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

Party-time Basics: Review of Curvy Kate “Luxe” Strapless in 30H

Are you by chance having a celebration this summer? I know it’s already July but I am sure there are still plenty of summer weddings and other festivities left for this summer season! In fact, I have a little celebration of my own tomorrow – I graduated as a Bachelor of Education with a masters in Educational Psychology and now I am throwing a BBQ for it! I am super excited and I got way better grades than I thought I would get. The Finnish uni grades go from 1 to 5, with 5 being best and I got 4 from my major and also from all my minors (gender studies, health science & fine arts) – so I am more than pleased as I just wanted to get through it all without losing my sanity. Well, enough of rambling, I am sure you are here for something else!

As we full-busted gals attend parties, especially in the summer, we may want to wear that cute strapless dress like any gal; but that my dearies, requires a strapless bra as you know. When I was a 30FF I actually still found it quite easy to find supportive strapless bras but after I crossed the dreaded G-cup barrier, there weren’t many options anymore. When Curvy Kate came out with their Luxe strapless, I was sure to get my hands on it as it promised great support in the biggest cup sizes as well. I got my first Luxe a year ago but unfortunately picked a wrong size for vanity reasons – yes that happens to us bra bloggers as well. This is why I was so pleased when Curvy, an Australian bra retailer, offered to send me the Luxe set alongside my Tease camisole. Here’s how I liked this convenient little friend…

The Design: Let’s face it – no beige strapless bra is ever going to be particularly pretty. It’s just the simple truth and there is no way around it. I think Curvy Kate did a pretty good job with the Luxe though; it’s not hideous and even though it is pretty plain (as a basic bra should be), there are some nice touches to it like the pinstripe pattern of the bra band and the fabric-coated buttons at the centre gore. The hue is not the best for me as I am much more “pink” thank the creamy butter-y shade of the Luxe “Biscotti” shade. But who am I to complain – I am pretty sure there are no D+ strapless bras for women of colour, so I am lucky to even get close to my own skin tone with this bra! I haven’t tried it with any white shirts or dresses so I cannot say whether it would show through but it’s not the most discreet of bras anyway.

The shape of the Luxe is absolutely amazing and I love how rounded CK managed to make it. Most D+ straplesses give a kind of deflated conical look which is less than ideal, meaning CK definitely set their product apart from other full-bust offerings in the market. The cups are made with a three part cup construction with two vertical seams, which unfortunately show through a bit if you are wearing eg a thinner jersey fabric over it. However, if I could choose between this and the Freya Deco, the Luxe would win 6-0 as it gives a better shape, fits me quite well and is comfortable to wear even for several hours.

The Fit: I went for my regular Curvy Kate size 30H with the Luxe this time and it’s definitely a right choice. I tell you: DO NOT compromise on fit if you are debating whether to get the bigger size that fits better or the smaller size that fits okay but looks nicer as it gives less coverage. IT WILL NOT WORK. I can’t stress this enough: The bigger cup size made all the difference to me as the smaller cups were pushed by my boobs downwards and I ended up tucking and adjusting the 30GG multiple times a day. Not a fun job to do on a night out! The 30H fits me very well and even though the band is a bit tighter than with your usual CK bra, I like it that way as I hate having a strapless falling down my body.

When it comes to wires and cup depth, I feel the Luxe is a bit different from what I am used to from CK: the wires actually hit me at the perfect spot, right at my breast root. Even though the cups are a bit deeper too, you can see some shallowness at the bottom of them, as the cup foam is collapsing a tiny bit. I am not bothered by this though and I am happy how much there is actually space for my boobs at the top of the cups – they are really nice on an evenly full shape but also suit full-on-top breast quite well!

Comfort: I had pretty darn high expectations for this bra when it released as so many bloggers and CK itself claimed it to be a life-changing miracle-worker – so when I bought my first Luxe in 30GG, you may have guessed it, I was a bit disappointed. I am so glad that I got to try the 30H now though as it has changed my opinion on the bra entirely – it truly is one of the best strapless bras I have tried in my life. The materials are very soft and feel nice on even during the hotter months of summer. The wires reach me just at my breast root, meaning they don’t poke me in the armpit causing irritation. The band is quite wide with four hooks and eyes, so it is definitely supportive enough for my H-cup boobies. My only gripe with the bra is that there is little piece of extra boning on the band that can get a bit poke-y during the day, but I am guessing it’s there so the wider band wouldn’t flip up or roll around.

I also received the Luxe thong in size 10 with the bra and I can report that it is a very comfy option for someone looking for a regular beige thong to wear under eg white trousers. I never ever wear a thong anymore so it’s not something I will reach for often, but it is a good thing to have in your lingerie wardrobe when the occasion comes. The materials of the thong are very sleek and stretchy so the size 10 was spot on for me. The rise is pretty regular but on the lower side so if you like a more hipster style with higher rise, you may want to skip this.

If you are getting married this summer, or attending summer party in a strapless dress, I would very much recommend the Luxe to any D+ bride / guest out there. The size range of the bra is a whopping 28-38 D-J which is incredible in my opinion! If you would like to get your very own Luxe, it retails for 94,99 AUD at Curvy and comes in both Black and Biscotti. You also have a chance of winning a set of your choice from Curvy, so take a look at the giveaway instructions here. Have you tried the Luxe yet? Which strapless bra do you like the best? Let me know in the comments! xx

Lingerie Review: Gossard “Graceful” in 30DD

Back with a another review! I hope you excuse me for my long unintented hiatus – work and life happened. However, today I am coming for you with another Gossard review in collaboration with my lovely bff and guest blogger Jo! As unfortunately this ss15 collection of Gossard does not include that many ranges up G, we decided to take the chance of reviewing some smaller and average sizes although my blog is still obviously most about full-bust brands and products. However, I do see the need to represent the kind of smaller and average sizes A-DD on my blog as well, as I know many of my friends for example are in that size range and do follow my blog. This is where Gossard comes in: it’s a great brand to look for all of these size ranges though they don’t exactly profile themselves as full-bust or small-bust brand. Today we are reviewing the lovely “Graceful” set from Gossard, here modeled by Jo in 30DD and XS. *Disclosure: This set was sent to Jo for review purposes. All opinions are our own. Also, the Finnish translations will be on hold for some time now as I am super busy this month and still want to keep my posts regular! Sorry Finnish peeps, I will get back to you later!*

Design: When I showed Jo the Gossard catalog the Graceful was the first one that really pleased her eye. To be honest, it was the one that caught my eye as well – who could resist the pretty painting-like rose print and the longline construction? Unfortunately, Grace goes up to E cup only so it was something out of my reach. Don’t get depressed though even if you are a E-G lady – Gossard will be coming up with a brand new and steaming hot longline up to G this upcoming autumn. I am determined to get my hands on it so we’ll see how that works!

The Grace is a longline bra that can be converted to a strapless with detachable straps. It features a three-part cup construction and keyhole cutout detail on the centre gore which by the way does not work for everybody (= very soft breast tissue)! However, even as strapless the bra holds its shape and gives a slightly pointed vintage look but still a rather natural one to wear under any type of strapless dress or a top. If you wear a size A-E and aren’t wearing the fairest of dresses to your summer party, Grace could be an excellent choice under your party ensemble!

Fit: When it comes to strapless bras, the fit can be quite tricky to get right. This is why I was quite impressed with Grace – it gives Jo an uplifted look and a sturdy support to actually hold the breasts up without the band or the cups shifting down her torso. I remember when I wore a strapless to my matriculation party and finally shoved it in my handbag as it was so uncomfortable in a 34C which I used to wear back then. The Gossard “Grace” is a lovely option to those cheap H&M straplesses that in the end are no use at all – £34 price tag makes it an affordable choice but still a supporting one as the back sizes go down to sturdy 30s (see what I did there…). As the Gossard bands come up quite tight Jo can easily wear her Grace in the loosest hook even though she usually fits a 28 band. Sizing up in the band is definitely necessary, especially if you are between sizes!

The cups of the Graceful run a bit bigger than most British bras but with this particular style, the cups are also quite closed at top to keep the cups from tipping over when worn strapless. This causes Jo’s other boob to bulge over a tiny bit nevertheless not disturbingly so – the 30DD is still very much wearable. Jo’s breasts are quite full-on-bottom so if you have a lot of breast tissue on the top half of your boobs, I would not recommend this bra for you. However, it is a good bra for anyone drastically full-on-bottom and rather shallow as well.

 
Comfort: As the Graceful is made in a longline style with a rather wide back band (at least for Gossard as their bands are usually pretty narrow) the bra holds up the breasts effectively even worn as a strapless. This makes it a much more supportive choice which definitely holds up even after a few hours of wear. However, when the bra is worn with the straps, some problems arise: the straps are again very flimsy and long! To be honest, they are so long for Jo’s torso that she has thought about taking them in a bit. Keep this in mind if you are very short-torsoed and would like to wear the bra with the straps! If you are looking for a good strapless though, this does not matter and you can wear the bra comfortably without thinking about the falling straps.

The thong was sent to Jo in size Xs and fits her like a dream. I have always been a fan of Gossard thongs as they are made in such a way that even thong-haters like myself can wear them rather comfortably – the back part of the thong is made of a wider mesh strap that lays flat over the bum and looks seamless under tight-fitting jeans. Jo however is a great wearer of thongs so she usually doesn’t complain about these aspects anyway! The look of the thong is very flattering on her as per usual and it completes the set beautifully.

If you would fancy a Graceful set of your own, you can snatch it up on the Gossard online store for £34 for the bra and £14 for the thong. The range features a regular short as well and strapless cup-sized slip if you are more interested in pretty supportive loungewear. How do you feel about the Graceful set? Are you as excited as me about the new longline up to G (I will put up a pic of it later on here on the blog!)? Let me know in the comments! xx

Lingerie Review + Discount Code: Going Strapless with Freya Deco Shape in 30GG

A couple of months ago when I was preparing myself for Christmas, I got my hands on a Collectif dress called Penny – a pretty strapless number that required a pretty strapless bra to go underneath it. Unfortunately I did not have a well-fitting strapless at the moment and I was doomed to go by my Debenhams 30FF bra, two cup sizes too small and a bit too tight as well. When Clara Olivia contacted me and asked if I wanted to review a couple of sets from them, I knew what I had to do – opt for something practical that I actually needed. I decided to go for the Freya “Deco Shape Strapless” which is a beautiful longline bra and a high-waisted panty combo. Here’s how I liked the set…

The Design: As longline bras in my size are quite rare, I was happy to see Freya making this style up to GG. It’s not prefect yet, but a good start to branching out to a different kind of styling – even though longlines are quite hard to make in bigger cup sizes. The Deco Shape is a versatile collection with multiple options for your bra and panties – whether it’s a regular plunge or a strapless, Freya has it covered. I chose to go for the ivory strapless longline as it was something that I found the most practical. The colour is great for spring and summer and I really like the rococo-style blush print as well – it makes the style a bit more interesting.

The whole look of the bra is very seamless – at least as seamless as a longline can ever be. The cups are moulded which is a practical choice for such a great bradrobe staple. The shape the bra creates is also decent – the cups are very rounded but not super uplifted – this could be a good bra for a more modest look. The cups also come quite high up so take that into account if your choice of dress/shirt is very low-cut.

Fit: Even though this style goes only up to GG, I must say the 30GG was a pretty good choice of size for me. I was warned off that the cups would come up quite large so I wasn’t too worried about being squashed by the bra. However, the shape is probably not the best one for me: there is a significant amount of space in the bottom of the cups and a little bulging at the top as the bra cuts into my fuller upper breast tissue. I think this style would be better for someone with a little less filling at the top – if you are more full-on-bottom and have shallower breast tissue than me, give this style a try.

The band of the Deco Shape Longline is also a bit tighter than your regular Deco plunge bra. I would say this is a more true 30-band as I measure 31″ under my bust and felt the band was very tight on me. I managed to close it, but it was definitely something that someone with a 29″ underbust measurement would do fine with. The band features six hooks and eyes meaning it is a sturdy little number. Also I didn’t experience the band flipping up like with some other longlines which is a great upside for me at least. There is additional boning though which might not be suitable for everyone – with me it was fine though and I didn’t experience any chafing whatsoever. As an additional practical feature, there are two places you can attach your straps if you wish to, which makes this bra great for someone who’s either extra petite or broad-shouldered.

Comfort: When it comes to comfort, I am always a bit “meh” with longlines – some find them extremely comfy but I usually don’t. I had a very bad experience with Fauve “Bronte” in the past which always makes me hesitant to try longlines. Gladly I wasn’t left with a torture machine this time! The strapless is a bit too tight in the band for my preference but then again, it should hold up my tits when taking on the dance floor on a night out. The bra did its job even though being a slightly wrong shape for me and it stayed put during my try-out period.

I wanted to give the Deco Shape high-waisted briefs a go too, so I opted for them in size Small. As Freya panties run a bit on the looser side, this was definitely the right size. To be honest, I am absolutely in love with the panties! They are so comfy, they shape me lightly and leave no sight of VPL, which is definitely a bonus. So my piece of advice to you? Get the panties as well with this set!

If you would like to order your own strapless or something else from Clara Olivia, they have kindly offered my readers a discount code to get 20% off your order. Use the code 2cakes20 at the checkout to claim your discount! The Deco Shape comes in bra sizes 28-38 B-GG (£40) and the high-waisted panties in XS-XXL (£20) and you can get it at Clara Olivia both in ivory and black. PS. Remember to take part in my blogiversary giveaways which are closing in only couple of days!

Suomeksi: Hyvien olkaimettomien rintsikoiden löytäminen voi olla vaikeaa, kun koko ylittää D-kupin. Olinkin mielissäni, kun brittiläinen alusvaateverkkokauppa Clara Olivia lähetti minulle Freyan kulttimallin Decon olkaimettomana versiona pari kuukautta sitten – nyt pääsisin kokeilmaan jotain painovoimaa uhkaavaa! Olin kuullut että olkaimeton Deco Shape on kupeiltaan hieman isohko, joten valitsin kookseni 65GG:n ja alushousuista koon S.

Deco Shape on malliltaan ns. longline, eli mallin rinnanalusnauha on leveämpi kuin normaaleissa rintsikoissa. Longline onkin hyvä vaihtoehto, mikäli haluaa ekstratukea – juuri sitä mitä olkaimettomien rintsikoiden kanssa todella tarvitaan. Ympärysnauha onkin näissä rintsikoissa todella napakka ja tuntuu tukevan rintoja hyvin myös ilman olkaimia. Kupit puolestaan olivat mitoitukseltaan reiluhkot, joten näistä saattaa riittää normaalia pienempi kuppi. Itse kuitenkin törmäsin istuvuusongelmiin kuppien mallin kanssa – tuntui ettei muotoonprässätty kuppi oikein istunut yläpainotteisille rinnoilleni ja kupin alaosaan puolestaan jäin rutkasti tyhjää tilaa. Näin kuitenkin käy joskus ja tästäkin huolimatta Deco Shape on ihan kelpo vaihtoehto niille harvoille kerroille, kun jotain olkaimetonta käytän!

Jos omat olkaimettomat liivit kiinnostavat, tarjoaa Clara Olivia lukijoilleni nyt alennuskoodin, jolla saa mukavat 20 % pois koko tilauksesta. Käytä siis koodia 2cakes20 kassalla, niin lompakkosi kevenee hieman vähemmän 😉 Kokoja Deco Shapesta löytyy GG-kuppiin asti ja housuista XXL:n ja alennuskoodin kanssa koko pompsi kustantaa 48 puntaa. Mukavaa shoppailua sinne ruudun toiselle puolelle 😉 PS. Muistakaahan käydä osallistumassa vielä blogiarvontoihin, enää pari päivää jäljellä!