Pura Vida bikini & bracelet haul + review


I've been a huge fan of Pura Vida for quite a while now.. According to my Gmail account, at least four years!

Surprisingly, I haven't made that many purchases from them.. This one is only my second. My first purchase consisted of a seafoam blue infinity charm bracelet and the Sandy Hook Elementary charity bracelet.


But oh my gosh, their 2016 Rio Olympic bracelet.. So cute. I'm so sad I missed out on it. I'm like a die hard Olympic fan.

I seriously admire their extensive collection of charity bracelets. In the aftermath of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Florida, Pura Vida decided that 100% of proceeds from their LGBTQ bracelets would be donated to the families of victims. That is so incredibly kind.

Plus, no matter what you purchase, you're helping to provide jobs to Costa Rican artisans. Definitely a purchase you can feel good about.

Now onto my new purchase!


I'm heading over to Newport Beach/Balboa Island for the weekend and wanted a new swimsuit.. Yes, despite all my Triangl swimsuits. :)

Therefore, I bought the Nosara top and the Tamarindo bottoms in black as well as a breast cancer awareness charity bracelet.


First off, can I just say.. The Nosara top is freakin' cute. I worry so much about sun damage on my skin and tan lines because I tan really easily, but the Nosara keeps your entire chest safe from the sun. Hopefully I won't get any halter top tan lines.. Hah.

Plus, who can resist cheeky bottoms? Sadly, I'm not too happy with the Tamarindo bottoms.. Read on to find out why!

Pura Vida's size chart for swimwear is really quite off. According to their measurements, I should have purchased (31" bust or 32A/B, 25" waist) an XS top and a S bottom. However, I read a number of reviews for the Nosara top claiming that it ran small, and therefore I should size up; that's how I ended up with a S top and S bottom.

The top fit great! I don't think I could've gone with the size the chart suggested, otherwise it might've been uncomfortably small. As for the bottoms, I feel I should've sized down. It looks rather frumpy on me.. There's enough extra space that the excess fabric has created small folds, and it's not really held taut anywhere. Awkward.

Moral of the story: size up for tops, down for bottoms.


As for the bracelet, I love it! I love supporting such a great cause, especially since my family has been personally affected by breast cancer. I like to think of their bracelets as being life-proof, since they're waterproof and can withstand a beating.

I also got two identical bracelets for free with my swim purchase.. That was nice, but it would've been even nicer if they were two different bracelets. ;)

All in all, I'm happy with 66% of my purchase.. I guess my bottoms are going on Posh/Mercari! *sigh*

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