My Bikini Buying Guide on a Dime!

I. Love. Swimsuits.

From two-pieces and one-Pieces to monokinis and more, my love for a great bikini dates back ears as a native South Floridian.  Born and bred in Ft. Lauderdale, FL., I’m no stranger to the beach.  No, my swimsuit was not as extensive back then and blogging about the look wasn’t on my mind, but things have changed of course!

Being a typical, extra AF Pisces, I was dead set on living my best mermaid life this birthday and that’s exactly what I did.  Setting off on an amazing 4 night, 5 day cruise to Key West, FL and Cozumel, Mexico from Miami, FL., there was no way that I was not going to focus on my #BOTD.  (Bikini of the Day, of course)

I can absolutely love a swim suit I see online or social media, but it doesn’t mean that it will look as great on me and those are cold hard facts. So I set out on a search for THEE bikinis for me.

I’m a small woman. 

Pictures show just that but to give you a better idea of my measurements:  I’m 5’5, 115lbs, XS/S.

 

What I was looking for in a swimsuit

I was looking for variety in style and color.  I do not run from color, at. all.  The more vivid, the better!  Especially on a tropical vacation!  I’m not afraid to show my stomach at all, so I usually opt for a two-piece and all 5 of my choices ended up being bikinis although I planned on tossing a one-piece in the mix.  I didn’t want to spend over $17 for a swimsuit either, S&H included.  Odd price limit, I know but oddly enough, that was a price I saw frequently lol.  As for as styles, I was on the hunt for:  Mermaid/Shells, BRIGHT Yellow and Spice for Mexico.  (I really think I’m on Project Runway or something with these themes)  The other two would be random choices that I happened to like.

 

Where I shopped

So if my blog name doesn’t say enough, I’m cheap.  Fabulous, yet cheap!  The idea of spending $30+ on a swimsuit is insaneeee to me!  If I had a little more up top, I’d understand but I’m not paying for the extra support that I don’t need LOL.  I am the queen of online shopping because I don’t mind taking a moment to dissect the reviews AND the pictures posted in the review section.  If you don’t do this, you shouldn’t be shopping online because you will be disappointed majority of the time.  Being smaller, I always fear looking childish and when you’re approaching 30, that’s not cute.  So I looked for women my size in the reviews to see how the swimsuits looked on them, and it definitely helped me imagine how they would fit me.  I definitely never regret taking this time.  Knowing all of this, I looked around at several boutiques and online marketplaces and settled on Amazon, eBay and Missguided.

*Sigh*

 

Missguided

The swimsuit was great, packaging was even cute.  I can’t even be mad at them because EYE got too excited seeing the swimsuit on sale, that I completely *forgot* that Missguided isn’t a US company. *slams head on desk* WOW.  This was the first swimsuit I bought and the last one I received in the mail.  Although I paid for 3-day shipping, I didn’t account for the time it took for the package to reach the United States. Please. Keep this in mind when shopping there, don’t be like me LOL.

 

EBay

People hate eBay and I understand why.  But screw ya’ll, I love eBay!  I’ve been shopping on eBay for over a decade!  The key to eBay is again, reading reviews of items and sellers, AND being mindful where your purchase is being shipped from.  So many eBay complaints come from either being scammed on an item that was TOO good to be true or not getting your items for a month because it’s coming from the Shanghai Post, LOLOL.  Take your time when purchasing on eBay, folks lol.  I used my normal online shopping methods as usual, but also added in confirming that returns were possible, the swimsuit new and in packaging, and that the word ‘irregular’ was not anywhere in the description.  Have you ever gotten a purchase and one sleeve is long and the other stopped above your elbow?  Not the move. But if you learn how to make the right moves on eBay, you’ll find tons of items for 50% less than in your everyday stores and boutiques.

 

Amazon

Oh Amazon, How I love thee!  If you don’t shop on Amazon, I don’t know where you shop.  Until I started working at my job, I was only a random Amazon shopper.  But when I saw that so many of my coworkers were Amazon Prime members, my attention was caught and the rest is history.  In December, I suckered myself into a Prime Membership seeing that the price was now broken into monthly $11 payments.  What. A. Deal.  Especially if you’re an online bargain shopper like myself, the 2-Day shipping makes the deal even sweeter.  Amazon Prime is also absolutely wonderful about any issues that you may encounter with your purchase and I’ve received Publix/Chik-Fil-A type Customer Service with them, Lol.

 

Want to buy the swimsuits I wore or something similar? 

Check out the info below and check out my Instagram for more!

(Yes, I bought FIVE but I didn’t wear one and nope, you all can’t see it yet! :P)

 

 

DAY 1 – Blue Bardot Fishnet Two-Piece from Missguided – $14.50 (On Sale!)

 

DAY 2 – Sunshine Yellow Bikini Set from eBay – $8.99 

DAY 3 – Fire Red 2-Piece Thong Bikini from Amazon – $13.99 

 

DAY 4 – White Mermaid Bikini from eBay – $12.99

(Loveddd this suit but didn’t get many pictures because I dropped salsa on it LOL)

 

 

 

I hope you loved all of my bikinis, because I sure did!  Hopefully this helps you find the best swimsuit for your next vacay because it’s never too early to plan to be fabulous!

 

Where are your favorite places to shop for swimsuits?