Lingerie Review: Kris Line “Manuela” in 65H

Over the time, the two Kris Line reviews and my introduction post to the brand have been some of the most popular posts I have ever written. It is quite clear why, too – Kris Line is one of those Polish brands that are widely accessible through the likes of Brastop and Zulily with very reasonable pricing, which makes it a good first choice for testing Polish lingerie. For me, Kris Line has always held a special place in my heart – their wires are not narrow enough to poke me in my breast tissue and the designs are breathtakingly beautiful. Today, I am reviewing something that will be a continuity range for Kris Line starting from last summer and continuing at least to the next summer season. Let me introduce you to the beautiful Manuela! *This set was kindly gifted to me by Kris Line. All opinions are my own.*

Design: I chose the non-padded balconette Manuela but in true Kris Line style, this design comes in several bra and bottom options. I also received the complementing briefs to match my bra. Why I decided to opt for the non-padded bra with this style was because of the realization of the fact that this is the most popular bra style in my bradrobe and thus, it is the most practical everyday style for me. The bra cups are constructed of three pieces, one seam going diagonally and one going vertically, to form a very traditional and natural bust line. The bottom half of the cups is double-lined but the top part remains completely sheer.

The colour and styling of Manuela are absolutely breathtaking and I first fell in love with the sky blue hue and the detailed embroidery of the set. I am fan of blue lingerie in general as it suits my skin tone, eyes and hair colour pretty bang-on, but I am also a sucker for trends and this autumn, it is all about the blues. I was very happy how the styling turned out in flesh as well and the shade of the set, which is truly stunning.

Fit: As I had tried Kris Line soft cups before and found them to run a bit on the bigger side, I decided to size down to 65H this time. Kris Line sizing is quite unique but if you want to learn more about it, I would highly recommend taking a look at my previous post on the brand. According to the size chart I would be a 70H which is the size I went for last time and it fitted me pretty well in both the Deco-shape and their soft cup style. However, I have found the bands become a bit loose after a good amount of wears and decided I would go for 65 this time, just to give my bras a little more time to live. Also, I lost some weight after I first acquired my Kris Line bras about a year ago and I think I have gone about half a cup size down after that. This is why I chose to go down with my cup size as well this time, resulting in 65H as my best size with their soft cup style.

The 65 band feels nice and snug but not restrictive in any way, which is sometimes the result when gambling with your band size. However, I did not notice a significant difference to the 70 band so if you are between band sizes, I would suggest taking the smaller one, even just for longevity. The cups encase my breast tissue nicely and again, the wires are perfect for me as always with Kris Line. The straps are only half adjustable but that has not been a problem for me with this bra, however, I am 5″6 so definitely not petite. If you quite petite though, I would consider getting yourself some Strap Savers or skipping this style all together. Overall, the fit of the bra on me is spot-on and I have no gripes with it whatsoever!

Comfort: I love how comfy Kris Line bras are! If I would have to pick two of the most comfortable brands I wear on day-to-day basis, those would definitely be Kris Line and Gossard. Of course, no brand makes everything perfect to the last detail but these two brands keep rotating in my everyday bradrobe from day to day. I guess it’s a lot due to wiring and comfy bands – if you are pretty average breast root -wise like me, I think you would love Kris Line as well! They are a happy medium between the usual wide British wires and very narrow Polish wires. If Ewa Michalak is not your thang, definitely try KL instead!

When it comes to the panties, I would recommend taking your regular Polish size which is a medium for me. I usually wear a Small with most British brands so especially, if you are between sizes, do size up. I must say the Small is absolutely tiny with KL panties and still, the Medium is smaller than eg my Freya briefs in Small.

If you would like to try some Kris Line for yourself, I would highly recommend checking out Zulily for American customers and Brastop for.. well, basically everyone else 😀 The prices are usually very reasonable on these sites and you are sure to score a bargain!

How do you like Manuela? Also, how do you like the blue colour trend for this autumn? Let me know in the comments below! xx

Florals for Christmas – Review of Bravissimo “Satine In Bloom” in 30H

I have always been a huge Bravissimo fan – even before I actually popped into their store in Liverpool I knew they were famous for their fitting service and a lovely selection of the best brands for a fuller bust. When I finally fulfilled my lifelong dream of living in UK, I knew I had to make a visit to my nearest store in Bold Street (the absolute best street in Liverpool btw!). The ladies at the store were very helpful and also gave me and my American fellow Leah a bra fitting that took my dear friend from being a 34C to her “real” size of 30F. Leah ended up walking out of the store with a classic Bravissimo in-house style “Satine” which looked so lovely on her.

Fast-forward to today, I finally got my chance to try this classic style myself when Bravissimo contacted me and asked if I wanted to try Satine for myself. Seeing it on Leah I knew it would be a great sexy addition to my lingerie collection, so of course I said yes! Here’s how I liked the new Satine In Bloom by Bravissimo’s house brand.

Excuse me for the headlessness, my straightener just resigned itself and I was wearing toilet paper rolls on my head 😀

Design: Satine is usually a quite simple yet sexy style – it always comes in a shiny satin-y material and a plunge shape – but this time I was thrilled to see it in such a pretty floral print. The print looks a bit Asian-inspired which made it feel a lot more unique and the colouring was just lovely – different tones of China red and pink splashed on the granite grey background. I was so pleased to see the vibrant shades come alive when I saw the bra in flesh; the pics on Bravissimo website or even mine don’t do the colours true justice.

The shape of the bra is a true plunge; the cups are made of three parts with one vertical and one horizontal seam. The look of the bra is very uplifted and also quite natural on me. The cups look a tad pointier than some of my other plunge bras but work well with most of my dresses. This is the exact kind of style that I am always looking for: something very low-cut that doesn’t show under plunging necklines. The cleavage is not super prominent so I see Satine as a great option for everyday wear as well.

Fit: As the Bravissimo team told me they would like me to try the Satine I was a bit hesitant at first. Not that I don’t love the style – it’s just that extreme plunge shapes like this tend to cut into my upper fullness. However the result was clearly not that bad when I tried the bra on – it was a little tight on my bigger breast but definitely not so much to doom it as a bad fit. I still think the bra would suit best someone with a little less upper fullness so you full-on-bottom ladies, do try the Satine! The cups were deep enough for me though and I really like how projected my boobs look in them. The cup on my bigger boob folds a tiny bit at the bottom which tells me it’s not quite deep enough there but that is very common with my other padded bras as well and doesn’t bother me at all.

The band of the bra is super comfortable and supportive! I have been having some issues with brands making their bands too narrow for my 30GG/H bust to feel supported and I am so happy Bravissimo makes their GG+ bras with three hooks and eyes. The band felt very snug at first but loosened up a bit as I wore it a few times.

When it comes to sizing, Bravissimo house-brand seems to running on the smaller side. I am still very solidly between GG and H and I decided to go for 30H based on the feedback I saw online. Many of my busty sisters have tried the Satine and reported its cups to run small-ish which is why I went for my bigger size. I am so glad I did as the bra fits me quite well even though the shape is rather closed on top! The band however seems to run true-to-size so a lovely snug 30 fits me really perfectly.

Comfort: From all aspects of the Satine set, the comfort takes the trophy home. I actually was stupid enough to do some intense dancing around our apartment yesterday without a sports bra on but I actually did quite well with Satine as it’s a sturdy little number with a comfy band and wide-enough straps. Even though I was shaking it to the Anaconda, like hardcore, my boobs didn’t fall out of the bra and or punch me in the face while jumping. Also the straps haven’t fallen off my shoulders a single time so that’s definitely a plus!

What I was very thrilled about this bra set was the thoughtfully picked out materials – the cups are lined with cotton (always a plus for me!) and the satin feels amazing to touch. I also adore the panties; they cover my butt really well and still manage to look sexy with the back being completely made out of mesh. The rise is perfect and my usual size UK 10 fitted me spot-on.

All in all, I am pretty impressed with the Bravissimo house brand and Satine in Bloom! From now on I won’t be hesitant to try other styles as well. If you are on a lookout for something cute and sexy for Christmas, do give Satine a chance; it comes in sizes 28-38 DD-J so the size range is amazing too. The bra retails for affordable £32 and the brief for £16.

Has anyone of you tried Satine and how did you like it? What about other Bravissimo styles? Let me know in the comments! xx

Suomeksi:

Bravissimo on Brittiläinen alusvaatteiden jälleenmyyjä, joka on niittänyt mainetta myös oman brändinsä sievillä alusvaateseteillä. Kun sain Bravissimolta pyynnön kokeilla heidän uutta kukkaista versiotaan “Satine”-klassikosta, olin tottakai iloinen saadessani kokeilla minulle ihan uutta merkkiä. Bravissimon liikkeessä olen toki käynyt asuessani Liverpoolissa, mutta heidän in-house merkkiään ei ollut tullut vielä kokeiltua.

Olin hieman epäileväinen Satinesta mallina, sillä olin melko varma ettei sen dramaattinen plunge-malli sopisi minulle ollenkaan – suurin osa rintakudoksestani kun on jakautunut rintojeni ylempään osioon ja tämän vuoksi alasdippaavat plunget ovat välillä hieman vaikeita. Otin kuitenkin haasteen vastaan ja olin positiivisesti yllättynyt kokeillessani Satinea – kuppien reuna painoi hieman rintojeni yläosaa muttei kuitenkaan saanut aikaiseksi jäätävää tuplatissiä! Koon puolesta voisin kuitenkin neuvoa ottamaan vaikkapa kuppikoon suuremman, sillä moni on kertonut Satinen olevan kupeiltaan hieman pienehkö. Tätä neuvoa kannattaa noudattaa varsinkin jos olet kahden kuppikoon välillä niin kuin minä! 

Kaiken kaikkiaan Satine on kuitenkin todella jämäkkä malli – olen tanssinut se päällä olohuoneessa ilman minkäänlaista vaaraa tissien karkaamisesta ulos rintsikoista. Jämäkyyden takaavat erityisesti leveä ympärysnauha sekä kauttaaltaan säädettävät olkaimet. Myös materiaalit ovat kohdallaan: kupit ovat vuorattu pehmoisella puuvillalla, joka ainakin meikäläisen kohdalla on suuri plussa! 

Jos oma Satine-setti kiinnostaa, voi sellaisen tilata suoraan Bravissimon omasta verkkokaupasta. Kokonainen setti kustantaa yhteensä 48 puntaa eli n. 61€ ja postikulut n. 7,5€ eli paljon vähemmän kuin suurimmassa osassa muita englantilaisia verkkokauppoja! Kokoja löytyy ympärysmitoista 60-85 ja kupeista UK-koot DD-J (EU-koot E-M) Tästäpä siis kaunis setti vaikkapa kuusen alle – vai mitä olette mieltä? 😉