Swimwear shopping picks and tips for the big busted gal!

Hi guys,
Shopping for swimwear when you're fuller busted is a mini nightmare. I would go as far as to say it is my least favourite thing about going on holiday: and I love shopping!  It's also more expensive than shopping for a 'normal' bikini: there's no popping to Primark or George at Asda and picking up a couple of swimsuits for less than a tenner when your boobs need proper support.

Luckily, Bravissimo is my swimwear saviour. Not only do they stock their own brand of cupped and sized bikinis, they also stock all of the other huge fuller busted brands such as Triumph, Freya, and Panache. If you're rocking boobies bigger than a D cup then I think swimwear that is cupped for proper support is essential, and worth the extra money you have to pay. Here are some of my picks from Bravissimo's current range: Haiti tankini top £45, bottoms £23.
Stella bikini top by Panache, £31. Bottoms, £15.50
Belize tankini top £36, bottoms £18.
Madame butterfly bikini top by Freya £34, bottoms £23.

The tankini style is perfect if you have a slightly jiggly tummy - or new mummy stretch marks like me! I think you look slimmer the less flesh you show, so I'm a big fan of the tankini. I love the first Haiti tankini here: the blue band at the top of the bikini bottoms breaks the smooth line of the pattern of the tankini. This isn't great if you have hips, curves, or an hourglass figure. But it's perfect if you are slim with fuller boobs as it will create curves at your hips and draw attention away from the boobs.

The only problem with this tankini? It has halter straps! If you have very heavy boobs then you will find that when a halter bikini gets wet the weight of your boobs will cause friction and pain on the strap around the back of your neck -  I'm talking from experience here!! Wide flat shoulder straps are much more comfortable, and that's what I would recommend you look for.

I've included the blue Belize tankini here because that's the tankini I'm wearing right now: mine is in coral though, which was the colour Bravissimo made this in last summer.

I only have one swimsuit in my armoury (these are so expensive!) but I think its better to have one that fits properly than ten cheaper ones that don't. I've you're going on holiday and want lots of different swimwear looks but don't have a lot of money then my advice would be to buy one well fitting bikini top in a classic colour or pattern (I would opt for plain black but the nautical stripes shown above would also work). Then head somewhere much cheaper -  I'm thinking Primark - and pick up some contrasting mix and match bottoms and sarongs so you have lots of options and never get bored of your swimwear looks. This is what I did for my honeymoon and it worked really well!

Have you picked out your new season swimwear yet? And fuller busted girls, do you have any more bikini finding tips to share?

Love Tor xx

The January Sales are here! Simple tips for success....

Hi guys,
They're here! Christmas is over, and the part of the celebrations every girl who cares about fashion really gets excited about is upon us: the January sales. I don't really know why they call them the January sales, as technically they start at the end of December, but nonetheless, they're here!

I wrote a quick post of tips for January Sales shopping last year, and was simply going to link to that again for this January. But actually I realised I'd missed out on some great tips, and if you want to have sales success you have to be prepared. So I've written the list again! Here are my new and improved top tips to get what you want from the January sales:

1. Plan ahead! In the week before Christmas (leading up to the sales) when i'm shopping for my Christmas presents I'm also looking at the things I'd like to get for myself: If I see something I really like I even try it on, because believe me, trying things on just isn't feasible on the first days of the sale. That way I can run in, find it, and buy it as soon as the sale starts.

2. Set a budget. And then stick to it! I know it's easier said than done, but when you hit the sales it's easy to forget how much you're spending, and spend much more than you wanted to. When I'm going sales shopping I take out the amount I'm prepared to spend in cash before I hit the shops: that way, I know exactly what I'm spending as I go (it's so easy to lose track with cards) and when it's gone, it's gone!

3. Last year The Telegraph reported than one in ten people do their Christmas shopping in the January sales. Whilst I'm not condoning such bah humbug behaviour, I do do some of my present shopping for birthdays throughout the first half of the year (My nieces birthday is in January, and my sisters birthday is at the beginning of Febuary for example) in the January sales. It just makes good sense: you get more for your money, meaning people get better gifts!  Plan ahead for this like you would when shopping for Christmas: write a list of the people you're looking for presents for, a few ideas and all their vital statistics (sizes etc) to take with you to the shops.

4. Make a list of things you need, and more importantly, a list of things you DON'T need. I am a self confessed coat and jacket addict. I don't need any more: it would be a waste of money. But I really need new jeans. Having a piece of paper to shop with that spells out that I need jeans, knitwear, make up etc and I don't need jackets, coats or anything with sequins on it makes it much easier to stay motivated to only buy what I need.

5. Finally, don't give up! This is a tip I shared last year that's still just as relevant now. If you've got your heart set on something but it's sold out don't give up: just think outside the box. If you really wanted French Connection shoes but can't get them from French Connection, for example, try Sarenza or Zalando or any other website that sells big brand names. And for high street clothes, ASOS is a veritable gold mine of sale items that have sold out elsewhere: it's where I got that River Island dress I wanted last January that was sold out on their website!

Are you prepared for the January Sales? Do you have anything on your wish list that you're hoping to pick up? Or have you been too busy thinking about Christmas to prep for the bargain hunting afterwards?

Love Tor xx