Salon International de la Lingerie: AW18 Trend Report

I have made a true industry comeback: I visited the Salon International de la Lingerie (SIL) just recently and I am here to bring you all the news regarding AW18 season! First before we start previewing the collections, I am here with a trend report on the colours, prints and materials for next season. Enjoy the autumnly ride!

Green

 

You asked for it – now prepare yourself! AW18 season is the season of green. Mostly bottle green, but you do see some shades of mossy and lime green as well. If you are a full-busted gal, look no further than Cleo by Panache to find something in this colour to add to your collection.

Gold

 

This is something that I am personally very excited about! Gold, especially paired to either black or white is a striking hue that will make the autumn season ever-so-luxurious. Metallics in general are in fashion and you can find some silvery and gun-metal coloured pieces as well. To acquire the most beautiful golden-hued full-bust bras, turn to the luxury brand Harlow & Fox

Bralette

 

 

As Lingerie Insight stated in its previous number, 2017 was the year of the bralette. But the season for this fun and comfy piece of underwear is far from over! Now bralettes have been transformed to fit all sorts of body types and needs (see the blue bralette from Parfait) so everyone can enjoy the trend in 2018.

Bodysuits

 

To accompany the bralette trend, 2018 is bringing us an array of bodysuits, both in wired and non-wired options. There is something for everyone: D+ consumers, triangle bra lovers, lingerie-as-outerwear darers and luxury enthusiasts.

Velvet

 

Even though lace and embroidery still dominate the European lingerie markets, we can see some unusual materials in AW18. Some trendsetters have long used velvet to make a statement but this season it will hit the lingerie market big time. What has mostly been used in luxury robes now translates to bralette sets, body suits and small details on eg. see-through bra cups (see Maison Lejaby).

Geometrical & Cage Patterns

 

I first fell in love with “cage” designs when I saw the first Bettie Page by Playful Promises collection a few seasons back. Now the trend is taking on the industry and putting its naughty vibe on everything. This brings us to smaller geometrical prints that adorn many see-through sets and bodysuits this upcoming season. How refreshing after all the winter florals that return every AW season!

How do you like the AW18 trends? Interested to see any particular collection in the upcoming weeks? Let me know in the comments below! xx (…or even just leave me a comment to let me know you’re there, okay?)

The Lingerie Box – Review of a lingerie subscription box

Subscription boxes became all the rage a few years ago and unboxing them eg over at Youtube is still a big hit these days. This is especially a trend in the USA and I haven’t heard about a lot of subscription box services here in Finland. This year I got a taste of the phenomenon myself for the first time as the Lingerie Box contacted me and asked if I want to review their service. Of course I did! Here are a few thoughts on this particular service and how it serves a full-busted gal like myself…

How it works: The first step to join, is to fill in a form with your size, style and colour preferences. The questions include pretty much all the details they need to know to pick you a set just for your needs. However, when it comes to eg picking “sexy” lingerie, not all of us have the same idea of sexy. Thus, it is really up to the person picking your monthly goodies what they think of sexy or flirty underwear.

When you have filled in the form with your credit card information, a box will be sent to you and you will be charged $49.95. The boxes get sent out once a month and you will be charged accordingly each month.

The contents:  My Lingerie Box included a pink and orange Kris Line set in sizes 32H and Medium. I marked my bra size 32GG, so it was a pleasant surprise that the company took into consideration that KL produces rather small bra cups and automatically upped my cup size accordingly. With Kris Line though, my band size is usually 30, so with this particular brand I would have preferred a size 30HH. The set also included a size Medium brazilian, which is not my preferred panty style, but I am guessing they did not have anything else to go with the bra.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the set the Lingerie Box team chose for me as it is very much to my taste and the sizes were quite well-fitting too. However, I am wondering how much this is due to them reading my blog and having a pretty good idea of my taste anyway. It would be interesting to know how well they would succeed with someone who they know only by the questionnaire.

The offering: The Lingerie Box offers ten different lingerie brands on their site, from which they choose the lingerie to include in the subscription boxes. These are both European and American/Canadian brands, with a nice variety of sizes as well. Most of the brands go up to G-cup with their size selection, some even up to UK K-cup. The band size selection is very wide too, with sizes from 30 to 50. I am wondering though, how many options would someone, say UK size 36K have in their selection and would they run out of options quite fast.

In addition to bras and panties, some of the brands produce lounge- and sleepwear as well, which is a lovely addition to the selection. Most of the brands on the site I had actually never heard of, so I had to take a better look at them before even saying yes to the review request. After figuring that truly, they do have options for different sizes and tastes, I was happy to take part in this “experiment”. In the end, it is kind of exciting to come across new-to-me full-bust brands and this could be a great way of trying them.

The pricing and T&C’s: The monthly price you pay for the box is 49,95 (usually 25,95 for the first month)  and the worth of the box  is claimed to be $100 or more. This however is debatable as lingerie prices are definitely subject to what a certain store wishes to charge. For example, a typical Polish lingerie set such as the Kris Line I am wearing in the pictures costs and affordable 60 € or so. It is still saving as you only pay a bit less than $50 for it but still, it is nowhere near the $100 mark. However, in States this could be a regular price for a Kris Line set, so it could be a great saving to a US citizen if you are wary of ordering overseas. The Lingerie Box does not ship internationally so to us Europeans, it is not an issue we have to worry about.

Another thing that may concern many are returns and unsubscribing from the box. This was something that I had to look into a bit on the Lingerie Box site, but I did find a FAQ section where they mention returns and cancelling your subscription. Good news first: the returns are possible and apparently easily done, but you will have to pay for the return shipping and you can only get store credit towards your returns and return shipping costs. This is something that may put off people quite a bit, as you can never be sure how well the LB team is able to pick the right sizes or styles for you. This is definitely something the company could reconsider.

Cancelling your subscription should be quite easy: you get in contact with the customer service 14 days before your next delivery and the thing should be sorted.

Is it worth a try? Taking into consideration the price and the offering, and how well the team picked my lingerie box contents, I would say the box is definitely something you could consider if you are a true lingerie lover and the brands offered are something to your taste. With these sorts of services, you definitely need to do your research and see what is available in their selection, and of course what you will get in return for your money, if you are not satisfied with your monthly picks.  For a full-busted lady, it is tricky to order online and giving the control to someone else can be terrifying. At best, the service could resolve a lot of problems for you, but this would require more questionnaire question about breast shape etc. With this sort of subscription box, customer service is everything.

If you would like to try the box for yourself, take the questionnaire here. If you have any further questions, I would suggest emailing the lovely folk at the Lingerie Box.

After Eden D-cup & up: Carlissa & Cendrine in 70E

Finding your perfect size and shape match with bras is a pretty tough job – sometimes people think it’s just a matter of trying on a few styles and then finding the perfect bra that suits your particular tastes and shape the best. In reality, it can take years to find the styles and brands you like and even then, your tastes may change. Eeva is a friend of mine who I bravangelized this year and we found out that her best size is something between a 70E and 65F. She has never thought of being a busty gal, but alas, you don’t need to have a notably large bosom to be above D-cup!

When I first fitted Eeva, we noticed that padded plunge-balconettes were defintely a great match for her. Now, the task was to find a brand that would make something in her size, that would still be to her taste and has a good selection of padded plunge-balconettes for her to try. Enter: After Eden D-cup and Up (previously known as Signature by After Eden). *After Eden generously gifted these sets to Eeva, all opinions are our own*

The Carlissa set in 70E and a size Medium thong.

The After & Eden D+ range bras are something probably many gals who enter the full-bust world want: they are cute and sexy, very similar to core sized bras in stores like Aerie and Victoria’s Secret but come in a better size range. These particular bras go up to F-cup, but in general many D-cup & Up bras go up to an EU G-cup. The size range is geared more towards the busty plus-size gals, as the band sizes go up 42 (EU 95) and 44 (EU 100), but there are still options for the slender customers as well.

Even though these styles in particular don’t include the 30-bands, Eeva is well off with the 32 band and the many hooks and eyes ensure that the bra can be properly tightened up, if the band gets loose over time. This is definitely one of the strengths of the range – the bra bands accommodate a lot of size fluctuation which is not something I can say about most bras. The shoulder straps are also pretty versatile and can be adjusted almost fully.

The Cendrine set in 70E and a matching thong in size Medium.

When I asked Eeva about her breast shape, she would describe it as more full-on-top (FOT) – this means her breast have more full breast tissue above the nipple than below it. In my experience After Eden D-cup & Up bras are especially well-fitting for FOT gals, as they are pretty open at the top. The underwire of the bra hits Eeva at the right spot and I would say the wires are a medium lenght and and quite low near the armpit area.

For the price tag (25 € for the bra in sale just now!), these bras last in wear and tear for quite a while and the detailing (rose gold hardware!) is cute and looks like good quality to me. The materials are soft and pretty comparable to anything you would find in a high street store – not luxury but also not cheap either. The panties are also well-designed regarding rise and materials which makes them equally easy to wear as the bras.

If you would like to snag these sets for a very good price, head over to the After Eden webstore now. The Carlissa and Cendrine sets are sold for 25 € for the bras and 9€ for the thongs. 

Say YES to Undress: Full-Bust Bridal Lingerie Finds at Moda SS17

I don’t know exactly how to start this post but by the title you may have guessed it – I got engaged over the weekend! We have been together with my Mr for over three years and have been talking about getting married for a while now. It has been kind of a joke for me to say “Oh marry me already” when he has been particularly lovely and on Friday, it was his turn to actually, seriously ask the same question. So, I am wearing the most beautiful engagement/wedding ring on my finger now and I still cannot believe it’s real life – it still feels like playing some kind of weird dress-up!

If I wasn’t living in a smaller city, I would actually probably be a wedding planner and now that I have finally the permission to plan my own wedding, I am so ecstatic. I will start this happy engagement period of a little over a year with bringing you (and me!) the most delicious bridal lingerieof this spring 2017 season. However, there will be many more round-ups to come in the future, so try to stay patient for my sake!

Disclosure: These pics were taken at the Moda catwalk in August 2016. I am very aware of the gross cultural appropriation in the form of Native American dream catchers and head that were sadly worn as accessories on the runway. This is not cool in any way, but the purpose of the photos is to deliver the latest bridal trends to you and these were the only pics available. I am sorry and do not support wearing someone’s culture as an accessory.

The white on white trend has been floating around in the lingerie business forever – mainly because bridal lingerie is never out of fashion and always needed, but statistically white has also been on the top three when it comes to men’s lingerie colour preferences. Even though lingerie should, in my opinion, be bought first and foremost for oneself, there is nothing wrong with wanting to wear something that pleases your partner as well.

On a wedding night white historically symbolizes purity and virginity – which to me, is a bit disgusting as I am not a lamb to be sacrificed in some weird ritual. Or, that’s what I’d like to think (even though marriage has been exactly that, not even long ago)! However these days, we still wear white a LOT when it comes to our wedding attire and that is the chosen colour of my wedding dress and the lingerie I will be wearing as well. Maybe I’ll break the “pure and innocent” look with some red or gold, who knows! Anyway, here are a few examples of what you or I could be wearing on our big day, when it finally comes.

ADINA REAY

Adina Reay is one of the newer more luxurious options for us fuller busted brides. The prices are a bit up there for a bride on a budget, but the materials are pure heaven and the quality is breathtaking. I haven’t had the chance to try this brand for myself yet, but I’m super interested in their fit so if anyone has got any experience with them, please let me know! Even though I haven’t tried the pieces on, I have seen and touched them at the Moda show last August and have so much faith in this brand.

The two styles shown above are Pen in Champagne and Jess in Swan which are both part of the continuity line at Adina Reay. The prices are around £90-130 for a bra £50-80 co-ordinates which definitely put them into the luxury category, but I think full-busted brides need to have options. I also like the fact that the brand offers multiple different co-ordinate options, so you can choose whether to go for skimpy thong or an elegant high-waisted panty. The size range with Adina Reay is 30-36 DD-G, and S-L, which can unfortunately be a bit limiting.

FREYA

If you are D+ girl on a budget, Freya might be a better option for you. This beautiful ensemble is called Sassy and goes up to GG-cup with the longline and up to H-cup with the padded balconette bra. The white on beige combination seems to be becoming more and more popular and I personally like the look a lot.

The one confusing thing is that the sample I was shown was a lot more beige than the stock picture above. I personally like the beige one a bit more, but maybe they tried to make it look a tiny bit more bridal? Who knows! This style isn’t available until March, but if history is to be trusted it will retail around £40-50 which is pretty good for a well-fitting strapless full-bust bra.

PARFAIT BY AFFINITAS

Parfait is another great option if you are looking for something comfortable in the D-G size range and like something traditionally feminine and sweet. The brand offers many beautiful options both in their continuity line but also in their fashion range. These are the two styles that caught my attention in this ss17 collection: let me introduce you to the pale rose Sandrene and white Irene. These styles are great for plus size brides as well, as they go up to 44 band and 4XL in the panties! They are perhaps not the most practical under your actual wedding dress but would be nice options for a romantic wedding night.

HARLOW & FOX

If I could choose absolutely anything for my wedding night, one of the strongest options would be Harlow & Fox. They are the essence of bridal glamour and actually carry a decent size range of 30-38 DD-G, XS-XL on their site. The Serena range in Ivory is utter perfection: it is made of the most beautiful embroideries, tulles and ostrich feathers – everything a vintage girl could want! The only limit for me buying this range is the price – even though Harlow & Fox may be well worth it, I cannot afford to drop 142€ on a bra, let alone 999 € on the kimono robe! A girl can dream though, right? Maybe I’ll get rich before 2018, hehe!

Here are some of my picks from the Moda show bridal offering – what do you think? What is your dream bridal lingerie ensemble like? Let me know in the comments!

A Very Pink and Red Valentine’s Day Lingerie Lust List!

And apparently a post with a very long headline, hehe. So, it’s that time of the year again – Valentine’s Day is around the corner. And guess what? I am actually spending it with my boo this year – what a shocker! I have been with Mr. M for 2 years and two months now and not once have we spent the Valentine’s Day together since I have spent my Valentine’s in UK for the last couple of years.

This time, I am visiting the Paris tradeshow which is held a couple of weeks before Moda, meaning I will finally get my cheesy date this year! I am also big on V-day gifts cause hell, who doesn’t like gifts? I certainly do and am looking forward to getting something for my Mr Right from my Paris trip. When it comes to gifts for myself on Valentine’s, I do love a bit of lingerie. Here are a few examples of cheesy V-day lingerie a pink princess like myself would enjoy!

Scantilly “Invitation”

I am in love with Scantilly and I suppose everyone around here knows about my big crush already. But the collection reeeeaaally screams Valentine’s Day (or night?) date and would be something most full-bust girls would dream of receiving on a romantic and sexy holiday like that. I have reviewed the Scantilly “Peek-a-boo” set before and already have my eyes on the Surrender basque and the lovely pink “Invitation” which is the perfect demi-cup pink/black bra under a low cut dress. I am also pretty damn sure any guy/girl would be lucky to see this worn after the hot date! Scantilly goes up to HH-cup at the moment and can be bought at Brastop and Figleaves.

x
Cleo by Panache “Kali” Babydoll

Cleo makes lovely options for young women with full-busts and just in time for Valentine’s Day, they have come out with an amazing shade with the Kali babydoll. The babydoll might be a cheesy option for V-day with its hearts embroidery but who said cheesy was a bad thing? I personally love the deep raspberry hue of the babydoll and the amazing thing about it is that it goes up to J-cup. You can get the babydoll and a matching low-cut brief at Bravissimo and the babydoll itself sets you back £37 – not bad, huh?

Comexim “Rita”

Ordering from Poland is always a bit of a hassle as the bras are usually made-to-order and thus take a bit more time to ship. Luckily, there is still time to make that order if you are in the mood to treat your girl with something a bit more special. Processing the order can take up to 10 days but after that, the set should arrive in no time, no matter if you live in Finland or USA. The Polish brands are also usually great value for the money – this particular Rita bra sets you back at 35$ which is not bad for something that has on-point construction and a stylish design.

Curvy Kate “Tease” babydoll and bra set

This is probably one of my ultimate lust-list sets as it was the first well-fitted set I got when I was 18. I am so glad CK brought this colourway back as it is definitely one of the most gorgeous ones ever seen – and for once the red is not paired with black. I am also loving how they turned the Tease into a ruffly sweet babydoll which will be perfect for this Valentine’s Day. As this colourway is already technically last season, you can now get it at a reduced price almost everywhere. Brastop has a pretty good selection of prices available, so I would check there first.

Samanta “Anvers” in A470

If you are buying for a basics-loving lady but still want to treat her for a little bit of pink goodness, why not try another Polish brand, Samanta. Samanta has been reviewed here on 2COP many times and this particular set is called “Anvers” will be the next one reviewed on the 31st of January. This set is breathtakingly pretty in flesh and features a lovely smooth finish which is perfect under sleek t-shirts and jersey dresses. To give your a spoiler on the fit of the bra in A475, Jo said that it might actually be her best-fitting bra ever. Quite a compliment, huh?

+ A MANDATORY SPLURGE

Vollers “Lusso” Waist-Training Corsets

Not every gentleman/lady has the money to splurge on a well-made waist-trainer but in my dream world, there would be such corsets to everyone! I have been lusting after a proper waist-trainer for months now but I am not sure which company to go to – I don’t want to get anything rubbish that will wear out right away and in the worst case scenario, would hurt my body some way. I have heard that Vollers is a very reputable corset company so what better brand to add on my lust list? The pink Lusso corset is a perfect option for long-torsoed gals like me and IF you would happen to have the dough to spend, it would be yours for £155.

Here’s my wishlist for this upcoming Valentine’s Day! What is on your list? Also, what are your plans for the V-day? Let me know in the comments! xx

2015 Christmas Gift Guide for Modern Day Pinups! + A Couple of Announcements

Hi everyone! First of all, I need to start by announcing the winners of my birthday giveaway. I was so happy to see so many entries (850+ in total, to be honest! WOW!) and was also so grateful to see a lot of people commenting nice things about my blog and congratulating me on turning 23. THANK YOU! There is so much hate in the world right now that I am happy to see kind words wherever I face them. Please stay positive and kind, gals 🙂 It makes the world a better place!

Now for the winners! The lingerie set of choice from My Curves and Me goes to…

EMMA H.

The Mala dress + three discount codes go to…

GABBY

Thank you everyone for taking part and congrats girls for winning!

Another thing I would like to address today is the fact that I have been nominated for Esty Lingerie Blogger Awards for the Best DD+ Blogger of the Year! What an honour! If you like my blog and enjoy our little bra-fulfilled space here, please go and cast me a vote, will you? If you did that for me, I would be a very happy peanut 🙂 ❤ Here’s a link, so get voting! The voting ends on 14th of December, 12 GMT.

Thanks in advance for voting me! Anyhow, I wanted to put together a gift guide for this year which would include some stuff that I truly love for myself and I think other pinup girls and lingerie lovers would enjoy. As a word of warning, this list does not include lingerie-only items but other things as well which are perhaps easier to shop for regardless of one’s bra or dress size. I have also tried to include things that are pretty budget-friendly as I am a student myself and know December is a tough month anyway (all student loan spent already, that is!). Hope you will find something to make you or your friend/spouse/mom/sister happy!

Playful Promises D+ Collection! – Let’s start with lingerie anyway cause why not 😉 I recently heard that Playful Promises – a well-known lingerie brand in pinup scene – is coming out with a full-bust collection! Well, these pieces have now been released and I have received my first ones which I am very happy about – the set is absolutely beautiful and well-made with a fairly reasonable price tag for such unique designs!

As a Christmas appropriate ensemble, I picked the Portia set to be included on my gift guide. All the bras go up to G-cup and to spoil you a bit, I must say they run a size small in the band and a size big in the cup. I would suggest trying out your regular Gossard size, if that helps! I am wearing a 32G with PP, for reference. The bra sets you back at £55 and the panties at £30 so not the cheapest but something you would definitely get points for treating your loved-one with!

Erstwilder brooches! – I have only recently become obsessed with brooches and the blame is on the pinup community. How am I supposed to resist these beauties if everyone flaunts their cute brooches around? My outfits don’t feel complete anymore and this is why I have requested my first Erstwilder “Fancy New Do” brooch from my boyfriend as a Christmas present! They are little pieces of art but only cost around 35 AUD with reasonable shipping rates to anywhere in the world.

Besame Cosmetics Lipsticks! – Unfortunately I have not yet had a chance to try Besame but I have heard some awesome things about them. If you wish to learn more about the brand and their quality, I would read Miss Victory Violet’s review on some of their products! I personally have been dying to try out these lush shades for forever and also really dig the packaging – who could resist such glamour?

You can get the lipsticks on Besame online store and even though they are quite pricy for $22 for a tube, they are a great luxury gift for a beauty-obsessed gal like myself! My personal favourite is the “Noir Red” which is part of their 30’s range full of rich deep tones of red.

Cute Aprons from Suburban 50’s! – I am a huge fan of baking but also a super messy person and my boyfriend is always amazed about my risk-taking abilities when I bake with my beautiful Pinup Girl Clothing frocks on. Not wise, to say the least! This is why I am looking forward to Christmas as apparently Mikko is planning to get me a cute apron as another Christmas present. As a picky person, I did do some research on pinup style aprons and found a lovely and affordable Etsy shop called Suburban 50’s. Most of their aprons are around $35 and are made with amazing novelty prints (like this foxy little number in the pic above) to top it all off!

PJ’s from Cyberjammies! – I know this is not particularly pinup but us glamour ladies need some comfy lounge- and sleepwear as well! One of my favourite brands to drool over at this time of the year is Cybejammies. They are a British company who sell reasonably-priced sleepwear with amazingly comfy materials and cutesy prints. I am including these “Flora” jammies (£45) on the list because they were the first thing that caught my eye a year ago at the Moda Exhibition while browsing the Cyberjammies stand and I am still head over heels in love with them!

Ewa Michalak lingerie! – Almost every full-busted gal loves Ewa and there is a pretty good reason for it; not everyone can offer such uplift and unique styles in hard-to-find sizes. Ewa Michalak bras are absolutely amazing quality for their price and most of the styles are created especially for the customer in question – meaning you should definitely be placing your order soon if you want to make it before Christmas! I fell in love with the SM Rozmarzona which is a beautiful pinup-esque style with a great size range and cute detailing!

Dita Stockings by Secrets in Lace! – I love stockings, holdups and any hosiery really as it makes me feel so glamorous, especially when wearing something super thin and festive. I recently came across these Dita Von Teese french heel stockings ($32) over at Secrets in Lace and they are so gorgeous I could die! Every pinup loves Dita so why not indulge your loved one with a pair of signed stocking from her idol?

So here were my tips on how to make a pinup girl reeeeeeally happy! Hope you enjoyed my list and if you have something to add, please feel free to comment down below. Let me know what are you wishing for Christmas! xx

When in London – Visiting the Mimi & You Lingerie Boutique

You all probably know my love for London by now – it is the city I always go back to, even after cheating with Liverpool, Dublin and Birmingham every now and then. London is also a great city to source some lush places to shop lingerie and when I noticed in the beginning of this year that a new shop called Mimi & You was opening in Finchley in North-West London, I knew I had to visit this little darling after saying a hello to my old friend Westfield Shopping Centre. To be honest, I just realised I hadn’t told you a bunch of things regarding my latest trip to town so as my next one is approaching in August, why not share with you what I saw and learned last time!
Anyway, I took a tube to Finchley and thought “Well, it can’t be that far from the station” so I took my leave and started to walk the Finchley Road from the Golders Green station. The lovely ladies running the boutique had adviced me to take a bus from the station but nope, I thought I was a great walker and would not mind walking a bit to the shop. Well, I am advicing you to take their word for taking the bus: Finchley Road is LONG AS HELL. So yeah, it took me like half an hour to get there after already walking several miles that day. Also, the whole Finchley area is not super posh or anything – I would say it’s more on the quirky side with the odd boutique here and there – so there was nothing particularly interesting to look at on the way to the shop. However, this is one of the reasons I love London – its gems are always a bit hidden and you really need to make an effort to find the good ones.

When I finally got to the boutique I was so happy to be greeted by the two lovely owners of the Mimi & You boutique. They were ever-so-charming and I chatted with them about lingerie, my blog and launching a lingerie shop and we had a blast talking over trying on some bras from their lovely selection. What I really liked about the shop was indeed the array of different brands and price ranges they had on offer. There was Tutti Rouge, Maison Lejaby and Evollove side by side which are all brands I really like for their aesthetics – Debra and Sally clearly have great taste! Also the decoration of the boutique was so charming and we all shared a love for vintage undergarments which Debra and Sally were looking for to create a certain feel to the shop.
The whole point of Mimi & You is to offer their customers the best service they can get and even though I am usually always treated with some extra care from the lingerie professionals for writing this blog, I really got a great first impression on how the ladies treated their customers. For example, they mentioned that they did not want their customer to feel pressured to buy anything as that is not an ethical or even a financially beneficial way to work. As a bra fitter myself, I find this very reassuring as I want everyone’s lingerie buying experience to be as smooth and comfortable as possible.

If you are in the area or just visiting London, I would highly recommend Mimi & You to anyone regardless of their financial status, age, race or preferences as they truly have something to offer for everyone. Whether it’s basics or frillies, these ladies got you! You can find the boutique at 4 Monkville Parade, Finchley Road.

What are your favourite brick & mortar lingerie boutiques? Do you rather shop in an actual boutique or online? Let me know in the comments!

*Disclosure: This post is in no way sponsored, I am just very impressed by the service and the shop offering and I want people to find the best places to shop for their lingerie 🙂 *

The Best Of 2014 – My Year in Bras

Hi everyone! So sorry I have not posted in while again, Finland is reeeeeally dark right now so taking pictures is almost impossible. Not to worry though! The sun came out to play first time in forever today so tomorrow will hopefully be a good day to shoot. Tomorrow is also first day of school (well, my first uni lecture of the year) so I am sure to take some proper pictures in the morning in my fresh makeup and hair.

Before we go into the real topic of this post, I will make announcement about February. I had decided not to enter Moda Lingerie Exhibition this time but as it turns out, I have been asked to take part in a discussion panel on Tuesday so of course I couldn’t say no. If I get any video footage I will post it up here as well! Also, this means I will be posting about the new collections for AW15 and I am so excited. So February will most definitely be my month of very prolific blogging, I promise you that.

Well, onto my real topic, I will be discussing the best bras of 2014 and where you can still find them if you’d like to take advantage of the final sales. Let’s see what I’ve picked!

The Looker of the Year

As I am very looks-obsessed person I shall start with the one I loved the most looks-wise this year. The Ewa Michalak “PL Slowianki” (click for the review!) made my summer and it was killer combination with my red Urkye dress. The red comes up so vibrant and I love the print, the lace and cut all so much I can’t really compare it to any other plunge bras I have tried. I also really liked the detachable padding as my boobs are a-symmetrical. EM online store still has some of these left in stock so if you have your size listed, give this one a try! If not, why not check out their other gorgeous PL styles? 😉

The Most Comfortable of the Year

I have to say the Lepel “Iris” (click for the review!) was not on my comfy list at first but after a few wears the wires loosened up and now, the bra is my go to choice for a comfortable evening at home. The materials feel so soft against my skin and the cups are made of amazing stretch lace that accommodates any size fluctuations I might go through. I tell you, this bra is pure perfection and it’s super affordable too – it’s only under £16 at Brastop and a tenner at Figleaves! Both have only a few sizes left but if you are willing to pay the full 25 quid, you have an array of colours to choose from.

The Boudoir Bra of the Year

It was hard to choose only one from Gossard as they deserve a title of Boudoir Brand of the Year but as I am singling out bras here, I decided the Temptation set (click for the review!) is definitely a winner. The bra construction is very unusual for a bra going up to G-cup and the lace, the print and the demi-cup shape form a combination that whispers pure seduction. The set also includes a lovely waspie waist-cincher which makes this set a friend of any pinup gal in the bedroom. If you fancy buying this set for a little Valentine’s Day surprise for yourself or/and your OH, you can snatch it up on the Gossard online store for a reduced price for £25 for the bra and £32 for the waspie!

The Most Unique of the Year

I love Tutti Rouge for making the cutest sets ever but last year they upped their game a bit by creating a print of their own for their cute girly style called Rosa (click for the review!). The tradition goes on this spring as the same cut comes in “Tallulah Tattoo” print, another Tutti exclusive design that draws inspiration from Sailor Jerry tattoo artist. As a true pinup, roses, pastel colours and tattoo prints are right up my street and this way, Tutti shoots an arrow to my heart each season. The Rosa is still available on the Tutti Rouge online shop and she sets you back at £35 so not bad for this unique looker! If you are interested in the Tallulah Tattoo, I will be reviewing it later on this spring.

The Cleavage of the Year

My girls are not particularly close together so I would say that a good cleavage-enhancing bra is a true friend of mine. Not that it’s for everyday wear but when you head out for a night out in town, this totally boosts my ego a bit. The bra in question is the Kris Line “Marilou Deco” (click for the review!) and in addition to being a total babe, the bra is also made with lovely materials and great construction. This particular bra is pretty hard to find unless you’re Polish but there’s a few options for it on the Brastop online store. If you’re based in USA, Kris Line pops on Zulily quite regularly as well.

The Best Construction of the Year + The Best Basics of the Year

Though I did review the Avocado Essentia only about a week ago, I did receive it in December so it still makes the list! I would say the K-shape of Avocado is one of the best I have encountered in addition to Ewa Michalak bras. Also the whole construction is uplifted and well-thought out, so I’m happy to hand this particular award to Avocado. If you would like your very own Essentia, head out to the Avocado website to get yours for 49,75 €.

The Innovation of the Year

As an active sports gal I could not leave this off the list as it’s one of the best sports bras I have ever tried. Panache Sport Non-Wired (click for the review) offers me exactly the same support as the wired one and I really believe it will be a favourite among those who do not like wired sports bras. This new season will bring out this badass bra in a vibrant purple shade and I absolutely adore it! I got mine from Lumingerie which delivers EU-wide and offers free shipping on all orders. If you live in the USA, you can get yours easily from Figleaves.

Here are my bra favourites from 2014 and tomorrow we’ll get back to the reviews. I will be reviewing the Gossard Retrolution set and I am sure you will love it! Which bras did you wear the most in 2014? Or did you regret buying a particular bra? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear from you!

Moda SS15 Lingerie Preview: After Eden & Signature

Hiya booboos, I’ve missed you! I started to think about what to write about next and realised I still had so many nice SS15 previews to do. I will also have some awesome reviews lined up for future, featuring some of my favourite brands such as Gossard, Kris Line, Avocado and Chantelle. Chantelle has never been featured on 2COP before so I am really happy to have their new full-bust line Superbe reviewed on the blog soon!

Today however, I will get back to my collection previews for next spring/summer season and I wanted to feature a brand that I have been eyeing for a while now. The brand in question is called After Eden and since they are launching their first full-bust line called Signature and I would love to introduce them to you as well!

From top to bottom: Brigitte, Toulouse, Florence, Lourdes & Anna

I had my first encounter with After Eden a couple of years ago in a local department store which still sells After Eden for their A-DD customers. I used to look at the lingerie longingly and just pass them like a defeated warrior, as they would obviously never fit me. As we browsed the Moda stands with Anna, I noticed After Eden and wanted to see what they had on offer. I was so excited to see they had finally extended their size range – not massively but a start is always a good thing and who knows how they might keep progressing. Many brands try their first full-bust line with a rather modest size range, usually going up to either F, FF or G. This does not help my poor boobies but is a great start and makes the lingerie more approachable to eg young people who don’t fit into their D’s anymore.

As you might have guessed by now, the new Signature line doesn’t carry a huge array of sizes, to be accurate they include UK sizes B to F, with band sizes ranging from 30 to 44. Signature is this way also targeted at fuller figured customers as their band sizes do go up to 44. I think there is definitely a market gap for this young full-figured customer so I will keep my fingers crossed that the line will do well and the After Eden team will extend the cup sizes even further!

The look of the collection is very age-appropriate and cute – I think the Signature customer would be someone in her very early twenties or even teens with a fuller figure/bust. The line is very padded-bra focused but there are still some lovely unpadded options as well. The colours are nice and juicy and the fit of the bras looks decent to me by first look, though I would be very interested to see the final product on one of my friends for example. Even though the lingerie feels a bit too cutesy and young to me, I found a favourite I would be glad to see in my size too – the lovely Toulouse with its moulded cups and lace overlay. Also the geometric prints look fun and great for everyday wear and the materials are well-chosen for a young customer.

Here are some of my favourites from the After Eden collection. Most bras go up to UK D-E and start with 30 band so this is definitely a brand for you smaller busted women out there! I can so see my lil sis wearing most of these bras and loving them to death. After Eden has created a lovely ss15 collection with an array of peachy and violet tones that will no doubt steal their young customer’s heart. I would have taken many of their styles to my collection in a heartbeat too, so if you fit into their size range, I would suggest you take a look at their offering.

What is great about After Eden is that their also offer the option of extra padding so whether you’d like a single, double or even triple boost, this is the brand to turn to. I have friends that are absolutely in love with a little extra padding and after you have crossed the C-cup barrier, it can be hard to find some extra oomph to add to your own boobs.

So this was it for this time, what do you think? Would you be willing to buy Signature or After Eden if it came in your size too? How does the new full-bust styles look? Let me know, I always appreciate the feedback 😉

V.I.P. Lingerie: Review of Gossard “Temptation” in 32G

Hi everyone! How was your weekend? I had a fantastic one with some other bloggers from my hometown Oulu. I will not go into details yet but I promise a blog post about the night as it was so much fun and I have some pretty nice pics. Today I have another Gossard review for you and it’s one of my absolute favourite sets from Gossard (I think I say this everytime I write about Gossard?) – the Temptation. Temptation was released last month as a part of Gossard’s V.I.P. range and even before that I was super excited about the set as it includes some pretty badass eyelash-lace and a lovely deep suspender belt. The lovely folks at Gossard sent me the entire set in sizes 32G and Small and here are my thoughts about these lovelies.

The Design: This style is pretty unique to any full-bust bra I have ever tried; it’s a demi-cup bra meaning it only covers about half of my breasts. This may not be something that works for all sizes and shapes, but for my full-on-top breasts the look and fit is pretty stunning. The cups are constructed of two parts with a vertical seam going across the cup and making the breasts look super rounded. This bra also created my signature cleavage – two cakes on a plate! It’s a very “pushy” in-your-face kind of look but I love it as it’s not that well-achieved after you go past the G-cup barrier.

The overall look of the set is super sexy and looks as if someone had created a full-bust bra using the traditional aesthetics of a smaller cup lingerie – meaning pretty lace, fantastic half-cup cut and some gorgeous painting-like floral print. The whole look is so stunning and vintage-like I could simply die out of adoration. The deep suspender belt creates a lovely hourglass illusion and suits my pinup style very well whereas the brazilian is cut to be invisible under clothing if that’s the look you need to go for.

The Fit: This bra fits me pretty much like a dream. I decided to go up to size 32G instead of my regular Gossard size, 32FF. With other brands I am usually between 30GG and 30H right now. So I would still advice you to go up a band size and down a cup size with any Gossard style. However, if you are more full-on-top and in-between sizes like me, I would suggest taking the bigger cup size. I still fit fine into eg my Botanical bra even though it’s a 32FF. This is probably due to the demi-cup shape of Temptation and a size smaller would definitely lead to some spillage with my breast shape.

The band did not feature the gateway design this time so I would say it feels a bit more secure than your regular Gossard bra. The straps were quite thick but also widely placed and slippery so they tend to slip off my shoulders from time to time when combined with another slippery material. However, they are also fully-adjustable so that’s definitely a good thing!

Comfort: Even though the straps caused a bit of tricky situations when combined to eg a polyester dress, this bra is otherwise very comfortable. The wires are perfect again and I can’t praise Gossard more on their comfortable and high-quality co-ordinates. The lace doesn’t feel scratchy at all and even with my worst skin condition the bra felt pretty damn comfy on.

The suspender belt and shorts look fabulous but also feel good on. I really liked how the suspender belt flattered my tummy area and sucked some of it in to form a more streamlined look. However, this is not the most subtle piece of lingerie, so be aware that it does show through clingy clothing. Even though the look is very “bedroom” I think the suspender belt is also very wearable under eg vintage-style swing dresses as it is not too tight or restrictive and has high-quality metal parts that hold your stockings in place during everyday or evening wear. The panties were very appropriate for any outfit you can imagine; even though they do feature some lace the back part is seamless and looks overall great and flattering with or without clothes.

This set is priced a little higher unlike your usual Gossard lingerie; it’s part of the V.I.P. range so it’s definitely a bit more luxurious style with more exquisite details. In my opinion the whole assemble is so alluring and stunning I would pay the higher price tag for the quality and style one gets for the money. You can find the whole set on Gossard’s online store and the sizes go up to G-cup. There is also a plunge bra available up to D-cup if you are smaller-breasted and look for a more sheer look! The demi-cup bra costs £42 whereas the brazilian and the thong are sold for £24 and the waspie suspender belt for £54.

Hope you liked the review and if there is anything else you would like to know or just something you want to comment, please leave me a comment below! 😉 xx