A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend another event through Boston Blog and Tweet at swimwear boutique, Cerulean Blu – just off of Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay.

 Side-bar: “Cerulean” alllways makes me think of The Devil Wears Prada

 It was a great night of some wine, food from B.Good, positivity, and how to make swimwear shopping a little less intimidating. A group of us met in the cute boutique, located on Hereford – just steps Newbury. The store is a bright, cheerful space with a lot of choices, but it’s not overwhelming. Within seconds, I spotted a dress/cover up that I wanted (and still have to go back for!!).

We mixed and mingled, checking out the gorgeous suits made for all shapes and sizes. Rachel from Healthy Chicks gave a great talk about body image, positivity, and embracing the now – not waiting for the “when I [lose the weight, get the job, etc, etc]…THEN I can [whatever the end goal]. She had us do a great exercise where we each had a notecard with our name on it, and passed it around, and everyone –we’d all just met – wrote anonymous, nice things they noticed about the person on the card. It was a really cool exercise to see how people look at you – which is often so different from how we nit-pick ourselves!!

After that we chatted with Desiree, owner of the boutique (with locations here in Boston and in St. Petersburg, FL), and how she opened the store because she “was tired of the way that typical swimwear shopping had the power to make women feel less confident, exposed and uncomfortable.”

 I mean, c’mon – I don’t care how great of shape you’re in…standing in a dressing room, trying on suits under fluorescent lights….rarely a confidence booster. Their store really has silhouettes for all body types – Desiree heads down to Mercedes Benz Fashion week every year and handpicks designs for her store. This is a place that pairs awesome customer service with a really comfortable, no-pressure atmosphere. Win/Win!!

 Blush Airbrush Tanning was also there, and gave a great demo of their portable tanning services. I’ve always been curious about air brush ((and slightly, scared…think orange Lindsay Lohan circa 2004)), but having a history of melanoma in my family, the idea of being bronzed but not damaging your self or health is super appealing. I was super impressed by their ability to customize for skin tones, and how natural the airbrush tan looked. Definitely something to consider! And the ladies were super nice.

 If you’re in Back Bay and in need of a swimwear, cover ups, cute flowy dresses, hats, bags, sandals – pop into Cerulean Blu. I know I’ll be back, and thanks to Boston Blog and Tweet and Cerulean Blu for having us!