It's National Swimsuit Confidence Week! (May 23 - 27, 2011)

As someone who has been avoiding wearing a swimsuit in public for the past 7 years, it took a lot for me to review a Lands' End swimsuit last year.  Even though I published a photo of myself wearing the swim separates, confident was certainly not what I was feeling.  Since then, I have accepted that I will not likely be my pre-motherhood size 5 again and have slowly built my confidence again.  That is why I was happy to be invited to participate in National Swimsuit Confidence Week by Lands' End.

Here I am in the Beach Living V-Neck Tankini Swimsuit Top and the ShapeWear High-waist SwimMini from Lands' End.  Although I was sent a size larger than I would normally wear in both pieces, I think I still look pretty darn good for someone who had carried twins at one time.  (I was giving my photographer [a.k.a. my husband] the evil eye because he was making fun of my pose.)

(Click any image to enlarge)

This year, Lands' End has teamed up with the Curvy Girl Guide to help promote positive body images for women.  Would you like to join the movement?  Here's how . . .

•  Get the Twibbon – Go to http://twibbon.com/join/I-Have-Swimsuit-Confidence-2 and

display the “I have swimsuit confidence!” Twibbon on your Twitter profile photo. Send

a tweet to @LandsEndPR proclaiming “I have swimsuit confidence!” #landsend for a

chance to be entered to win a $500 Lands’ End gift card – winner announced May 27.

•  Participate in a Week of Tweets – Mark your calendar each day May 23 – 27, 2011

from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. CDST so you can join in the series of National Swimsuit

Confidence Week events on Twitter. Follow @LandsEndPR and tweet at #landsend.

We will be announcing exclusive swimwear promotions, giving away great prizes and

inspiring women to embrace their swimsuit beauty.

•  Bloggers Join the Movement – On May 23, 2011, 21 women from Curvy Girl Guide will

show off their swimsuit confidence by posting a photo in a 2011 Lands’ End Swimsuit.

You can join in by posting your swimsuit photo on May 23, 2011 to inspire your

followers – send a link to libby.schmeisser[at]landsend[dot]com for a chance to win one of

five $100 Lands’ End gift cards.

Thank you to Lands' End for sending me a complimentary swimsuit sample in order to participate in this campaign.

Review: Beach Belle Empire Swimdress from Swimsuits For All

SwimsuitsForAll.com specializes in swimsuits for sizes 8 up to 34W. They sent me a Beach Belle Domino Empire Swimdress Swimsuit to review and I was thrilled to try it. Having been a plus-sized girl, it is hard to find clothes that fit right and are flattering, much less swimwear that doesn’t make me want to hide in my house forever. Buying swimwear online is usually something I don’t do because of the differences in sizes, but their size chart contains very accurate measurements for picking the size that will fit your body best. I can honestly say that I love the fit of this swimsuit and I think the cut is very flattering and helps hide all the stuff I’d like to keep hidden. It is also well-made so it will last a long time. I have even washed it and it held up nicely. My only critique on it would be to make the bra area more supportive for those of us who are chestier, but that’s the only flaw I’ve found with it.

If you’re a larger girl like me and are having trouble finding plus size swimwear that is flattering and fits, visit swimsuitsforall.com. This particular swim dress retails for $68.

Thank you to Swimsuits For All for sending us a complimentary sample swimsuit to base this review upon.

Review: Tummy Control Swim Separates from Lands' End

I have not worn a swimsuit since my first trimester of being pregnant with the twins . . . the twins who are now almost 3-1/2yrs old. Even though I am a size 9/10, my belly area has basically been stretched beyond repair and I still look like I am at least four months pregnant from the front. When I was offered a chance to try some pieces from this year's Lands' End swimwear 2010 collection, I made a beeline for the tummy control swimsuits.

I have a special affinity for dark browns, so I selected this Tummy Control Tankini Top and the coordinating Tummy Control SwimMini. I figured that a swim skirt was the best way to go. Did I mention the stretch marks on my hips?

Tummy Control Gold Accent Tankini Top & Tummy Control Separates Solid SwimMini

When I first handled the swim skirt in person, it was very apparent that it was going to offer quite a bit of control. It did not have a separate panel in the front, but rather the entire built-in panty beneath the skirt had a control lining. When I felt the tankini, however, I was worried because I expected to feel the same lining around the torso. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the tankini on for myself. I could feel the control of the fabric and it was definitely slenderizing. I still think for my body issues, I could have used a lining in the top similar to what is in the bottom.

Some of the details I really liked about the top was the metallic accents on the straps, which are meant to draw the eye up away from the mid-section. I only wish there was a second choice of a top with silvertone hardware instead of the gold. I wear all silver, white gold, and platinum jewelry, so a second choice would have been ideal for me.

The other thing I really liked was the seamed bust area which included sewn-in soft cups. The seams slightly resembled boning, but without the discomfort. I thought that the shirred detailing was very flattering, especially for small busted women like me.

Other than the color of the hardware, the only other improvement I would like to suggest is that the top might benefit from a little shirring on the sides. The reason I suggest this is because you can see the waistband of the skirt through the top, so there is an awkward line showing. I think shirred sides may help to camouflage this line. You would unlikely walk around town with obvious pantylines showing, so you would probably not want a line showing across your mid-section while at the beach or poolside.

Visit LandsEnd.com to view the full selection of swimwear for women, men, and children. You may also find some of the 2010 swim collection at your local Sears store. You can sign up for the Lands' End email newsletter or visit Lands' End on Facebook to stay up-to-date on the many great promotions offered throughout the year.

Thank you to Lands' End for sending us a sample swimsuit free of charge to base this review upon.