But if last year’s swimming cossies are looking a bit bobbly and you want to give your wardrobe an upgrade, you’ve come to the right place.
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We asked body confident babe, Elizabeth Carley-Leonard, who posts on TikTok under the name @elisabeth.carleyleonard, to try out and review a selection of swimsuits from the high-street.
From Leicester, Elisabeth, who is five foot 8 and and a size 18 with 36E boobs, told Fabulous: “It is almost hot girl summer and hot girl summer is never, ever, to just be for the skinny girls.
“And we are not using the words, ‘I am going to wait until I lose weight for that’, so today, I’m going to do a try on haul with some new-in bits.”
Here, Elisabeth put to the test and shared her thoughts on the swimwear offerings from the likes of Asda, Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, Primark and New Look – so you don’t have to…
M&S, floral, £29.50
First of all, Elisabeth tried on a floral cossie from M&S, as she said: “Let’s just talk about the pattern on this one – for me, I wouldn’t pick this.
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“I wouldn’t pick this pattern if I’m being brutally honest.
“I don’t necessarily love it when people say ‘that pattern is too old or too young for me’, but I just think this is a little bit dated and not super flattering either.
“You get the support in the bust area and the magic shaping technology around the mid area.
“The straps, you can take them off for a strapless swimsuit, but for me, I wouldn’t necessarily wear this.”
M&S, black and white, £32.50
But things looked up, when Elisabeth tried on a wrap detail swimsuit, as she added: “This is my favourite one so far, it’s a UK 18 and it has that magic shaping technology.
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“What I love is this extra design feature, of this cross body panel, which you can tie at the side to give you more definition in your waist area.
“This is something I would feel really happy and really confident wearing.”
Tu, navy, £18
Following this, Elisabeth tested out those from Tu, from Sainsbury’s, as she continued: “I’m not usually one to pick up my clothes where I pick up my food, but this is from Tu, with tummy control.
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“First thoughts on this is that I need to size down, but that said if you are a woman of a fuller bust, this would be ideal sizing for you, because this is where I feel like I’m not taking up enough space, even though I’m a DD/E.
“Just my personal taste, I don’t love a high neckline, I don’t think it’s very forgiving for hourglass figures.”
Tu, black, £18
Elisabeth then modelled a black swimsuit, also from Tu, as she explained: “Next up, a classic black number.
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“Also a size 18 from Tu and what I like about this one – the detail on the bust, so it does draw your eye up here and gives you a more balanced look.
“I feel like the overall design is more classic, pin-up Hollywood vibes, which is something that I’m all about.
“I think this is really flattering.”
New Look, blue, £25.99
After this, Elisabeth moved on to modelling her swimsuits from New Look, as she said: “We’re going to kick it off with this number.
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“First of all, I love this cut. I love that you can zhuzh it up or zhuzh it down depending on your mood.
“I love the low plunge neckline.
“I like the back, I like that the straps are adjustable.
“But for me, I might potentially size down in this swimsuit.”
New Look, leopard print, £29.99
She then tried on a leopard print number, also from New Look, as she continued: “First impressions, I am really happy with the cut and the fit of this.
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“For me, I might size down because I do have a bit of extra room in here, however, if you are a fuller-busted woman, I feel like the size 18 will fit you nicely, because there is a lot of room and space in the bust area.
“It’s got a really flattering cut, I love the belt and the halter neckline.
“Very flattering, I will keep.”
Primark, orange, £12
Elisabeth also stocked up on some swimwear from Primark, and modelled an orange number and said: “I would keep this in this size, in an XL.
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“I like the high leg.
“Girls, honestly, these dips that we’ve been hiding away for so long, no, it’s time to show them off. I like.”
Primark, gold, £12
She was even more impressed when she tried on a gold swimsuit, also from Primark, as she revealed: “This one is my favourite one so far, I’m obsessed, this is a vibe.
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“You’ve got ruching on the sides here which is adjustable, and it’s got that really nice high leg, which I love.
“I feel like this is really good for girls who aren’t too confident with their stomachs, because of the ruching.
“I feel like it’s really flattering and it holds you in.
“It’s got that low back so you can still get good tan lines and the top is an adjustable halterneck.
“For me, 10 out of 10. Love this.”
George, patterned, £18
Finally, Elisabeth tried on a pink swimsuit from George, as she concluded: “This one is from George and I would potentially size down to a size 16 here.
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“I don’t feel like I’m taking up much space at the top.
“What I like about this is the peep-hole design, so if you want to show off a little something but aren’t ready for a full plunge, it gives you that nice mid-way point.”
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