Lingerie Review: Cleo by Panache “Della” in 32GG + THE GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Hi everyone! So sorry for not posting for a while – life got in the way and I had a very exciting job interview, an exam (first one in three years!) and a dance performance to practice to. So I hope you will excuse me! As a little consolation, I have decided to announce the blogiversary giveaway winners today before the review. The winners have been informed by email already and asked to get back to me in a week’s time. If they fail to do so, another winner will be picked. Congrats to everyone and if you did’t win – well, there is always next year 😉

THE WINNERS ARE…… *drum roll*

For the Playful Promises “Cordelia” set… Amber

For the Signature lingerie set… Sian A., Kelsey, Cat J.

For the Curvy Kate lingerie set… Ruth H.

For Tutti Rouge lingerie set… Kimberley R.

For the Cleo lingerie set… Coline T.

I hope you will all enjoy your new lingerie sets ❤ Now, we need to get on with a review that I am actually super glad to write – I haven’t reviewed any Panache nor Cleo lingerie in a while even though they are definitely one of my favourite lingerie brands. When the lovely Tia from Panache asked me what I would like to review from the spring collection, the Della stood out to me as something a bit different. It was the most Barbie-like design I had seen in a while, and as a living Barbie princess (hehe!) I was instantly drawn to it. Let’s see how we got on with Della!

The Design: As said, the Della looks exactly like something a Barbie doll would wear under her clothes – pink, leopard and all around sweet with a sexy edge. The style is quite simplistic actually – there are no additional lace, bows or ruffles anywhere, just a combo of a killer print and contrasting black trimmings on the wiring, straps, cup edges and the bra band. This set does not need the ruffles – it’s girly and powerful at the same time without any extra touches. The Della bottoms also feature some badass suspenders which is always a plus when it comes to styling the set in a few a different ways.

The shape of the bra is pretty much what Cleo is known for – immaculate roundness that will look amazing under any dress or a shirt, unless you prefer something super natural of course. It is the same shape that made Cleo “Marcie” famous and will continue to win over hearts as something quite unique in the full bust world! The style of the Della is a balconette, meaning the cup edges form a rather straight horizontal line and the centre gore comes up quite high on my sternum. I have to be honest – this is not a bra to wear under low-cut shirts as the gore will show but I do love it with more covering necklines.

The Fit: I was super curious to try Cleo now that I haven’t tried on any of their bras in over a year. My last Cleo bra was a yellow Marcie in 30G which was already a bit tight and small in the cup – which resulted in me in trying a 32GG this time. I was a bit hesitant as I knew that sometimes Panache bras can run on the generous side with the cups but I decided to cross my fingers as this is one of my most common sizes to wear with British lingerie brands. Luckily, I got it perfectly right and the 32GG fitted like a dream! I actually didn’t even remember how well Cleo and Panache bras fit me in general so I was almost crying happy tears to discover my old love for Cleo’s rounded and amazingly deep cups.

What really sets Panache apart from other UK full-bust brands is especially their wire width and cup depth. Personally, I find most British bras too wide and shallow for my shape and thus I am always happy to find some brands taking their own route with this matter. Sure, even Cleo is not the most narrow and deep brand on the market but it is definitely a winner among its rivals in the British full-bust market. For me the cup depth and the wire width of this bra were quite perfect and I have no complaints whatsoever!

When it comes to sizing, I would advice to think carefully what your personal comfort preferences are regarding bra bands. I have found Cleo 30-bands a bit too tight for me so I have decided to take the 32 from now on, even though I can hook it into the tightest set of hooks after a few wears. I just prefer my bands a bit more comfy. However, even if you are between sizes, you can choose to take the smaller option if you like your bands tight – this is definitely a preference thing. The cups of the Della bra run true to size so I would advice to go with your regular UK size with them.

Comfort: In addition to superb fit, I have nothing bad to say about the comfort aspect of Della. The materials are sturdy enough to keep everything in place and even though the band only features two hooks and eyes, the strong power-mesh makes up for it very well. Even the high underwires haven’t caused any problems for me so I am a happy peanut! I do have one downside to report about the bra though – once again, like with most bras I own, the straps are placed a bit too far apart for me personally. However, they are made of a sturdy material, meaning they do not fall of my shoulders constantly, but only a couple of times a day. So not too bad, I would say! Sometimes brands make super cute and sexy bra straps with satin-y materials and those are just a nightmare to me.

The bottoms I opted in a size 12 as I know that Cleo runs on the smaller side with their panties – and I was again quite right! The 12 fits me spot-on but I do wish that these would come up a bit higher. They are meant to be a high-waisted briefs so I would like them to go up to my belly button, whereas now they only reach the middle way of my cookie pouch. Not the most flattering look for me I might say! Also, with this rise the panties do roll down my tummy a bit when sitting which is a pet-peeve of mine. The styling of the bottoms is stunning though and I am glad Cleo had included some suspenders to make the bottoms more sexy and versatile. If you are not a garter-kinda-girl, you have the ability to take the them off and just wear the bottoms as-is.

The Della comes in a whopping size range of 28-28 D-J so there are plenty of sizes to choose from! The bottoms come in sizes 8-18. This set is not very widely available online yet but you can already find it on Breakout Bras, if you would like to give it a try.

How do you like the new Cleo offering for ss16? Are you a fan of their rounded shape? Let me know in the comments below! xx

Happy New Year with Playful Promises – Review of “Juliet” in 32G

Hi everyone and happy Three Kings’ Day! Christmas is finally over and I am finishing off my holidays as well – the uni is starting again on 11th so still a few more days to go. The reason I haven’t blogged for two weeks is because, obviously holiganza happened but also because I have been organizing things for my incoming exchange students. I am taking care of 11 students this spring term and it has already been a hassle so excuse me for lacking the time to engage with you! I am happy to say though that I am back and will start off the year with something super lovely – that is the Playful Promises full bust collection.

When Anna from Playful Promises contacted me this late autumn and told me about her upcoming DD-G collection, I was so excited – PP is a brand I have been loving and drooling over for a couple of years now and as they were out of reach for me because of the size range, they left my heart broken in million pieces. Imagine my joy when they announced the size expansion! Anna was kind to offer me a set from this new collection and as I had been lusting over the strappy lingerie trend for a while, I decided to go for the sexy and edgy Juliet. Here’s how I like the complete set!

Design: I had such a hard time picking a set from this fantastic collection as Playful Promises really nails it with every single design they do. And I am not kidding – you know when most brands come up with a couple of gems a season but this brand is something else. Each set is a carefully crafted piece of seduction that speaks to me personally on so many levels. When I saw the Portia on eg Becky from Becky’s Boudoir I went instantly nuts and was sad I couldn’t catch them all – but you mustn’t be greedy ya know 😉

I have loved the strappy Dom lingerie trend when it first came in fashion and even though some people are predicting it to finally see its end, I am really loving these sorts of designs still. I was happy to see Playful Promises translate the style to a full-bust collection and I think they hit jackpot with Juliet – the clean styling and black colour of set emphasize the carefully placed straps that adorn the bodice and upper bust area. The bra comes with a separate harness that goes over the bra and can be tossed if it does not suit your ensemble of the day. I personally haven’t found many dresses that would compliment this bra that much but I have a red little number on the way that just might be it.

The bra cups are constructed of three pieces with two vertical seams – which is actually pretty unusual for a G-cup bra. Most brands refuse to use this pattern as it is not seen as the most supportive one – which I beg to disagree on. I really like how PP uses this sorts of style to create half-cup like look but unfortunately, there is still some work that needs to be done on the shape. I personally feel it flattens and widens my bust a bit which is something that Anna and her design team could still look into. I prefer a very rounded look to my bust and this is why I would love to see this style tweaked just a bit.

Fit: With new full-bust collections it is always a bit of a hassle to find your perfect size and fit. As PP does not go above G yet, I decided to sister size down from 30GG (which I still sometimes wear in addition to 30H) to 32G. I was aware that PP might come a bit small in the band like most vintage inspired / reproduction lingerie brands which is why I was quite certain the band wouldn’t come up too loose. And I was right – the band is very tight and the 32 only stretches up to approximately 31″ which is my exact underbust measurement (I should probably cut down on my back weights at the gym, sigh…) at the moment. If you are between band sizes, I would definitely suggest sizing up. The band is a rather rigid sort of power mesh which is why I don’t see it stretching out too easily either.

The cups are pretty much true to size and fit the same way as with most British full-bust brands – quite wide and shallow that is. This does not personally suit my breast shape that well and I would love for PP to experiment with just a smidge deeper cups to achieve a better fit for so many girls like me. However, I know that there really are wide and shallow girls out there as well and this could be a great fit for them. I am just being greedy and wanting this brand to fit me amazingly so I can buy all the pretties, haha!

The wires are not super wide like some British underwires so I definitely don’t have a problem with them going too far in my armpits. The cups are also pretty low-cut meaning the wires are not chafing me anywhere. The centre gore of the bra floats a bit off my sternum but not horribly so and if the cups were just a teeny bit deeper, I am sure this would be fixed (though I am not too fussy about floating gores, I actually hate when they tack me too hard and pinch me in the sternum!)

Comfort: As I did mention before, the band is very tight on me which is why it’s perhaps not the most comfy on me yet. This is because I have not gotten much wear out of the bra for not getting my creative juices flowing and pairing it with enough outfits. I am sure however that after a few more wears the band will loosen up and feel more comfortable. In fact, it is better for the band to be a bit too snug at first, so it will still be supportive after you “break it in”. The materials are lovely on this set and I love how good quality they feel on – the metal parts are sturdy and the garters of the girdle are “real” garters which actually hold up your stockings.

The straps of the bra are quite wide and placed well so they won’t fall off my shoulders easily; they are also half-adjustable but still quite a good length so I could see this working on someone a bit taller or shorter than me (I am 5’6 for reference).The underwires of the bra are very flexible meaning they move nicely with my body while being active throughout the day.

The co-ordinates to this set are equally lovely as the bra itself – I love that the set comes with a high-waisted panty which is my preferred style of knickers but also with a lovely vintage-style girdle. Both of them have little peep-holes at the back which is a great design detail and suit the set well. I got both the panties and the girdle in a UK size 12 but I can see that there is a slight size difference between them – the girdle comes up a bit snugger than the knickers and I easily could have sized down to 10 with the panties. I think this might be because the girdle is a smoothing garment as well and needs to suck your tummy in a bit to create a desired silhouette. All in all, I love both of the co-ordinates and they are perfect for everyday wear for being simple in design and creating a clean line under pencil dresses and other sleek clothes.

If you would like to get some extravagant full-bust lingerie for yourself, do check out the Playful Promises full-bust collection on their online store. The prices are a bit higher than your average full-bust bras and everyday panties but then again – this is not your average lingerie. The Juliet harness bra (comes in sizes 28-36 DD-G) sets you back at £65, the high-waisted knickers (UK sizes 8-16) at £25 and the girdle (sizes 8-16) at £38.

How do you like the new Playful Promises full-bust collection? Do you think boudoir brands are in need in the full bust market? Let me know in the comments! xx

Friday Review: Parfait “Danielle” – Arvostelussa Parfaitin “Danielle”

Hi lovelies! Oh how did my autumn break go? Well, I had a lot of fun but also “wonderful” time as a babysitter to my drunk friends. We had our annual uni event called “Mallasappro” where uni students drink a certain amount of pints and get a stupid badge for it to attach to their student overalls. Dumb, huh? Well, I was there, witnessing about 300 people getting mortal and puking every place they could think of. Fun!

But I’m not here to talk about my wild student life. I have a review (!) for you starring Parfait’s Danielle set. This set was provided generously by Finnish online store Lumingerie but this does not affect my opinions on the set.

Design: I had been eyeing Danielle from a far for a couple of months when I first saw it appear on someone else’s blog in the ss13 shade of pale rose. I love how Parfait provides many options for different tastes when it comes to Danielle; there’s a regular moulded cup bra, also a very vintage-y longline bra, high-rise knickers and low-rise hipsters. This also solves a lot of problems fit-wise since not everything suits everyone. I first thought about going for the longline but then ended up with the regular bra (I have bad experience with longlines) and the high-waisted brief. 

When it comes to materials Parfait’s Danielle has everything covered: sultry shiny fabric with small fabric-covered buttons on the front, MASSIVE lace with a slight hint of sheen to it. Absolutely beautiful. Also the lace seems very high quality and mature so this is definitely not a the kind of bra you find from your regular high street store. 

The shape that this bra gives is pretty good. It is quite rounded which is due to the cup construction being moulded. It’s not much of an cleavage-giver and tends to splay my breast more in an east-westy style. I would prefer something that makes my boobs more centered under clothes but to me, this is more of a boudoir kind of style anyways. This bra should actually come with a warning – it adds a lot of volume to your natural breast size! What I noticed after ripping the package open was that the bra looked HUGE. I was almost convinced it would be too big on me but apparently you should never judge a book by its cover.

Fit: As one of my readers pointed out of the Parfait promotional pic, the model’s boobs looked a little unsupported in her Danielle. I have a reason for this; the biggest issue with this bra are the straps. They are quite long and only half-adjustable which leads the model’s boobs to hang lower than they should (besides the fact that she was probably wearing a wrong size anyways). I could have done with a little shorter straps myself but when I fully adjust them they are quite ok. I’m still considering to shorten them a bit which seems a pretty easy task to do.

The band of this particular bra (and Parfait bras in general) tends to be quite tight. I opted for a 30G this time since my boobs have grown a bit but also my band size is a solid 30 (boxing lessons, thanks for back muscle). 30 band on Danielle feels to be on tighter side of 30 so this is good news to women with smaller underbusts than mine, I think a 28 or 29 could easily wear this with full support. The band has three rows of hooks and eyes which is good for extra support.

 

The cups are pretty wide and tall which adds the effect of whole-lotta-bra. However I didn’t feel like it had those infamous high-set wires people often have trouble with when it comes to Parfait and G+ sizes. I felt like the wires were a tad too wide on me but it’s not really notable like on my Fauve Bronte longline. What about the cup depth then? Pretty average too but I would say a little more on the shallower side towards the center especially. With this bra I’d suggest you to go a cup size up from your Panache size (mine’s 30FF) and leave it completely for other people if you tend to have really deep breasts.

 

I also got to try out the high-rise briefs which I have in size Small. I would say that these panties are pretty much true to size but suit the best women with short-to-average crotch-navel ratio. I have quite a long one so these cuties didn’t quite reach my navel area. This caused them to sit on my cookie pouch and roll a bit during the day. (Scroll down to the video to see a glimpse of the panties!)

Comfort: As I said before, for its looks this is a boudoir kinda set which definitely adds glamour to your night out. It’s also a pretty sturdy style which makes you feel supported the whole time you are wearing it. On the other hand this causes some comfort issues that I need to notify. I have gained about an inched to my underbust which is why the band and the wires of this bra feel very restrictive and rigid. I can easily wear this bra for the whole day but it’s not the one I opt for home usage for example. 

The wires are made of very rigid material and do not bend easily. This is why you should seriously consider whether your underbust can take the pressure of the wires. I know some of you might suffer from a condition which causes bruising on your underbust skin and this is definitely not the bra for you. 

Verdict: Who do I recommend this bra to then? Well, as we have discussed. Sexiness is not something that is find easily in the full bust market. This sultry shade of purple gives a great sexy look to your autumn evenings. I would also recommend this bra to someone who prefers tight bands, women with longer torsos and women who need a bit wider than average wires and cups on the shallower side.

All in all this is great set for special occasions but fit- and comfort-wise Parfait has a bit to improve yet. Size range is 30-40 DD-G and very reasonably priced for such luxurious set (bras around £40 mark) compared to other brands and sets with the same kinda style.

Moi! Tiiättekö oikeesti paniikki iskee AINA kun istun tuohon kameran eteen, tosi kuumottava tilanne. Ja näin sivukommenttina hell yes laitoin näköjään nopeasti mun meikit koska en yleensä näytä noin umppalumpalta, sorry for that. Lisäksi musta on aivan äärimmäisen vaivaannuttavaa puhua kameralle, että antakaa armoa. Pliis.

Asiaan. Sain Lumingerielta arvosteltavaksi pari settiä ja ensimmäisenä niistä arvosteluun pääsi tämä ihana Parfaitin Danielle. Parfait onkin ihan uusi merkki meille suomalaisille ja on tosi hyvä juttu, että on saatu ihan oma jälleenmyyjä sillekin tänne Suomeen. Mun mielestä heidän tyyli kun on jotenkin  tosi uniikki ja vintage-inspiroitunut.

Settinä Danielle on tosi boudoir-tyylinen valtavine pitseineen ja kiiltävine materiaaleinen, elikkä jos suosit alusvaatevarastosi jaottelemista päivä- ja iltahepeniin, niin tässä setissä riittää koko illalle kyllä hohtoa. Tämä malli lisää myös rintoihin hiukan volyymia muotoonprässätyn mallinsa ja paksun kuppimateriaalinsa vuoksi.

Minulle Danielle tuntui istuvan oikein hyvin lukuunottamatta muutamaa seikkaa. Mitä en tuossa videolla maininnutkaan, ovat tämän mallin ohuehkot ja pitkät olkaimet, jotka tuntuivat olevan myös melko kauas toisistaan aseteltu. Elikkä valitettavasti naisille, joilla on lyhyt ylävartalo ja kapeat hartiat tämä malli ei välttämättä sovi. Olkaimet ovat vain puoliksi säädettävät ja itse jouduin säätämään niitä niin paljon kuin vain pystyi. 

Muutenpa en voi kuitenkaan moittia hirveästi settiä, tosi kivan näköinen ja ihan mun tyylinen! Lumingeriesta näitä saa koissa 65-90 DD-G ( 47 €) ja alushousuja XS-2XL (26€). Vaikka Lumingerielta nämä sainkin arvostelua varten niin tämä ei vaikuta arvosteluun, kaikki mielipiteet ovat omiani! 🙂