It may come across as slightly ironic that this post follows the last one. You know, because being half naked and posing practically nude after writing about women’s rights with men who choose to treat them like objects kind of comes off like a sharp contrast.
But hell, I’m going on a trip to somewhere warm and I’ve stockpiled the cheapest swimwear I could possibly find, So here we are — the buns are out.
For those of you who have heard of Zaful, your first instinct was probably that the site was a scam. After all, any website boasting beautiful bikinis (among other clothing) for roughly $12 – $17 just seems too good to be true. And yet, dear friends, I pose here today wearing the shit out of these cheap ‘kinis and, if I do say so myself, they look like a million bucks.
So this is what my experience with Zaful has been like so far.
I first placed an order a few months ago, after stumbling across a sponsored post for Zaful on my Facebook timeline. The comments about whether or not the company could be trusted were mixed, but I assumed Facebook wouldn’t possibly target me with a scam, so, I ended up selecting and ordering one bikini. While I felt like I could very well lose my money and receive nothing in return, I figured hey, it’s only $12.
Three weeks of checking my (empty) mailbox went by, and I was pretty upset. I’m ashamed to say that I sought out that Facebook post (and all the comments about whether it was a scam or not) and posted a comment of my own that yeah, in my experience it was. When the bikini showed up in my mailbox a mere few days later, I realized I had jumped the gun. But in my defence… it took a really long time to arrive.
Since then, I’ve ordered roughly ten more bikinis on Zaful, and they’ve been a bit hit or miss. Generally speaking, their styles fit quite small in the bottom, so it’s safe to go up a size, but the top is pretty true to size if not a bit large in some styles. Since I have wide hips and small boobs, that made things pretty difficult for me. Plus, you can’t order separate sizes for the top and bottoms — just one overall size for the set.
I’ve ordered a range of smalls and mediums with varying results. The majority fit, but as a tip I’d advise you check out the customer reviews for each style (at the bottom of the page). It’s here that you can read what other people thought of the order (if the colour was accurate, fit was true to size, etc) and see their photos wearing the bikini.
I did this, but there were still a couple styles where the details didn’t come out as expected (a scalloped bikini had scallop edges that were WAY too large, and another printed bikini was only printed on the front side of the fabric, so when the ruffles caught the wind you could see the other side was just white, which made it look cheap).
Overall, it takes quite awhile for your order to arrive, with absolutely no follow up on when the items are shipped or when you can expect them. Also, a few times I ordered multiple bikinis (3 or 4 at once) and had one arrive on its own, or a couple arrive separately. I’m not too sure what their shipping strategy is, but it seems a bit random. The fun part, of course, is opening the package to see which style you’ve received. It’s a little like Christmas, almost.
Regardless, I would definitely recommend shopping from Zaful, if only for the fact that it tends to have a 75% satisfaction rate (based on my own experience only) and is so, so cheap. It always feels a bit risky ordering online, but at least this way if the suit doesn’t fit, you don’t lose out on much money or need to go through the hassle of shipping things back. Definitely give yourself time, though, and don’t expect a bikini to be rushed to you days (or even a couple weeks) before you expect to wear it.
Here’s a few of the styles I’ve ordered so far:
UNeck Bralette Thong Bikini Set, which I ordered in brown, size medium. This is my absolute favourite so far – flattering all over and so, so comfy to wear!
High Cut Bandeau Thong Bathing Suit, which I ordered in brick red, size small. The bandeau top fits perfectly, but the bottoms are too small and cut into my butt a bit. Still wearable though.
Low Waisted Spaghetti Strap Bikini Swimwear, which I ordered in greyish green, size small. The fit of this bikini is fantastic, though the straps do detach from the back and so you need to keep an eye that you won’t have a mishap. Also, the ‘greyish green’ colour is definitely far more grey than green. In fact, it’s really just grey.
Low Waist Padded Scoop Bikini Set, which I ordered in light blue, size medium. The fit of this one was perfect, but the texture was different than I expected. Looking back at the photos now, though, you can see that this one isn’t typical swimwear material.
Striped Ruffles Strap Wrap String Bikini Set, which I ordered in pink, size small. Don’t get me wrong, the fit is great, but the colour wasn’t the cute baby pink that I hoped (it was almost a bit more purply) and the striped print was just on one side. That means when the ruffles at the shoulder catch the wind or flip over, you have this awkward swath of plain white fabric.
Scalloped Side Tie String Bikini, which I ordered in black, size medium. This one fit way larger than the others I ordered, and the scallop details were huge. If you like this style, definitely order down a size.
*For reference, I’m 5’11, 34 inch bust, 25 inch waist, and 38 inch hips.
I’d love to hear what your experience with online shopping has been like, and if you have any awesome (and affordable) online stores that you swear by. Let me know in the comments, by email, or via Insta!
