They called for a hot summer here in Ontario this year and boy were they actually right for once. It’s STEAMING here right now, I’m currently sitting in my apartment (with no a/c) with two fans pointed directly at me… I’m still sweating. Pls pray for my survival this summer.
Knowing it was going to be a scorcher, I figured I was probably going to be in the pool a lot. I have some old ass bikinis that really ought to not be shown to the world so I figured it was time to update my stash, something I had actually been planning to do for a while.
Luckily when I went to order, they had a cheeky little sale on, so I got my suits even cheaper than the usually-cheap Zaful – bonus! My entire order (4 bikinis), with the sale came to a total of $59.46 US – for 4 bikinis that isn’t bad at all! Especially considering places like Forever 21 sell separates for $25 a piece.
I placed my order on June 6th, received half my order on June 19th, and the second half on June 20th – both of which were before my expected delivery date of June 21st. I’ve heard horror stories of peoples orders taking weeks to get to them so I was extremely happy with how quickly they arrived! They even give you a tracking number so that you can keep track of where your parcel is.
I was also really happy with the quality of the suits – I’ll go into the materials and fit of them all in a moment but in regards to craftsmanship and how well they were made, I was impressed. There were no loose threads/holes, and the sizing (in my opinion) was super consistent.
I ordered medium in all of these suits – my top tip when ordering from Zaful is to check out of the reviews. So many people post their measurements/height/weight info along with the size they ordered and how well it fit/issues they had with it. Some people even post pictures in the suits which is super helpful. I based the sizes I bought on those reviews, and I checked the reviews for every bikini I bought because I’ve heard how inconsistent Zaful can be with sizing.
Sizing wise my measurements/usual sizing is as follows:
- Waist 26 inches, hips 40 inches
- Lululemon leggings size 6
- Bra size 34C
- Jeans – usually a 28
- UK size 8/10, US 6/8
- Usually a small/medium overall
In total I ordered 4 bikinis.
Scooped High Cut bikini set – red
I’m really into the bright colours at the moment, especially red so I couldn’t resist throwing this one in my basket. I’m usually not one to go for a bikini top that isn’t a bandeau style bc awkward tan lines but this one was so cute I had too get it.
The material on this bathing suit is lovely, so super soft and lightweight. It’s a bathing suit material but not thick, if that makes sense. I ordered a size medium and it fits perfectly.
The bottoms are more of a Brazilian cut bottom, but the combination of the slippery soft material, and my big ol’ butt makes them into more of a thong. The top is cute, the straps are maybe a little too wide set – they fall really close to my armpits – but the fit is perfect. There are little circles of padding in the top as well that are just enough to cover the nips but not so big that you can really tell they’re there.
Here is the link: Scooped High Cut set
Knot Padded Bandeau bikini set – yellow
Of all the zaful bikinis that I’ve bought, this one is my least favourite. Not because of the material or colour, but because of the style of the top.
The material is the exact same as the red one I mentioned above – super soft and lightweight. The colour is so lovely and bright (I’m also obsessed with yellows right now as well), and the bottoms fit me like the red bottoms did, maybe a little bit smaller. They’re slightly different in design with a little stitched detail on the front, but that doesn’t change how they fit. Again, brazilian/cheeky cut but slips into a thong style. No biggy.
The top is the miss in this set. It’s a bandeau style, with strapping detail running along the bottom (or top) of the cups that sort of knots in the middle. Cute in theory but the strapping gets lost in the under boob, or just doesn’t really show a the top, and the knot makes the fabric bunch up and become almost pointy in the middle of your boobs. The cups also don’t help either. They’re very rigid and kind of pointy so it does weird things to the shape of your boobs. I’ve attached a pic down below so you can see.
One good thing about the cups in the top is that because they are so rigid, the bandeau actually stays in place with movement which means it’s a good throw on top for tanning or mucking around in the garden.
Here is the link: Knot Padded Bandeau set
Back Lace-Up Bandeau bikini set – mauve
Exact same material as the red and yellow.
I love the style of one but it has some flaws. The top is bandeau style so perfect for tanning in. It also has a tie back which means that you can tighten it or loosen it to your size which is great if you find that you’re usually a different size in your top and bottom, you can just order for your bottom size and adjust the top as you need too.
My only issue with the top is actually the material used and lack of padding. Basically the material here has been sewn into a big tube thats been attached together by the tie strings – because the material is so slippy, one wrong move and the material slips against itself and you’re at risk for a major boob exposure. It also doesn’t have any padding in it which I think would help this problem as it wouldn’t be able to roll so much, the padding would also help cover any nips so if you’re not comfortable with having your nips out then I wouldn’t go for this suit!
The cut and style of the bottoms is the exact same as the red ones – Brazilian cut but the slippy material doesn’t allow them to stay in place so it just ends up being a thong.
Here is the link: Back Lace-Up Bandeau set
High Cut Ribbed Bandeau bikini set – white
I think of all the suits I ordered this one is actually my favourite. It fits perfectly, doesn’t slip around.
The material on this suit is actually different than the other three suits I’ve talked about. It’s a thicker, ribbed material which I think does a lot for the overall fit and practicality of the suit.
The top is similar in style to the back lace-up bandeau set that I just talked about – bandeau and it has the tie strings at the back so you can alter the fit of it as much as you need too. There is padding in the cups which really works to keep the top in place… I also ordered white to the pads are a saving grace in the nippy region as well.
The cut of the bottoms is more of a thong style than the others, and because of the ribbed material it actually stays in place, and actually really doesn’t ride up your butt that much.
Here is the link: High Cut Ribbed Bandeau
I had also ordered this high leg bandeau set last year as well, in the olive green colour. I ordered a medium in this one as well. The bottoms fit well, but not as snug as I’d like, and the top is massive – I would say this one is closer to a large than a medium. Maybe they got more consistent with their sizing this year? Because all the mediums I ordered this year as you know fit me perfectly – so it could just be a case of them really upping their sizing game! I wear the bottoms a ton though they’re a little high waisted, ribbed, super cute.
Overall I’m really impressed with Zaful. I was nervous ordering from them again after the fail of top size I got last year, but what I think helped is being really thorough with looking at everyones reviews, and also buying tops that had the adjustable back just in case the size was too big/small. I 100% would buy from them again!
Do you have any recommendations for your fave, inexpensive swimwear? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time
xx