imageimageimage

Bikinis can be a bit of a pain…in the neck. Literally. After a day at the beach, sometimes I feel like I have a permanent indentation on the back of my neck. Definitely not the case with a cross back top. Those suckers are oh so comfy, and they tend to stay put rather well…and the straps sit wider on your shoulders, so it’s quite slimming. Yup, I’m a fan. So, yesterday I was messing around with top, and a light bulb went off. I realized, hey you can easily turn a normal, tie around your neck top into one of these beloved crossed ones.

Here’s How.

Read more

Bikini Facelift: Scalloped bottoms.

Scallops. They are great seared and slathered in butter, and even better when it’s the word to describe the trim on any article of clothing. Especially Bikinis. I’ve seen a few rather delectable scallops pop up in bikinis by Roxy, Marysia, Beach riot/Stone Cold Fox, and I am definitely on the band wagon.

But before I fork over some dough, I figured let’s mimic this style on a pair of bottoms I love, but were too darn big. Here’s how it all went down.

Read more

Bikini Facelift. Same halter new tie.

image

Oh Halters. You are turning into the MacGyver of bikini tops. I saw some cute tops like this, and this and thought, hey that’s simply a halter, but tied differently. Queue the Hallelujah chorus. Yet another way to tie a halter bikini top.

So, without further adieu, here’s yet another way to tie a halter bikini top. With uplifting results…and also a good way to get rid of tan lines.

Read more

Bikini Facelift. Target Revamp

This was a fun one.

A Goldfish Kiss fan, Miriam, contacted me and was wondering if I could take a bikini from Target a friend gave her and spruce it up for her for an upcoming trip to Costa rice. I gladly accepted the challenge…only to find out Miriam is TINY and this bikini would’ve been gigantic on me (what can I say, I’m tall, and probably twice her size). So she was going to be surfing in Costa Rica in this suit. Well…a too big triangle top & side ties bikini for surfing…well you might as well surf naked. So with some strategic snips, knots and ruching, we got this bikini to fit, and it turned out pretty darn cute.

Here’s what I did:

Read more

DIY High waisted bikini…Cont’d

Oops. I forgot to mention (ok procrastinated, then didn’t know if I should post it, now am posting it)…anywho… in the last bikini facelift post, if your one piece happens to be one that ties behind you back…you’re in luck. Not only can you turn your one piece into some retro bikini bottoms, you can make a whole brand spankin’ new bikini.

All you do, is this:

Take the top leftover half of your one piece, and cut off about 2-3 inches off from the bottom. ( just below where the back ties are) Make sure to draw another straight line before you cut. Yup it’s that easy, and turns out pretty darn cute.

Very Bridget Bardot meets Martha Stewart of us all.

Bikini Facelift: DIY High Waist bottoms

The high waist bikini bottom. It’s a swimwear trend women love and men, well they pretty much can’t stand it. I’m personally on the fence with them. They look amazing in editorials and on models, but I am not ready to fork over $60+ for a pair. I eyed an old one piece that I can’t wear because of my long torso (common problem) and a lightbulb went off. All it takes is an old one piece, some sharp scissors, a strategic cut…and Yhatzee!! You can try out this trend, without spending a dime.

Read more

Bikini Facelift. Cut out top.

I absolutely love tri tops with the cut out areas/bands at the top of the cup (no clue what it’s technically called) like this one, this one, and ziiiis one. Which got me thinking…

We don’t hesitate one bit to cut up on old t-shirt. Actually it’s applauded and a plethora of YouTube channels have been launched because of it. So, why not take some scissors to an old bikini?  I did, and the results rather swell, especially considering it took less than 5 minutes to do.

So, if you have 5 minutes and an old bikini. Give it a shot.

Read more

I present the how-to scrunchify your bikini bottom video…finally.

Stay bootylicious, my friends.

For anyone who didn’t understand the DIY wrap bikini top…

Voila. I’ve ventured into DIY videoville..

Another way to tie a top

After the last bikini facelift post, I received a bunch of emails asking how I tied the top. I was going to put in the post and for some reason left it out. Yeah. I don’t know why I did that. Oops.

So here you go… It’s an alternative to tying the straps around your neck for a more square/wider set strap look.

*I recommend doing this with the top on backwards. Then flipping it around and putting it on after it’s tied. Yeah. No pics for that step.

1: Take each string that you normally would tie in a bow around your neck, and loop each one around the string that goes across your back one time.

2. Tie the loose ends together of the strings that have been looped - in a double knot or bow - depending on how much string you have to work with.

3. Voila. There’s always more ways to tie a top. Hope this helps.

Bikini Facelift: Make it a wrap.

No sewing, needles, thread, or purchasing required. Just a new perspective on how to tie a bikini top, with up-lifting results.

Being a B cup and having broad shoulders, halter/wide strapped tops really are unflattering, and tend to make me look like a linebacker. But, I realized if I did a little switcharoo on how I tied some halters, I made a supportive, flattering, cute, wrap top. When I made the wrap top (pictured above), my sister even commented “Wow Bek, your boobs look good in that bikini.” A compliment I rarely hear.

Same bikini top, but make it a wrap. Tutorial video here. Instructions below:

• Untie anything that is tied on your bikini top.

• The ties that were tied behind your back, now get tied behind your neck.

• The ties that were tied behind your neck, now get criss-crossed across the front of your chest, and tied securely behind your back.

• Slide the fabric around and scrunch or widen the sides of the top until you feel comfortable and covered. The sides are what used to be the bottoms of the top.

**Larger, stretchy halter tops with no hardware work best, but feel free to give others a try.

Two thumbs up for a perky, stay put top.

Bikini Facelift: Ruffle Top

I’m not much of a ruffle gal, until it comes to bikinis. They add a layer of coverage and make me feel like Barbarella. Or a pirate. So, after digging around the bikini bin and finding some fabric at home I could repurpose, I ventured into the somewhat frilly side of swimwear, for a ruffle bikini top bikini facelift. So far, pretty happy with the results.

DIY Ruffle Bikini top.

Read more

Bikini Facelift: Stay put double tie sides

A typical side-tie bikini bottom is super cute & flirty, but there is one pitfall. If the bottoms are a wee bit loose or stretched out, those suckers fall off even if the wind seems to hit you in a weird way. But never fear, with some scissors and novice needle work, you can turn them into a secure double tie that feels like it is locked in place and looks rather saucy (if I might say so myself). So, grab that old pair out of your drawer and let those lovely bottoms live to see another day.

All you need is: A needle & some extremely sturdy thread that you can’t pull or break - I like dental floss, (The stronger the thread, the less important your sewing abilities are.) scissors, and about 20 minutes.

Read more

Bikini Facelift: Just Dye It

This winter, I paddled out in a brand new saucy light grey/silverish bikini for the first time. After I caught a wave, my husband politely paddled next to me and stated, “Bek, I can see your entire nipple. Like, even the bumps around it.” Fun times. Yet another case of seethroughbikiniitus plagued me.

I loved this new bikini. It was cute, flattering, but apparently not tested for adequate nipple coverage once dunked in the water. However, I was able to salvage this purchase with a quick, easy, old school solution. Rit Dye powder.

For just $2.78 I now have a brand spanking new, completely opaque in the water, dark army green bikini…that’s pretty sweet.

So, if you have any bikinis that turned out to be see through, or you just want to freshen up an old bikini with a new splash of color, head over to your nearest drug or fabric store, pick out your color of choice, and dye away.

Read more