Lingerie Review: Ewa Bien “Laskar B139” in 65F

The first time I encountered Ewa Bien was in my second year of blogging when I ventured more into the world of Polish lingerie. They have always been super nice to me and their lingerie features some of the most gorgeous embroideries in the market. When Joanna from Ewa Bien contacted me to ask whether I would like to feature some of their SS16 styles on the blog I jumped at the chance with joy. This time their spring collection did not include any sizes up to J-cup unfortunately so I asked Jo if she wanted to try something from EB. Of course she did! Here’s a review of their Laskar bra in style B139.

The Design: The style of the Laskar is once again breathtakingly pretty. It’s a muted light orange colour with the right splash of pink – one of the most trendy colour combos this spring. The materials are very light weight with the cups being mostly made out of the thinnest layer of mesh and net-like material. The embroidery is one of the key elements of this design as per usual for Ewa Bien and it instantly brings the bra up to a princess level.

The shape of the bra is a revised Ewa Bien B130, which used to be a shallower version of this new B139. This time the cups are deeper to contain more fullness but also a bit wider to catch all the breast tissue near the armpit area. The shape is super rounded due to the one vertical seam at the centre of the bra cup – almost a bit too rounded for Jo’s liking. She prefers a natural slope to her bustline but I can imagine this ultimate round shape would be a winner for so many other ladies out there. The style is also a multiway as the straps are detachable from both sides of the bra – this is quite practical as during the summer months Jo will most likely be wearing an array of different tops that need more unconventional bra solutions.

The Fit: We asked for a size 65F for Jo as I had the experience of Ewa Bien bras running pretty much true-to-size. The Polish 65F is a rough equivalent to UK 30E which is Jo’s usual bra size in addition to 28F. As she is very petite and Ewa Bien bra bands are on the stretchier side (I would compare them to most UK 30 bands like with Panache and Curvy Kate), a 60 band would have been a closer call for her, but she is still happy in the 65 when wearing it in tightest set of hooks. The cups are on the larger side so there is a tiny bit of gaping on Jo’s smaller boob, which is also completely understandable taking into consideration that her boobs are more full on the bottom. I personally think the B139 would be a great match for more FOT breasts so I would be intrigued to try it in my size in the future (a girl can dream!).

The bra wires are tiny bit wider with Ewa Bien than most Polish brands but this suits Jo quite well. Her breast root is quite average just like mine so the likes of Samanta, Gossard and Ewa Bien are the best fit for both of us. The cups are almost a bit too deep for Jo so the statement about the new version of this bra being deeper all over holds very much true. The centre gore lies flat on Jo’s sternum but is still very comforable and doesn’t stab her despite her bony ribcage area. Even with the slightly too big band the whole ensemble feels super sturdy on and thus supports the ladies through long working days.

Comfort: The Laskar B139 is a great style for everyday wear if you don’t mind the embroidery and like non-padded bras as opposed to regular t-shirt bras. It gives you a modest bustline and coverage while still remaining low enough to go under more low-cut tops. The materials are extremely thin which makes the Laskar a perfect summer bra to wear in hotter climates as well. All of the materials – the sleek band and bottoms material, the netting, mesh and embroidery – feel soft against the skin and don’t cause any irritation even on a more sensitive skin. The C511 Brazilian brief is made to look seamless and smooth under the tightest of jeans, but take our word of warning: Ewa Bien panties run very small so prepare to go up a size or two from your regular UK size. Jo is wearing a Small in the pics.

The only tiny flaw with this bra is one very typical for so many bra manufacturers – the straps are just too widely placed on the shoulders and the bra cup edge near the armpit is too high, causing some minor chafing when having an active day at work. This can leave a hint of red trail where the cup edge cuts the armpit. Red marks are not always a sign of pain or eg a too small bra band, but near the armpit area they are usually a sign of too widely placed straps. The straps themselves are very sturdy though meaning Jo has no trouble of them slipping down and causing inconvenience. Also the chafing problem is sometimes corrected with enough washing which softens the edge a bit to feel more comfortable.

Overall we are very impressed with the Ewa Bien SS16 collection and are looking forward to introducing you to some more styles next month! There will be two more reviews to come so stay tuned ❤ If you would like to give this brand a try, Ewa Bien has their own online shop where you can place an order (as an international customer, you will be billed by email). The Laskar B139 retails for 189 zl (roughly $48) and comes in sizes 65-90 B-I. The C511 bottoms cost 95 zl ($24) and come in sizes S-XL. Have you tried Ewa Bien bras? How do you like them compared to other Polish lingerie brands? Let me know in the comments! xx

PS. If you are a US customer, you can also find Ewa Bien at Luxury Goddess online store!

Sunday with Samanta: A475 Anvers in 65E

It has been a while since I did a “Sunday with Samanta” post – it’s understandable, the holidays came in the way of both me and the Samanta team, so we put the feature on hold for a couple of months. We also ran out of styles that would come in my size, so we had to figure something else out first to showcase the Samanta styles that fit the more average and small busts out there. This was however, not a problem. As most of you know I operate with an array of guest bloggers with different body types – to give you a teaser, in addition to Jo and Miss E, I will be adding Miss T and my sister Emma to our happy company very soon! However, let’s start the series of more moderately sized Samanta bras with a review of Anvers in style A475 (49,70 €). *This set was generously gifted to Jo by Samanta. All opinions are our own.*

Design: The Samanta’s A475 is a style targeted to small and medium sized busts, going up to EU H-cup in the 65 band. That is an equivalent to UK FF-cup. The style is a smooth push-up t-shirt bra which brings the girls together and facing forward (= loads of projection!), instead of splaying them towards the sides of one’s torso. The push up padding inside is not detachable but yet very light to give you only a slight boost to your own breast size. It also gives a lovely rounded shape and an alluring cleavage, modest enough for most casual work places but also visible enough for a nice boost under a plunging neckline when sipping for cocktails at after work.

The Anvers style itself is a beautiful painting-like floral printed ensemble which features the smoothest materials on earth and some pretty dotted mesh to make it even more pretty. This is definitely one of my personal favourites from the Samanta AW16 collection and even Jo is very much pleased with the looks of this set despite not being a huge fan of floral prints in general.

The Fit: To warn you off right off the bat, this is going to be an overwhelmingly positive review. So if you feel like you can’t trust a super positive review where the set has been gifted, I am so sorry, but there is nothing I can really do about it at this point. This sets fits LIKE A DREAM on Jo and she actually told me it’s now probably her favourite bra of all time and Samanta her new favourite lingerie brand. And she, my dear friends, is an honest son of a bitch, to say the least! I opted for the 65E for Jo after weighing in for a while – Samanta bras usually run a bit large in the cup so I figured that she might like the same size with them as with Gossard (for reference, Jo’s best size with British brands is 28F or 30E). The British 30DD is a rough equivalent to a Polish 65E.

Jo got four different sets to try for the next few months and each of them fitted a bit differently – with the Anvers being the best of them in style and cup depth. Jo has full-on-bottom boobs, which means, there is not much breast tissue on her upper half of the boobs – her shape fitted perfectly in the A475 style and there is no empty room on the bottom nor the top half of the cup. The wires are a perfect length and height for Jo and the gore sits flat on her sternum. The only complaint that we have (which is not really a flaw) is that the band is a bit too big for Jo’s ribcage – this however, is not surprise as she measures 26″ under her bust and thus would fit better in a 28 band with most brands.

Comfort: The A475 is a very smooth t-shirt style bra which is why there are not a lot of extra seams or lace on show. This is great for wearing the bra every day to work and under the very thinnest materials. The underwires are exactly the length and height Jo needs, which is why there is no poking or any sorts of discomfort because of them.

I have sometimes had trouble with Samanta straps being too widely-placed for me but Jo found that they were spot-on for her. In fact, the feedback that I got both from Jo and my sister Emma (who will be reviewing another Samanta style next month!) was super positive especially regarding the straps – they seem to be firmly placed on the shoulders without falling off a single time during a busy day at work. Even though the straps with the smaller sizes are a bit thinner than what Jo is used to, she still found them very comfortable and sturdy. They are also fully-adjustable and detachable, meaning the bra can be converted to a multiway and will suit an array of body types and heights.

Jo also received the M300 brazilian briefs (19,70 €) (or thong, as the Samanta website states) with the set, which we opted in a size Small – I am two dress sizes bigger than Jo which is why I thought the Small would be perfect for her instead of the Medium I tend to wear with Polish brands. The materials and the style of the brief is very convenient under tighter jeans which is why it makes a very nice option for Jo in addition to her collections of actual thongs. The back of the brazilian features a lovely see-through dotted mesh that makes the ensemble even cuter.

What do you think about Anvers? Are you feeling the winter florals trend? Let me know in the comments! Also, if you wish to get your hands on this set, do check out Samanta’s online store and for US customers, ask for a shipping quote by sending them an email. Have a great rest of your Sunday, gals! xx

Sunday with Samanta: A122 Spinel in 65J + Discount Code!

Ah, I know I am late. The Sunday last week passed already but again, this month will feature two Sunday with Samanta posts as I am not someone who skips a post completely 😉 Also, I will apologize for my absence next week as I am visiting UK + Moda again and won’t be home before the 12th. However, from then on there will be Moda-posts-galore and you’ll see some lovely collections from all of our fave brands! (If you have any particular brand you would like me to go and see, do let me know in the comments below!) However, today I am bound to bed with a sprained ankle and will be telling you all about my latest Samanta trial. This time, it is the non-padded balconette style A122 in “Spinel” – a lovely sophisticated French-style beauty who’ll steal your heart, no doubt.

The Design: The A122 is an unpadded balconette bra which is designed especially for women with big breasts and is supposed to offer a beautiful rounded “two cakes on a plate” -cleavage with a little less coverage and an uplifting three-part cup construction. This shape is widely used by British manufacturers as well, but the shape of the Polish balconette is a bit different from what we are used to with the likes of Panache and Curvy Kate. The vertical seam of the A122 cup goes on very straight across the cup whereas many British brands favour a more diagonal seam which gives the bra its somewhat pointed natural shape. I am more a fan of the Polish version though, as it rounds up the bust while still catering a rather natural look to it.

The A122 is something perhaps a Cleo-fan would enjoy – it is a quite simple style yet works brilliantly with all the uplifting and shaping a bigger bust requires. The look of the Spinel however, is something for the more “middle-market” audience meaning the styling is a bit more grown-up and sophisticated. As a 22-year-old gal some might think I would be all for polka-dots and bows but I do prefer a more glamourous look to my bradrobe. This is why I love the grey and peach colour combo of Spinel and lace is AGAIN absolutely stunning – something Samanta does so well each time.

The Fit: The A122 Spinel fits me very well and is the same as my other Samanta bras – I am once again convinced that Samanta is one of the most consistent brands out there which makes it easier for gals like me to order their bras online. It is true that some of the models are a bit deeper, which could affect your bra size with Samanta, but until now all of my 65J’s have been great size-wise. The band is rather narrow yet sturdy with the A122 and is made of stretchy elastic material instead of the usual power-mesh. The 65 band is a rough equivalent to a British 30, yet a bit snugger than with the likes of Freya and Curvy Kate. The cups are again, the perfect size and depth to me which makes this bra a great fit overall.

If you have any trouble with the usual height and width of balconette bra gores, this could be a great style for you to try! The gore is very slim and sits rather low at my sternum, meaning there is no stress on my ribcage even with very “harsh” tacking. The wires are again just the right length and width for me so no poking or too wide cups, which always makes me happy. For reference, I am pretty average-set and not particularly wide nor narrow at my breast root.

Comfort: The A122 is a lovely choice for those who want the same Samanta-quality for their summer but something a bit more light-weight than their padded bras. I personally REFUSE to wear padded bras at summer just for comfort reasons – everyone raise a hand who know that boob-sweat is a thing?? Cause it certainly is when you have big tatas, there is no denying it. Also, non-padded bras are great under tighter tops and dresses that have zero extra room for boobies and extra padding is not an option.

If I could give Samanta some feedback on this particular model, it would be regarding the straps – they are a tad too wide-set for me, meaning they sometimes fall off my shoulders and rub against the edge of my armpit. I think this will get better over time as I haven’t washed the bra more than twice now (there’s a huge review pile to test out each month, so most of my samples only get a couple of washes before being reviewed). However, in any case I would love to see Samanta revising their strap-placement a bit as I know there are a lot ladies who suffer from too widely placed straps immensely.

I also got to test the M300 brazilian briefs which are made of very same mesh/embroidery and sleek polyamide blend as the bra band. The seamless back of the brief is great under tighter jeans and also, quite sexy with its very wetlook-like appearance. The size Medium fits my 39″ hips very well but the rise with the M300 is pretty low, so ya be warned. However, I do like this style completing the set and I am always open to falling in love with new panty styles if they forgive me my ever-growing butt 😉

If you would like to give Spinel a proper spin (hehe), do use the code Mette at the check out to get 20% off your A122 Spinel bra. The bra retails for (full price) 56,30€ and the briefs for 26,30€ on the Samanta online store so not bad at all, especially with the discount! If you live in USA, please contact Samanta via email to place your order. Also, do ask for different shipping methods if you are hesitant about the shipping costs! Have a lovely Sunday everyone and let me know in the comments how you liked the review and Spinel, I would love to hear from you 😉