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 – Model A470 “Beryl” in 65J + A DISCOUNT CODE

Is it already the end of April? I may sound like a granny but recently time has flown by so damn quickly. Today I am bringing you the April’s “Sunday with Samanta” feature with a first moulded Samanta bra I have ever tried. When opting for the model, we decided to keep reviewing the more full-coverage models of Samanta, but next month will definitely be something a bit less covering. Today’s Samanta cut is “Beryl” (retailing for 63€) which is designed specifically for a larger bust. Keep reading and don’t forget to check out the discount code at the end! *Disclosure: This set was sent to me by Samanta for review purposes, all opinions as my own*

Design: When picking my next Samanta set, I was determined that at some point, the Beryl would definitely be on my list. Gladly, as the head designer of Samanta suggested the A470 model for my next review, I knew this would be the time to give this lovely combo of ink blue and gold lace a twirl. I am a big fan of both blue and gold since as a combination it whispers royal elegance. I was particularly keen on the lace which is absolutely breath-taking and somehow very European again – something that Samanta is well-known for. When the parcel arrived at my door, I was so happy to see that the design was even more beautiful and elaborate in flesh.

When it comes to the shape, the  A470 covers the breasts almost completely leaving them looking seamless and rounded under regular t-shirts. The A470 Beryl is a gorgeous bra to wear for boudoir purposes, but it’s true value is measured by how practical and gorgeous it is at the same time. If you are looking for the in-your-face kind-of look of the Freya “Deco”, this is not the bra for you but it is a great option to achieve a smooth and natural look to your bust line.

Fit: I opted for my regular Samanta size 65J with the A470 and the size seems spot-on again. As someone who has experience of Samanta bras in three different models, it seems that at least within the selection of bras in same cup depth they do run quite consistent along ranges. As the first A925 model I tried was a bit too roomy in 65K, I am really staring to think that my true Samanta size with the deeper models is 65J. This is a rough equivalent to a British 30GG which is my preferred size with deeper British bras as well (I wear a 30H with shallower cuts).

The band of the A470 Beryl is very comfortable yet snug in 65 (UK 30) band and I feel like Samanta has put a lot of effort in the comfort aspect of the underwear. Sometimes brands make their bands of otherwise stretchy materials but then add a rigid trimming to the band edge which takes away a lot off the comfort level of the bra; Samanta however crafts their bras with care to the last finishing touches, so every aspect of the bra fits and feels great. The cups are deep as mentioned before and fit well my full-on-top bust without any bulging, gaping OR folding at the bottom, which has been my problem with moulded padded cups for whole my life. The centre gore doesn’t tack completely (there is about 2 mm space from my sternum) but so far, this hasn’t affected the support or the fit of the bra notably.

Comfort: Thinking about the comfort aspect of the set, I must say Beryl has been so far my favourite set from Samanta. The materials are absolutely lush, as mentioned before, and the lace of the bra and the panties is very soft and stretchy. As opposed to the previous styles Mintaka and Aurora, the materials of Beryl are also ever-so-slightly stretchier and there is no rigidness to the lace which could restrict your movements or feel scratchy against skin. The straps of the bra are also very comfy, 2 cm wide and half-adjustable – which of course affects the wearability of the bra depending on how tall or short-torsoed you are. I am 5’6 with a rather long torso and wearing the straps adjusted half-way, so I would estimate them to be rather accommodating to various torso lengths.

The wires with the A470 model are typical to Samanta – quite an average width so just about perfect for me. If you find other Polish brands’ bras too narrow-wired for your liking, you could definitely wear Samanta rather comfortably, unless you have very wide breast roots and need wires going farther into your armpits.

For the bottoms I opted for the D300 model – the so-called boxers (retailing for 29,70€) – which is a classic more covering style of bottoms. I am not a huge fan of thongs and even Brazilians make a wee bit uncomfy, so this style of bottoms has been my favourite so far from the Samanta bottoms selection. The D300 is super comfortable and the lace comes out gorgeously popping out over the blue base, creating a great co-ordinate to the more subtle bra style.

As we a are slowly but surely growing our Sunday with Samanta feature, I wanted to give you, my dear readers, something special regarding it as well. For this reason, Samanta and I have created a special discount code for anyone wanting to try the A470 model for themselves. The code “METTE” (my first name actually, if you care to know) is valid from today until next week’s Sunday and gives you a great discount of 20% off your A470 bra. If you do decide to use the code, let me know what you ordered and later on, how it fits! I would so love to hear your thoughts about the model and Samanta in general as well 🙂 Also, if you have any questions about the fit or ordering process, let me know – I try to be of help as much I can. Have a lovely time shopping gals and most of all, have a great Sunday 😉

Suomeksi: Moikka kaikille! Kuun viimeinen sunnuntai pyörähti taas käyntiin, eli meillä Kahdessa Kakussa se tarkoittaa Sunday with Samanta -arvostelua 🙂 Tällä kertaa Samanta lähetti meikäläiselle testiin ihanaisen Berylin A470-mallissa, joka on ulkomuodoltaan ja rakenteeltaan peittävä muotoonprässätty t-paitaliivi. A470 jatkaa sarjaamme lähes kokokuppisista liiveistä ja kuten mallit A925 ja A922, se peittää rinnasta n. 90%. Meille suomalaiselle juuri tällainen liivi onkin se mieluisin ja erityisesti malli on aikuisen naisen makuun sopiva. Lisäksi A470 on suunniteltu erityisesti suurille rinnoilla, jotka vaativat syvemmän kupin.

Beryl on kaikinpuolin juuri sitä, mitä niin moni nainen haluaa – sileää kuppia, hillittyä mutta kaunista värimaailmaa ja vain hieman pitsiä piristämään muuten peruskäytössä olevaa liiviä. Itse kaiken maailman pitsihörsylöitä rakastavana en sileäkuppisia liivejä juuri harrasta, mutta Berylissä yhdistyy käytännöllisyys ja kauneus niin upealla tavalla, ettei se jätä esteetikkoakaan kylmäksi. Lisäksi materiaalit ovat Berylissä niin pehmoiset ja joustavat, että se on mukavuudeltaan sopiva käyttöön kuin käyttöön.

Samanta käyttää kokojärjestelmänään EU-kokoja, jonka vuoksi valitsin kookseni perinteisen 65J:n, jota käytän erityisesti syvempien kuppien kanssa. Ympärys 65 on hieman joustavampi kuin useimmilla eurooppalaisilla ja varsinkin puolalaisilla merkeillä, joten jos olet kahden koon väliltä, suosittelen ottamaan sen napakamman vaihtoehdon. Kuppien koko riippuukin sitten niiden tilavuudesta ja varsinkin näissä malleissa, jota olen itse päässyt testaamaan, on kuppi ollut tilavuudeltaan suurehko.

Päällä setti istuu ja tuntuu kaikin puolin mukavalta, ja sen takaavat Samantan huolella tehty suunnittelutyö sekä materiaalien valinta. Muotoonprässätty kuppi antaa rinnalle luonnollisen muodon ja saumattoman lookin t-paitojenkin alla. Myös kaarituet ovat Samantan liiveissä hyvin kohdallaan allekirjoittaneella – ei huolta liian kapeista tai leveistä tuista, vaan ne asettuvat juuri oikeaan kohtaan hieman kainalon etupuolelle. 

Mikäli A470 näyttää ja kuulostaa siltä, että se voisi sopia juuri sinulle, olemme Samantan kanssa sopineet viikon voimassaolevasta alennuskoodista jokaisen Sunday with Samanta- postauksen yhteydessä. Nyt huhtikuun viimeisen viikon aikana on voimassa alennuskoodi “METTE“, jolla saatte A470-mallista mukavat 20% pois hinnasta. Nyt kannattaa siis ostaa omansa pois, sillä Samantan hinnat pyörivät enemmän siellä luksusluokassa! Laadultaan Samanta kuitenkin yltää ehdottomasti kalliimpienkin luksusmerkkien tasolla, jollei ylemmäskin, ja rahoilleen saa taatusti vastinetta, vaikka useampi kymppi rintsikoista voikin aluksi kirpaista. Koodilla esim. Beryl-liiveille jää hintaa vain 50,40 €, mikä ei ole enää ollenkaan paha hinta laadukkaasta liivistä 😉

Lingerie Review: Gossard “Super Smooth” in 30DD

I know my lasses, I have been gone for too long. But! I have been doing some good and productive stuff as I have have got myself trained as a bra fitter (!) so my last couple of weeks has been fitting people and learning about the brand I work for. This means I will be getting even more people into well-fitting bras in the future – how cool is that, right? 😉

However, today is not about my new job (maybe I’ll tell you more about it in the future!) but about someone we already know – a little lady called “Super Smooth”. Super Smooth* was formerly introduced on 2COP a few months ago when the first black version of it lauched on the Gossard online store and my lovely bff Jo modelled and reviewed it on the blog. Today, I am bringing this inseparable combo to you again, hence a better-fitting bra size of 30DD. Also, the Super Smooth has finally been introduced in some fab prints and today we are bringing you the cute and sassy leopard print. *Disclosure: This set was provided by Gossard for review purposes, all opinions are our own.

Design: When we talk about the very basic lingerie we have in our bradrobes, what would you consider a must? When I think about my very best bras and panties, it’s always about comfort, practicality and good looks combined into one perfect set. As a Finn, I know our lust for the boring beige and black underwear but what if, just for once, we tried to spice it up a bit? Even though the black Super Smooth was an instant hit with Jo and meshed well with her wardrobe, the sassy leopard print is a good option under your everyday clothes – and why not under a see-through top on a night out? The leopard print is done in a subtle way in a toned-down colour combo of beige, black and army green which might sound like an odd pairing to some but seems to work well in such a wild (see what I did there?) print.

Even with the wilder print, there is always the sleekness and practicality of the t-shirt bra finish – as the name promises, the bra and the panty give a seamless look with just a little more oomph with the push up padding in the cups. The cleavage is phenomenal as always and it’s achieved with a completely wireless structure of built-in “support panels”.

Fit: If you are interested in a our previous description of the fit, I suggest you look into our first post of this particular bra, HERE (click!). What has changed though is the bra size Jo is wearing this time – the black Super Smooth was in a size 32D whereas this one is worn in a size 30DD. Last time, Jo could easily close the bra in the tightest hooks with the 32 being obviously too big on her, but the 30 band seems to work well for her small underbust area. The materials are rather stretchy meaning she could probably go down to 28 if it existed but the bra fits well nevertheless.

The 30DD is a sister size to a 32D which means the cup volume is the same with both bras. As Jo’s cup size hasn’t changed much during the past few months, it seems the sister size is working well regarding the cup size as well. Jo usually wears a size 28F with most UK brands so I would suggest once again to go for your regular Gossard size; one cup down and a band size up from your regular UK size. Jo is wearing a size XS short with the bra and it fits her really well too without any bulging or gaping anywhere.

Comfort: When it comes to comfort, it would seem to be a key ingredient in making the perfect everyday set – especially when designing a wireless. Even though wireless bras usually tend to feel pretty flimsy on a fuller bust, Gossard has managed to make this bra feel sturdy and comfy on. The in-built support panels almost feel like underwires without the possible poking and make the bra approachable for us D+ ladies as well. Here’s hoping Gossard would upgrade the size range up to G!

Even though Gossard bras are usually very comfortable overall, there seems to be one thing that bothers me and Jo a bit – and that is the straps. Unfortunately, even with the bigger sizes, Gossard is using rather slim half-adjustable straps with most of their designs which leads up to a flimsy feeling and sometimes even to annoying slipping off the shoulders. For me, the length of the straps has never been a problem but to Jo, they were just way too long to feel sturdy and to support the 10% of the weight of her bust. This can be fixed easily with basic sewing skills but it could also be taken care of during the design process. So Gossard, here’s the thing – we LOVE you. Just improve the straps a bit, okay?

All in all the set is very comfy and great-looking in its new print for the spring season and we would both recommend this to any A-E gal out there who want the support without the wires. You can snatch up this bradrobe staple from the Gossard online store for a reduced price of £35 for the bra and £14 for the short. How do you like this set? Would you be willing to try the E+ sizes if Gossard made them in the future? I would love to know, so do leave me a comment! xx

Suomeksi: Heippa ihmiset! Tämä tyttö on ollut töissä ja kouluttautumassa alusvaatemyyjäksi, joten siitä onkin jo jonkin aikaa, kun olen ollut viimeksi ruudun ääressä rustailemassa teille. Tällä kertaa meillä on uudestaan arvosteltavana Gossardin “Super Smooth”, jota Jossu testailikin jo muutama kuukausi sitten debyyttivärissään, mustassa. Rintsikoista muodostui heti yhdet Jossun lemppareista, ja olimmekin molemmat iloisia, kun Gossard halusi lähettää hänelle testiin saman liivin uudessa kausikuosissaan, eli ihanaisessa leopardiprintissä.

Vaikka musta onkin meidän suomalaisten pyhä väri, josta emme vain osaa luopua, on mukavaa, kun omista lemppareista ilmestyy välillä myös niin kutsuttuja “fashion”-versioita. Tämä tuo omaan vaatekaappiin vähän vaihtelevuutta ja perusrintsikkamalliin hieman eloa. Villistä printistään huolimatta Super Smooth on tehty hillityllä eleganssilla; väreiksi ovat valikoituneet beige, musta ja armeijan vihreä, jotka tasapainottavat räväkkää leopardiprinttiä. Malliltaan liivi on topattu t-paitaliivi ilman kaaritukia, joka kuitenkin tuo sisäänrakennettujen tukipaneelien ansiosta rinnat kauniisti eteenpäin ja esille.

Kooksi valitsimme tällä kertaa Jossulle 30DD, joka vastaa kupiltaan hänen aikaisempaa 32D. Tässä koossa ympärys on kuitenkin napakampi ja näin istuu Jossulle paremmin kuin hänen aikaisempi musta versionsa. Gossardin liivit ovatkin usein ympärykseltään napakampia kuin muiden brittimerkkien, ja näin ollen normaalisti 28-ympärystä käyttävä Jossu voi huoletta käyttää myös 30-ympärystä heidän malleissaan. Lisäksi kuppi on Gossardilla suurehko, joten siitä voi ottaa koon pienemmän kuin normaalisti.

Vaikka Super Smooth on mukavuudeltaan samaa luokkaa kuin muutkin Gossardin liivit, on sen ongelmana myös merkin perisynti: liian kapeat ja pitkät olkaimet. Tässä olisi siis ehdottomasti parannuksen paikka merkille! Minulla Gossardin olkaimet ovat toimineet melko hyvin, mutta pienempikokoisen ihmisen tulee varautua vain puoleksisäädettäviin olkaimiin, jotka ovat lähtökohtaisesti melko venyvät ja paukkuvat.

Jos oma perussetti Gossardilta houkuttaa, voit klikata englanninkielisen tekstin linkkejä ja löydät nopsasti Super Smoothin tuotesivulle. Setti on tällä hetkellä alessa, joten nyt kannattaa ehdottomasti katsoa, josko omaa kokoa olisi jäljellä! Valitettavasti kokoja mallista löytyy vain E:hen asti, mutta laitetaan sormet ristiin – jospa saataisiin malli joskus G-kupissakin 😉