After Eden D-cup & up: Carlissa & Cendrine in 70E

Finding your perfect size and shape match with bras is a pretty tough job – sometimes people think it’s just a matter of trying on a few styles and then finding the perfect bra that suits your particular tastes and shape the best. In reality, it can take years to find the styles and brands you like and even then, your tastes may change. Eeva is a friend of mine who I bravangelized this year and we found out that her best size is something between a 70E and 65F. She has never thought of being a busty gal, but alas, you don’t need to have a notably large bosom to be above D-cup!

When I first fitted Eeva, we noticed that padded plunge-balconettes were defintely a great match for her. Now, the task was to find a brand that would make something in her size, that would still be to her taste and has a good selection of padded plunge-balconettes for her to try. Enter: After Eden D-cup and Up (previously known as Signature by After Eden). *After Eden generously gifted these sets to Eeva, all opinions are our own*

The Carlissa set in 70E and a size Medium thong.

The After & Eden D+ range bras are something probably many gals who enter the full-bust world want: they are cute and sexy, very similar to core sized bras in stores like Aerie and Victoria’s Secret but come in a better size range. These particular bras go up to F-cup, but in general many D-cup & Up bras go up to an EU G-cup. The size range is geared more towards the busty plus-size gals, as the band sizes go up 42 (EU 95) and 44 (EU 100), but there are still options for the slender customers as well.

Even though these styles in particular don’t include the 30-bands, Eeva is well off with the 32 band and the many hooks and eyes ensure that the bra can be properly tightened up, if the band gets loose over time. This is definitely one of the strengths of the range – the bra bands accommodate a lot of size fluctuation which is not something I can say about most bras. The shoulder straps are also pretty versatile and can be adjusted almost fully.

The Cendrine set in 70E and a matching thong in size Medium.

When I asked Eeva about her breast shape, she would describe it as more full-on-top (FOT) – this means her breast have more full breast tissue above the nipple than below it. In my experience After Eden D-cup & Up bras are especially well-fitting for FOT gals, as they are pretty open at the top. The underwire of the bra hits Eeva at the right spot and I would say the wires are a medium lenght and and quite low near the armpit area.

For the price tag (25 € for the bra in sale just now!), these bras last in wear and tear for quite a while and the detailing (rose gold hardware!) is cute and looks like good quality to me. The materials are soft and pretty comparable to anything you would find in a high street store – not luxury but also not cheap either. The panties are also well-designed regarding rise and materials which makes them equally easy to wear as the bras.

If you would like to snag these sets for a very good price, head over to the After Eden webstore now. The Carlissa and Cendrine sets are sold for 25 € for the bras and 9€ for the thongs. 

Sunday with Samanta: A333 “Kerk” in 65J

Let’s be honest – there is rarely a red bra I would not like. When Marzena, the head designer of Samanta, suggested that I would try their Kerk in A333 cut as my next Samanta bra, I was very happy! I am all for pinks and red which are very classic and cliched lingerie colours but what can you do – I am a Barbie girl by heart. Also, the style intrigued me – I had not tried any of the less covering Samanta bras yet so A333 was a nice change as something that would cover about 80% of my bust. Here’s what I thought of the Kerk and A333 cut in general!

Design: The A333 cut is a padded balconette style bra with a slightly reduced gore for a more comfortable fit for women who want the sturdiness of the balconette shape but the cleavage of the plunge. I was very happy to be trying something a bit more revealing as most of my necklines are pretty low and full-cups are usually a no-no. I am also a big fan of balconettes and they are behind my blog’s name in the first place, which was why I knew the cut would probably be a good fit too. The padded cups are constructed of three pieces which gives the bra its uplifted and very rounded shape. Sometimes three-part cups end up looking a bit droopy or conical but the A333 was absolutely perfect! I could not praise the shape of the bra enough, it is so well constructed.

When it comes to the design of Kerk, I am super glad I got to try this bra – the red colour is a lovely warm shade of red (which would actually be perfect for Christmas) which suits even paler skin tones like mine. Also the guipure lace is stunning in flesh and looks much more luxurious in real life than in pictures. If I would have a bra for special occasions only, Kerk would definitely be on top of my list!

 
Fit: The fit of A333 cut is probably the best I have encountered with Samanta bras after trying four different models so far. With the A925, A922 and A470 the full-coverage style was a bit hard to fill in perfectly and get to fit just right but the A333 fitted like a dream because of the ample room at the top of the cups. As my boobs are quite full-on-top meaning there is a lot of breast tissue at the top part of my breasts, the more open cups and less coverage give them more space to “roam free” (haha) and thus fit better in the cups without any wrinkling or cutting in at the top. The 65J was a perfect size once again and the rather deep cups lets my breast tissue to settle in the cups very well without any sorts of folding at the bottom, which is what usually happens when my boobs and shallow + padded bra cups encounter. Also the band is nice and snug and compares to a regular British size 30, or perhaps a bit snugger one when you compare to the likes of Eveden brands and Curvy Kate.

The size A333 Kerk is very in line with other Samanta bras I have tried so I would say the sizing is very consistent among different cuts. Still, I haven’t tried any of the shallower cups yet so I have some more research to do 😉 All of their underwires seem to be the same size with my 65J’s so that is definitely an upside as well! Speaking of the wires, they truly are one of the best widths and lengths I have worn during these past three years of wearing a proper bra size. It seems that in addition to Kris Line, Samanta makes their wires a bit wider than eg. Ewa Michalak whose wires do feel a bit too narrow for me at least. So, if you find yourself average when it comes to breast root width, Samanta is definitely a brand to check out!

If I could perhaps suggest Samanta to consider something to improve their bras even more, I would really appreciate the chance of using removable pads inside the cups – especially with styles like A333 which are padded with a three-part cup construction. These sorts of styles could easily feature some nice pockets for push-up pads as sometimes us bigger busted ladies suffer from asymmetry that shows a bit with padded bras and could be fixed with a little help from a pad inside the other cup. Also, who knows if you want a little more oomph to your cleavage – it’s good to have the option!

 
Comfort: The A333 cut is especially crafted for comfort and it clearly shows when you wear the style for a while. The materials and the cut give me a rather natural feeling throughout the day keeping me feeling sturdy yet not like in a bra armor or anything too heavy. The wires are a bit stiff at first but there is really nothing than a few wears and washes can’t soften! The straps are half adjustable but a very good length so I am sure people of many heights could wear it with no trouble at all.

What could irritate some is the upper edge of the cup near the armpit – it does come up a bit high which can rub your armpit a bit at first. As I have only had the chance of wearing this bra for a few days (they had a post office strike here in Finland, sigh…) I cannot tell if it is something that will get better over time. However, it is not constant and super irritating on me to prevent me from wearing the bra but something I noticed to happen now and then when moving around a lot (I have a pretty active job).

When it comes to the panties, I was sent the D300 boxer briefs in size Medium which delighted me with their more covering style and comfortable materials. I have become VERY picky when it comes to bottoms so I was glad to notice that these were gems like the ones I tried last time with Beryl. Even though some of the stiffer materials with Samanta panties are not particularly my thing, they do make some really soft and stretchy knickers as well to suit my curvier body type (aka the ghetto booty). Again, I would suggest to size up with the panties from your regular British size as they are quite snug and yet not SUPER stretchy.

All in all I am in love with A333 and Kerk and they have fast become one of my favourite sets from the all of the 45 sets I own (lol, I know, a lot of sets!). If you would fancy an A333 Kerk of your own, you can now get it at a discounted price for a week! To get your 20% off use the code “Mette” at the checkout. The price of the bra will this way be an affordable 47,76 €  + 29,70 € for the boxer briefs. Also, if you are a US customer, please contact Samanta via email to claim your discount and set up an order. Do ask their customer service about different options for shipping as well!

What do you think of the Kerk and A333 cut? Has anyone else tried it? Also, do you prefer less coverage with your bras like yours truly? Let me know in the comments, I would love to know 🙂