Getting to Know Signature by After Eden – Review of “Sophia” and “Grace” in 32F

A couple of weeks back I wrote about the new After Eden sister-label which is created for fuller busted and also fuller figured girls. As I mentioned in my latest post about the brand, even though the range is targeted for girls with bigger band sizes as well, the brand does make their bands in 32 and even 30 in some styles. When the head of marketing for Signature and After Eden, Paul, contacted me and asked if I would like to try some of their lingerie, I jumped at the chance even though I knew I wouldn’t be in their size range exactly.

When the beautiful “Sophia” and “Grace” sets arrived at my door, I was so exacted I ripped the packaging open and was faced with two gorgeous bras accompanied with both briefs and thongs for both of them. I instantly tried on the bras with both fear and excitement – would they fit even though being a couple of cup sizes too small to begin with? I had indeed heard that Signature would run big so I was hopeful. Unfortunately, the bras came about two cup sizes too small for me, so I would have needed a 32G with them. Then something struck me – I had just bravangelized one very sweet and gorgeous young girl who would be perfect for both the brand and the size. Let me introduce to you: Miss E and Signature!

When it comes to Miss E’s regular bra size, she is usually something in the 30FF-G bra range and wears a 30G in Parfait “Charlotte”, for example. She is a very sporty young girl so she’s quite fit and small around her underbust area, meaning 30″ band is the best option for her in most bras. As Signature bras start usually at 32 (excluding their continuity style Anna which starts from 30) I was a bit hesitant if the bras would come up too big for her small frame, but luckily they fitted quite nicely. The Signature 32 bands seem to be quite snug, especially with the black flock print “Sophia” (49,99€), as it can be converted into a strapless. This particular bra also features some silicone strips going around the band, to keep the bra up when worn strapless.

The gorgeous snake-print “Grace” (44,99€) was a bit on the looser side compared to Sophia, so Miss E is wearing the bra in the second tightest set of hooks and eyes. Speaking of hooks and eyes, there is four sets of them on each bra which is absolutely amazing! The bands are pretty wide and thus supportive and they feature three hooks and eyes in each row. The metal parts of the Signature sets are done in such a beautiful way – they are gold in colour and look very expensive and luxurious taking into consideration how affordable these sets actually are.

The cup sizing is pretty similar to any other mainstream brands, if not a tiny bit more generous than eg with Freya or Curvy Kate. Signature uses EU-sizing as they are a Dutch brand, meaning the UK size 32F translates into 70G in their own size chart. As we know Miss E’s regular size is 30FF-G, the 32F is a sister size to 30FF, making me think these the cups are a bit bigger than a 30FF would normally be. This is great for E, as she is between FF and G in the first place.

As I tried these bras on myself, I noticed the cups are especially closed at top with Sophia – this happens quite often with strapless bras but it’s also a brand spesific thing; for example, Freya is great for full-on-bottom boobs, Cleo is great for full-on-top breasts. I would say E’s breasts are pretty full allover, meaning the fit of Signature is quite good for her (actually, most bras fit well with evenly-full breasts). There is no bulging or gaping and both of the bras fit smoothly.

When it comes to wiring, the underwires of Signature seem to be in line with most British brands – they are rather wide but not as much as with eg. Tutti Rouge. I would compare their wires to most Curvy Kate bras – great for people who need average to slightly wider wires. The Sophia and Grace are a bit different to each other in this sense as well – the Sophia is a bit wider when it comes to wires and also has a bit more widely-placed straps. E mentioned the straps right away went she put on the bra – they were chafing her armpits a bit. However, the bra is great for its strapless feature and is something that will probably be a good choice under a spagetti strap top which is something E wears from time to time. The straps are fully-adjustable with both bras which is always an asset for taller or more petite girls.

The centre gores are a bit wider as well with Signature, so if you are close-set, you might want to consider this. E seems to be pretty average-set with her breasts so there seems to be no issue with the gores and they are tacking her sternum pretty well. The Grace bra is a bit lower with its gore area and seems to be sporting a nice practical plunge balconette shape that is great for everyday, especially combined to the smooth t-shirt finish.

The materials and styling used with the Sophia and Grace sets feels and looks absolutely luxurious. The Grace set is finished with beautiful stretch lace that makes the panties so much more comfortable to wear – both the thong and the shorts leave a seamless finish and match the bra nicely. The bottoms are a bit higher than what E is used to but she seems pretty happy with them anyway – the rise is actually quite flattering and is something most women would find comfortable.

The Sophia is made of quite thick power mesh sorts of material which is adorned with a velvet-y like flock print. The basic black looks so amazing with the print and contrasting textures and is suitable under most clothing as the print is not too prominent, unless you are wearing something super thin.

All in all, we are both very impressed with Signature and I can safely say that it is a good option for young girls out there who are looking for their first full-bust bras. Signature is sold on their own website but unfortunately, they only ship to Netherlands at the moment. However, if you live somewhere else and want to give this brand a try, do let the brand know about it! I am sure they would be eager to hear enthusiasm from their international fans and let you know about any retailers near you 😉

Review of Cleo Swim “Betty” swimsuit in 32G

It’s Sunday again and I feel like time is flying when one is having a good time! However my boyfriend has situated himself on the couch to watch motocross races so I may as well take this little time to review something for you. I am going to start today’s review with a little story. When I was choosing for the swimsuit from Panache a few weeks ago it was a massive mess and I was a bad, bad blogger. I first opted for the size 30GG which is my usual size and when choosing a style to go with the size I wanted to try the sweet Betty swimsuit in hot pink shade. However, I changed my mind swiftly and asked instead a sister size 32G. Well, after changing my size preference I noticed that also the lovely Carmen was indeed available in this size and I reaaaaally wanted to try it so I emailed Panache to ask if they could send the Carmen in 32G instead. In the end, the lovely folks at Panache sent me BOTH Betty and Carmen (a link to my review) which means two reviews for you guys! I am so grateful and was super-eager to try how these two very different styles would suit me.

The Design: Betty is a more cute Cleo style and it really stood out to me when I browsed through the new Cleo Swim collection. I love pink (duh, just look at my hair) so I thought it would be a nice shade for me and my fair skin tone. The shade of pink is indeed flattering and the white dots keep the style simple and classy. Otherwise the colour-combo is almost too cutesy but looks nice when you are feeling a bit playful. The suit also goes nicely along with the Cleo’s pink version of the new Kaftan. To add up the girliness of this suit, Cleo has added some ruffles to the neckline and the bottom part of the suit as well. I really like the ruffles but I still prefer the more clean-cut look of Carmen – it’s definitely more grown-up and beach-suitable. 

The Betty features non-padded plunge cups which is something people might prefer to achieve a better fit. However, as I guessed when opting for the suit the balconette shape of Carmen is still my go-to choice. The shape the cups give me is quite rounded which I love about Cleo styles in general and they feature only one seam that runs diagonally across the cup. Even though the upper part is very plunging it still features a center gore that’s quite high and sturdy.

The Fit: I was a bit worried about the plunge neckline since it doesn’t tend to work on my body and boobs that well. The cups were quite deep all over which made it more easy to adjust my breast into the cups and there was no overspill whatsoever. In fact, the cups were almost too deep for me and did leave some wrinkling at the apex when poorly-adjusted. When adjusting and taking the suit for swim I didn’t notice any problems anymore so I guess you should always take a swimsuit for a test-run before judging. 

Betty runs about the same way Carmen did which meant the 32G was slightly too big for me in the body part of it. I could fasten the band to the tightest set of hooks so I could have definitely tried my normal 30GG. I am used to Cleo bands running pretty tightly so I would say both of the swimsuits I tried were more true-to-size in the band. To me, this is a good thing since customers can now buy their regular size without worrying about it being too tight. 

Comfort: First of all, I didn’t expect how tricky it is actually to get a wired swimsuit on – it definitely needs some more time and effort than a regular one. The wires tend to stab me a bit in the stomach when putting on the suit but I figured out the best way to put it on painlessly; just roll the upper part of the suit either inwards or outwards before putting it on. This way the wires behave more nicely and don’t stab you too much. Otherwise the swimsuit is quite comfortable and also the halterneck straps are not as thin and flimsy as with the Carmen swimsuit. I think this style is very well suited for gals with bigger breasts than mine since it gives more support than Carmen and is deeper in the cups.

The center gore of Betty is quite sturdy and comes quite high for a plunge neckline which may be an issue for some women. I first thought it was a bit too sturdy on my sternum but when I actually went swimming, it felt fine and I couldn’t even notice it. The body part of the suit was also very comfortable and I definitely could have gotten away with an even smaller size. 

All in all I really like the Betty but my heart still belongs to Carmen, as it’s more my own personal style and keeps me looking fresh with its colour scheme. However I would still recommend Betty more if you have a fuller shape than mine and want more sturdier support when swimming. 

This style is available in a great size range of 30-38 D-H and you can find it eg at Brastop for £46. How did you like the Betty compared to Carmen? Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments! xx

Disclosure: This swimsuit was generously gifted by Panache for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Review of the Curvy Kate “Daisy Chain” bra in 30GG

Hello dear all! I have landed safely on Finnish soil and my first day here was absolutely perfect – roasted salmon, comedy night with friends and cuddling up with my boyfriend. Couldn’t have wished for more! Today I’m heading out to test another new swimsuit but before that I take some time to chill and write a review for you guys since guess what, I am starting a new even more fierce love-affair with Curvy Kate unpadded bras! A lovely lingerie e-commerce store Mio Destino offered to send me a set of Curvy Kate lingerie and I decided to cross my fingers for the unpadded styles to fit me. For my surprise, the fit was greatly improved since I last tried them and I was thrilled to gain back my admiration for CK’s unpadded options. Today I’m reviewing Curvy Kate “Daisy Chain” which is a piece from CK’s SS14 collection.

The design: I had really hard time picking between Daisy Chain and the new Raspberry toned Dreamcatcher. I love the colours of the Curvy Kate SS14 collection so there were definitely a lot of options in the Mio Destino store as well! Eventually I went for the Daisy Chain since it’s quite a new style for me – a plunge shaped unpadded bra with laminated cups. My previous Curvy Kate bras have all been sheer balconettes which is why I was super curious to try out this particular design. I had never been too eager about the Curvy Kate “Lottie” which also featured laminated cups but this lovely pink shade of Daisy Chain looked so cute I could’t resist it. I ended up really loving the laminated fabric since it does give me a bit more sturdier shaping than the sheer CK styles.

I was very dubious about the shape of this bra would give me since my now-more-prominent full-on-top shape had started to affect my relationship with my previous CK styles. I was devastated since they were so comfy but I just simply couldn’t look that great in them anymore. With Daisy Chain I can see the fit improvements though and I can tell you that they are MASSIVE. The shape is a wonderful natural shape with a slight curve and looks very uplifted and supported compared to eg my old Portia. It looks great under any piece of clothing but for me unpadded CK styles have always been the kind of everyday bras to wear under t-shirts and sweaters. Daisy Chain is exactly the bra for this kind of use and I love it to death for it.

The bra is constructed of three parts and features a lovely sheer panel on the top part of the cup. The sheer panels also feature some lovely embroidery which is what I love about Curvy Kate styles in general. The whole styling of the bra is so cute and makes me smile. Love it!

The fit: The most important fit improvements that are notable are the lift and size consistency with this bra. I opted for my usual size 30GG but was kind of afraid it would be too big since CK used to fit me differently between padded and unpadded styles. This size along with my other Curvy Kate bras fits me very well and doesn’t feel like it’s too big as I would have guessed it to be. Also the plunge shape is always a risk with my breast shape but with this bra it seems to work wonderfully! You can see some slight wrinkling in the cups on the side but that is only because I’m lifting my arms. Also there is slight wrinkling towards the apex with the other cup but that is due to my size difference and it is not really that notable.

Wires are again perfect and straps luckily fully-adjustable. I think the cups are also deeper than they used to be with previous CK unpadded cups. This is good news for people with less shallow breasts. Also as the centergore is lower than with CK balconettes it is more suitable for women with closer-set breasts or women who prefer plunge styles to go along with lower necklines.The band and cups of the bra run pretty true-to-size and again I’m impressed with how lovely the band feels on my body – not too tight yet very supportive.

The comfort: Yet again, best feature of the whole set is how comfortable it feels on. CK has always managed to win me over with it’s delicious designs and colours but comfort is the one thing that always sets them apart from so many other lingerie brands. I recommend CK as a first full-bust brand to try since comfort is still one of the most crucial parts of accepting your full-bust size and and diving into the world of full-bust lingerie. If your first D+ bra is a disaster comfort-wise the whole revelation of D+ sizes basically get’s ruined. I cannot emphasize more how well this bra feels on and how I barely can feel it when wearing it around the house or just cycling to uni. The band feels stretchy enough to accommodate a lot of movement during the day and also the wires are very comfortable; no pinching or poking anywhere.

I was also sent the the Daisy Chain thong to go along with the bra and I definitely think it’s quite comfy for a thong. I think CK has also improved the fit of their panties and put a lot of thought into them by adjusting the sizing and also coming up with a few new style options. In the past the panties used to run quite small but with this SS14 collection I feel the sizing has shifted towards the more regular fit which means I can pretty comfortably wear a size 8 now. I still feel like I’m kind of between sizes 8-10 but that should sort itself out when I hit the gym more regularly now that I’m back home.

All in all Curvy Kate’s Daisy Chain is a lovely set which makes a great everyday basic for unpadded bra lovers. It also features a short options as a co-ordinate which means one can choose between the more flattering and comfy style herself. This bra is available in sizes 28-38 D-J and the panties in sizes 8-22. You can get the set from Mio Destino for the affordable price of £29 for the bra and £14 for the panty.

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