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. 

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