Love them or hate them, bathing suits are beach necessities. Whether you’re going on vacation, visiting the public pool, or simply sun tanning, you will need to purchase and wear a bathing suit. Fortunately for women everywhere, there are a decent amount of bathing suits that will compliment your curves in all the right places while minimizing them in others. If you’re looking for a bathing to fit your full figure, here are some great shopping tips to keep in mind.

• Stay Away From Boy Cuts: Many women assume that because there is added material in boy cut shorts, it will automatically work to cover up unwanted leg areas. Unfortunately boy shorts actually draw attention to your leg area and tend to make your thigh area look larger.

• Choose Skirts or Swim Shorts for Larger Legs: Skirts and women’s swim shorts are a great way to have the versatility of a bathsuit with the coverage of normal apparel. While you can provide extra coverage by wearing a skirt or a pair of shorts on top of your bathing suit, skirts and shorts that are meant to be worn while in the water offer you the constant coverage from beach blanket to ocean front.

• Choose Dark Colors: It’s no secret that dark colors generally cause a slimming effect. There is no need to buy an all black bathing suit, but choosing a color that is dark or a combination of dark colors will help to mask undesirable areas. Stay away from pastels and other light colors that will ultimately bring out the areas you don’t want seen.

• Buy the Right Size: It’s often tempting to buy a bathing suit that is a little bigger than you need it. Since bathing suits are meant to cling to the skin, many women feel the larger size not only allows them more comfort, but that the extra room will work to make them look slimmer. In actuality a larger size bathing suit will sag and sagging never looks good. Bathing suits that are too big will appear to add bulk to your figure.

• Draw Attention to Your Positives: With the right bathing suit, any women can mask her less favorable traits by maximizing her best ones. If you have a great chest, look for bathing suits that accentuate your breasts. If you have great legs, look for bathing suits that accentuate them. By bringing out the best part of your body; people will tend to look there instead of say your stomach or thighs.

• Break Your Body Up: Often times, breaking your body up can take help cause a visual distraction. A great way to do this is to look for bathing suits that often belts or ties around your tummy or right below your breasts (much like an empire waited shirt). Another excellent option is the ever popular tankini which offers the benefit of a two piece with the coverage of a one piece.