Naked in the Shower is probably the only time you will find yourself wearing less while relaxing. Some of our favorite activities for unwinding and de-stressing involve undressing. A massage, spa treatment, soaking up some sun at the beach or a bubble bath are all best enjoyed most without clothes. The difference between relaxing in the bath versus at a holiday resort, beach or pool is that in the privacy of your own home the only eyes looking at you are your own, and usually through a misty reflection in the mirror that kindly hides all your imperfections. Ironically, and perhaps cruelly, it is some of the most public places that swimwear is worn. If you are heading to a resort for a break from everyday life or even just to the beach for the day and you are feeling conscious about the way you look in your bathing suit you can almost guarantee the very thought of being on display, every square inch of you, for all the world to see, will not even begin to put you in the right frame of mind to start to relax.

This really only leaves you with two options. One option is to give up caring how you look, and if this is your approach you probably would not have sought out this article on how to look great in swimwear.

The other option is to make sure you are going to look great in your swim suit. First lets start with the good news. Looking great in swimwear doesn't happen in the gym, it happens in the shops. So if you have been a bit slack and broken your promise to yourself to lose some weight then all hope is not lost. In fact the advice on offer here is equally relevant to all women, whether or not you like working out.

The very best approach is to focus on your positive physical attributes. The greatest problem most women face when confronted with the thought of barring almost everything in public is that they immediately focus on what they don't like about themselves and how they can hide it. Here is a better way. You need to refocus on what you like about yourself. If you don't know what your best features are then enlist the help of a friend.

Once you have decided on what you or others like most about your body you simply need to follow a few simple rules about what to look for in your new bathing suit that will emphasize your best assets.

The main area of your body where your swimwear can have a dramatic affect is by properly suiting your torso. Generally speaking, the distinguishing features of a woman's torso are her hips, bottom and breasts. Now each of these are going to lie somewhere on the spectrum of small to large, and depending on your perception of yourself and your opinion of what looks good you will also have a perception of where on the spectrum you would like to be.

The different combination's of these feminine features produce four broad categories of womens' body shapes.

Boyish: Small Breasts and Small Hips

The Apple: Big Breasts and Small Hips

The Pear: Small Breasts and Big Hips

Hourglass: Big Breasts and Big Hips

Oddly enough the boyish figure is the body shape that is most often used to model women's swimwear, but as the name suggests, least typifies a woman's body. It isn't surprising that the fashion industry have adopted this as their body shape of choice as most boyish figured women will find they look good in almost all swimwear. However many women with boyish figures long for larger breasts and more womanly curves, not able to appreciate how much this complicates choosing swimwear. A boyish figured woman can give herself a more womanly shape by wearing a minimal coverage bikini. Without much to fill out (or fall out of) the top, a string sliding triangle bikini top is a certainty to look best - something smaller will make the bust look fuller. If she wants to create the illusion of a bigger bottom then the opposite is true, something offering more coverage like a boy leg works well.

The Apple is probably the hardest body shape to suit. If she is comfortable with featuring her breasts then something that supports them while providing the right amount of coverage should be The Apple's focus in selecting swimwear. A sliding triangle with a supportive, thick banded halter that secures behind the neck will give the best result. Bright colours and large prints will draw attention to the breasts and make them appear even bigger. If she wants to downplay them then darker neutral colours and smaller prints in the bikini top will have the effect of making the breasts appear smaller. She can couple this with bright coloured bottoms in a large, loud print to draw attention away from her chest, or a bandeau top with some sort of added halter support can flatten the chest and hide her cleavage, but like it or not, The Apple's bust is a positive feature of her shape which other women are envious of. Like the boyish figure, a minimal coverage bikini bottom that is skimpy at the back will give a more womanly shape, or full coverage in a large print will create the illusion of a bigger bottom.

The Pear shape - lets start with the hips and bottom. For a lot of women, they wish they had a smaller bum. If her bottom is bigger than she would like it to be then it is probably not on her list of assets, but consider that perhaps is should be. Do not fall into the trap of trying to hide it, by covering it up. This is a sure way to draw attention to it, not to mention a less than flattering look by making it appear larger. If you want to draw attention away from your bottom and hips then less coverage, not more, as well as dark coloured bottoms are your best friend. A modest Brazilian bikini bottom that cuts across the buttocks rather than under it will not only minimise the bottom but also helps to give it a very sexy shape. If you are going for a bikini then a Rio style bikini bottom (thin band or string across the hips) will also look very slimming. Tie side bikini bottoms can work well on women with larger hips, and a string side tie that lies flat against the side of your legs will give a positive appearance. Avoid ribbon style ties that fasten as a bow and stick out as these add extra volume to the hips . If you are still not convinced that your gorgeous womanly hips are an asset then consider drawing more attention to your chest. Again, like the boyish figure, you can draw attention as well as create the illusion of more volume by going for bright colours, large prints and less material, typically a sliding triangle with string ties behind your neck.

The Hourglass figure embodies everything that we associate with the form of a woman. The Hourglass has everything to show off, but all to often feels she has too much to hide, thanks to the tendency of the industry to use boyish figures to model women's swimwear. Just because the catalogues and magazines prefer to show images of slim models without a womanly curve modelling swimwear apparently not intended for real women, don't be mistaken into believing this swimwear is not for you. You do not need a boyish figure to look great in women's swimwear. Women with an hourglass figure have the option to emphasise their hips and butt, or just their bust. Whatever her choice, The Hourglass will do this by either downplaying her breasts or not. Like The Pear, The Hourglass needs to decide whether she is ready to accept her hips as the asset they really are, but unlike The Pear, The Hourglass also has the option of drawing attention up to her chest. No matter what she chooses to emphasise, a bikini bottom that cuts across the buttocks will give a curvy woman the best shape. Whether you choose a bright and bold bikini top or not will determine whether your breasts are the emphasis. A supportive top with a halter is highly recommended. Dark neutral colours will downplay your breasts as will finer prints.

In conclusion, identify what you consider to be your best assets, and use our guidelines to select swimwear that will highlight the positives and downplay other aspects of your shape.