Introducing the New Ewa Michalak SF Semi-Soft Cut

Happy new year 2017! A year of better bra blogging for me, I hope. Every now and then full-bust brands claim to have come up with “a new revolutionary” shape or a cut, that they are trying to sell as a cure for every bra problem in the world. This is not one of those times, as Ewa Michalak comes up with a new shape every now and then in all quietness. They make no fuzz about it, yet many gals wearing a D+ cup size swear by her bras. I can see why – EM bras are known by their incredible shape and narrow wires that are not rivaled by many. Today I would like to tell you about the new SF shape they came out with just recently.

I received two styles called SF Trapez and SF Czerwona Pantera, the latter hasn’t been released yet though, but I thought you would like to get a complete idea of the new style. When you think of a semi-soft cut, made popular by Polish bra brands, you automatically think of a style with padding at the bottom and a sheer or a lacy top that accommodates your upper breast tissue. However, the Ewa Michalak semi-soft, shortened to SF, is a style which is actually not padded AT ALL, just reinforced at the bottom to gain a sturdier feel to the bra.

I was a bit worried when I thought that I was going to get yet another bra with padding, but I actually think this is a brilliant way of making sturdier bras without adding bulk. The bottom part of the cups is double-lined with strong poly-blend material which is rather stiff and thus holds its form better than some flimsier materials. The cut is rather similar to the soft full-bust style BM, but offers just a tiny bit more support in my opinion. The shape is very rounded and uplifted, which is something I always enjoy about Ewa Michalak bras.

As the SF style is pretty much based on the BM, the sizing works similarly with it as well. I received both of the styles, SF Trapez and SF Czerwona Pantera in 70G, which seems to be a pretty good size for me with both of them. I would say though that even them both being a same cut, they are not exactly the same when it comes to fit. I prefer the red and black SF Czerwona Pantera as it feels a tiny bit larger in the cup and band than the Trapez. As you may notice in the pics above, the Pantera (which is how I will refer to the black and red bra from now on) covers my tissue a bit more from the sides and thus contains my boobs better.

As said, the band of the Pantera is also a bit stretchier so I like it better than the Trapez one. However, the Trapez isn’t bad at all, just needs a longer breaking-in period. Both of the bras feature a stretch lace on the top panel of the bra, which is great for a variety of breast shapes. The depth aspect of the bras is just about right to me and thus you cannot see any dents at the bottom of the cup, nor gaping at the top. As the Pantera covers my armpit area better than Trapez, I would go as far as saying it has become one of my top three bras of the year!

The materials of both of the sets are a bit more “basic” than my other EM bras – instead of luxurious embroideries and sheer mesh, these bras are made of something stronger and everyday-appropriate. They are pretty and even sexy, but there’s no extra hassle to make them feel too precious and delicate to wear under your everyday wardrobe. The straps are fully-adjustable which contributes to the practicality aspect of these bras. The bands have three hooks and eyes, and four rows of them, which is great in regards of durability.

The panties that come with these bras are as uncomplicated and sweet as the bras. Both of the styles feature the same stretch lace that is featured on the top panel of the bras, and the materials are nice and light-weight as they should be with comfy panties. These were both a size UK 12/ Polish 38 and they fit my 40″ bum very well. Even the thong is super comfy, as the rise hits me at the perfect spot and the materials are stretchy enough to hug my curves. I also really like how wide the thong is at the hips, it is such a flattering cut.

Out of all the EM styles, I would say the SF is my new favourite. I love wearing it regularly and it is one of their styles which does not try to stab me in the breast tissue. If you would like to try the SF, you can find eg the SF Trapez here at the EM online store. The Trapez is almost sold-out at the moment, but I would suggest taking a look at their new SF Roma (189 zl) which is a beautiful colourful style with a full size range of 30-44 E-JJ.

Lingerie Review: Panache “Clara” in 32GG

My most recent review was of a Cleo basic “Marcie” which is something that Panache has been carrying for years now. Another newer model from the Panache core range has struck to me as well during the past few season, that is the Clara. I fell head over heels in love with the style when it first launched but it seemed that every time we were talking about reviews with Panache, it was sadly sold out in my size completely. This tells something about the popularity of the style among stockists and consumers alike – it is a fantastic basic full-cup style bra with a pretty icing on top of it. This season I was lucky enough to receive my first Clara sample in time, so today I bring you this beautiful festive style in the shade Heather.

The Design: The Clara is based on the older Panache classic Jasmine, which is another cult favourite among full-busted ladies like myself. The Clara has the same three piece cup construction as the Jasmine, but I think the side sling of the cups extends a bit further up towards the strap with the Clara style. This is part of the aesthetic differences of the two bras but I would believe it also gives the Clara its extra lift to the cups. The shape of the bra is very rounded and forward-projecting, which is something that I would always expect of a Panache or Cleo bra.

The style of the Clara is much more luxurious than Jasmine which is something I really like. True, you can never go wrong with a cute print and sleek materials but if you don’t mind a bit of lace showing through or just happen to wear thicker materials with your shirts, this is the bra that can bring your everyday to a whole next level. Personally I have always loved each and every colourway of the Clara (especially the emerald one!) but this Heather shade is something rather refreshing alongside of deep jewel tones – it is more delicate than its sisters and thus goes under lighter coloured tops as well. The materials of the bra are rather thin and stretchy, meaning it accommodates perfectly to my breast shape instead of trying to mold it to something its not.

The Fit: I went for the same size as with the Marcie, that is 32GG. I find it is much more comfier to go with the 32 bands these days as I own so many bras, I don’t really wear out the bands that much anymore. I like them to be comfy from the very first moment I put them on to avoid the long breaking-in period – I know, I’m a bad lingerie blogger! If you don’t buy tens of bras every year, I would suggest though to go for the firmer bands if you are between sizes, especially with Panache and Cleo, as their bands will loosen up even after a couple of wears.

The 32GG Clara runs similar to the Marcie, meaning pretty true-to-size in the band and generous in the cup. If you are between cup sizes I would suggest sizing down. I think I could have definitely been happy with 32G with either of the styles. The wires are pretty good on me, maybe just a tad wider, but they still feel quite a lot better than with Marcie. I can’t really put my finger on it, but the shape of the wires feels slightly more U-like, but perhaps I’m just imagining.

Overall, I am starting to think the Clara does suit me better than the Marcie, at least in my current size. I like how the bra hugs every curve of my body but I wish it would be just a little bit… less covering? If I could take just an inch off the height of the cup, this just might the perfect bra.

Comfort: The Clara is one of my most comfortable bras at the moment – it seemed they all came at the same time, Tutti Rouge Betty and Jessica and then this beauty (and I haven’t even told you about my latest Ewa Michalak bras). I am in lingerie heaven at the moment! Then if I could only get a pair of high-waisted panties with each bra, I would probably be in Nirvana 😉

The best features of Clara are its soft materials and sturdy feel. The three hooks and eyes at the back, the tacking gore and sturdy wide fully-adjustable shoulder straps. Sturdiness is the key to comfort when it comes to full-bust bras, but the bra also needs to feel lightweight to pass as an everyday garment. What a task for a single bra! But the Clara just manages to do it. The panties are rather comfy too, for low cut ones that is. You know how I feel about my granny panties… I think the gorgeous lace detailing and satin overlay would look even more amazing on a bigger surface – just saying! The materials are however on point with the panties as well and I have no trouble getting my booty in these (UK) size 12 pretties.

If you would like to try the Clara (30-38 D-J, 8-20), you can find it at Bravissimo for £32 for the bra and £15 for the classic brief. Not a bad deal for such a stunner set!

Lingerie Review: Avocado “RV Lorca” in 70H + GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Avocado is one of those brands that if you like the kind of classic European style lingerie with great materials and high quality, you are destined to find THE bra from their collection. Their e-shop is also full of different bra shapes that can be matched to pretty much any breast shape out there, no matter if your boobs are more full on top or bottom. Today I am introducing you to a fairly new style, RV as in Round Versatile, developed in the massive revision of all the Avocado patterns that took place about a year or so ago. I got my hands on a prototype of the model back then, but as it wasn’t the final product, we decided not to review it on the blog. Now, I am happy to tell you all the details, so keep reading! *This bra was generously provided by Avocado, all opinions are my own!*

The Design: The RV is supposed to be the style replacing the old A-shape, which was quite rounded, yet a bit flattening (which was something I actually liked about it!). This style on the other hand is meant to give more forward projection, which is something most full-bust ladies can appreciate. The straps are attached to the top part of the three-part constructed cups and the shape of the bra is a true balconette. In my opinion, this style really challenges the good old Panache “Jasmine” which is a cult favourite among bra bloggers and full-bust customers alike. If you are looking for the same projected yet rounded shape in a more luxe wrapping, I would definitely recommend Lorca in RV!

The Lorca style is absolutely beautiful and even though we are not in Xmas season yet (though it’s definitely autumn in Finland already) this is a piece I could see succeeding especially well later in the autumn as a festive piece under the LBD. It’s lightweight and looks gorgeous under tight-fitting dresses but also works as a wow-piece to wear in the boudoir. The delicate stretch lace with the hues of bluish grey finish off the set beautifully and make the set fit far better than it would have with more rigid embroidery.

The Fit: I know it’s a big promise to say this bra fits similarly to Jasmine, but it is the truth. Except for sizing, as that is again quite unique to Avocado and I would always suggest consulting their size chart to find out your perfect fit with them. I am wearing my regular Avocado size 70H in the pics and again, it was a good choice for me. I do have to say though that the band with Lorca seems more like a 65 band so it runs almost a size smaller than my other Avocado bands (or perhaps half a size). Do size up if you are between band sizes!

The cups are absolutely perfect for me size and depth-wise. They contain all my breast tissue but are also a tiny bit too wide and the underwire ends up too far in my armpit with the RV-shape. I have noticed a slight difference with Avocado’s wire width since the revision, and to be honest, I would personally prefer the older wires as they were the perfect fit for me. However, you can’t always have it all. The cups would probably fit both FOB and FOT breasts as the top part is made completely out of stretch lace, which accommodates a plethora of breast shapes and even a-symmetry.

Comfort: As the bra band is a tiny bit too tight for me, I am not sure whether it is quite fair to even review the bra’s comfort level. I would love to say it is absolutely heaven on me but you know how it is with too-tight bands – they try to strangle you and with a bra this beautiful you stay in that abusive relationship and keep wearing the set for pretty’s sake. As a result, you get a stabby centre gore and nasty red marks on your body (which are btw not always painful but in this case, you bet they are). However, the materials are heavenly and I really appreciate the stretch lace which always adds up to the comfort level of a bra. Just remember to go up a band size with this and you will fine, as it is a well-designed bra with fully adjustable straps and all.

The Lorca bra came with a classic brief in size Medium which was a bit too large on me even though I was recommended a Medium or even a Large in Avocado back in the day when I asked them about the fit of their panties. However, I have come to the conclusion that Small is a far better option for me with their bottoms as these sag a tiny bit at the front when I wear them. Other than that, the Lorca classic briefs are a very flattering style with the perfect rise for me personally (not as low as Cleo yet not that unflattering mid cookie pouch style). They are also made of the same comfortable high quality materials as the bra and contour perfectly to my curvy backside without any muffin top or cutting into my butt.

The Lorca set can be bought at the Avocado online shop, here. The bra comes in sizes 60-95 C-K and retails for 64,12 €. The classic briefs come in XS-XXL and set you back with 22,12 €. Avocado ships internationally so even if you are not Polish, you will have no problem getting your hands on their beautiful lingerie!

Now for the fun part! I have yet to announce the Curvy giveaway winners, so here they are. *drum roll*

The Australian winner of a set of their choice is… Kath!

The international winner of a set of their choice is… Victoria T.!

Congrats for both of you! The winners have been emailed and you have exactly one week to get back to me to claim your prize. I would like to thank everyone who took part in the giveaway and may the odds be ever in your favour, so maybe next time 😉 To conclude this post, I would like to ask a small favour from everyone who have read this far: would you mind liking THIS picture on Facebook and thus voting me as the next Miss Midnight Sun Pinup? This is my first pinup pageant and I am super nervous yet excited. If you would be so kind to cast me a vote, I would be more than grateful ❤ TIA!

Lingerie Review: Gossard “Lustful” in 30DD

One of our favourites from the Gossard SS16 collection was definitely the Lustful VIP range which is a style that features a beautiful ombre-colour and unusual pairing of bright purple and subtle lilac. When Gossard asked whether Jo would be interested to try the style, we couldn’t have been more happy: it is one of the most gorgeous sets we have encountered this spring. I am personally a big fan of Gossard VIP collection anyway – their designs always manage to look very on-trend yet unique and luxurious for a pretty good price as well. Let’s see how Jo enjoyed her new set!

Design: As said, the Lustful set utilizes an ombre technique that looks absolutely stunning with this unique colour combination. I have not seen many lingerie brands doing ombre that much, not at least with their lace which makes the dip-dye effect of the bra subtle yet effective. The colours match beautifully, when on the other hand they clash just a bit with the other one being so jewel-bright and the other almost a grey-ish pastel. The style of the straps is effective with the bright purple colour yet there is no lace nor embroidery or silky textures to them, allowing them to be fully-adjustable. The back of the bra features the signature Gossard gateway bra band with only one row of hooks and eyes.

The bra is very low cut, a true demi-cup with a balconette shape and one vertical seam at the front. The Lustful bra gives a sexy “two cakes on a plate” cleavage while still remaining quite work-appropriate with its rounded yet not massively uplifted shape. The lace on the cups is very stretchy meaning it can fit a multitude of breast shapes, both FOT and FOB.

The Fit: Jo went with her usual 30DD with the Lustful bra and again, we came to the conclusion that she is currently right between 30DD and 30E with Gossard. Her left boob is trying to say “Hello!” every now and then with a minor nip slip here and there but it’s nothing to bother Jo and she is happy with the size. The style is very low cut so especially if you are more full-on-top and between sizes, you may want to size up. Otherwise the style fits Jo beautifully with just enough cup depth and wire width for her. I still own a similar style in 32G (the old Temptation set) which I still love and wear for special occasions! So I would say the Gossard half-cups suit bigger busts as well.

The band of the bra is very much true to size for Gossard, so a little on the tighter side compared to other British brands. The centre gore tacks Jo’s sternum well while still remaining comfortable; it is quite low though so if you have a lot of softer breast tissue at the front, I would suggest opting for something else.

Comfort: The materials are premium with this sets as it belongs to the VIP range: the satin that is featured both on the band and the bottoms is super soft and the stretch lace is something that is always loved by women with a-symmetrical boobs (which is around 80% of women btw). The whole ensemble is beautiful to touch and thus a great set for both everyday and boudoir wear. The fully-adjustable straps make sure that the bra fits both petite and taller ladies, which is always an upside. The only gripe with the bra is the same as with other Gossard bras that only feature one row of hooks and eyes: the band is so flimsy it tends to rolls around and move a bit, exposing the hook and eye closure to the skin and thus rubbing against it a bit, causing minor irritation. While the band itself is rather supportive even while being so narrow, the fore-mentioned problem is something that could be solved by just half-an-inch wider bra band.

The bottoms that match the bra are quite flimsy as well but very sexy with just the elastic strings at the sides. To be fair, it is not the most flattering look on everyone which is why I am not personally a fan, but Jo seems to pull it off effortlessly nonetheless (I guess it’s because of her round hips). As a set the two pieces go together really well and I can imagine most girls wearing this as something to spice up the bedroom in a less conservative (ie not black and red) way.

The Lustful collection is available now on Gossard online store – the bra retails for £39 (30-38 A-E) and the thong for £20 (XS-XL) which is quite nice for such a high-quality luxurious set. If you are not a fan of super skimpy undies, there is also a brief available to match the bra. How do you like the ombre colour on the Lustful set? Have you seen any other brands doing this kind of dye? Let me know in the comments!

Sunday with Samanta: A225 “Hemaris” in 65J

Hello everyone and hope you are having a fabulous Sunday! Mine has been pretty good and I am now happily in bed ready to blog for you about my next Samanta venture – the Hemaris in A225. Hemaris is one of the Samanta best-sellers and belongs to the affordable “Young”-collection, which is – as the name suggests – targeted for young trendy women on budget. The Young -collection features more basic styles with simplistic yet hip lace and embroidery combined to an array of bright colours and fun prints. I received the Hemaris in the A225 cut which is specifically crafted for larger breasts and thus goes up to K-cup.

Design: When I first found out the lovely Marzena from Samanta had thought of Hemaris for me to try next, I wasn’t super excited about the set – however, the leopard print lace and the orange-y red turned out to be a fun combo for everyday wear and I did like the style when I saw it in flesh! The colour is a little warmer than your average red which makes it appropriate for this late summer we are now experiencing and also, looks nice on most skin tones, I think.

The A225 cut is a semi-soft style which is something Polish bra companies are famous for – and which really suits so many breast shapes especially if you are on the softer side! However, me and Marzena discussed some of the fit issues I encountered with the semi-soft construction, and we can both safely say this is not the best bra shape for me.The A225 Hemaris constructs of three cup pieces with a stretch lace on top to accommodate any a-symmetry and the style is overall a bit wider and deeper than most Samanta styles I have tried so far.

Fit: I got the Hemaris in my usual Samanta size which is 65J (translates roughly to UK 30GG). Usually Samanta has been very consistent with their sizing, but it seems that the semi-soft styles run a bit larger than their soft and padded bras which is why I could have easily done well in a 65I with the A225 shape. There is also something to my bust that does not co-operate with semi-soft styles at all (finally, a shape that does NOT work for me, haha!) – and when we discussed this with Marzena she instantly told me it is probably the density of my breasts. The A225 style is specifically designed for larger but also softer breasts and as mine are still very firm, the breast tissue does not conform to the semi-soft shape and fill it completely at the apex.

As you can see in the pictures, this style is also quite wide for me allover and thus is not the ideal look and fit I prefer. Even though I am not super narrow at my breast root, I do prefer bras that minimize the look of my boobs and makes them fit into tighter dresses when needed. However, I can imagine this bra shape being ideal for women who have lost some of their fullness and density and want to feel fuller and uplifted again! For example, if you have just breast-fed and are changing back to regular bras, this could be a great option for the fuller-busted lady.

Comfort: As fit and comfort usually go hand in hand, this was not the best of Samanta bras I have tried comfort-wise either. The materials were incredibly soft and well thought-out, but the construction with its wider cups and also, wider-placed straps did not suit me very well. I just recently found out that apparently, I am quite narrow at my shoulders and widely-placed straps are not the most comfortable for me and unfortunately, it seems that this particular bra is not very good match with my body shape. This is something many British and American women struggle as well when it comes to Polish bras – it seems Polish girls are a bit more broad-shouldered and want less coverage which leads for the bras to have wider strap-placement with Polish bras in general. I have given feedback about this particular matter to eg Avocado who are tackling the the issue at the very moment.

Usually though, Samanta bras have been nice and comfortable for me, so this time, is no doubt just one style that simply does not go well with my proportions and body type. However, if you are a bit wider than me all over (breast root- and shoulder-wise) you could find the A225 quite good for you needs. Also the size I take usually faces some problems as the small band and big cups are not the easiest combination to accommodate in every single bra style. However, for materials and overall feeling, Samanta always earns an A+ as they really make an effort to use the best quality laces and also the softest cotton lining in the bra cups. The M300 brazilian briefs are also a dream to wear as the stretch lace really accommodates your own body shape and leaves no bulges or seams on sight.

If you interested to try out the Hemaris, it is now on sale for a very good price of 32,30 e for the A225 bra and 13,70 e for the Brazilian brief. Do snatch them before they are completely gone!

What do you think of Hemaris in A225? Have any of you tried any semi-soft bras and how do you like the shape in general? Let me know in the comments!