Summer Body Confidence with WHATLAURALOVES & #CurvissaSummerOfYes AD

How many times have you held yourself back from truly experiencing life because you have felt self conscious?  I’ve lost count of the amount of opportunities I’ve turned down over the years through a lack of body confidence and self belief but not any more.  In recent years, I decided to stop caring about what other people thought about me and wanted from my life and started to focus on how I feel about me, what makes me happy and what I want to achieve.  That’s when my life truly began and the doors that have opened for me have been truly amazing.  Now I make the most of EVERY SINGLE DAY; I love waking up each morning, feeling grateful for what I have and what is to come.  I’ve travelled the world, had some incredible experiences and feel so happy to be in the positive mindset that I’m in now.

Confidence in myself and my body didn’t come over night, it is something that I’ve really had to work on but if I can do it, you can too and I promise you, its worth it.  I want to inspire as many women as I can to feel comfortable and confident in their own skin so that they can start living their life NOW rather than putting it off until WHEN.  So grab your passport to confidence, its time to say YES this summer!

After the success of my Winter Edit, #WhatLauraLovesXCurvissa, I have once again partnered with plus size brand,  Curvissa, this time for the Summer season, along with two other body positive bloggers, Hollie Burgess and Rachel Sealy.  Through the #CurvissaSummerofYes Campaign, Curvissa want to inspire all women to embrace body positivity and say YES to all of life’s experiences through a wardrobe they can feel confident in.

So often in life, plus size women miss out on all that the summer months have to offer from holidays to days out in the sunshine because they don’t feel confident in their own skin.  They cover up in clothes that leave them feeling so hot and bothered because they’re too self conscious to embrace a new wardrobe of swimwear, dresses, skirts and shorts.  I know how that feels but I also know how amazing it feels to break from those constraints I put on myself.  I deserve to feel the sun on my skin just as much as anyone else and I refuse to let my shape or size dictate my enjoyment and experiences in life, especially during the summer when the days are warmer, lighter and longer; I want to be out there seizing the day, living and loving life wearing summery clothes that I feel like the best version of me in and I know so many of you do too.

I have put together my own holiday capsule collection with Curvissa that will enable you to step into a summer wardrobe that you can feel comfortable and confident wearing so that you can focus your energy on making the most of the summer rather than worrying about what you’ll be wearing.  It is packed full of easy to wear pieces, like the Maxi Beach Dress by Sheego, that you can style up for the evening or down for during the day whether you’re on holiday or at home with coordinating accessories that you can mix and match for comfort without compromising on style; take the Rieker High Heel Sandals for example.

This collaboration feels like a match made in heaven, as I’m sure you’ll agree and I’m so excited to reveal that the campaign launches today.  This collaboration has been in the pipeline since the beginning of 2019 and there are times when I could literally burst with excitement to tell you all, especially when some of you have messaged to ask if i’ll be bringing out anymore clothing edits with them and I’ve had to sit there like the little monkey covering its mouth emoji, grinning with happiness while trying to remain nonchalant so as not to break an embargo!

I’ll be sharing one of my plus size swimwear, beachwear, evening and daytime outfits in this post, just like the Lace Detail Drawstring Top paired with the Printed Casual Trousers, and then I’ll reveal more looks from my collection on my WhatLauraLoves Instagram over the coming weeks to show you just how versatile the pieces I’ve chosen are.  Feel inspired to mix and match them to create your own capsule wardrobe and enjoy how wearable they are with long lasting quality that’ll have you bringing them out of your suitcase summer after summer.  I’ve included something for everyone and I’ve worked on getting the balance between your comfort zone and the life that’s waiting for you outside of it just right and I want to inspire you to take that first step.

We all know how much I love wearing a bikini on holiday after I found my bikini body confidence but I still can’t believe that I waited until I was 28 before I ever wore a bikini and it wasn’t even that much earlier that I began to feel confident in swimming costume!  Rather than regretting all of those missed opportunities to wear gorgeous swimwear over the years, I’m embracing my body and enjoying all of the stylish plus size swimwear that is available now and Curvissa have a great range to help me and you to do this after all, I love my beach body and its ok for you to love yours too.

When we’re born, we don’t come kicking and screaming out of the womb hating our bodies and chastising ourselves for every lump, bump and mark on our bodies, do we?  Over the years we learn it.  We’re forced to look at magazines circling imperfections and taught that being anything other than ourselves is ugly and something to be ashamed of, so we coverup, hide and away and stop ourselves from truly experiencing all that life has to offer.  That ingrained self hatred is ruining our lives ladies and I want to empower you to break free from the hold that it has over you.  Sure you may have spent the last 20, 30, 40, 50 years hating your body or lacking confidence in yourself but do you want to spend the rest of your life feeling like that?  No!  How much more amazing would your life be if you loved yourself for who you are and the skin you’re in? YES!

Including swimwear in my collection was so important to be because last year when I posted this video at my local swimming pool, the amount of women who messaged me with stories of all of the things they were missing out on because of their lack of body confidence in a swimming costume broke my heart but hearing how they then felt inspired to wear one, many for the first time in years, filled me with such joy and really made me realise that I could have a small positive impact on some peoples lives.

The harsh reality is ladies, you’re NEVER going to get this day again.  Your children will only be this age once; do you want to miss out on taking them swimming because you’re scared or do you want to make memories that you’ll both treasure forever?  Whatever you’re doing this summer, make every day count and be free to say YES! to all of those things that you really want to do because in the end, you’ll only truly regret the things you didn’t do.

We all have to start from somewhere so I’m taking things back to the beginning, my starting point, with the black Fringed V-Neck Swimsuit; a summer holiday staple that is perfect for everyone to wear.  The fit and shape is fabulous and will look gorgeous with your curves girl!  This swimsuit will coordinate so well will any number of kimonos and beach wear but do me a favour, don’t cover up too much will you?  Feel the sun on your skin and make this the summer you say YES! to building your confidence.

Stride out around the pool in your plus size swimming costume feeling every inch the gorgeous woman that you are and if you feel the need to pop on a cover up, slip it down off your shoulder when you get to your sun lounger or get to the edge of the pool.  I promise you, the world isn’t going to end because a fuller figured woman has stepped out in her swimwear.  Build on that confidence every single day and before you know it, you’ll be only wearing a kimono to accessorise for the fashion factor rather than to cover up and hide.

On my WhatLauraLoves Instagram, I’ll be showing you how you can elevate your body confidence in plus size swimwear with this gorgeous hanky hem tankini so make sure you’re following me over there as I wouldn’t want you to miss out!

Used to living in leggings?  Try the Smock Band Summer Trousers on for size.  They’re available in black and print, elasticated on the waist and light weight for comfort on those hot summer days and they can be dressed up or down whether you’re going to the beach, hunting for a souvenir at a market or heading to a cocktail bar for a dance and sing on the karaoke… because we all need to hear another rendition of Amy Winehouse’s Valerie don’t we?

Scared to show your arms?  Let’s build that confidence girl!  The Tie Sleeve Cold Shoulder Top sits just off the shoulders and once you feel that sun on your skin, you’ll be wondering why you kept them covered for all of those years.  The sleeves are half length, split at the sides and tie around about the elbow so they’re a great way to step a little out of your comfort zone when it comes to getting your arms out.

I believe that we should all feel so grateful for our arms and the benefit that they have to our lives.  They’re worthy of love and respect regardless of how our arms look, from how big or small they are to how tight or loose our skin is and the stretch marks, scars or pigmentation they may or may not have.  Despite this, so many women feel uncomfortable with having their arms on show and if that’s you reading this, then I want to help you to build your confidence and learn to love your body from every angle.

Let’s face it, for the many women who feel as though they want to keep their arms covered, its generally the inside and underside of their arms that they really don’t want on show as for a lot of women, the outside part of the skin is often the smoothest.  For years the media have mocked women for the appearence of their arms for being anything other than taut, so ladies up and down the country feel ashamed to be confident in their own skin for fear of comments calling their arms bingo wings.  However the worst bullies about how bodies are often ourselves; how many times have you spoken badly of yourself?  We internalise our thoughts and they become our reality so if you speak negatively about yourself, you believe that negativity and assume that everyone is thinking that way about you as well.  Be kind to yourself, speak words of positivity to yourself and in turn, you’ll start to love yourself and build your body confidence.

Next time you look in the mirror and point out something that you don’t like about your arms, switch that thought immediately to something that you love about them.  Speak it out loud and tell yourself what you’re grateful for about your arms, or any other body part that you’re not feeling confident about.

While you’re working on that arms out confidence, promise me you’ll give this top a try.  It is stretchy, lightweight and elasticated across the top so it’ll fit to the shape and the width of your shoulders.  Those split sleeves take you just outside of your fully covered bubble while you’re working on your love for your arms in their entirety, as you still feel pretty covered on the arms but are letting that little bit of skin on the outer side of your arms show.  The feeling of the breeze on your skin rather than sweating in a full sleeve will help to get you to Destination Confidence even quicker because you’ll feel more comfortable than you ever did in your comfort zone!

With so many great new plus size clothing options, you’ll need somewhere equally as fabulous to wear your new summer wardrobe and that’s why Curvissa are running a competition for 3 lucky people to win a £250 Virgin Experience Days Voucher and £100 to spend at Curvissa, until 30/06/2019!  To find out how to enter, head to the Curvissa Facebook Page or the Curvissa Instagram Page!

I wish you all the best of luck but I can’t guarantee you’ll win.  One thing is for sure though; your life wont be improved by chance this summer, it will only be improved by change and it comes from you.  That change doesn’t come with loosing weight or changing who you are physically, that change comes with making the choice to love yourself.  Making that positive switch in your mind will bring you further in life than hating yourself ever will and I’m living proof of that!  Say YES to loving YOU without hesitation and you’ll start saying YES, without question, to more experiences this summer.  Don’t be scared, just say YES!  It all starts today with the launch of #CurvissaSummerOfYes!

Grab your passports ladies, CONFIDENCE HERE WE COME!

What will you say YES to this summer?