Custom-Made Lingerie by Impish Lee – A Review

Hi there folks! How are you doing? I am doing fabulous, just started my own business so been busy busy busy! I am now doing burlesque full-time, which means teaching classes and workshops, performing and producing. I am absolutely having time of my life! Still, I would like to keep the ol’ blog alive and get back to you from time to time. This time for an excellent reason!

Recently I got approached by the amazing ladies at Impish Lee, who I have written about in the past as well. Since then, the brand has grown to be quite an Instagram phenomena with its body positive imagery and a fresh take on luxury lingerie. I have been a fan since day one (thanks to my friend Jessica at Warning, Curves Ahead!) and now I got to try one their custom-made sets myself. I was so excited! *This set was sent to me as a gift by Impish Lee. All opinions are my own.*

The process of ordering from Impish Lee is a bit different, if you go for a custom-made set. When I say custom-made, I mean that the customer is able to put together a completely original look choosing all of their own materials and colours. The sizes are not custom per se, but the brand has a pretty good selection of sizes going up US J-cup. Their size calculator seems to be up to par as well, even though calculators may not work for everyone, as we well know.

Impish Lee offers ready-to-wear sets but if you have the chance to try them, I would gladly recommend trying the set customizer. Their variety of fabrics, colours and design choices is very vast and I had a ton of fun choosing my exact materials! Impish Lee offers 16 different top options and 11 bottom options, meaning there is a lot of things you can do with your design. I went with a balconette bra and high-waisted short, as it was obvious to me that a set this special was going to end up on stage – I don’t like skimpy costumes on stage so I wanted go for a more retro flirty look with the pants.

The materials range from more everyday fabrics like modal to luxurious velvets and shiny options as well. I decided to use velvet as my main fabric choice, because of the rarity of it in full-bust lingerie. I loved the rich shades of fuschia and burgundy and decided to pair them with a classic black ornament pattern. I decorated the set with a couple of cute bows and that was it!

The Pricing of the set depends on what you choose as your garments – meaning that more simple designs such as tank tops and thongs are less expensive than longline bras and underskirts or shorts. This way you can alter the price of your set and get something custom-made depending on your budget. However, custom lingerie is never cheap and nor should it be. Impish Lee produces its designs ethically in USA and it’s a woman-led business creating something very unique in a vast size range. This alone makes it worth every penny.

The Quality of the set is also very noticable – there are no loose ends or cheap materials and overall the set feels very well made. It is sturdy and offers me good support. The velvets are very plush and overall the materials feel great on my skin, even with a bad skin condition. The cups have a fairly good amount of depth to them, which is rare for an American brand. The straps get a special mention with this bra, as they have been placed quite well for a balconette bra. These don’t fall off my shoulders and still, the bra is not a full-cup but a true balconette. Other brands, listen and learn! The shape of the bra is also quite lovely, yet more on the natural side so not ultra round. This may put off some customers but I really like the shape the bra gives me.

The Sizing of the brand is a regular US sizing, meaning it’s pretty similar to EU-sizing after F-cup. As a result from the calculator, I got a 32I but resulted in ordering a 32J according to my ususal size. This is a rough equivalent to a size UK 32GG. I was right with my choice and am happy with the size! The pants go by US sizing as well, so keep that in mind if you are more familiar with EU or UK sizing. For example a US 8 is a UK 12.

My overall experience with the brand as people and as lingerie-makers has been extremely positive. They were darling even with all my hassles with the Finnish customs office (which is a absolute dumpster btw) and have been very helpful along with the process of making my own set. I cannot recommend this company enough! I know I blog extremely rarely these days, but when I do, I like to promote brands that actually earn it. This was definitely one of them!

What do you think of my colour and material choices? What would you choose for your very own custom set? Let me know in the comments!

 

Lingerie Review: Ewa Bien “Daria” B103

It has been a while since I tested Ewa Bien bras myself: they are actually visually one of my top favourite brands but unfortunately, most of their beautiful bras stopped at G- or H-cup in Polish sizes. As someone who wears 70J in their bras, this made the brand out of reach for me. When I reported this problem to Ewa Bien and though I understand the limitations when it comes to bra manufacturing and running a business successfully, Ewa Bien team took my advice and plea, and added a couple new full-bust appropriate styles to their collection! This is amazing, as making J-M cups is not always the easiest nor the most cost-effective thing to do. Today I am trying out their new B103 style in Black/Grey Daria. Here’s how it turned out for me! *This bra was sent to me by the lovely Ewa Bien team. All opinions are my own.*

The Design: The B103 is meant for the fuller bust as it goes up to Polish M-cup, equivalent to UK J-cup. This is an amazing size expansion for a family-lead brand, that doesn’t yet have the audience of Panache and other huge brands. In Poland however, businesses such as Ewa Bien are very popular and Polish women trust in their country-women’s knowledge on bra-making. No wonder – the shape you can get with a Polish bra is unrivaled and Ewa Bien is no exception.

The shape with the B103 is very uplifted and it has a great deal of immediate projection, which is something many women look for in their bras. The cups are constructed of four parts: it has the traditional three-part cup construction but for added support, there is a side sling to bring the breasts even more forward. This prevents the breasts from splaying towards my sides, which is something I can always appreciate.

The Daria style seems to be something that Ewa Bien is making as one of their core styles for bigger cup sizes. The style is also available in other cuts which doesn’t have the massive size range, but they do make it in one other full-bust style, the semi-soft B151. The Daria also comes in two colour combinations: Black/Cream and Black/Grey, of which I chose the latter one. Grey has recently become one of my favourite colours in both clothing and underwear and I love the sophisticated combination of black and grey a lot.The cups are completely see-through which is nice if you are looking for something a bit sexy for your everyday bradrobe.

The Fit: The B103 is quite a regular balconette style cut, with a 3/4 coverage. Personally, I would prefer something a bit more revealing like the styles I tried a couple of years back from Ewa Bien, but I have no issue wearing this bra either on a regular basis. The cut still suits a variety of necklines and is a great basic style for everyday wear.

I am wearing my regular Polish size 70J (UK 32GG) with this bra and I am very happy with the size – the band is stretchier than with many other Polish brands but this suits me fine as I like my bands comfortable. The fastening happens with three hooks and eyes and the band is wide enough to feel comfortable and supportive on someone with my body type (ie. small band, big cups). I would say the size runs very true-to-size if you have tried Polish or other European brands before. If you are between band sizes, I would advice to size up with most Ewa Bien styles.

My only gripe with the fit is the wires – however, wires are the one part that are highly personal when it comes to what fits your body the best and I prefer wires that are medium-to-narrow width. This style is a bit on the wider side for me, but not alarmingly so. If I could, I would have them just one cm narrower, that’s all. The depth is absolutely perfect for me, and I like how it contains me fully top, bottom and sides without any extra bulging.

Comfort: This set is made of very comfortable materials and it’s lightweight which makes it easy to wear almost under anything. The top part of the cups is a bit stretchy so it suits many breast shapes without being too restricting for a full-on-top girl like me. The band is comfortable and the whole ensemble is very sturdy if you need to be active and walk/move around a lot during the day.

The only thing I am having issues with, are once again the straps. Even though they are rather wide and comfortable themselves, they are placed a bit too widely for my body type. This makes the bra cup’s edge chafe my armpit just a little, which is not ideal if you want your bra to “feel like nothing”. Overall, I would say this bra style is meant for someone a bit wider than me, when it comes to breast tissue distribution, shoulders and rib cage.

The panties are, in a very Polish manner, quite snug in sizing. I went for the size Medium which does fit me okay, but I would perhaps prefer something a bit more covering. However, the C511 style is a classic Brazilian so it’s not even meant to cover a ton. Great for feeling a bit cheeky, quite literally!

If you would fancy giving this new full-bust style a go, you can find it on Ewa Bien’s own online store. The B103 bra (219 zl) comes in Polish sizes 65-100 B-M (enormous size range, right?!) and the C511 briefs (109 zl) come in sizes S-XXL. What do you think of size expansion and the Daria? Let me know in the comments!

Lingerie Review: Ewa Michalak “BM Bordeaux” in 70G + A SALE!!!

Ewa Michalak has been one of my favourite full-bust lingerie brands and continues to be so – it is just a bit of gamble whether their wires are too narrow for me at times. This depends on greatly the particular EM bra and style of the bra which is why I was happy to receive some of the newest Ewa Michalak styles a few months ago. I had the privilege to try multiple styles at once and I am grateful for it, as I found true gems. Today I will the reviewing the BM Bordeaux, which is a brand new style at Ewa Michalak in a full-bust appropriate shape “BM”. *This set was kindly sent to me by the Ewa Michalak team. All opinions are my own!*

The Design: The BM Bordeaux is a non-padded balconette shape and similar to the older SM shape that also includes smaller cup sizes. If I know correctly, the BM is a bit deeper in the cup to accommodate a fuller bust, and thus many can buy a cup size smaller with it. The style is very similar in looks compared to SM but seems to have a bit more support on the sides to bring the fuller breast tissue up and front. Ewa bras are very well-known for their exquisite uplift and forward-projection, and the BM Bordeaux does not fail us either – the shape is very round yet not unnaturally so and the profile is great under any shirts and dresses.

The style of the Bordeaux range is very sexy as the bra’s upper panel is quite sheer and the whole bra is covered in beautiful black/burgundy lace. The glimpses of burgundy are not easily shown on camera, so trust me that they are more visible in flesh! I like the colour combination and the classic look of the bra and I think it’s great for someone who wants something traditionally feminine yet a bit daring.

The Fit: As I mentioned above, the BM style runs a bit deeper in the cup which usually results some people to buying a smaller cup size than usual. My most common size with EM is 70GG at the moment, but I do think the 70G is just enough for me in the BM. The upper panel of the bra is stretch lace, which is great for me personally because of my upper fullness, and thus the bra conforms beautifully to both of my boobs, even though they are not exactly the same size. As you can see, there is no bulging on my bigger side either (the one facing camera in the pic above)!

The band of the BM Bordeaux is on the tighter side of 70, but I can still close it and it has stretched over the many times I’ve worn it already. However, I have tried a couple of BM bras in my bra blogging career, and both of them have been tighter in the band than my SM and the new SF styles. This is something you need to consider if you are between sizes! The width of the BM wires seems to be better for me though, so I would say they are maybe a smidge wider than with the SM bras. This is perfect for me, as the SM bras I’ve tried have stabbed me in my breast tissue after a few hours of wear – not something anyone enjoys!

Comfort: As I was sent four different sets in total – with one BM bra, two SF’s and one PL – it is easy to compare each one when it comes to comfort. There was one set that I would set apart particularly but it has not been released yet so this is why I can’t tell you yet which one it is! The Bordeaux however is not a bad one either – my only gripe with it is really is that the band is a bit a rigid at first and needs a bit of breaking in. But I do like it, and have worn it on an everyday basis, so there is really nothing else I can say about this bra. It’s not the most heavenly on your body but not the worst either! Besides, I would say this is something many women would reserve for boudoir use only.

The panties are very comfortable for me in UK size 10 and I am glad I got to try them this time, as the last time EM sent me samples, they did not include panties at all. However, I have always been a big fan of both of their briefs and EVEN… dun, dun, duuuun! THONGS. I know, who am I even? But yes, even their thongs get an A+ from me. These regular Bordeaux briefs were not any different; they are cute, sexy and yet so very comfortable I can wear them even though they are not high-waisted. The lace on the back is quite stretchy, they are a flattering rise and have a super cute key-hole detail on the back. If you get the bra, please invest in the panties as well – they are absolutely amazing!

For your luck, Ewa Michalak is running a sale TODAY. You heard it, today only! There are plenty of stuff even 50% off, so go and grab some goodies while you can. The Bordeaux is one sale as well, so I would heavily suggest to snatch it up – and maybe something else as well? My other golden tip is to get your hands on their new SF bras, they are pure gold. The Bordeaux bra (132 zl) comes in EM sizes (a bit different than most full-bust brands, so check the size chart!) 30-38 E-JJ and the panties (55 zl) in UK 8-16. The prices are now down but the EM products are always great quality even for the full price and I cannot recommend them more for girls who need deep cups and narrow wires, and still want to look cute in their lingerie.

Introducing Bluebella More DD+ Range – Review of “Asteria” in 32G

If you are a lingerie lover like myself, there is a chance you have heard of Bluebella. They are a woman-lead lingerie business in UK who sell mostly their own house brand and offer a fantastic selection of contemporary and boudoir-inspired lingerie pieces. I was over the moon when I first found out that they were coming out with a DD+ collection called “MORE” and in no time, there it was on their website. I was lusting after the strappy pieces that so many full-bust brands are still lacking in their collections and after a couple of days of scribbling a wishlist for myself, the lovely people at Bluebella contacted me and asked if I wanted to try a set from the new collection – and of course I did! I opted for the Asteria set in 32G and size 12 bottoms and here’s how I liked them…

Editor’s note: These pics are in black and white as the whole set is completely black and I liked the femme fatale look of it! Hope you don’t mind, my dear readers 😉

The Design: The Asteria bra is made completely out of black mesh, golden metal parts and black elastic strapping to finish off the look. The bra is double lined (as opposed to the bottoms which are completely sheer) but still remains a bit sheer – the materials feel very supportive and I love the sleek styling choices with the strappy bra strap/ back design. The whole set looks and feels much more expensive than it actually is – the bra costs an affordable £36 and the panties £18. The bra band features three hooks and eyes and the bra straps are attached to each other at the back with a small hook closure. This can be a bit tricky when getting the bra on and off (I usually ask my bf to help!) but it looks stunning when closed!

The shape of the bra is phenomenal for such a new DD+ brand – I have never seen a new full-bust brand making such rounded yet naturally curving bra cups so I am truly astonished. The shape of the bra reminds me a bit of the SM shape by Ewa Michalak but not as much in-your-face and forward-projecting. Even with the extravagant strappy styling this bra is a great everyday option as the shape of it is natural and the cup design so simple it goes really well even under a thinner jersey material.

Fit: I went for the 32G with the bra as Bluebella did not offer any 30 bands and the cups stop at UK G-cup – I am glad I didn’t have the option to choose otherwise though! This size is absolutely perfect on me and I wouldn’t change it even if I had the choice. The thing is, my underbust measurement has recently ballooned closer to 32 (probably due to both BodyPump and some pizza-loving, hehe) and the Asteria bra band only stretches up to 32″ or so. So I would advice to size up with the band if you are between sizes! The cups seem to run a full cup size big, so I would suggest going a cup size down with them. This is great news to any GG-ladies out there!

The cups are very well constructed and quite deep and narrow for a British brand design. I would say they are actually a perfect fit for me! The wires encase my breast tissue fully without being too high, wide or rigid, meaning the bra stays comfy throughout the day. The centre gore tacks me well and comes just high enough to keep my boobs from falling out of the bra but also low enough to go well under most of my shirts and dresses.The straps are half-adjustable but I haven’t really even done any adjusting on them as they were the perfect length for me straight outta box.

Comfort: Ever since I got the bra set (which is not that long ago) I have been wearing this set A LOT. It is very comfortable and stays that way for so many hours, I don’t even want to take it off when I get home. It makes me feel both physically and mentally amazing! The materials are high-quality and the straps stay up really well due to the hook-closure design on the back. My only real gripe with the bra is that the cups are a bit high on the sides which makes the edge near my armpit chafe against my skin a tiny bit when lying on my side (you should never sleep in your bras anyway but I took a nap the other day in this bra – oopsie!). However, in regular use (ie standing up) the bra does not irritate my skin at all.

I got the Asteria bottoms in size 12 and it was definitely the right choice for me. If you consult the size chart, you will probably get the bottoms size right as it pointed me at the right direction. My hip measurement is 40″ and the size 12 is meant for 39″ hips – even stretching it with an inch the bottoms fit me well and I love how they compliment the set with the strappy side design. The rise is also a good one for me – it’s a bit higher than eg with Cleo which is ideal in my opinion.

If you would like to get to know MORE yourself, please check out Bluebella’s online store for that. The shipping options at Bluebella are extremely cheap – only £3,95 to US and free if you spend over £30 – so I would definitely take the plunge and order something to try out! I am quite sure you won’t be disappointed 😉 The size range is 32-38 DD-G and the panties come in UK sizes 8-16.

Kris Line – Brand Introduction & Bra Review

During my visit to Moda last month I encountered a brand I had heard of a long time ago – Kris Line. I had never tried their lingerie before so I was eager to see what they had to offer to the full bust industry. As I have been looking into Polish lingerie more recently I was indeed interested to see how they fit but was unsure about the sizing as it can be a bit baffling to someone with no knowledge of the brand in question.

Anna and I talked to the brand representatives and also met their lovely new head of marketing, Patryk. The whole crew was so kind to introduce us to their new SS15 collection but also to tell us a few things that were on Kris Line’s radar in the near future – including a nightwear line especially designed for the most full-busted. After the show Patryk came to talk to us and seemed to be sincerely interested in the industry and also what their customer really need and like. Later on, I got an email from Patryk and we decided to introduce Kris Line properly on Two Cakes On a Plate. This is what they have to say about the brand…

“Kris Line is one of the leading manufacturers of large cup lingerie in Central and Eastern Europe.Kris Line company was founded in 1992. With 20 years of experience in lingerie design and manufacturing we offer premium quality lingerie on over 30 international markets. We produce only in Poland using exclusively top European materials, laces and embroidery.

We are very proud of our modern management methods and high tech technology in production processes. Despite of having 100% EU production we manage to offer our products at prices very competitive to brands who produce in far east.

Our philosophy of looking for high productivity  leads not only to well priced premium quality products. We support European Common market by defending over 1000 workplaces in our company and at our suppliers’ sites.  Our philosophy also reflects in corporate social responsibility, we actively support local healthcare and sport initiatives.  All this allows us to successfully introduce our products to demanding Western European markets. Now we would like to bring our products to the UK.

Each 6 months our designers work on new designs, forms and construction types. Wide range of our products is divided into following collections: basic, fashion, nightwear, nursing and swimwear. Basic collection consists of two models Fortuna and Brilliant. They are available whole year around. Fashion, nightwear and swimwear is designed twice a year for spring/summer and fall/winter seasons.

We realize that high quality and well fitted bra is a guarantee of beautiful and healthy breasts. This is why bra-fitting is Kris Line’s top priority and trade mark for now and many years to come.”

As their bras are not widely sold online nor offline in Europe, UK and US, Kris Line is currently looking for retailers in these areas to widen their market and influence. So if you are a lingerie retailer and feel like Kris Line would be a suitable brand for your business, don’t hesitate to get in contact with them! Also, if you are an individual customer, you always have a chance to ask your local retailer for new brands. If Kris Line seems like a good choice for you, just let people know and you might just get what you want. The size range is enormous, including sizes up to O-cup with the smallest band sizes and 115 bands up to H cup depending on the style.

As the fit of different brands usually differ a lot, Kris Line was so kind to send me a set to review. Here’s how I liked their lingerie…

The Design: As my first Kris Line set, I picked the gorgeous Marilou Deco in 70H and Small. This style is from Kris Line’s SS14 collection so it is possible that you’ll be able to snatch it up online somewhere either now or later. Older Kris Line styles show up on Zulily and Brastop now and then, so be sure to check them both out to see if you’re in luck.

I chose the Marilou Deco as it was such a lovely unusual colour combination and one can never own too many light-coloured t-shirt bras. The style features almost seamless moulded cups (with one nearly-invisible seam going across the outer part of the cups) and a plunging shape to go well with lower-cut necklines. The shade is a bright lemony yellow with some beautiful grey and yellow embroidery adorning the band and the straps. This style is great under light-coloured shirts and dresses and it is my go-to bra with my ivory Collectif “Phyllis” dress. The colour and the shape allow a lot of outfit options so I would say the Marilou Deco is a great bra for both day- and nighttime. The bra gave me a lovely rounded shape and one of the best cleavages I have ever had in a well-fitting bra and that is always something I appreciate.

The Fit: Kris Line bras fit a bit differently than you might imagine when you compare to British or even other Polish brands. They do include the double letters, just like Ewa Michalak (who btw used to work for Kris Line!) and all the British brands, but they also include the letter “I” in their size chart. This means figuring your bra size with KL can be a tricky task to do. I was provided with the size chart for their brand and finally opted for the same size as with Ewa Michalak padded bras – 70H (32H).

My usual size with British brands is now between 30GG and 30H and sometimes I also go for the bigger band size of 32 (eg. with Lepel and Gossard). On the base of this, I would say that Kris Line tends to run smaller in the cups (partially due to the “I” letter being included) so going up a couple of cup sizes is something I would definitely recommend. I also opted to go up a band size as I usually do with Polish brands. I felt like I might be between 65 and 70 with Kris Line but so far the 70 has worked for me fine. However, if I would happen to lose even a little weight I would probably need to go for a size 65HH.

The cups feel great though I do feel my other boob is very near escaping the cup a bit but that’s what happens when you have a-symmetry. However, there’s no spillage, just a feeling of little restriction with the other boob which is very familiar to me with padded moulded cup bras. The cups push my breasts up and bring them in front of me to create a phenomenal cleavage. The wiring feels great – it’s very similar to other Polish brands but perhaps not as narrow as with EM. This is good news to me as I sometimes feel the EM wires are a tad too narrow for me, especially the unpadded styles. The cups seem medium-to-deep, just the way I like them.

Comfort: Marilou Deco is made of the most soft micro fibre and carefully placed lace to keep you comfortable during the day. As the wires and straps seems to be perfectly placed for me, I have no complaints about the comfort aspect of this set. The bottoms run quite small and seem tiny at a first look but they are made of extremely stretchy materials to accommodate a range of sizes. I opted for my regular size Small and even thought the panties looked Barbie-sized they fitted my butt and hips quite well. If you are between sizes, I would advice to for the bigger size for comfort reasons.

All in all, the Marilou Deco feels like a great option for something pretty and practical for everyday wear. The Deco shape can be found in many Kris Line styles so even though you couldn’t get your hands on Marilou, there are plenty of similar styles you can have access online.

What do you think of Kris Line and Marilou? Have you tried their lingerie previously? I would love to hear about your experiences, both about buying them online and the sizing, as it seems to be a mystery to so many women interested in them! Drop me a comment if you have any useful tips xx