and am constantly saying that I need to “tone”. Instead of being fearful, I decided to go ahead and just use this as an opportunity. I’m confident in myself and the body that God gave me. Even if I have things that I want to work on, life is too short not to wear your bikini on the beach. So, with that being said, my skin may be a little pale and I may have areas to tone, but I hope to inspire at least one of  you to pull out your bikini (or go buy a new one), living in the confidence that you are fearfully and wonderfully made in His eyes. 

B: Many years ago, I was fed up with long board short swimsuits that always seemed to inflate like a life preserver when they entered any body of water. I surfed the internet until I found Sauvage, which was in its first years of production. I was hooked, and ordered one, then more. In laymen terms, Sauvage makes a mean and economical men’s (and women’s) swimsuit with colorful patterns, breathable mesh, and lightweight material that possesses an elastic rigidity keeping your swimsuit in place. My blue plaid swimsuit above is actually from my undergraduate years and its elastic capabilities are a bit lacking with age, but nonetheless still a favorite. I was gifted the red plaid suit below which makes a much more flattering suit for men than the typical knee length board short.

K: I first talked about this bag in last week’s post here. It seemed to come everywhere with us while we were in Puerto Rico. I love how it doubles as a regular purse and as a beach bag. Plus, the price point is much more affordable than other straw bags I’ve seen this season. In my opinion, a great beach bag is an essential for any vacation. 

B: As mentioned in previous posts, I am addicted to chapstick. I am not ashamed to admit that chapstick is at my side for every move I make, including sitting nestled inside my swimsuit waistband in the pictures above and below. Shortly after these pictures, I ventured into the waves and was completely doused in cool sea water. Upon reaching the shore, my hands went down to grab some chapstick, and it was missing. The chapstick was swept away be the waves. I quickly told Katherine that I needed to make a run for the hotel room to grab another tube, but after a few minutes and a few short steps, my chapstick tube was sighted rolling around on the shoreline. I was ecstatic, and quickly applied a new layer of chapstick to my lips, and we continued our beach experience.

K: This is swimsuit #2! I really love this one because it’s actually reversible. The other side is a pretty powder blue and the crochet stitching shows on that side as well. We loved hopping around to the multiple beaches nearby our hotel. Some had calmer waters, others had giant rocks, and we even found one that was similar to a lagoon. 

I’ve always felt like August is a great time to stock up on swimsuits. Many stores are trying to get rid of them and clear some space for fall inventory. In addition to the swimsuits I’m wearing here, I’ve linked several others that are on sale. I highly recommend getting one now, even if it’s for next season. Not only will you save a bunch, but it’s always fun to have one ready to go for warmer months in the next year (plus, you’ll save yourself having to swimsuit shop then).