Lumingerie-Exclusive: Lilah

*Disclosure: This set was provided me free of charge by Lumingerie. All opinions are my own.*

Edellisessä postauksessa Mervi vinkkasi haastattelussaan, että Lumingerie suunnitteli yhteistyössä Gorsenian kanssa 10-vuotisjuhlamallin, joka pohjautuu Gorsenian suosittuun Victoria-malliin. Gorsenia kutsuu mallia “kokokuppiseksi”, mutta itse miellän mallin toppaamattomaksi kolmipalaiseksi balconeteksi (oliko tuossa jo liikaa sanoja?). Sukelletaanpa siis arvostelun pariin pikimmiten!

In my previous post Mervi tipped us off that Lumingerie designed a 10 year anniversary bra style with the Polish bra manufacturer Gorsenia. This style is based on the rather full-coverage three-part cup balconette (what a word monster!) style Victoria. Let’s dive into the review!

The Design: Gorsenialta löytyy periaatteessa kolme “päämallia”: kokokuppisempi balconette (kuten Lilah!), puolikuppinen toppaamaton balconette ja topattu pystysaumainen balconette. Lilahin malliksi valittiin ensiksi mainittu, sillä siitä on saatavilla isoin kokovalikoima ja malli sopii monelle eri rinnan mallille. Väriksi valikoitui musta ja lila, sillä nämä värit näkyvät Lumingerien nettisivuilla vahvasti ja yhdistelmä on freesi mutta samalla hillitty.

Liivi on muuten jämäkkää kiiltävää neulosta, mutta kupin yläosa on läpinäkyvämpää pitsiä, jossa voi nähdä toistuvan sydänteeman. Keskellä komeilee ihastuttava lila bling-koriste. Lilahin muoto on todella kaunis ihan niin kuin muissakin Gorsenian malleissa – tämä toppaamaton kokokuppinen balconette kohottaa todella hyvin rintaa ja tekee sen kauniin pyöreäksi. Ulkonäössä ei siis mitään moitittavaa!

Gorsenia offers a selection of three types of bra shapes: more full-coverage balconette (just like Lilah here), a half-cup non-padded balconette and a padded “two-cakes-on-a-plate” style balconette. The first one mentioned was selected as the shape for Lilah as it is a rather universally well-fitting shape with a vast size range. The colours are black and violet as these are Lumingerie signature colours but also a great fresh yet subtle combination.

The bra is made of a sturdy material but it has a nice see-through upper panel with a repetitive heart-motif. The centre gore features a lovely violet fake gem. The shape of Lilah is just beautiful – this full-coverage balconette style lifts your tits up like no else and makes them nice and rounded!

The Fit / Istuvuus: Itse omistan kolme Gorsenian liiviä tällä hetkellä ja kaikki ovat oikeastaan eri kokoisia – jaiks! Koot ovat 65I, 70I ja 70J, joten lähimaastossa ollaan, mutta toki on hyvä tiedostaa, että aina ei heti ensimmäisellä tilauksella koko nappaa. Siksi tällaiset arvostelut ovatkin juuri niin käteviä! Tällä kertaa kooksi valikoitui 70J, joten voisin sanoa Lilahin olevan hieman niukkakuppisempi kuin joidenkin muiden Gorsenian mallien.

Koossa 70J on ihanan napakka mutta kuitenkin mukava ympärys ja kuppi istuu justiinsa eikä melkein. Kupin yläpaneelin pitsi jää hieman pystyyn kupin keskiosasta – tätä ei kuitenkaan pidä luulla liian ison kupin merkiksi, vaan se on ainoastaan kupin pitsin ominaisuus, joka katoaa kun liiviä sovitetaan paidan kanssa. Ei siis syytä huoleen 😉 Gorsenian kaarituet istuvat minulle kuin nakutettu, sillä ne ovat juuri sopivan kapoiset eivätkä ylety liian korkealle kainaloon. Kokomatkalta säädettävillä olkaimilla saa mukavasti säätövaraa liiviin niin pitemmille kuin lyhyemmillekin naisille.

I now own three Gorsenia bras and they are all different sizes – yikes! The sizes are 65I, 70I and 70J, so close to each other but it is good to acknowledge that sometimes you have to go a bit back and forth with the sizes to find the right one. That’s why these kind of reviews even exist! This time I went for a size 70J, so I would say Lilah is a bit snugger in the cup that some other Gorsenia styles.

The band in size 70J is lovely and snug, yet very comfortable. The cups fit me really well and the underwires are quite narrow, but not too much to pinch me in my breast tissue. There is something I need to say about the cups though – the lace on the upper panel sticks out a bit but this does not mean the cups are too loose, it’s just a feature of the lace and will be invisible under clothing. The straps are fully-adjustable which always solves a bunch of fit issues for taller and shorter girls alike.

Comfort / Mukavuus: Lilah on kokonaisuudessaan todella mukava setti – tähän vaikuttaa tietenkin Gorsenian hyvä istuvuus juuri minun vartalolleni, jolloin esim. hiertävistä kaarituista tai epämukavasti pyörivistä ympärysnauhoista ei ole vaaraa. Tein liiville ultimaattiseen “mukavuustestin” – eli otin siinä päikkärit! Oikeastihan kaarituellisissa liiveissä ei saisi nukkua, jotta kaarituet pysyvät uomissaan ehjinä, mutta pienet silmien lepuuttamiset sohvalla sallittakoon 😉 Siinä sohvalla pötkötellessä oikeastaan huomasin juuri sen mitä mukavien liivien kohdalla pitääkin hoksata: nämähän eivät tunnu päällä oikeastaan miltään.

Housujen kohdalla havainto oli sama, tosin liian pienenä nämäkin housut toki kuristaisivat jykeviä reisiä ja muhkua peppua. Tämän kerron siksi, että Gorsenian housuissa on todella niukka mitoitus ja minä valitsin näistä L-koon itselleni. Referenssinä tähän se, etten käytä mistään vaatekappaleesta kokoa L, vaan olen enemmänkin kokojen S ja M välillä riippuen merkistä. Housuissa on oikeassa koossa kuitenkin mukava korkeus (ei ihan lantiomalli siis!), vaikka tietenkään suosikkini eli korkeavyötäröiset mummopöksyt nämä eivät aivan ole 😉 Haarakiila on sopivan levyinen itselleni (eli leveähkö) ja housut ovat melkoisen joustavaa materiaalia.

Jos näillä puheilla Lilah alkoi kiinnostaa, kannattaa suunnata Lumingerien kauppaan laittamaan tilausta sisään! Lilah-liiviä (39€) saa koissa 70-100 D-M, ja pöksyjä (19€) M-4XL.

Mitä mieltä olet Lilah-setistä? Jos itse suunnittelisit uniikin setin, minkälainen se olisi? Laitappa kommenttilootaan viestiä ja kerro! 

As a whole, Lilah is a very comfortable set indeed – this is obviously partly because Gorsenia bras fit me so well, there is really no fear of  pinching underwires or a rolling bra band. I gave the bra the ultimate test – I took a nap in it! I know, I know; you really shouldn’t sleep in your bra as the wires might snap for all the tossing and turning, but a small nap on the couch wouldn’t hurt, right?!  As I was lying on the couch I noticed the one thing that really needs to be noticed when a bra is truly comfortable: it doesn’t actually feel like… anything at all!

With the panties, I can say the same thing, but in a size too small these panties would be uncomfortable on thick thighs and big booties. I say this because these suckers run SMALL! I picked a size Large for myself, and I can tell you I have literally no clothes in size Large in my wardrobe otherwise and I usually take a Small or a Medium when it comes to panties. So be sure to size up with these! In the right size, the panties have a nice rise even though they are not high-waisted, which is something I would personally prefer. The gusset of the panties is wide which is something I always like and the material is smooth and stretchy.

If this review inspired you to try the Lilah, you can find it in the Lumingerie webshop here. The bra (€39) comes in EU sizes 70-100 D-M and the panties in M-4XL (19€).

What do you think about Lilah? What would YOU do if you could design the perfect unique lingerie set? Shoot me with a comment in the comments section!

Sivutyöstä täyspäiväiseksi naisyrittäjäksi: Lumingerien 10 vuotta – From a Side Job to Full Time Female Entrepreneurship: 10 years at Lumingerie

Suomessa alusvaateala on aina ollut marginaalissa: jokaisella suurella kaupungilla ja joskus jopa pienemmälläkin pitäjällä on oma pieni putiikkinsa, jonka kapasiteetti usein riittää tarjoamaan kokoja n. G-kuppiin asti, ja vuokrien ollessa kalliit ja tilojen pienet kivijalkakauppiaana alalla on vaikea menestyä. Alusvaateverkkokaupat ovatkin olleet monen isorintaisen pelastus: kokoja löytyy huomattavasti enemmän ja merkkivalikoimasta löytyy paljon muutakin kuin perinteistä Primadonnaa.

Ensimmäinen suomalainen alusvaateverkkokauppa, johon itse blogiurani alussa (eli n. 5 vuotta sitten) tutustuin, oli omassa kaupungissani Oulussa varastoa pitävä Lumingerie. Lumingerien valikoimassa itselläni sykähdytti tutut nuorekkaat merkit kuten Curvy Kate, Freya ja Cleo by Panache, joita pääsinkin jossain vaiheessa blogiarvostelujen merkeissä testaamaan Lumingerielle. Yhteistyöstä kehittyi ystävyys, ja jossain vaiheessa myös työpaikka, jossa pääsen tänäkin päivänä toteuttamaan omaa intohimoani asiakaspalveluun ja alusvaatteisiin.

Lumingerie on monelle edelleen alusvaatejälleenmyyjänä uudempi nimi ja moni yllättyykin, kun kerromme asiakkaillemme, että yritys on ollut pystyssä jo aika lailla tasan kymmenen vuotta! Haastattelinkin Lumingerien perustajaa ja omistajaa Merviä yrityksen kymmenestä vuodesta ja siitä, minkälaista on ollut olla naisyrittäjä alusvaatealalla Suomessa.

English: The Finnish lingerie market is a tough one – many small boutiques don’t have the capacity to cater for bigger cup sizes than G as the rents are high and store spaces are small. 

I became familiar with a Finnish e-commerce shop Lumingerie in the beginning of my lingerie blogging career and instantly fell in love with their vast selection of young and fun D+ brands. Even better, the storage was located in my town, which meant after a couple of blog collaborations with the company I was invited for tea and to see what the whole thing was about. I was so excited! That very summer in 2014 I got my summer job at Lumingerie and since then, I continue my story with them today as a CS for the company.

Lumingerie was founded exactly 10 years ago, which is a great achievement for lingerie retailer in Finland! Today I have interviewed the founder and owner Mervi about her success as a female entrepreneur in the industry.

Mervi Modan alusvaatemessuilla Birminghamin NEC-keskuksessa / Mervi at Moda lingerie exhibition in NEC-centre, Birmingham.

Mistä lähti ajatus verkkokaupan perustamiseen ja miten yrityksen perustamisprosessi eteni? / How did you start your business and what was the process like?

-Kirjoitin pro gradu -tutkielmaani vuoden 2007 lopussa ja lähdin samalla yrittäjyyskurssille kotikunnassani Lumijoella. Pääaineeni yliopistossa oli tietojenkäsittelytiede, mutta ideaa alusvaateverkkokaupasta pyöritellessäni päätin kokeilla verkkokaupan perustamista sillä idealla, että jospa tätä voisi tehdä sivutyönä opiskelujen ohessa. Tein Lumingerien yrityssuunnitelman yrityskurssin päättötyönä ja itse verkkokauppa aukesikin jo vuoden 2008 alussa. Tein tuolloin lähes kaiken itse, ja jopa verkkosivut väänsin omin pienin kätösin. Eiväthän ne hääppöiset olleet, mutta jostain piti aloittaa. Myöhemmin puolisoni Mikko onkin auttanut verkkokaupan kehittämisessä koodaustaidoillaan.

Odotuksena oli, että pari hassua tilausta kun viikkoon saisi, olisin tyytyväinen. Yllätyinkin kovasti kun ensimmäinen tilaus tuli todella pian verkkokaupan avautumisesta, ja tilauksia alkoikin tulla oikeastaan joka päivä. Jossain vaiheessa heräsikin ajatus, voisiko tästä lopulta ihan täyspäiväinen työ.

I was doing my university dissertation in 2007 and took an entrepreneurship course in my home town Lumijoki at the same time. In university I studied computer science, but wanted to try out my idea of a lingerie e-shop as a side job. I crafted my business plan at the entrepreneurship course as my final dissertation and soon in the beginning of 2008 I launched the e-commerce shop. I did almost everything by myself, even the layout of the website. It wasn’t the best layout ever, but I needed to start somewhere. Later on my husband Mikko has helped me a lot with the coding.

My expectations about the shop weren’t too high at first and I would have been happy with just a couple of orders a week. However, I was surprised to find out that the orders kept coming almost every day and it made me wonder whether this could be something I could do full-time.

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Tempastiin ja hankittiin kaikille kotimaiset @sievishoes jalkineet tepasteltavaksi varastolle. Nyt on hyvä pakkailla useampikin tunti putkeen 👌 #sievi #kotimaisetjalkineet #kotimaisetkengät #shoppailureissulla #lumingerie #lumingerie10v #juhlavuosi #lumingerienvarastolla #alusvaatteet #kurvikkaille #rintaliivit

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Miten päädyit valitsemaan verkkokauppasi kohderyhmän ja millä perusteella valitsit ensimmäiset merkit kaupan valikoimaan? / How did you set your target market and choose the first brands to offer in your selection?

Olen itse isorintainen nainen (tällä hetkellä käytän UK-kokoja 70-75 J-K merkistä riippuen) ja koin, ettei kokoiselleni löytynyt Suomesta erityisemmin valikoimaa – erityisesti pienen ympäryksen ja ison kupin yhdistelmä on haastava! Päätinkin siis, että Lumingerie keskittyisi erityisesti D-kuppia isompiin kokoihin ja tällä hetkellä valikoimassa on kuppikokoja D:stä aina UK K-kuppiin asti. Muuten en ole lähtenyt kohderyhmäämme määritelemään, vaan asiakkaidemme yhdistävä tekijä on tarve D-kuppia isommalle liiville.

Ensimmäiset merkit, joita otimme kauppaamme, olivat Kris Line ja Adore Lingerie. Nämä merkit ovat sittemmin jääneet pois, mutta ne valikoituivat alunperin sillä periaatteella, että molemmilla oli hyvä kokovalikoima ja he olivat halukkaita tekemään yhteistyötä pienen verkkokaupan kanssa. Nykyään yritämme valikoida mukaan merkkejä, joilla on kohtuullinen valikoima kokoja ja hinta ei päätä huimaa. Suomalaisessa alusvaateverkkokaupassa luksusmarkkinat ovat vaikeat, joten otamme valikoimaan liivejä, joita on matala kynnys tilata kotiin kokeiltavaksi.

I am big busted lady myself (I wear a UK 32-34 J-K) and felt that there weren’t enough retailers catering for my size – especially the big cup, small band market was lacking. I decided that Lumingerie would focus on cup sizes above D-cup and now we cater up to a UK K-cup. There is really nothing else that defines our customers – just a need for a cup size bigger than D.

The first brands we took in were Kris Line and Adore Lingerie. These brands are not sold at Lumingerie anymore but they were selected in the first place for their wide size selection and willingness to do business with a small e-commerce shop.These days we try to select brands that have a decent size range and a price tag. The luxury market is very difficult for an online-only business, which is why it is something we haven’t really wanted to try.

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Scandicissa katsomassa porukalla Wacoalin ensi syksyn mallistoja. Wacoalin edustajana toimii ihana Sari, jota on aina ilo nähdä! @wacoaleurope #wacoal #freya #fantasie #newcollection #aw18 #autumntrends #collectionpreview #lumingerie #lumingerie10v #sneakpeek #kurvikkaille #alusvaatteet #rintaliivit #lingerietrends #lingerie

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Kertoisitko jotain Lumingerien kehityksestä yrityksenä näiden kymmenen vuoden aikana? / Please tell us something about the progress at Lumingerie over these 10 years!

-Lumingerie on kasvanut tasaisesti ja varmasti näiden kymmenen vuoden aikana. Jo perustusvuonna 2008 työ muuttui päätyöksi vuoden lopulla ja keskityin täysillä Lumingerien pyörittämiseen. Varasto oli aluksi suhteellisen pieni ja siksi pystyin pitämään sitä kotona Lumijoella vuoteen 2010-2011 asti. Muistaakseni vuoden 2010 lopulla kaverini Digitarvikkeelta vinkkasi varastotilan heidän varastonsa vierestä Oulun yrittäjäkylästä, ja päätin tarttua ehdotukseen. Ensin varastoja oli vain yksi, mutta nykyään tilamme ovat jo kolminkertaistuneet.

Vuonna 2014 otin yritykseen ensimmäisen kesätyöntekijän (toim. huom. eli minut!) ja vuonna 2015 muutimme toiminimen osakeyhtiöksi puolisoni kanssa. Tuolloin Mikko tuli myös töihin Lumingerielle ja hän toi yritykseen erityisesti teknistä tietämystä aiemman koulutuksena ja ammattinsa puolesta.  2015 ennakoimme muutenkin yrityksen kasvua ja palkkasimme vuoden aikana kaksi uutta työntekijää mm. markkinoinnin ja kirjanpidon tehtäviin.

Vuonna 2015 valikoimamme muuttui niin, että mukaan tuli myös miesten tuotteita. Miesten verkkokaupalla onkin ihan oma nimensä HerMan’s, joka tulee Mikon toisesta nimestä Hermanni. Ajatuksena miesten kaupan nimen takana oli myös se, että Lumingerien asiakkaat olisivat mahdollisesti voineet ostaa HerMan’silta alusvaatteita puolisoilleen – tämä ei kuitenkaan mennyt lainkaan niinkuin ajattelimme, vaan miehet ostavat alusvaatteensa oikein mielellään itse ja tilaajat ovatkin HerMan’silla lähes poikkeuksetta miehiä. Hyvä näinkin! HerMan’s onkin enemmän Mikon vastuulla, jolloin molemmilla meillä omistajista on myös omat kiinnostuksen kohteensa mukana työssä.

Lumingerie has grown surely and steadily over these 10 past years. In the end of 2008 my job at Lumingerie turned full-time and I decided to give my all to it. The storage was quite small at first so I could have all my stock at home in Luminjoki until 2010. If I remember correctly, it was in the end of 2010 when my friend at Digitarvike suggested I rent a storage right next to them at business village in Oulu. I grabbed the offer and first rented one storage unit, and now Lumingerie takes up three whole units!

In year 2014 I took in my first summer assistant (editor’s notes: that was me!) and 2015 we founded the Ltd with my husband Mikko. Mikko came in to work with me and brought some valuable technical know-how into the company. We also wanted to predict the company’s growth and thus hired two new employees to take care of marketing and book-keeping.

In 2015 we also took in some men’s products and named the men’s store site HerMan’s according to Mikko’s middle name Hermanni. We also imagined that HerMan’s could be a place for women to buy underwear for their partners – little did we know that HerMan’s whole customer base would basically be all men! This suits us perfectly fine though. HerMan’s is more Mikko’s responsibility and this way we both have a focus in our work and something interesting to work on.

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Panachen uudet AW18 mallit tulivat meille tänään hipisteltäväksi! Mervi ja Tiina peukuttavat 👍 @lovepanache AW18 collection arrived at the storage for a preview – Mervi and Tiina approve! #aw18 #panache #panachelingerie #lovepanache #autumntrends #lingerie #lingerietrends #lumingerie #kurvikkaille #rintaliivit #fullbustbras #collectionpreview

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Mitkä koet suurimmiksi saavutuksiksesi yrittäjänä ja mitä haluaisit vielä saavuttaa? / What are your biggest successes as an entrepreneur and what would you like to achieve in the future?

Ylipäänsä se, että tästä oli mahdollista tehdä kokopäivätyö itselle on iso saavutus. Pidän myös itse siitä, että Lumingerie on perheyritys. Varmaan kuitenkin isoin saavutukseni yrittäjänä on mahdollisuus tarjota useammalle ihmiselle työpaikka yrityksessäni. Tänä päivänä Lumingerie on myös kansainvälinen yritys – lähetämme tuotteitamme Eurooppaan ja myös rapakon taakse viikottain.

Tulevaisuuden suunnitelmia ja haaveita on paljon, enkä ihan vielä aio niitä paljastaa 😉 Yhtenä esimerkkinä voisin kuitenkin sanoa omien liivimallien suunnittelemisen juuri meidän kaupallemme – haluaisin tarjota jotain uniikkia asiakkaillemme! Pyörät tässä asiassa ovat kuin ovatkin jo lähteneet liikkeelle ja Lumingerien 10-vuotis juhlamallin Lilahin olemme suunnitelleet yhteistyössä alusvaatemerkki Gorsenian kanssa. Malli tuli myyntiin tällä viikolla ja se on suunniteltu Lumingerien väreissä koko työtiimin mielipiteet huomioon ottaen.

It is amazing that I could make this my full-time job so that is an achievement in itself. I am also happy to say that Lumingerie is now a family business. My biggest achievement though would be being able to offer jobs to other people as well. These days Lumigerie is an international company as well, as we ship to European countries and also beyond the pond weekly.

I have a lot of plans and dreams regarding Lumingerie but I am not sure whether I want to reveal them just yet! Something I could tell you is that I would like to create more in-house designed styles just for Lumingerie and this way offer something unique to our customers. We started this journey already and are now offering a 10-year anniversary style Lilah in our e-commerce shop. This style has been designed with our whole Lumingerie team in collaboration with a Polish lingerie brand Gorsenia. 

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Tässä on Lilah, Gorsenian kanssa yhdessä meille suunniteltu uutuus, joka juhlistaa meidän kymmenvuotista taivalta. 😊 Parhaillaan tuotannossa, tulossa helmikuussa! #lumingerie #10vuotta #juhlavuosi #anniversary #vainmeiltä

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Kiitos Merville haastattelusta! Jos haluat lukea arvostelun Lilah-setistä, pysyhän kuulolla huomiseen asti 😉 / Huge thanks to Mervi for the interview! If you would like to see Lilah reviewed here on the blog, please stay tuned until tomorrow 😉

Lingerie Review: Ava “Ines” in 70I

Ava is one of those brands, which I quite rarely review but every time I do, their bras pretty much fit me like a glove. Their availability is not as good as with some other Polish brands such as Kris Line or Ewa Michalak but I am fortunate to live in the same city where the Lumingerie lingerie online store is based – so I have access to many Polish brands that are carried nowhere else in Finland! I popped in at the Lumingerie storage to say hi to the lovely owners, and Mervi decided to put together a bag of goodies for me, the sweetheart she is. This particular set has been very much on demand, so if you see your size on the web store, grab it while you can (psst, they also offer free delivery within EU)!

The Design: The Ines is a non-padded balconette style which reminds me a lot of Panache and Cleo bras – in fact, it’s something that Panache and Cleo would create if they made a love child together. What I mean by this, is that the shape of the bra is beautifully rounded as with most Cleo signature balconettes but the construction is a bit more elaborate to offer a tiny bit more support, especially around outer breast area. The cut of the bra is called “Side Support Bra” at the website but it is still not too full-coverage which is something you would typically expect from a Panache bra.

The style of the Ines set is quite young and hip yet sexy – the leopard is still very much on trend and the black/raspberry colour combo keeps it sassy. The stretchier lace upper panel compliments the bra beautifully and brings together the four-piece cup construction.

The Fit: When buying Ava bras, you need to remember that their cups run on the bigger side. I would actually go as far as saying they run exactly one cup size big, as my usual European bra size is 70J and this bra fits me very well in 70I. The cups are still very spacious and could perhaps even endure some period size fluctuation. The band is firm in 70 and is rather something between UK 30 and 32 than a solid 32. To be frank, the Ava 70 band is a perfect fit for me: I am exactly between 30 and 32 with Panache and the Ava 32 (70) band is just snug enough to feel comfortable yet sturdy on my body.

The cups of the Ines are quite deep as you would expect from a Polish bra. However, the underwires are not particularly narrow, which is something you need to consider if you like your wires are narrow as eg with the likes of Ewa Michalak. I would say The Ava wires are quite close to Samanta and Ewa Bien wires, which is a rather good width for me personally.

Comfort: The way I see it, there are two ways to judge if a bra is comfortable enough for everyday wear: A) after the “breaking-in period” (the few times when you wear the bra for a first time and then wash it) it shouldn’t “feel” too much while wearing it, and B) it stays put when you are active. The Ines ticks both of the boxes, especially the latter! Don’t get me wrong – you will totally feel it when you wear it for the first few times and the centre gore especially tacks my sternum very firmly. However, the bra does “loosen up” a bit after a few wears and thus becomes more comfy over time. The sturdiness is still there though – this bra lifts heavy! It stays and feels supportive no matter what, which is a sign of a well-thought-out full-bust bra.

The Ines hooks at the back with three hooks and eyes in the bigger sizes and features fully adjustable straps which is always a great feature regarding comfort. This means the bra can be adjusted no matter the shape or the size of a person wearing it. It also comes quite high on my armpits but as the materials are not scratchy, I actually enjoy it as it means my breast tissues near the armpit area is fully encased.

The Ines bra comes with two different types of panties – regular short-style knickers and a thong. Obviously, I went for the shorts, as I like my panties to cover a bit more and feel comfy no matter what. My only issue with the knickers is that they are cut quite small – I thought I would be fine with size Medium as my size hasn’t changed for the bigger in many months but it appears, that Ava does run very small with their knickers. Sure, I can wear the Mediums but I wonder if the Large would have been a more flattering look. That thought in itself feels peculiar to me as I usually still wear Small-Medium with all other brands!

As mentioned in the beginning of the post, this set is flying off the shelves, so if you want to get your mittens on it, don’t wait! You can find the English website for Lumingerie here. The Ines bra (65-105 D-L) costs an affordable 39€ and the cute panties (S-XXXL) 19€.

Suomeksi: Heippa kaikille! Pitkästä aikaa laitan tulemaan myös suomennosta postaukseen, koska tämän postauksen tuotteet on sponssannut ihana kotimainen alusvaateverkkokauppa Lumingerie. Lumingerien varastohan sijaitsee täällä meikäneidin kotikaupungissa Oulussa, joten välillä piipahdan siellä ihan vain kahvittelemassa ja ihailemassa sesongin uutuksia. Tälläkään kertaa en lähtenyt kotiin tyhjin käsiin, vaan mukaan tarttui Avan ihanan pinkki leopardi-kuosinen “Ines” setti, jonka Lumingerie lahjoitti minulle arvostelua varten. 

Ava onkin minulle jo tuttu niiltä ajoilta, kun olin viimeksi kesätöissä Lumingeriella ja muistelin heidän mitoituksensa olevan hieman reilumpaa kuppien suhteen. Muistini ei pettänyt minua vaan niinpä koon 70J sijasta mukaan lähtikin 70I, joka vastaa brittien koissa n. 32G:tä. Puolalaiset merkit ovatkin tunnettuja hieman syvemmistä kupeistaan mutta myös tiukemmista ympäryksistään, joten vaikka moni brittimerkki istuu minulle myös koossa 30H (65H), niin tämä kaunokainen on aivan riittävän tukeva jo 70-ympäryksessä. Ympärysnauha on myös ihanan leveä, joten se tukee hyvin aivan arkikäytössä.

Alushousuja tähän settiin löytyy kahta mallia: stringiä ja tavallista boy short-mallia. Meikäläisen mantra on “Mitä mummompi, sen parempi”, mitä alkkareihin tulee, joten tiedätte varmaan kummat mulla lähti matkaan. Näissä kannattaa myös kiinnittää huomiota kokolappuun: puolalaisten pikkarikoot on aikas niukkoja, joten suosittelen ottamaan ainakin koon isommat tämän merkin kohdalla. Mun kooksi valikoitui M, mutta veikkaan että L:kään ei olisi ollut hassumpi. 

Tätä settiä ei ole enää montaa jäljellä, joten jos hyvinistuva, kaunis ja vieläpä edullinen alusvaatesetti kiinnostaa, nyt kannattaa katsoa vieläkö omaa kokoasi olisi jäljellä. Rintsikat löydät (koot 65-105 D-L) täältä ja alushousut (S-XXXL) puolestaan täältä. Lumingeriella postikulut, vaihdot ja palautukset on ilmaisia, joten jos merkki ei ole vielä tuttu, voi liivejä tilata vaikka parissa eri koossa ja laittaa vääränkokoiset takaisin!

Introducing Gorsenia Lingerie – Review of “Evita” in 65I

Have you ever heard about Gorsenia? Polish lingerie scene is a world of its own and even though I have been privileged enough to try some of the most well-fitting gorgeous designs from many Polish brands, there are still some I am sure I have not heard of and definitely haven’t tried personally (if you are working for a Polish brand I have not yet featured on 2COP, please feel free to email me and introduce yourself!). Gorsenia is one of the brands that have not yet received a ton of exposure in the lingerie blogosphere which is why I thought it would be important to feature them as soon as I got the chance.

Well, that chance occurred a small while back when I went to the Lumingerie storage to say hello to old friends. As per usual, I test-ran a few new styles and also, wanted to try some of the strappy styles that I knew Gorsenia was offering for us full-busted gals. I had tried a few of their half-cup balconettes before and really liked the styles and construction, which is why it was no surprise I ended up falling in love with their non-padded bras as well. Finally Mervi dug out an older Gorsenia style for me to try and as they only had a few left-over sizes left, she gifted me the Evita set without even asking for a review. I was super happy but still thought to myself: well, I might as well report something about the fit, as there are not that many Gorsenia reviews out there. Here’s how I liked the sultry Marlies Dekkers-inspired Evita-set.

The Design: The Evita set and especially the bra takes a lot of inspiration from the original Marlies Dekkers two-strap style that was quite popular a few years ago. When Dekkers claimed bankruptcy (and has recently started to heal and rise again) other brands were swift to take on the challenge of creating something similar to fill the gap in the market. The trend was also highly influenced by the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon which raged in the market for a couple of years and has since left a permanent mark in the strappy bondage-style lingerie styles, that are still very popular. I am still personally a big fan of the strappy styling and think that its a whimsical take on the lingerie-as-outerwear trend that makes a simple outfit instantly less boring.

The two straps above the cups are paired with simple mesh and satin fabrics which make the bra perfect for everyday-wear. the place where the strap meets the cup and also the centre gore are adorned with cute little embellishments which give the bra a more sophisticated look to it. The shape of the bra is very rounded and very similar to Cleo non-padded balconette bras which are infamous for their orb-like look. The bottom half of the cups is lined with a light satin-y fabric but the upper panel remains totally sheer to keep the bra sexy and sultry.

Can you notice that Mr. 2COP takes my pics these days? Thus the cheesy smile ❤ 

The Fit: Well now onto the most interesting part! First of all, Gorsenia is one of those brands who are unfortunately quite inconsistent with their sizing and depending on the style, I can be anything from 65-70 I-K with them. This is why I would try to search for a specific bra review online to find out what the sizing is like with each individual style. The bands run usually similar to eg Curvy Kate so a little on the looser side, especially for a Polish brand. I usually take a 70-band with almost every single Polish brand except for Samanta, but Gorsenia bands are quite stretchy, meaning you should go down a band size from your usual Polish band size. Their bands start usually at 65 which is a bit of a bummer for the more petite girls out there. The 65 ie 30 band fits me really well though and I love how snug and comfy it is at the same time, even though it only features two hooks and eyes.

The bra cups on the other hand run quite large with Evita. So large indeed, that I went down two whole cup sizes and there was no bulging whatsoever. This bra is size 65I which translates roughly to UK 30G but definitely feels more like a Curvy Kate 30H or perhaps a 32GG with another British brand. However, the Gorsenia padded half-cup balconettes do NOT run this big, so I would probably stick with your regular size with them or perhaps size down just one cup size. The cups are rather average when it comes to depth and width which is why I would again recommend to try this bra if you are a fan of Cleo. The fit is especially good for us full-on-top ladies as the bra has quite a bit of room in the upper cup section and also, the straps lay nicely if you have more breast tissue for them to sit on.

Comfort: Despite of the inconsistent sizing, I think Gorsenia is worth trying for the comfort factor only and of course, the stunning styling. The materials are very lightweight, maybe not the best quality, but still nice on even a more sensitive skin. For the price (39 € for the bra and 19€ for the panties) it is a great everyday set which goes under regular t-shirts and jeans like a dream and also looks gorgeous. I have really no complaints when it comes to the comfort aspect of this set: the wiring is spot-on, the straps placed well and they are also fully-adjustable.

The bottoms are high-waisted but not as much as I would like – on the other hand, Mervi told me that on her, they are super high because she has shorter torso than me. So each to their own and not everything fits the same way, even when it’s something as simple as panties. The Gorsenia bottoms run quite small and I am wearing a Medium with these – so these are pretty much in line with every other Polish brand! I would have loved to have seen a bit of strappy styling on the bottoms as well but I am sure some gals prefer them like this: pretty but yet simple enough to not show through tighter jeans or pencil skirts.

If you are interested in Gorsenia, do check out the Lumingerie online store for some of their most gorgeous styles. They do have some Evita sets left as well, so take a look if they still carry your size (the sizes are 65-90 D-L)! Delivery is FREE to all EU-countries! Have you ever tried Gorsenia bras? If so, how have you found their fit? Let me know in the comments below! xx

The Perfect Christmas Babe – Review of Scantilly “Peek-a-Boo” in 30H

When I first got to know Scantilly at Moda Exhibition, I fell head over heals in love with the whole range. It was something completely new that no full bust brand had ever done before – something sexy yet still sophisticated that came in both small back sizes and big cups. Erotic lingerie has been huge after the whole 50 Shades phenomenon burst into the scene but there were definitely audiences that weren’t reached for too many years. First core sizes, then plus, but the fuller bust brands never really took the plunge and so many women were left hanging and disappointed.

Today, I am finally reviewing the Scantilly “Peek-a-Boo” set which is available in both red and black. Lumingerie, who are longtime 2COP supporters and a local lingerie e-commerce shop, were kind enough to gift me a set for review so here’s how I liked my first Scantilly underthings!

Design: I love how this set makes me feel! I went for the red Peek-a-Boo set as I love how appropriate it is for this particular season. What a perfect stocking stuffer! The construction is quite different from any Curvy Kate bra I have ever tried (Scantilly is a CK sub-label, if you didn’t know) as the cups are made of FOUR parts, with two vertical and one horizontal seam. The three lower cup parts create a great rounded look to the bust but also lift my girls a great deal.

The style of the bra is a very traditional balconette, meaning the centre gore of the bra is quite high. The gore itself features a lovely key hole detail which actually sits very nicely on my sternum – which is not something that key hole gores usually do! I am not sure if this has something to do with my particular rib cage and bust shape but I am really digging the sexy detailing. The cups are very much see-through which is an absolute upside for me but could be a turn-off to some who want to stay more modest – this however, is not what the set is going for obviously, so no gripes there!

Fit: Curvy Kate is one of those brands that usually fit me pretty consistently so I was quite sure that a 30H would be my perfect size with Scantilly as well. As Lumingerie storage locates in my home town I was lucky enough to get trying these beauties in a couple of different sizes before opting for the right one. I did try a cup size up, so a 30HH, but the other cup wrinkled a bit more with that one, so I decided to choose my regular 30H. There was not a big difference between the two sizes but I did notice that the bigger cups were instantly a lot wider and thus did not fit me properly. I would suggest going for your CK size, with Peek-a-Boo at least (the All Wrapped Up bra was a bit smaller and I fitted well in a 30HH).

What I have always loved about Curvy Kate is their extremely comfy bands. They are amazing at making just the right size bands for me; as most of you know, I am between 30 and 32 at the moment (I think I measure around 30,5-31″ under my bust) and the Peek-a-Boo 30-band stretches pretty much up to 31″ which is great for comfort. The band features three hooks and eyes which makes it all the more supportive and sturdy. This time I was very pleased with the wire-width as well – usually CK is a bit too wide for me but this time the wire width is quite average so pretty much perfect for me. The cups run true-to-size and are on the shallower side but not horribly so – I only get a bit of empty space at the bottom of the cups.

Comfort: As I said before, I think Curvy Kate and thus Scantilly as well, make the best bra bands for me personally. I have a pretty prominent rib cage meaning very rigid bands can cause me both skin irritation and too much pressure on my bones. The band is wide and stretchy yet sturdy enough to feel good quality and nothing that will stretch out too easily. The bra straps are fully adjustable but quite short for a change, so I am not sure if very tall and long-torsoed women would find the bra comfy (anyone have any experience on this?). The straps are also placed quite widely on the shoulders which is actually my only gripe with this bra. I am not particularly petite regarding my shoulders but still, I have some chafing around the armpit area as the straps touch it while moving my arms.

The Peek-a-Boo set comes with two bottom options: the open-back brief and the regular one. I loved the idea of the naughtier panty option (forgive me, Santa!) so I did request for it in size Small for the co-ordinates. The Scantilly knickers come in double sizes, meaning the Small is a UK size 8-10 which sounds a bit skimpier to me than they actually are. I would say the Small is about exactly size 10, meaning I would have perhaps preffered something between Small and Medium. The knickers fit me well though and I am very happy with how surprisingly comfy they are, regardless of the open back that made me a bit hesitant at first. Do give these babes a try if you can – they are so unique and the style is very flattering in flesh!

If you would like to try the Scantilly “Peek-a-Boo”, head over to Lumingerie as they are now shipping FOR FREE to EU countries in addition to Finland! The Peek-a-Boo bra sets you back at 66€ and the open-back panties at 33€ which is a bit higher than usual Curvy Kate sets but still very reasonable for the unique styling and lovely quality materials. I must say this set is absolute lust-list material and many ladies would be happy to receive it as an Xmas gift 😉 (Hint hint, ladies & fellas!)

Suomeksi: Moikka moi! Enpä ole pitkään aikaan kirjoittanut suomeksi, mutta nyt häätynee, kun on kyseessä niin spesiaali tuotearvostelu – varsinkin kun tämä setti on niin helposti saatavilla ihan täältä kotosuomesta! Ai niin, ja hauskaa itsenäisyyspäivää kaikille 😉 Nyt onkin jo se aika, kun moni leidi ja herrasmies miettii siellä kotosohvalla, että mitä sitä shoppailisi sille rakkaimmalle ja tässä olisikin hyvä vaihtoehto pukinkonttiin: kauniita alusvaatteita joulunpunaisissa sävyissä!

Kyseessä on tällä kertaa yllänäkyvä Scantillyn “Peek-a-Boo”-setti, jonka Lumingerie ystävällisesti lahjoitti minulle arvostelua varten. Settiä on saatavana sekä perusmustana kuin tänä herkullisena punaisena, joka valikoitua tällä kertaa omaksi suosikikseni. Setin sain brittikoossa 30H eli 65H ja alushousut valkkasin koossa S. 

65H on minulle melko tyypillinen koko britti-merkkien kanssa, joten olin tyytyväinen kokoluokitukseen myös Scantillyn kohdalla. Scantillyhän on siis Curvy Katen tuhmempi pikkusisko, joten oletin myös istuuvuden olevan samaa luokkaa. Yllätyksekseni eroja kuitenkin löytyi – Scantillyssa kupit antavat mielestäni pyöreämmän muodon rinnalle ja kaarituet ovat hiukan kapeammat kuin Curvy Katen liiveissä. Molemmat ominaisuudet miellyttivät itseäni kovasti ja itselleni liivit istuivat todella hyvin. Sanotaanko kuitenkin se, että istuvuuteen näyttäisi vaikuttavan huomattavasti rinnan kiinteys ja rintakudoksen jakautuminen – kiinteät ja “yläosasta” täyteläiset rinnat ovat tämän mallin kanssa ehdottomasti yhteensopivimmat!

Jos jotain miinuspuolia pitäisi setistä etsiä, olisi sellainen todennäköisesti ainakin joillekin vartaloille ko. rintsikoiden olkainten sijainti ja pituus. Olkaimet ovat aika lyhyet, joten jos olet erityisen pitkä, voivat ne olla sinulle liian kireät jopa täysin löysytettynä. Pienemmille tyttösille ongelmana voi puolestaan olla olkainten kaukainen etäisyys toisistaan: liian leveälle asetetut olkaimet voivat hiertää kainalon seutua ja aiheuttaa näin lievää ihoärsytystä.

Kaiken kaikkiaan Peek-a-Boo vaikuttaa minusta laadultaan, istuvuudeltaan ja mukavuudeltaan kuitenkin oikein ihanalta setiltä. Vaikkei istuvuus olisi juuri sinun rintojesi kanssa se paras, on setti joka tapauksessa loistava vaihtoehto vaikkapa vain omaksi tai puolison piristykseksi 😉 Jos haluat napata setin jo ennen joulua, kannattaa se tilata nyt, ennen kuin joulupukki on vienyt kaikki koot muille naisille! Rintsikat kustantavat 66€ ja alushousut 33€, mikä on mielestäni ihan kohtuullinen hinta näin laadukkaista ja uniikeista alusvaatteista. Lumingeriella on ilmaiset postikulut, vaihdot ja palautukset, mikä tekee tilaamisesta todella helppoa meille suomalaisille. Tuotteet tulevat myös parissa päivässä, joten kokoakin kerkeää vaikka vaihtaa ennen aattoiltaa!

Blogger Night with 2COP x Lumingerie

Even after blogging for two years there are still some things that surprise me – one of them being the vibrant blogger scene in my hometown Oulu. It’s a small town so getting together is rather easy, there are not that many places to go or things to do. Luckily, bloggers are a creative sort of bunch and we have come up with multiple events during the past few months and as I see myself as a pretty active part of our little group, I decided to throw my gals a little lingerie party. After I had visited the storage of Lumingerie, a Finnish lingerie online store, we decided to team up for a proper fitting event to teach our blogger gals a bra tip or two.

Lumingerie and 2COP have worked together for a good year and a half now which I am super grateful for – this online store knows what it’s doing and is dedicated to educating women on good bra fit. They have a lovely selection of British, Polish and American brands which are probably rather familiar to you as well; Curvy Kate, Panache and Gorsenia are just some of the quality brands Lumingerie offers in their selection. We handpicked a few favourites with Mervi and decided to show our blogger guests some young fashion-forward styles for the upcoming spring season.

Pics by Elisa from Balanced 24/7

We started off the evening with some “bubbly” (which was more like lemonade) and then proceeded to tell about the key products we had picked for the night: the Panache Sports bra, Curvy Kate “Luxe Strapless” and Cleo “Jolie” which were modeled by my lovely sister Emma (the makeup and hair is done by yours truly). Emma usually wears a size 65D which, as you can see, is actually quite a small size as opposed to the dreaded porn star boobs that D’s are usually perceived as. I was glad to see so many of my fellow bloggers’ faces litting up: there were clearly some a-ha moments happening that night.

Pics by Anna from Secondary Life

At the end we started measuring the girls and what a big surprise, all of them were actually D+. Even the gals who warned me off right from the start that they weren’t too well-endowed ended up measuring 30D or similar with some girls jumping from A and B-cups to D and F. The most important lesson of the night? The band is related to the cup meaning if you are small all over, you are very likely to be a 28 or 30  D+. I don’t mean to say there aren’t girls that wear eg 28B/C but the average Finnish girl is likely to be a D+ gal, there’s no going around it.

The girls left with new bra sizes, some goodie bags from Lumingerie and a big smile on their faces which was the best reward for me from that particular night. I look forward to more blogger meet-ups in the future as I would love to get to know these girls better! Big thanks to everyone who attended, our lovely model and Lumingerie who all made this night such a special one 🙂 If you want to check out the other bloggers who attended, here are links to their (mostly Finnish) blogs…

Anna, Enni, Elisa , Jenna, Anni, Tiina, Mella, Reetta, Minttu, Jenni, Sarkku, Marjo & Laura.

Have a great rest of your Sunday and I’ll get back to you with *drumroll*…. blogiversary giveaways that will go up tomorrow! I wish you the best of luck with them 😉

Going Wireless: Review of Panache Sport Non-Wired Sports Bra – Esittelyssä kaaritueton Panache Sport urheiluliivi!

Recently I visited the Lumingerie storage to grab myself a lovely new Panache Sport in the Lime colourway – my old cobalt blue one was already showing some serious signs of wear-and-tear. Lumingerie does not do any in-store fittings but as an old friend I got the “permission” to go for a visit and grab me some goodies. For my joy, the lovely owner Mervi decided to gift me another sports bra but this time, it was the long-awaited Panache Sport Non-Wired. I was so excited to leave with not one but two of my favourite sports bras! I was also super eager to try the non-wired as I had anticipated it since last spring. Here are my thoughts on how the non-wired version did…

  
A quick notion on the pics again: I just wanted to let you guys know that I don’t photoshop my pics at all but only edit the lighting and colours a bit to create a more soft look to them. Also, I do have scars and wounds from my eczema so please excuse me if I look like I have hickeys all over my body!

Design: As I posted a picture of the bra on a boob-related Facebook group I was instantly flooded by so many questions so I will first tackle one of the most important ones – the structure. The non-wired sport truly is almost exactly like its wired counterpart and looks and feels like it to most parts. There were however a couple of things you might want to take into account when considering if this construction will be a good one for your pair of boobies.

What I noticed first was that the cups still give me a very rounded shape as they are moulded and this way also don’t feel as compression-like as other wireless sports bras. The overlay design is a bit different to the original one – it is constructed of three parts as well but the parts are sewn together differently. The non-wired features a side support panel and wider top panel than the wired Sport (click for my wired Sport review!). Also the top panel is more closed at top and this way pulls the top part of my breasts closely against my chest.

Colour-wise I really like the new Non-Wired Sport – it’s a funky 80’s kinda geometric print with black base. If this is not your cup of tea, you can wait for the ss15 edition with a purple colourway and no print whatsoever. Otherwise the bra features the same basic traits as its wired counterpart; three hooks and eyes and a J-hook strap-converter.

Fit: There is a common rule for buying Panache Sport that you should go down a cup size as they tend to run large in cups. However, I have a theory that this applies only to women with more fullness on their bottom half of breasts, not women with upper fullness like me. The top part of the cups in the original Panache Sport is quite open and deep which may lead to gaping if you don’t have much breast tissue or projection to fill the top. When it comes to the non-wired, I would say the case is a bit different – this sports bra seems to be more closed at top meaning it might be best to go for your regular size. I went for 30GG as with my regular Sport and the fit is quite nice, though I do have a slight glimpse of cleavage on show after swooping and scooping my breasts from the sides into the cups.

The band feels nice and snug as with the regular Sport and is definitely on the firmer side of 30″. I would still suggest you go for your regular band size as you need all the extra bit of support when exercising. However, if you are between band sizes, I would take the bigger one as the tighter one could feel a bit uncomfortable. The cups are quite deep and the whole ensemble feels supportive even without the underwires. The bottom part of the cups buckles a bit because there are no wires but that doesn’t make the bra less usable in action.

Comfort: So comfy! I know many of you have been waiting to snatch this bra up even just for daily lounge-wear and I totally recommend that you do. Also the bra did what it promised as I tested it out in BodyPump and Zumba – it held my boobs in place and I didn’t have to think about my boobs hitting me in the face while working out. If you have ever tried Zumba you’ll know how much running and jumping around it actually is and to me, it’s always the ultimate test for my sports bras. I feel like the Panache Sport Non-Wired did a great job even without the wires and I felt secure through the whole hour of my workout.

If you do need some extra support, I suggest you take advantage of the J-hook attached to the straps – it converts the bra to a racerback and make the straps stay in place even better. I have always worn my Panache Sport with the J-hook clipped and had no discomfort during running, Zumba or any other sport you might think of. Even though the bra is made of thick moulded material, it still breathes and feels fantastic on, even after an intense workout.

The Panache Sport Non-Wired costs 56€ at Lumingerie and it goes up to H-cup. Also, Lumingerie has now gone international and will ship to all EU countries, FOR FREE. Now, I would love to hear your comments whether you already have the bra and how you like it or whether you have decided to snatch it up at some point! Also, if there is anything I forgot to discuss, please leave me your questions and comments below – I know you have some 😉

Suomennos: Moikka kaikille! Tässäpä olisi teille taas mahtava uusi vaihtoehto urkkaliiviksi, nimittäin Panachen kaaritueton urheiluliivi. Panache alkoi kehitellä tätä jo jonkin aikaa sitten ja vihdoin pitkän testauksen ja uurastuksen jälkeen liivi on nyt saatu onnistuneesti markkinoille! Minä kävin reippaana tyttönä Lumingerien varastolla moikkaamassa Merviä ja samalla päätin ottaa yhdet uudet Sportit matkaan. Mervipä tarjosikin minulle ikään kuin kaupanpäällisenä vielä nämä kaarituettomat mukaan, joten päätin heti ottaa uutuden testiin.

Olen siis jo vuoden verran vannoutuneesti käyttänyt näitä normi-sportteja, sillä ne ovat ehdottomasti paras urheiluliivi, jota olen kokeillut. Itse mahdun vielä ihan kivasti tuohon kokohaarukkaan (UK B-H), joten kaarituettoman version kokeileminen tuntui melko jännältä. Voin kuitenkin sanoa, että toimivat todella hyvin, mikäli kaarituet eivät ole se sun juttu! Itse voin sanoa, että liiveissä ei tosiaan ole hirveästi eroa: molemmat ovat muotoonprässättyjä ja antavat todella kivan pyöreän muodon. Vaikka kaarituettomien urkkaliivien pointti on yleensä litistää rinnat täysin vartaloa vasten, on Panache Non-Wired ihan eri luokkaa – siinä on runsaasti tilaa vähän suuremmillekin rinnoille ja molemmalle rinnalle on oma paikkansa liiveissä. Toisin kuin kaarituellisissa Sporteissa, tässä kaarituettomassa liivimallissa kuitenkin rinnat osuvat yhteen, joten jos hikoilet runsaasti rintojen alueelta, voi kaarituellinen versio olla parempi valinta.

Usein Panachen Sportistä sanotaan, että malli on suht iso kupeiltaan ja kokoa kannattaakin miettiä tarkkaan. Oma teoriani on, että tämä pätee vain rintoihin, joissa on enemmän täytettä rintojen alaosassa kuin yläosassa. Omat rintani ovat aika “yläpainotteiset”, joten olen aina ottanut Sporteista ihan normikokoni, samoin myös tästä kaarituettomasta versiosta. Tämä uusi versio on kuitenkin hieman napakampi kuppien yläosasta, joten jos olet ottanut aikaisemmin pienemmän kuppikoon tavallisesta Sportista, voi tämän uutuuden kohdalla harkita mieluummin ihan sitä tavallista kokoa. Itse käytän molemmista kokoa 65GG.

Sportin ympärys on todella napakka niinkuin kuuluukiin – se pitää rinnat hyvin paikoillaan ilman että saat Zumba-tunnin aikana mustan silmän, tiedät kyllä mistä. Jos mietit kahden ympäryskoon välillä, ota mieluummin isompi, sillä liikkuessakin pitää pystyä hengittämään. Liivien takana on myös nk. J-koukku, jonka avulla saat lisätukea muuntaessasi olkaimet racerback-asentoon.

Kaiken kaikkiaan Panachen Sport Non-Wired oli todella mukava yllätys ja aion jatkossakin ostaa sekä perinteisen että tämän uuden mallin, kun uusi kausi tekee tuloaan. Mikäli itseäsi kiinnostaa hyvä tukeva urheiluliivi ilman kaaritukia, suosittelen kurkkaamaan Lumingerien sivuille! Heiltä löytyy sekä tämä versio että se perinteinen hintaan 56€ – ei yhtään paha hinta kivuttomista treeneistä. Lumingerien Mervin blogista löytyy nyt myös kiva blogiarvonta, joten käykääpä osallistumassa huomiseen mennessä! Jos myös tulee mieleen jotain kommenttia tai kysymystä, niin laittakaahan alle viestiä, minä vastailen niihin ihan mielelläni 😉

Lingerie News 7/14 by 2COP

 

There has been some pretty interesting things going on in the lingerie world lately which is why I decided to put together a monthly “News” feature that would gather all the important happenings together. Hopefully this will keep you posted on things such as new D+ brands, sizing and fit corrections that brands make and events to come in the near future. Enjoy!


New lingerie brands in the scene

I have found a couple of brands you might be interested in which is why I wanted to share them here. I think many of you have heard of Bosom Galore by now but the stunning brand has now created another new style to be introduced next spring and also decided which styles they are launching first. Their first styles will include my personal favourite style Amelia which is a gorgeous pale pink plunge with a beautiful lace overlay (pictured above, image courtesy of Bosom Galore). Can’t wait to try the set on when it is launched! The launch will take place this autumn and if everything goes as planned, it will take place in September.

Another brand called Juliana London has mysteriously burst onto the scene and I say mysteriously cause to be honest, we know nothing about it except it’s targeted to women with small backs and big busts. I will be meeting the owner of the brand in London sometime soon so after that I will hopefully have new info. Juliana London is a luxury brand so if you have any wishes for their size range, materials, designs or pricing, let me know and I will discuss it with the founder!

 
Freya changes their sizing markings

Freya has made the decision to change how their sizes appear on the size tags. This might seem a lot smaller change to most of you but as I work for the lingerie retail I know it’s a massive one for online retailers. The sizes are changed into EU sizing meaning the chart will go as follow: D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L… etc. This means they will be differently displayed on websites and online stores and instead of picking your UK size, you need to convert it to your EU size, eg. GG -> J. Some of the online stores may not be changing this so be careful how the sizes are displayed on web. If there are no double sizes (FF,GG,HH..) they use the EU sizing instead of UK.

A Finnish lingerie online store goes international!

I have worked with a Finnish lingerie online retailer Lumingerie for quite a while now and have some awesome news for those looking for the best selection of British and Polish brands on the scene. Lumingerie has finally decided to go international and has started to prepare for translating their website and making it easier for international customers to approach them. The English version of the website and online store does not have a launch date yet, but as soon as I have more info, I will let you know!

The Moda Birmingham Exhibition is held again next month!

I decided not to take part in Moda this season but what happened? I accidentally booked flight tickets and now I am planning my trip to London and Birmingham. This will mean you will get to see the new ss15 collections fresh from the catwalk and I will report you with the latest trends and best picks! I am especially excited to see what my favourite brands Tutti Rouge, Panache and Gossard have to offer but will visit as many stands as I can during the Sunday. I will also be meeting another lingerie bloggers so you might see them costarring the blog soon 😉

Review of Tutti Rouge “Nichole” in 30GG – Testissä Tutti Rougen “Nichole”

Hiya everyone! Life has been a bit busy lately but I’m gonna use this extra bit of time to review something that I really like. I have been a bit impatient to try on the new ss14 styles of Tutti Rouge and was thrilled when Finnish online store Lumingerie gave me a chance to review one of their spring goodies. Lumingerie stocks only a few styles per brand but the owner has a great taste and had picked the lovely Nichole to be a part of their stock. Nichole is a Tutti Rouge continuity style that will appear next autumn in lovely rich tones, it’s a true classic already. So, let’s dig a little deeper and see how the Nichole does as a part of my everyday wardrobe…

The design: I like the simplicity but also the details of Nichole. It’s a stunning bubblegum pink colour paired with traditional black, a striking combo that makes the set look interesting. I am always stunned by the amount of detailing Jessica puts in her designs: there is a little leopard print bow on the centre gore featuring a little pink heart to perfect the fun and girly look of the bra. Also I really like the way the black trimming and lace kind of circulates around the whole bra from the wiring to the edge of the cups and the band.

This bra gives a phenomenal shape – it’s very rounded and uplifted, almost exaggerated. I love this bra under clothing and how it makes my boobs look like lovely little (or big, I don’t know..) apples. The constuction keeps my breasts in front of me instead of splaying the boobs towards my sides. The bra is an unpadded three-part cup construction style very similar to Cleo bras such as Marcie which will make this bra an instant hit among us Cleo unpadded style lovers.

The Fit: There has been a lot of complaints about the fit of TR bras and I continue to be amazed by the amount of them – I have never had problems with their fit except with the AW13 version of Betty which I tried on briefly at work (it was way too shallow for me). However, I do think the fit of this bra shows a lot of improvement towards a more deeper and narrower cup style. I do like it since it gives my boobs a lot more forward projection and the cups fit nicely on my ever-growing boobs.

I got my Nichole in 30GG which is my regular size with most of the brands I wear excluding Lepel and Gossard. I have always worn my normal size with TR so I can definitely state that this bra runs according to their other styles. The band is snug yet comfy and features three hooks and eyes for maximum support. The straps are fully adjustable as with TR Liliana but unfortunately they feel a bit widely set though with my broad shoulders, I’m coping fine. The cups fit quite normally but as said, they feel quite a lot deeper than my previous Tutti Rouge styles, eg compared to the Frankie. The cups are non-stretchy material and have a stiff trimming in the edge so very FOT breast might need to size up or skip altogether. However, my breasts are quite full-on-top and I have no digging in whatsoever.

Comfort: I must admit I had some serious issues with comfort at first, which made me put off this review a bit. I wanted to see how the bra softened up and luckily it did, a lot. The centre gore was the worst when I first put the bra on; it was literally stabbing my sternum and I couldn’t wear the bra for several hours without hurting. I started to wear the bra only for short periods and it turned out fine after a couple of wears – I can honestly say the gore is not stabbing me at anymore it feels rather comfy.

The materials are a bit scratchy but I don’t feel like they irritate my skin as I expected them to. The band feels really comfortable and stretchy enough even though I’m building back muscle all the time. I feel like the band doesn’t cause me a horrific back bulge like some other bras. Also the straps are a nice width so they support me just the way they need to and don’t usually fall off my shoulders even though they are quite widely set.

I love Tutti Rouge knickers – they are so flattering and comfy, and on the other hand quite practical as well. Nichole is meant for everyday wear which makes the regular brief a great choice to co-ordinate the bra (I got mine in size Small). The panties are sheer but cover my butt quite well and sit at a nice height – no too low or high. If you ever buy a TR bra, please do consider the panties too!

How did you like Nichole? Any of you considering buying Tutti Rouge this or next season? Let me know in the comments! xx Disclosure: This set was generously gifted by Lumingerie. All opinions are my own.

SUOMEKSI: Olen kovasti odottanut Tutti Rougen kevään malleja, joten olin tosi innoissani saadessani Lumingerielta testiin uuden purkkapinkin Nichole-setin. Lumingerien valikoimissa on aina parhaimmisto useammalta eri merkiltä ja tällä kertaa varastoon oli valikoitunut kaunis tyttömäinen Nichole. Nicholesta tuleekin ensi syksynä lisää upeampia tummia sävyjä, joten kannataa pistää malli vähintään korvan taakse jos pinkki ei ihan nappaa!

Itse olen aivan kympillä pinkki-fani, joten väri upposi kyllä ihan täysillä. Lisäksi musta koristenauha ja pitsi antavat potkua tyttömäiselle värille ja lisäävät setin kiinnostavuutta. Jessicalla on mahtava tyylitaju ja hän osaakin aina yllättää suunnitelemmalla mitä suloisempia pieniä yksityiskohtia! Nicholen keskiosassa on hauska leopardikuosinen rusetti ja rusetissa vielä pienenpieni sydän. Kangas on melko tukevan tuntuista meshiä, josta näkyy hieman läpi.

Nicholen kupit on koottu kolmesta eri osasta, joka antaa sille todella pyöreän melkein Cleomaisen muodon. Itse kuulun ainakin Cleon Mercien faneihin ja Nicholesta on syntynyt kyllä sille oikein mainio kilpasisko. Rinnat tuntuvat olevan todella eteenpäin suuntaavat kupeissa ja syvyyttäkin riittää enemmän kuin monissa aikaisemmissa Tutti Rougen malleissa. Koossani 65GG tuntuu olevan juuri oikean kokoiset kupit sekä ympärys, joten luokittelisin istuvuuden suurinpiirtein samanlaiseksi kuin muissakin brittimerkeissä. Kaarituet ovat melko keskivertoa mitoitusta, joten osuvat minulla juuri oikeaan kohtaan. 65-ympärys tuntuu jämäkältä mutta ei kuitenkaan liian tiukalta – se ei esimerkiksi muodosta selkään ikäviä makkaroita vaikka tukeekin erittäin hyvin.

Aluksi rintsikat tuntuivat todella jäykiltä päällä eikä todellakaan voi sanoa että olisivat olleet liian mukavat. Useimmat rintsikat kuitenkin löystyvät päällä muutaman käyttökerran jälkeen, joten odottelin josko rintalastaani pistävät kaarituet pehmenisivät ja menettäisivät jäykkyytensä käytössä. Onneksi näin kävi ja nyt rintsikat tuntuvat melko mukavilta ja sopivat useammankin tunnin käyttöön! Alushousut TR:llä ovat aina yksi setin kivoimmista puolista eivätkä pettäneet tälläkään kertaa – ne ovat niin mukavat, sievät kuin käytännöllisetkin. Suosittelen siis ostamaan koko setin, sillä kyllä nämä hömppiksen peruspikkarit voittavat 100-0!

Nichole rintsikat löytyy Lumingerielta edulliseen 39€ hintaan, alkkarit kustantavat 19€. Koissa riittää hyvin, rintsikat löytyvät kokohaitarilla 60-85 DD-HH ja alushousut S-2XL. Mitäs te olette mieltä setistä ja joko omasta kaapista löytyy Tutti Rougea? Jättäkäähän kommentia, ois mukava kuulla!

Review of Freya Deco in 30GG – Testissä Freyan Deco

Last year I did a round up of dresses and bras that go together really well when the party season ie May/June comes.Now it’s time to talk about festive undercrackers again; I myself have chosen a bet-safe combo of a high-waisted knickers, my Made in Preston dress and a cobolt blue Freya Deco. I recently got this new ss14 shade of Deco from a Finnish D+ lingerie online store called Lumingerie and I have been testing the set a lot lately while attending several low-key cocktail occasions and also on regular working days. I think many of us know how well Deco suits so many different occasions but here is a review of the classic version of it. If you wanna compare it to the little more feminine Deco Honey, feel free to click here for the review.

The design: Deco is a t-shirt bra with a very low plunging neckline. It’s great under clingy materials and doesn’t show through t-shirts or dresses. I love how great it looks under everything and am very pleased with how Freya changed a little detail recently – they replaced the molded plain edge of the cup with a trimming that should correct the “curving over” effect of the previous models. I feel like it has worked wonderfully for me and there is no fear of the edge curving at all, in fact it’s now completely invisible under most of my clothes.

The colours are always lovely with Decos – I am especially big fan of this cobolt blue version but also adore the Lagoon colourway with its soft fabric and whimsical pattern. I think the blue colour suits so many Finns and is a great basic colour in addition to black and beige. The centre gore and the straps feature little bows that add a little cuteness to the mix and make the bra more feminine. The padding of the bra is quite thick which can put off some people. However, even my mom who hates extra bulk is a devoted fan of Deco for its great shape. I love how round the cups are and the cleavage is a whole another story – it’s truly sensational.

Fit: I got Deco in my regular size 30GG which is cup-wise at the higher end of the spectrum of the size range. I think the bra fits quite like so many other brands such as Panache and Curvy Kate – the sizing is very British, if that is a proper way to put it. There is no spillage at the centre of the cups and the cups suit very well my full-on-top shape. I would say the fit of the bra is very average overall – average width wires, average deep cups and average size band. I think the band is a lot more stretchy than with my Deco Honey and this way a lot more comfy as well. I however don’t agree with the others saying Deco would run a full band size big in the band, to me it feels more like a true to size 30″.

If I could advise Freya to do something a bit differently, I would say the straps are placed a little too far away from each other. I have pretty wide shoulders but still the straps could have been more centred to avoid any slipping off the shoulders. The wire however was really great for me, not too narrow or wide, not too high in the armpits either.

Comfort: The Deco is an everyday t-shirt bra but also a popular choice for big celebrations such as matriculation parties here in Finland. For this reason, it needs to be extra comfy and not cause any irritation on your big day. I found the materials to be really nice with the smooth polyester blend that feels great on my skin. However, as said before the strap placement could have been better and I would actually advise to go for the strapless deco if you don’t want to worry about the straps slipping off your shoulders during the celebrations. The wires are pretty flexible meaning the bra is very easy to move around with and doesn’t a cause a feeling of restriction. Also the panties are quite comfy though I could have definitely gone down a size since the Small fits more like a snug Medium. The material of the panties is the same lovely sleek polyester blend as the bra and feels lovely against my skin.

Have you ever tried Deco and if so, how do you like it? Let me know in the comments!

Disclosure: This set was gifted by Lumingerie for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Suomeksi: Meillä Suomessa alkaa olla juhlakausi hyvin lähellä ja monet etsivätkin hyviä liivejä juhlamenoja varten – kovassa kulutuksessa ovat erityisesti t-paitaliivit ja olkaimettomat. Viime vuonna tein kevätkesällä postauksia hyvistä mekko- ja rintsikkayhdistelmistä mutta nyt esittelyssä olisi oma tämän kevään suosikkikomboni – Made in Prestonin punainen kynämallinen mekko, muotoilevat alushousut ja Freayn koboltin siniset Deco-liivit. Sain Lumingerielta testiin nuo uutukaiset Decot ja ovat kyllä heti muodostuneet hyväksi vaatekaapin peruspilariksi niin arki- kuin juhlakäyttöönkin.

Freyalla on tapana tehdä Decosta joka kausi uusia malleja ja vähän ehostaa vanhoja – niin suosittu se on ympäri maailmaa. Omassakin lähipiirissä Deco-faneja löytyy, mukaan lukien parhaat ystäväni ja äitini. Deco on todella hyvä perusliivi malliltaan, sillä se tarjoaa sileän pinnan vaatteiden alle sekä syvän pääntien, joka sopii syväänuurrettujen mekkojen ja paitojen alle. Freya on nyt uudistanut Decoa siten, että sen reuna on kokonaan sileän ulkomuodon sijaan varustettu ylimääräisellä nauhalla, jonka pitäisi estää reunan kääntyminen ulospäin liivien ikääntyessä. Itselläni tämä pieni fiksaus on toiminut ainakin hyvin eivätkä liivien reuna näy useimpien vaatteiden alta ollenkaan. Väriltään koboltti on kaunis ja sopii hyvin perusvärien mustan ja beigen rinnalle.

Istuvuudeltaan Deco ei petä tälläkään kertaa. Sen hyvänmittaiset kaarituet, sopiva syvyys ja joustava mutta napakka ympärys tuntuvat juuri oikeilta omalle vartalolleni. Kaarituet tuntuvat keskiverroilta ja pitävät sisällään kaiken rintakudoksen karkaamatta kuitenkaan syvälle kainaloon. Kooksi valitsin oman yleisimmän kokoni 65GG ja se istuu melko samalla lailla kuin muutkin brittimerkkien liivit. Deco on siis istuvuudeltaan hyvin samanlainen verrattuna esim. Panacheen, Curvy Kateen ja Tutti Rougeen.

Decot ovat itselleni hyvin mieluiset liivit niin istuvuudeltaan kuin mukavuudeltaankin mutta olkanauhojen paikkaa Freya voisi vielä vähän miettiä. Vaikka allekirjoittaneelta hartioita löytyykin, tuntuu silti että kauas toisistaan laitetut olkaimet tippuvat välillä päivän aikana. Decosta on onneksi kuitenkin myös olkaimeton versio joka on varmasti oiva juuri juhlakäyttöön eikä olkainten tippumisesta tällöin ole ongelmaa. Materiaalit kaikissa Decoissa ovat kuitenkin todella ihanat ja polyester sekoite tuntuu mukavalta vasten atooppista ihoani.

Alushousut tässä setissä ovat melkoisen reilun kokoiset, joten suosittelisin ottamaan koon pienemmät mikäli mahdollista. Itse valitsin koon S, joka on hieman liian suuri ja tuntuu löysältä etenkin pepun puolelta. Muuten alkkaritkin ovat mukavat ja samaa liukasta pehmeän tuntuista kangasta kuin liivitkin.

Decon löydät Lumingerielta ja toimitusaikakin on vain 1-3 päivää, joten vielä ehtii tilata liivit esim.YO-juhliin tai vaikkapa kesähäihin. Kokohaarukka on liiveissä 60-85 DD-GG, hipsterhousuissa XS-XL.

Onko kukaan vielä päässyt Decoa testaamaan itse ja jos on, niin mitä olette tykänneet? Laittakaa kommenttiboksiin viestiä, olisi kiva kuulla myös teidän mielipide tästä klassikosta!