My Valentines Day Pick: Mimi Holliday Azure set

I purchased this set sometime in January, with the intention of saving it for our valentines weekend away seeing as it’s just so gorgeous and luxurious, it’s a really special occasion set for me. I got the bra in size 30DD (as opposed to my usual 28F) because it was on offer over at amazon, this is not usually the best practice but it turned out okay, and the shorts I got in a Small and they fit almost perfectly.

The set on the left is the one I own.

Features:

The bra has a wide band with a spaced out 2 hook fastener, making it feel more supportive. The bra itself is a low cut balcony, with shoulder straps extending from the bottom of the cups over the shoulders, the straps are partially adjustable but quite short.

The knickers have a satin front and gusset, with the top and behind all lace, with a cute peek-a-boo hole in the back too.

The fit:

The bra is a bit too small for me, as a usual 28F,  although the cups are compatible with my boobs as they are open on top, meaning that it looks to fit okay aside from the gore not tacking, and I get more cleavage than quad-boob. I would say it would best fit a shallow 30DD, or 28E as the band is quite firm, the width of it adding to the support and making it supportive enough for me. The cups are on the shallow side, with the wires being quite wide. The bra is cut low under the arms, with the straps also being placed in a petite-friendly position.

The knickers are on the larger side for a small I’ve found, and I could probably wear an XS in this style. The lace on top is stretchy which makes them versatile for women with different shaped figures, as well as comfortable and flattering. I often find that high waisted knickers hit my midriff in the wrong place and come off as quite unflattering, but the stretchiness of these and the delicate lace means they’re the one pair that I can happily wear.

Looks:

Scallop lace everywhere, and I love it. It’s an emerald green colour in real life, one of my favourite colours, and pairs with the black lace it is really gorgeous, and looks good on my pale skin. I would recommend this to anyone, because it’s really one of the nicest sets I’ve ever come across, and the lovely fit is a bonus.

You can buy the set here direct from mimi.

Freya Marvel review, 28FF

The Marvel is a new cut-and-sew style from Freya for AW 13, it’s available in plain beige, white print and black print, I got the latter from largecuplingerie.com a couple of weeks ago. 

First impressions: The print is lovely, tiny purple circles with white shadows, but I am slightly disappointed by the lace-ribbon on the edge of the cups, as it’s overlaid on the top of the pattern, whereas in the promo photos it was the edge of the cup; here’s what I mean.

1. Promo photo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

2. How the bra actually looks on an asks model.

 

I get it, there’s not much difference, but I really like the sheer purple edging and I was quite disappointed. However, the print is lovely, Freya seem to be coming out with some great prints at the moment and I love it. 

The band is tighter than ‘loose’ Freya 28 bands like the deco, which is great news for me. The band and straps are fairly wide for this size, closing with a 2 hook fastening and the straps are fully adjustable.

  The wires are typical for Freya, not particularly wide or narrow, and the cups feel deeper than the padded half cups I’ve tried such as the totally tartan and the patsy. The side sling gives a front-and centre appearance, and the shape from the side is subtle and rounded, a surprisingly good shape on me for an unpadded bra. 

 

 

 

 You can sort-of see, the cup is just a bit too big for my smaller boob (my right), I would consider trying a cup size down if it didn’t fit my bigger boob quite well. 

 

 

 

Overall? This is a good everyday bra for those who don’t like moulded/padded bras. It fits true to size and gives a good shape for under t shirts with no lumps or bumps, very functional! But for me, not very exciting. See how some other bloggers liked it; Petite and Plentiful (28E),  Bratabase Blog (34G), Bras I Hate and Love (32H). 

 

 

 

Amy’s Christmas Lingerie Roundup

I love christmas! I love lingerie! So naturally, I love christmassy lingerie. From the outright santa-themed baby dolls of La Senza to the black lace with subtle shimmer of Freya, I want it all. Here’s some of my favourite pieces so far;

The ‘Ooh, shiny!’: Gossard’s Egoboost strapless in sequin, ASOS exclusive red colour way.

 

This comes in 30-38 D-G and £48 for the bra, UK 8-16 and £22 for the high waisted short. Get it here.

P.S. You can see my review of the regular ego boost strapless here.

 

 The Sexy Sparkles: Freya’s Ooh La La Body

This comes in 30-36 D-G, at £50 here, and if you’re sized out then the bra comes in 28-38 D-J here.

 

The cute christmas print: Primark Fairisle set

 

I saw this set instore for only £4! Size range is around 32-38 A-D. 

 

The ‘Mrs Claus’: La Senza babydoll

 

Sizes XS-XL, currently on sale at £32 from £40 here.

 

The ‘Open me on christmas morning’: Bluebella’s tatiana set

Available in sizes UK8-18 (open cup bra) for £38 here

 

The ‘Dreaming of a white christmas’: Coquette by Mimi Holliday

The bras range from 28B to 30GG to 40E and sizes in-between, the accessories UK8-16, here.

 

There’s so many more amazing pieces out there, these are just some of my favourites, what’s your favourite christmassy piece?

Harness happiness

As a lover or strappy or bondage inspired lingerie, naturally, I love lingerie harnesses. They work as underwear, making a normal bra into something a bit special, or peeking out under clothes, and they work as outerwear too making a top or dress just that bit sexier.   Here’s the best round-up of what’s available by The Lingerie Lesbian, including two that I own. 

My first harness: Esty Lingerie’s skull choker strap-harness. This fastens around the neck like a choker strap, but instead of attaching to my bra it fits around my under bust making it more of a harness. I love the little skull embellishment, and Esty has them in choker straps in a few different colours here, at a great price for those of us on a budget. 

 

Special mention: my Etsy choker strap, not quite a harness but along the same lines of bondage-inspired lingerie customisation, mine has a little dragonfly embellishment but there are lots to choose from including plain ones. It has an adjustable loop, which opens, slots over your bra and tightens again to stay in place in the middle. The neck fastens with a bra-strap style closure. I love to wear this with anything, even just a  simple white t shirt and jeans feels exciting with this underneath.

My second harness: My Pentagram harness from The Lost Keys on Etsy, and was also a great bargain buy. I was asked for measurements when buying this, which I thought was a great touch and it fits my shoulders, under bust and over bust perfectly. This also means that women with non-average bust sizes can wear this without worrying about the fit too much. I chose to have studs on the points of the pentagram, although there were options for roses or plain, more customisation which I love. I like how strappy this one is, and it feels really bondage inspired, and very sexy in my opinion.

My latest harness: The Lidia Harness by Karolina Laskowska, in a size small. This is a designer I cannot express enough love for, and one day I will own most of her collection. I was able to get this one due to a discount code, and I am so glad that I did. It is the best quality of all my harnesses, it feels so comfortable and soft to wear next to my skin. The adjusters on both sides to make it symmetrical is more aesthetically pleasing to me than just one adjuster, and make this my favourite harness so far.  This fastens at the back with a bra hook, the website says Small is to fit a 32 band but it fits great on me at 26.5″ ribcage, so don’t hesitate due to the sizing. 

 

My wish list!

The Maja Harness by Hopeless Lingerie, those shoulder straps! I swoon!

 

Esty Lingerie Black and White Choker Body Harness: Embellishment, thick straps, triangular, unusual colour for a harness? You got me.

 

The Creepy Yeha’s ‘Ravish Me’ set: This is more than the average harness, maybe not strictly a harness and more of a bra but it belongs here anyway, this is intense and full on bondage inspired and I am absolutely in love with it. 

 

If you’ve tried any of these or any other harnesses let me know your thought, or if you can think of any more I should be lusting over, link me!

-Amy

Comexim Part II: The Paradise Review, 60HH

This is the Comexim Paradise that I ordered a couple of weeks ago, with a custom lowered gore and lowered cup heights (I asked for this in my email to them, I asked in English and used google translate to ask in Polish too, they were very good about it). It took about 2 and a half weeks from me paying for the order to arrive, which I consider to be very fast, considering the special adjustments I asked for. This is the set I got, you can see the differences between the model’s fit and mine.

As for the bra, I love it. The feather print is beautiful and really unusual, and the green edging is a bright forest-green in real life.

The wires are very narrow, the narrowest, but that’s what I expected when I ordered from comexim. Comparing to the unpadded comexim I tried in a 60H, which had wider wires than this, the wires are less bendy and feel more supportive.

The 3 part cups are not my usual choice of construction, but they work quite well. The lowering of the cup height means that the top part of the construction is smaller than it would normally be. In side profile, this gives an uplifted slightly pointy shape, but looks okay under clothes.

The band is tight, just about the right size for me stretching to 26.5″ comfortably, so if you need a true 28 band you might want to size up to a 65 in this model.

The straps are fully adjustable, and just the right thickness and length for me. I dislike heavy duty straps on my bras, but thin ones often cause shoulder pain, I’ve found that the sweet spot is about 0.5″ in my size and these measure exactly that.

The cups are not as deep as the 65H bikini I tried, possibly due to the custom gore and cup height. Being shallow, this works great for me. The shape is very uplifted and I get the ‘my boobs are floating!’ feel from this bra, very supported. The lowered gore and cups make this more of a plunge than the traditional comexim style, and works better for me. It feels like this custom design has taken some volume out of the cups, it definitely fits smaller than the standard style 65H. Sizing-wise, I’d say that the standard 65H fits about the same as a 30FF or small 30G, and this 60HH with adjustments fits between a 26G-GG.

The measurements are here on bratabase

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The shorts fit smaller than their standard UK sizing, I would wear an XS or UK 8 in most brands, the Small in Comexim is a good fit.

Overall? I’m probably going to order from Comexim again when I get around to it. This set is great value for money, the whole order including postage cost me around £40, cheaper than a typical set from Freya or similar. The bands run tight, although 26 bands are getting some more exposure, they’re still thin on the ground so a tight 28 like this is a great find. Ordering through email was easy (just remember to check your junk box!) and the customisation option worked out brilliantly for me, finally the prints are cute, quirky and unusual.

Freya Deco Half-Cup review

Being a long-time fan of the deco plunge, I finally got to try the deco half-cup after snagging a deal on ebay. Similar to the plunge in that it has moulded cups, but a higher gore and more of a balcony shape, with push up pads in the bottom for that ‘cakes on a plate’ cleavage. Unfortunately, this is only available up to F cup, I tried it in 30F in both the beige and black.

The band fits big, I had to alter it down quite a bit to get a snug enough fit, the cups fit a bit small, but I think they are open enough on top for some discretion on fit with how much coverage/cleavage is wanted. For example, this is too small in the cup for me as I have spillage, but as I only get slight quadboob which isn’t obvious under clothes, I wouldn’t like a bigger cup because I like the cleavage it gives, making it a great ‘night out’ or special occasion bra for me. I wouldn’t recommend wearing a too-small-in-the-cup bra for everyday usage. 

The shape is lifted, not as round as the deco plunge (but I don’t know of a bra that is) The wires are typical of Freya, which I would describe as average-narrow. The look; bow in the middle and on the straps, colour scheme and the fully adjustable straps are all identical to the deco plunge. 

As you can see in the picture, I seem to get better cleavage in the beige version. I can’t say that it runs smaller for sure, as I received these used so I don’t know if this is caused by stretching out or general wear, but it’s possible that it does. If anyone else has both and can attest to this, let me know!

These bras will definitely stay in my ‘to keep’ pile, the push up padding actually makes the cups very comfortable and snug, if only the band were more true to size and the size range expanded, this would be a great bra. 

 

-Amy

Totally tartan half-cup, 30FF

I’m a huge fan of cute printed underwear, so this took my eye when it came out a while ago. This is not available in a 28 band however, so knowing I’d have to alter it, I waited for it to be in the sale, and when it finally appeared, bought the set in a 30FF and S bottoms.

Nicole previously reviewed the balcony plunge version of this bra, but I’m looking at the padded half cup because Freya’s unpadded balcony plunges are awful on me.

Firstly, I have fit issues with this bra. The bottom is too shallow and I really just cannot get it to sit in my underboob crease at all, making some wrinkling that you can see in the bottom of the cup. The wires, are way too wide for me, to the point where I considered trying a 30F to improve this, but the cup digs in just slightly on bigger boob as it is, so I don’t think this is an option. And finally, the straps are too wide set on me, they slip and move around when I move.

But, I love this bra, so I really wanted to make it work.

Firstly I did a quick and dirty band alteration, I folded some of the side in on itself and sewed into place. It’s still too big, but for now it’s wearable. Inspired by Petite & Plentiful and her post on how she improved the fit of Tutti Rouge’s ‘Betty’, I used a tie wrap to fasten the strap adjusters together at the back, making a halter neck. As for the wires and bottom of cups, nothing I can do without comprising the bra. I wore this for a whole day around a theme park, and it was amazing and very supported, the difference that the halter neck made was especially brilliant, and the wires didn’t bother me.

The band is true to size for Freya, so n the larger side, and the cups seem true to size although the bottom shallowness means I’m spilling over the top just a little. The shape is rounded and lifted, but less extreme and more natural looking than the deco. The straps are fully adjustable and quite wide, making for very comfortable shoulders. The seams on the cups are not great for those conscious of them showing through t-shirts, you can see them, but personally it doesn’t bother me.

I’m excited for the autumn winter range, to see the padded half cup made in a 28 band, because even through the fit issues I like this shape, and a 28G would be even better.

-Amy

P.S, Nicole’s review: http://fussybusty.com/2013/03/24/quick-review-freya-totally-tartan/
Petite & Plentiful’s racerback tutorial: http://petiteplentiful.blogspot.com/2013/07/alterations-how-to-make-bra-racerback.html

Cleo Melissa review, 28G

I have always, since I started to wear properly fitted bras, lusted after the bright colours and fun patterns that Cleo bring out season after season. The first cleo I tried was the Jude, which didn’t work for me, then came the Marcie, and I fell in love. Unfortunately I eventually passed it on due to size changes and never got around to buying another, so when I got the chance to try the equally pretty Melissa, I was very excited.

The shape is different from Marcie, it’s not as full on top specific, which I think will make it work for more women. The pattern is beautiful, I especially love the red scalloped lace on the top, which is not irritating as I worried it might be, but very comfortable and provides a little bit of stretch. The shape is very round, typical of Cleo, and looks great under most clothes.

You might have noticed that I’m not really an unpadded bra kind of girl, I find it hard to get the same lift and shape that padded or lined bras provide, and always feel a bit vulnerable in them, but this hits the nail right on the head and is something I will get wear out of especially in summer.

The fit: The band is a little tighter than other brands, Freya for example, but standard to other Cleo 28 bands. The wires are average-wide, a little wide for me but wearable, and the cups feel true to size. I get a small amount of wrinkle in the bottom of the cups, a regular problem for me, again not a huge issue in the wearability of this bra.

Overall, this bra scores 9/10 for me, it really is beautiful, lifted and round, with minor fit issues.

-Amy

P.s. this bra was sent to me by Panache Cleo for review purposes

Freya Patsy longline, with boning.

I LOVE my Freya longlines, I have Just Flew In, Carys and my newest addition, Patsy. The fit is great, apart from one thing; the bands flip up. I like to wear them as tops with high waisted skirts so this is an issue, it ends up looking much more bra-like when the band rides up. My solution? Put boning in the sides, like in the deco shape, which incidentally, stays put perfectly. 

I’m using this as boning, it’s very light, rigid enough to keep the band down but bends when I do for comfort. It’s made of soft plastic, soft enough for me to stitch right onto it with my sewing machine, great for a lazy person like me. The only issue is the ends can be stabby, which I realised after wearing it for a few hours.

My method:

1. I cut the boning (with the biggest pair of scissors I can find) into a strip that fits the length of the band, minus the top and bottom seam. I use one piece under each cup, and one at each side wing, and this seems to be enough. Tuck the boning under the top and bottom seams of the band.

2. Using a straight stitch (this is because I don’t trust myself to get it right first time) I stitch it into place, then try it on. With the boning under the cups, be sure to lift the foot of the sewing machine over the underwire to get close with the stitching. [Note: at this point, I’d put a small piece of soft fabric underneath the top and bottom of the piece of boning underneath the cups at the front, experience has taught me that it can dig in and pinch here]

3. Wide zig zag stitch over the top of the boning when it’s in place and comfortable, trying not to interfere too much the the elastic top and bottom of the band.I don’t think it looks too bad from the front, the thread matches and sort-of blends in as seams. 

And finally, be brave and show it off. This is not a bra that was destined to ever be worn under a black t shirt…

-Amy

Miss Mandalay Red Gingham Bikini

I purchased this bikni on sale from asos.com, and as usual in a sale they just didn’t have my size. I bought a 30F top and UK12 bottoms, hoping that they might just work for me. Turns out, it’s definitely wearable.

The top: The cups are narrow and deep, which suits me just fine. The 30 band is true to size, which is okay for me in a bikini which is not to be worn for walking around all day, but I would be wanting a 28 band if this was a bra. Being a 30F, the cups are a bit small on me, but f the bit of quadboob I have is hidden by the ruffles, and it’s perfectly comfortable for me to wear. 

The bottoms: They’re a bit big so I’m gonna say they’re true to size, they wrinkle and sag a bit in the bum, I would have been better off with a UK10. I plan to just make a small dart in each side to tighten them up and ease my mind when getting out of public swimming pools…  The ruffles are very flattering, and I love low rise shorts like these, I like quite a bit of coverage with my bikini bottoms.

Aesthetics: Absolutely no complaints! What can I say, just look at this bikini, it’s amazing. The red works really well, I actually prefer it to the black version, and the ruffles on the cleavage and hips accentuate all my best bits. I’m most excited to wear this on the beach in 3 weeks time, and the top is gonna looks really cute paired with denim shorts.

The only downside? I wish there’d been a 30FF and Uk10 in stock, but I can hardly blame the bikini for that.

There’s a few sizes left on the Miss Mandalay site, if  you’re lucky enough to be one of those sizes, I can’t recommend this bikini more. 

-Amy