Lingerie Review: Ewa Bien “Daria” B103

It has been a while since I tested Ewa Bien bras myself: they are actually visually one of my top favourite brands but unfortunately, most of their beautiful bras stopped at G- or H-cup in Polish sizes. As someone who wears 70J in their bras, this made the brand out of reach for me. When I reported this problem to Ewa Bien and though I understand the limitations when it comes to bra manufacturing and running a business successfully, Ewa Bien team took my advice and plea, and added a couple new full-bust appropriate styles to their collection! This is amazing, as making J-M cups is not always the easiest nor the most cost-effective thing to do. Today I am trying out their new B103 style in Black/Grey Daria. Here’s how it turned out for me! *This bra was sent to me by the lovely Ewa Bien team. All opinions are my own.*

The Design: The B103 is meant for the fuller bust as it goes up to Polish M-cup, equivalent to UK J-cup. This is an amazing size expansion for a family-lead brand, that doesn’t yet have the audience of Panache and other huge brands. In Poland however, businesses such as Ewa Bien are very popular and Polish women trust in their country-women’s knowledge on bra-making. No wonder – the shape you can get with a Polish bra is unrivaled and Ewa Bien is no exception.

The shape with the B103 is very uplifted and it has a great deal of immediate projection, which is something many women look for in their bras. The cups are constructed of four parts: it has the traditional three-part cup construction but for added support, there is a side sling to bring the breasts even more forward. This prevents the breasts from splaying towards my sides, which is something I can always appreciate.

The Daria style seems to be something that Ewa Bien is making as one of their core styles for bigger cup sizes. The style is also available in other cuts which doesn’t have the massive size range, but they do make it in one other full-bust style, the semi-soft B151. The Daria also comes in two colour combinations: Black/Cream and Black/Grey, of which I chose the latter one. Grey has recently become one of my favourite colours in both clothing and underwear and I love the sophisticated combination of black and grey a lot.The cups are completely see-through which is nice if you are looking for something a bit sexy for your everyday bradrobe.

The Fit: The B103 is quite a regular balconette style cut, with a 3/4 coverage. Personally, I would prefer something a bit more revealing like the styles I tried a couple of years back from Ewa Bien, but I have no issue wearing this bra either on a regular basis. The cut still suits a variety of necklines and is a great basic style for everyday wear.

I am wearing my regular Polish size 70J (UK 32GG) with this bra and I am very happy with the size – the band is stretchier than with many other Polish brands but this suits me fine as I like my bands comfortable. The fastening happens with three hooks and eyes and the band is wide enough to feel comfortable and supportive on someone with my body type (ie. small band, big cups). I would say the size runs very true-to-size if you have tried Polish or other European brands before. If you are between band sizes, I would advice to size up with most Ewa Bien styles.

My only gripe with the fit is the wires – however, wires are the one part that are highly personal when it comes to what fits your body the best and I prefer wires that are medium-to-narrow width. This style is a bit on the wider side for me, but not alarmingly so. If I could, I would have them just one cm narrower, that’s all. The depth is absolutely perfect for me, and I like how it contains me fully top, bottom and sides without any extra bulging.

Comfort: This set is made of very comfortable materials and it’s lightweight which makes it easy to wear almost under anything. The top part of the cups is a bit stretchy so it suits many breast shapes without being too restricting for a full-on-top girl like me. The band is comfortable and the whole ensemble is very sturdy if you need to be active and walk/move around a lot during the day.

The only thing I am having issues with, are once again the straps. Even though they are rather wide and comfortable themselves, they are placed a bit too widely for my body type. This makes the bra cup’s edge chafe my armpit just a little, which is not ideal if you want your bra to “feel like nothing”. Overall, I would say this bra style is meant for someone a bit wider than me, when it comes to breast tissue distribution, shoulders and rib cage.

The panties are, in a very Polish manner, quite snug in sizing. I went for the size Medium which does fit me okay, but I would perhaps prefer something a bit more covering. However, the C511 style is a classic Brazilian so it’s not even meant to cover a ton. Great for feeling a bit cheeky, quite literally!

If you would fancy giving this new full-bust style a go, you can find it on Ewa Bien’s own online store. The B103 bra (219 zl) comes in Polish sizes 65-100 B-M (enormous size range, right?!) and the C511 briefs (109 zl) come in sizes S-XXL. What do you think of size expansion and the Daria? Let me know in the comments!

Late Summer Offerings from Signature by After Eden – Review of “Bilbao” & “Alicante” in 70G

Hi everyone! How are things on that side of the screen? I am all good just been extremely busy taking part in my first pinup pageant (which went decently, I was the 1st runner up!) and settling back to work. I must say, working with special needs kids can drain the life out of you at times. This is why I have been battling a lot with how to use my time between a full-time job, starting my uni work for this year, seeing friends and keeping up with my hobbies as well. Now everything is getting back to routine so I have more energy to blog again. Hope that makes you as happy as it makes me!

Today I will be bringing you a couple of lovely styles from the SS16 collection of Signature by After Eden, Bilbao and Alicante. The SS16 collection at Signature included two colour schemes, pink and blue which were kind of two different collections altogether. I wanted to introduce you to a set from both of these collections, so here goes! *These sets were generously provided by Signature. All opinions are our own.*

The Design: As per usual, Miss E will be assisting me with the review so be so kind to welcome her back to the blog! I picked out two sets that felt appropriate for her age and preferences (young, laid-back & fun!) and decided to go for Bilbao (the blue plunge bra) and Alicante (the pink strapless balconette). These styles are incredibly appropriate for summer – the first one being a great option under low cut tops and the other under strapless and spaghetti strap tops. The colours are light yet not too cutesy and pastel-y – the shades of pink and blue remain vibrant and look gorgeous against a tanned skin. These t-shirt bras are adorned with a moderate amount of lace and thus are perfect for everyday wear.

The profile of both of the bras is very rounded and looks a bit similar to most American bras, to be honest – American women are known to love rounded padded t-shirt bras which is why I am wondering whether Signature will be expanding their sales to other parts of the world in the future. These bras are also very appropriate for young girls in general – they are not overtly sexy or super-padded but have a lightly padded moulded cups that give you modesty and a nice shape under most of your clothes. The bra is also constructed to be supportive for a fuller bust as it includes both a wider band and sturdy fully-adjustable straps to give you a better overall fit.

The Fit: I asked for the samples in Miss E’s regular Signature bra size 70G (32F in UK sizes) but exchanged the bottom size from Medium to Small as she preferred a snugger fit. The Signature bras run a tiny bit large in the cup, which is why the bra cups are gaping a bit on E’s smaller boob. However, I would always advice to choose your bra size according to your bigger boob which is why I wouldn’t have gone smaller in the cup with these bras anyway. However, if there were an option of 65H, I would definitely give that one a try as Miss E is more of a 30 band than a 32. Signature makes very few 65/30 bands at the moment as they are targeting their full-figured customers more, which is a bit of shame on our behalf. Wearing the band on the second tightest set of hooks works pretty well for E though, so we are not complaining that much.

I would say Miss E is a full-allover shaped gal, which is why she would perhaps need a tad more space in the bottom part of the bra cups; this makes me think Signature would probably suit better someone who has more full-on-top boobs. However, the denting on the bottom of the cups (the so-called orange-in-a-glass phenomenon when your boobs can’t sit at the bottom of your cups as there is not enough space) is not super bad and in my opinion, isn’t even a crucial thing to note when talking about a fit of a bra. What does matter more, in my opinion, is how the wires sit on your body – as you can see, both of the bras tack Miss E’s sternum at the front and encase all her breast tissue, which is important when trying to avoid migrated breast tissue. With the Alicante the wires are significantly taller though, which is discussed more in the comfort section of this review.

Comfort: As with the very first review we ever did on Signature, there is significant difference in comfort level when it comes to these bras. Signature still has a challenge in front of them: how to make their balconette bras more comfortable and yet still supportive. The problem with Alicante is simple – the straps are placed way too widely on the shoulders and the underwires come too high up at the sides, which makes a non-working combination that rubs the heck out of your armpits. Personally, I think the strap placement could be fixed pretty easily, so maybe that could be something to consider in the design team. However, as a strapless, the Alicante works well and does its job without sliding down and rolling around.

The Bilbao on the other hand works well in all circumstances and stays comfortable during the day without the strap placement issue. Besides that, both of the bras are crafted lovingly from the softest materials, made with amazing supportive bands (with four sets of hooks and eyes I might add!) and easily adjusting straps. They work well for both plus size and more petite gals, as well as tall and short girls who benefit from the fully-adjustable straps. The panties are comfy and gorgeous as well and are great for everyday wear; even though they are not completely seamless, they are a nice basic pattern that gives them a flattering shape and a sturdy feel.

Both of these sets are ON SALE right now, so if you live in Netherlands, you can snatch the Alicante set up for a mere 31€ and the Bilbao set for 33,50€. If you live somewhere else, 4AllWomenLingerie ships worldwide and offers a wide selection of Signature! The sizes go from 70D to 100G, S-XXXL. How do you feel about molded t-shirt bras such as Alicante and Bilbao? Do you prefer non-padded bras like me? Let me know in the comments below! xx

Lingerie Review: Lepel “Lyla” in 36DD

Hi dear gals! March is already here and spring is around the corner – meaning some of us will be wearing lighter-coloured clothing and starting to reach for lighter-coloured bras as well (at least if your skin tone is light). Tis the season of women going on endless hunts of the perfect nude bra to wear under those crips white t-shirt and blouses – so we are bringing you an option for you pale babes out there! Today our guest reviewer will be the ever-so-lovely Miss T, who I asked to review something on the blog to bring more body diversity into 2COP’s array. Miss T is a gorgeous raven-haired gal who usually wears a UK 36DD-E and is giving you her thoughts about the Lepel “Lyla” in Beige today.

The Design: Lyla belongs to the basic offering of Lepel and comes in beige, black, white and French Navy colour. We thought about showing this beige option here on the 2COP as it is something that pale-toned women like ourselves would appreciate – it’s the perfect shade of pale beige for Miss T, not too pink, not too yellow but a creamy neutral shade. The styling of the Lyla is quite simple yet pretty with the smooth cups, cute bow at the front and some lace on the bra band to make the design more feminine. This was exactly what T was looking from her basic beige bra so she was very happy with the looks!

The shape of Lyla is a traditional Lepel moulded balconette which personally doesn’t suit me at all – I have tried the Lilly, which is a similar shape and unfortunately the fit wasn’t the best for someone with upper fullness. However, Miss T’s shape is quite different from mine; her breasts are more on the shallower side, meaning there is no need for super deep cups or narrow wires. The shape of the bra is very rounded yet natural and looks like a great affordable option for a beige t-shirt bra.

The Fit: With size, it is always a bit of hassle to come to a conclusion when the person hasn’t tried a specific brand before. Miss T had a little bit of experience with Lepel a couple of years back when she ordered the plunge Fiore from Figleaves – and sadly it didn’t fit at all size-wise! Her breast size hasn’t changed much in these years and with my experience of Lepel fitting tight in the band and big in the cup, we decided to go for a 36DD. Unfortuntely I did not remember that Lepel’s Lilly (Lyla’s printed sister) was a bit looser on the band so with Lyla as well, Miss T could have easily gone down to 34. This however, is a preference thing as well – I like my bands quite comfortable and T prefers hers very snug. The 36 is wearable but for longevity of the bra, the 34 might have been a better option.

The cups are quite the right size for Miss T, even though her left boob (which is usually the bigger one!) is bulging a tiny bit when standing up with a good posture. This is something that happens quite often with moulded bras – the bra doesn’t stretch or conform to your breast shape but tries to mould your breasts into the shape of the bra. Otherwise the cups fit quite nicely – the width and depth of the cups is pretty much perfect for Miss T and the coverage is low enough to be practical under most regular t-shirts and blouses.

Comfort: For comfort Lyla gets a clear A! This set is great for everyday wear and for long working days – the materials are super soft and smooth and the wires don’t chafe or poke Miss T at all. The straps are fully adjustable meaning it’s a great option for shorter girls as well. The straps do fall off the shoulders now and then so if you are very narrow, that might be something to think about. The band is quite stretchy which is something to think about fit-wise but is also a pro when you think about comfort – I personally prefer stretchy bands as they allow for more movement.

The bottoms are a size 18 and a bit too large for Miss T – usually Lepel bottoms run true to size but the Lyla briefs are made of very stretchy lace and Polyamide/Elastane combo so if you are between sizes, we would advice to size down. The rise is quite high so something Miss T prefers and finds comfortable for everyday wear. If you don’t like as much coverage, there is also the option of Brazilian brief which is perfect under the most skinniest jeans and pencil skirts!

The Lyla goes up to only E-cup so it’s a great option for more smaller and average-sized ladies – the size range also includes eg sizes 30B and 30C which are quite hard to find anywhere. This could definitely be a great first bra for a young girl, so take note moms! If you would like to order your own Lyla, you can do so on the Lepel online store. The balconette bra sets you back at affordable £24 and the briefs at £12. How cool is that?!

How are you preparing for spring? Do you see a shift in your bra preferences? Let me know in the comments!

SIL Tradeshow -Parfait AW16 Collection Preview

Parfait is one of those brands that are really famous for one bra – that is the Charlotte. Most of us have bought it at some point of our lives and love the bra as a great bradrobe staple. It is a wonderful ensemble with a unique design and great shape, but I also feel that the rest of the Parfait collection seems to stay in the darkness and not many of my regular online shopping platforms offer some of the other lovely Parfait styles. I hope this AW16 season will be a different story as it is one of the strongest collections Parfait has come out with. Even while being small, the AW16 range offers a variety of lovely lace pieces but also practical basics. Let’s dive into it!

Charlotte in Bronze, Casey in Ruby Wine & Estelle in Merlot

This new AW16 was definitely a great step towards more inclusive DD+ lingerie industry and thus a season for “nude” lingerie for women of colour. As compared to this spring season we are already seeing lots more variety with the “nude” colour palette and Parfait is a great example of it – they didn’t come up with just one, but three styles that will be a great match for dark chocolate toned skin.

The first one of the styles featured above is the good old Charlotte. This style already comes in a dusty rose colour which is great match for my skin for example, but now Parfait has created another lovely basic colour for their signature bra style. Also another classic, Casey (sizes 30-40 D-G), comes in a warm, almost red-ish dark brown colour with the lovely smooth surface to go under the thinnest of t-shirts. If you are looking for a more sexy style though, I would go for the Estelle which is my personal favourite from this whole collection – it’s a lacy, almost Marie Antoinette-like version of the Charlotte and I really like its more feminine look as compared to Charlotte’s fashion forward and edgy design.

Estelle in Black, Aline in Black and Nude

Estelle and Aline are the two new styles for Parfait that come out around July/August in 2016. With the Estelle being a total queen of the collection, the Aline is a new more basic style that comes in both Black and Nude and a classic pinstripe pattern. The design is bandless, which means there is no band fabric at the lower part of the centre gore and the wires make a U-shape on one’s ribcage. I am not a fan of basic t-shirt bras but I know there is a market for them – my mom for example would really enjoy the nude version of Aline.

Destiny in Nightshadow Blue, Marianne in Cobalt Blue

Blue is still going strong as an alternative for black and purple. I am also very much fancying the grey-ish blue tones that seem to also be making their way into basic colours this SS16 season. The new colour of the Destiny bra set would be beautiful on any redhead like myself – it also sports some luxurious satin and lace, which makes the set look far more expensive than it actually is. Both of the sets above come in 30-40 D-G. I am really hoping that at some point Parfait will expand their size range with some of their other styles in addition to Charlotte – I think that would make a lot of ladies super happy!

How do you feel about the new Parfait autumn collection? Do you like the dark brown options? Let me know in the comments below! xx

I am Turning 23 – Let’s Celebrate with a Giveaway!

Hi everyone! How are you? It’s your girl Sophie here. Or hell, what am I talking about, you know, my real name is actually Mette Sofia. I used to want to blog by a more anonymous name but I have now realised it doesn’t really matter at this point – all my friends and family know about my blog and are more or less proud of what I am doing. In Finland, however, you can get someone’s phone number and home address by looking them up by name, which is why I was never comfortable with writing with my real name to begin with.

I was born exactly 23 years ago and to say the least, it has been quite a ride. I have gained so many new friends over the past three years or so – pretty much the time I have been blogging btw – and also started new hobbies and rekindled old ones, like painting and drawing. I am a pretty arty gal and this is why my blog is also a great way for me to let out some steam and use my creativity. I am also sometimes a bit old-fashioned and cling to things that are not even that significant – like the layout of my blog. I thought about changing it but every time it makes me hesitant and almost a bit sad when thinking about changing something that big about my blog. I liked it from the first day and I still do. What do you think lovers? Should I keep it or change it? I don’t know, if you have any opinions, they are welcome (but be nice, I am a gentle fragile little thing, haha!).

To celebrate these past years and especially the three past ones I have been so happy with, I decided to put together a mini-giveaway for you, my dear readers. Every comment, every nice word and “like” make me feel better about myself – I was never a popular girl and every time someone clicks the follow button, my heart swells with pride and love. THANK YOU! Really, it feels like I have so many friends out there that are actually interested to see what I have to say and it means so much to me. I wouldn’t be this happy without you.

Today I have two of my gals with me to celebrate this day and they are My Curves and Me + Urkye. Both of these babes are there to make us full-bust ladies feel amazing and this is why I wanted to share some of their love with you as well!

MY CURVES AND ME

My Curves & Me is a discount site for older Panache (+ sub labels) lingerie with great prices and some beauties you might have thought slipped through your hands. Unfortunately, this site ships only to UK at the moment but this giveaway is indeed international so wherever you are, feel free to enter! This is an excellent chance to snatch up a new fantastic sports bra or maybe an older colourway of the cult bra Marcie! My Curves & Me has agreed to give away one set of lingerie from their site (subject to availability) so hurry and enter as the deadline for this raffle is only a week away!

To enter the giveaway please click the link below and follow the Rafflecopter instructions. There are two mandatory tasks this time – to subscribe to Two Cakes on a Plate (click the “Follow Me” button on the top of the side panel to do that) and leave a comment to this blog post telling me about your best lingerie bargain you have ever bagged! The giveaway will run until 1st of December 2015, 12 am GMT.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b3aac76b10/?

URKYE

Urkye is  Polish brand that has been close to my heart since two summers ago, when I was working at the Lumingerie storage and going back and fort in a steaming hot bus to go to work. Their dresses and other clothes are especially made for big boobs and look amazing on a curvier figure! The cuts and materials are very practical and I always get so many compliments for both of my Urkye dresses, the Koperta and the Tuba.

Urkye has agreed to give away a Mala dress (pictured above) to one lucky winner with three 30% discount codes for future purchases. The sizes and colours available are featured on the Urkye e-commerce shop and the prize is subject to availability. To enter the giveaway please click the link below and follow the Rafflecopter instructions. There are two mandatory tasks this time – to subscribe to Two Cakes on a Plate (click the “Follow Me” button on the top of the side panel to do that) and leave a comment to this blog post telling me how would you style this dress if you won! The giveaway will run until 1st of December 2015, 12 am GMT.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b3aac76b11/?

Both giveaways are international and the winners will be contacted by email after the giveaway closes. Please check your spam folder in case you won! If my email isn’t replied after one week from contacting you, a new winner will be drawn. Good luck everyone and I hope you are having a great time getting in the Christmas mood (or whatever mood you wanna get into if you are not Christian 😉 ) xx

Moda Lingerie Show: Cleo, Sculptresse & Sport by Panache AW15 Collections

When Panache is a great staple for anyone entering the full-bust world, there are plenty of different choices inside the brand for different tastes and sizes. Today I am going to talk about the Panache sub-labels Cleo, Sport and Sculptresse which all have a very distinct look to them. Let’s start with Cleo which is probably one of your favourite brands as well – this sub-label caters to young Panache customers with quirky prints and cute colours. The sizes with Cleo go up to J-cup and some styles start now from B-cup

CLEO BY PANACHE     

Breeze (C-H cups), Mimi (C-H cups), Kali (D-J cups), Kali Babydoll (D-J cups), Marcie in Burgundy & Nude (B-J cups), Minnie (B-J cups) and Lottie (D-J cups).

Prints have always been Cleo’s strength and they didn’t disappoint me this season either. The shades were a bit darker than with spring season (obviously) but I did like the way they were used and combined to brighter colours, like with the new Lottie balconette. The Aztec print was quite different, and got big thumbs up especially from my fellow blogger Anna from Bras and Body Image. When it comes to prints though I like a more subtle look, so the cutesy Navy/Yellow Minnie was definitely a winner for me! I also really liked the splash of yellow which seems to be my ultimate favourite colour at the moment (ok who am I kidding, it’s my fave colour EVERY spring).

Even though subtle and playful prints are more my things, I found myself falling in love particularly with the Breeze longline which comes in a colour-clashing floral print. A piece someone like Rihanna would quite possibly wear! Also, I am a sucker for longlines, so what can you do. I am always up for one in my size! The Marcies and Kalis were again absolutely adorable and I love how Cleo keeps making the Kali in such bright neons season after season. The tangerine orange is a great shade but I do have to admit that the babydoll is soooo cute I could not choose either one over another – have to have them both in my drawers!

PANACHE SPORT  

Panache Sport Non-Wired in Grey and Wired in Coral and Pink

Well now is time for the one of the biggest announcements I will make on blog this spring! The Panache Sport Wired will go up to J-cup starting from next autumn! I am so proud of Panache for taking the feedback and making this happen as it has been highly requested by their customers. However, the only band sizes with J-cups will be 32 and 34, so they are starting slowly but surely with the bigger cups. The 28 and 30 backs will still be going up to H which is a shame but the 36 band will go up HH. I so hope this will make some of your lives a lot easier and that Panache will start adding biggers sizes to their smallest band sizes as well, when the demand gets higher and the bigger cups start to sell! The new shades of coral and pink are super cute and and will add a dash of colour to your autumn workouts.

SCULPTRESSE BY PANACHE
Chi Chi (D-HH cups), Charisse (D-J cups), Bunny (D-H cups), Flirtini (D-H cups + 34) & Kitty (D-HH cups)

When it comes to the Panache Sculptresse line I’m always a bit jealous. I mean, I can’t have all those pretty bras because dang they don’t come in my size. The Sculptresse line has so far been a range from 36 bands and up but luckily Panache has decided to add some 34 bands as well (still not helpful to me but ya can’t have it all!) with the Flirtini and Kitty styles, pictured above. I so hope that these band sizes will do good as well and Sculptresse will make some more 34 backs in the future!

When it comes to styling, I am a sucker for this flirty and girly range that is kind of sister label to Cleo more than the regular Panache range. Sculptresse range plays with the same vivid colours and interesting prints but to be honest, I like it’s out-of-box perspective even more than Cleo’s. This might be due to the mermaid vibes this collection sports alongside the regular Panache range – the teals, petrols, stars and scallops are my thing and will win my heart over anytime. If I needed to pick a favourite, the Charisse would be a lovely number to see in my size as well. All of the news styles, Bunny, Charisse and Kitty were nice additions to the original collection though and any of them would have a place in my bradrobe!

How did you like the new Panache sub-label collections – any favourites? I would love to know! Also, if you have any particular questions about sizes or anything else, do let me know in the comments. Note that these styles were not all Panache will be offering next season, as there will be some basic styles on offer as well 😉