Sunday with Samanta: Zorza A330 in 65E

Technically, it will be Monday in 5 minutes or so but as it will be Sunday for a few more hours in States, I can still write my Sunday with Samanta post, right? 😉 It has been a long Easter Sunday and I just couldn’t bring myself to blog before midnight – so typical of me! However, today we are bringing you the Zorza in A33o by Samanta lingerie. For new readers, Samanta is a Polish brand that creates beautiful lingerie for many different sizes, shapes and budgets. Today, we see a style targeted for smaller/ average-sized breasts, that is the A330. *This set was generously gifted by Samanta. All opinions are our own.*

The Design: The A330 is a Samanta model that goes up to EU G-cup in the 65-band – thus it’s made for smaller and more average sized breasts to give them more volume and cleavage. The A330 was especially designed for softer breasts but is definitely suitable for firmer ones as well, which Jo absolutely proved while testing the bra. The bra features detachable push-up pads but even without them, it gives a subtle hint of sexy cleavage. The shape of the bra is very rounded and forward-projecting, just like with most Samanta bras I have encountered so far.

The Zorza is a style part of Samanta’s Pret-a-Porter collection which is a mid-priced core collection alongside of “Young” and “Glamour”. The collection offers beautiful styles with subtle yet luxurious detailing and quality materials – with a lower price point than the Glamour range and yet more “grown-up” sophisticated designs than the Young range. The Zorza style is definitely something you would wear for a Friday night out – it’s sophisticated, yet steaming hot and features some feminine embroidery to seal the deal. The embroidery on the cup edge resembles a lot of sunflowers which go perfectly with the beautiful roses and bows that adorn the set.

The Fit: Jo received the Zorza in the same size as the Anvers she reviewed last time, that is 65E (UK 30DD). She reported that the size was quite similar to the Anvers A475 bra but to be a bra nerd, I must say the cups seem a tiny bit smaller (or perhaps shallower?) and the band is a bit stretchier, not necessarily smaller than with Anvers. I would say that if you want to wear this bra with the push-up pads in the bra, do size up a cup size. The band stretches out a bit during a whole day of wear and thus Jo usually tightens it up a bit at the end of the day by hooking the bra to a tighter set of hooks. However, we need to keep in mind that Jo’s underbust measurement is around 26″ so the 65 band would be too big for her in the first place anyway.

Again, the length and height of the underwires is pretty much perfect for Jo but this time the cups seem a bit shallower than with other Samanta bras. This is quite usual for push-up bras so if you are fan of the shape, do give this beauty a try. The centre gore of the bra is very low and narrow so if you have smaller close-set breasts or find high centre gores painful, this style would be prefect for you.

Comfort: When comparing to Anvers, the A330 Zorza bra is definitely a lot skimpier and thus perhaps not as supportive and everyday-appropriate. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still one of the best push-up bras out there, but as it is targeted for smaller breasts, it is not meant to do any “heavy lifting”. The straps of the bra are a bit thinner and the whole ensemble is quite delicate – thus it is most appropriate for date-nights to look and feel sexy. However, the straps are fully-adjustable and the band features two hooks and eyes, so you can definitely wear it at work as well as it is not made out of strings only! The materials of the set are a bit scratchier compared to Anvers but still feel nice against skin and don’t itch even after a long day of wear.

Jo also received the M300 suspender thong in size Small and even though the tag says “thong” the style is definitely more of a Brazilian brief. This makes sense though – apparently actual thongs are not super popular anymore in Poland which is why Samanta offers their customers a more popular and fashionable choice, that is the Brazilian. The rise of M300 is a bit weird on Jo to be honest – not high or low enough to look the most flattering on her, but I do know some women would find this particular rise absolutely perfect. In my opinion though, these would need to be a bit lower to maintain the sexy look of them and also to not bunch up on Jo’s body, like they do now. However, the suspenders hold stockings really well and are a nice touch, if you want something a bit more special. They are also detachable which makes the set more versatile for everyday wear.

All in all, the Samanta “Zorza” is a lovely style up to EU G-cup (UK F-cup) which would be a perfect pairing with a festive little black dress or a v-neck top. If you are interested to order the Zorza for yourself (or why not for your partner?) take a look at the Samanta online store. The A330 bra sets you back at 59,70€ and comes in 65-85 A-G and the suspender brief is priced at 39,70 and comes in size S-XL. How do you like the Zorza? Have you tried Samanta bras yet? Let me know in the comments below! xx

Lingerie Review: Cleo by Panache “Della” in 32GG + THE GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Hi everyone! So sorry for not posting for a while – life got in the way and I had a very exciting job interview, an exam (first one in three years!) and a dance performance to practice to. So I hope you will excuse me! As a little consolation, I have decided to announce the blogiversary giveaway winners today before the review. The winners have been informed by email already and asked to get back to me in a week’s time. If they fail to do so, another winner will be picked. Congrats to everyone and if you did’t win – well, there is always next year 😉

THE WINNERS ARE…… *drum roll*

For the Playful Promises “Cordelia” set… Amber

For the Signature lingerie set… Sian A., Kelsey, Cat J.

For the Curvy Kate lingerie set… Ruth H.

For Tutti Rouge lingerie set… Kimberley R.

For the Cleo lingerie set… Coline T.

I hope you will all enjoy your new lingerie sets ❤ Now, we need to get on with a review that I am actually super glad to write – I haven’t reviewed any Panache nor Cleo lingerie in a while even though they are definitely one of my favourite lingerie brands. When the lovely Tia from Panache asked me what I would like to review from the spring collection, the Della stood out to me as something a bit different. It was the most Barbie-like design I had seen in a while, and as a living Barbie princess (hehe!) I was instantly drawn to it. Let’s see how we got on with Della!

The Design: As said, the Della looks exactly like something a Barbie doll would wear under her clothes – pink, leopard and all around sweet with a sexy edge. The style is quite simplistic actually – there are no additional lace, bows or ruffles anywhere, just a combo of a killer print and contrasting black trimmings on the wiring, straps, cup edges and the bra band. This set does not need the ruffles – it’s girly and powerful at the same time without any extra touches. The Della bottoms also feature some badass suspenders which is always a plus when it comes to styling the set in a few a different ways.

The shape of the bra is pretty much what Cleo is known for – immaculate roundness that will look amazing under any dress or a shirt, unless you prefer something super natural of course. It is the same shape that made Cleo “Marcie” famous and will continue to win over hearts as something quite unique in the full bust world! The style of the Della is a balconette, meaning the cup edges form a rather straight horizontal line and the centre gore comes up quite high on my sternum. I have to be honest – this is not a bra to wear under low-cut shirts as the gore will show but I do love it with more covering necklines.

The Fit: I was super curious to try Cleo now that I haven’t tried on any of their bras in over a year. My last Cleo bra was a yellow Marcie in 30G which was already a bit tight and small in the cup – which resulted in me in trying a 32GG this time. I was a bit hesitant as I knew that sometimes Panache bras can run on the generous side with the cups but I decided to cross my fingers as this is one of my most common sizes to wear with British lingerie brands. Luckily, I got it perfectly right and the 32GG fitted like a dream! I actually didn’t even remember how well Cleo and Panache bras fit me in general so I was almost crying happy tears to discover my old love for Cleo’s rounded and amazingly deep cups.

What really sets Panache apart from other UK full-bust brands is especially their wire width and cup depth. Personally, I find most British bras too wide and shallow for my shape and thus I am always happy to find some brands taking their own route with this matter. Sure, even Cleo is not the most narrow and deep brand on the market but it is definitely a winner among its rivals in the British full-bust market. For me the cup depth and the wire width of this bra were quite perfect and I have no complaints whatsoever!

When it comes to sizing, I would advice to think carefully what your personal comfort preferences are regarding bra bands. I have found Cleo 30-bands a bit too tight for me so I have decided to take the 32 from now on, even though I can hook it into the tightest set of hooks after a few wears. I just prefer my bands a bit more comfy. However, even if you are between sizes, you can choose to take the smaller option if you like your bands tight – this is definitely a preference thing. The cups of the Della bra run true to size so I would advice to go with your regular UK size with them.

Comfort: In addition to superb fit, I have nothing bad to say about the comfort aspect of Della. The materials are sturdy enough to keep everything in place and even though the band only features two hooks and eyes, the strong power-mesh makes up for it very well. Even the high underwires haven’t caused any problems for me so I am a happy peanut! I do have one downside to report about the bra though – once again, like with most bras I own, the straps are placed a bit too far apart for me personally. However, they are made of a sturdy material, meaning they do not fall of my shoulders constantly, but only a couple of times a day. So not too bad, I would say! Sometimes brands make super cute and sexy bra straps with satin-y materials and those are just a nightmare to me.

The bottoms I opted in a size 12 as I know that Cleo runs on the smaller side with their panties – and I was again quite right! The 12 fits me spot-on but I do wish that these would come up a bit higher. They are meant to be a high-waisted briefs so I would like them to go up to my belly button, whereas now they only reach the middle way of my cookie pouch. Not the most flattering look for me I might say! Also, with this rise the panties do roll down my tummy a bit when sitting which is a pet-peeve of mine. The styling of the bottoms is stunning though and I am glad Cleo had included some suspenders to make the bottoms more sexy and versatile. If you are not a garter-kinda-girl, you have the ability to take the them off and just wear the bottoms as-is.

The Della comes in a whopping size range of 28-28 D-J so there are plenty of sizes to choose from! The bottoms come in sizes 8-18. This set is not very widely available online yet but you can already find it on Breakout Bras, if you would like to give it a try.

How do you like the new Cleo offering for ss16? Are you a fan of their rounded shape? Let me know in the comments below! xx

Lingerie for a True Pinup – Review of Gossard “Retrolution” in 32G

This is a review that is long overdue and there is actually a rather good reason for it – I have been wearing the set all the freaking time. I am wearing my vintage repro clothing almost everyday so it’s not a surprise that the Gossard “Retrolution” is a perfect match for my style. Gossard was so kind to send me the whole set of the semi-soft balconette bra, brief and the waist cincher. The bra is actually now on sale for £18 so pay close attention to this review to find out whether it would be a good fit for you!

The Design: I have actually been drooling over this set for ages. I mean like seriously, when I first saw Miss Underpinnings and Le Curvy Kitten wearing it, I knew this would be my goal – to have my hands on this set one day, when I had the money or a miracle would happen (as I was and still am a poor student). Fast forward a couple of years and I have reached this bra goal and I am so happy I did. The set is all I expected it to be – quality materials, the perfect vintage shape without being too cone-bra-like and beautiful finishing touches like the rose gold metal parts.

I must warn you that this is not the bra for those gals who love the round shape of Cleo bras but perfect for any pinup girl out there who would like to test out the vintage shape without looking too out-there. The shape is a bit cone-y but not too much for my taste. The cups are semi-soft meaning the lower part of the cup is padded and the upper panel is soft. I love a good well-crafted semi soft any day and this is definitely one!

The Fit: This is probably one of the best-fitting semi-soft bras I have ever tried. It’s also a first bra with a padded lower half that doesn’t crease. Like, at all. The lower part of the cup is just deep enough for me to fit the bra perfectly. The upper part is a bit more closed at top than my other Gossard bras but it doesn’t lead up to any quad-boob so it’s not a problem at all. The wires hit me at the right point and the cetre core tacks nicely. All in all, this is probably my best-fitting Gossard bra of all times!

When it comes to sizing, this bra is consistent with other Gossard ranges. I opted for my regular size 32G and it feels spot-on. The band feels a little snug for a 32, as always, but there is a great improvement compared to my other Gossard bras – it has three hooks and eyes! The band feels so comfortable and supportive I cannot thank the Gossard team enough for making the band wider. The cups run larger than with other British brands so even if you are more full-on-top I would suggest sizing down. However, if you want to buy this bra, do it now. Gossard will not be carrying this style above E-cup starting from this spring season so if you see your size still available on their website, snatch it up asap!

The Comfort: I am impressed by the comfort of Gossard sets over and over again as I try new goodies from them. This is set is a favourite of mine for various reasons: it has a wider band, wider shoulder straps and great quality metal parts. The waist cincher includes suspenders but I have detached them as in the winter time I don’t really have a chance to wear stockings. However, the suspenders seems good quality too and the panties, both of them, are rather comfortable.

As the bra seems like a regular fit and comfort level for Gossard I will tell you more about the co-ordinates. First of all, both the brief and the cincher run a bit smaller than your regular Gossard co-ordinates so I would suggest sizing up if you are between sizes. The size Small I opted for felt a bit on the snug side but is still comfy enough to wear on a regular basis. The waist cincher is gorgeous but a little too short for me so if you have a long torso, keep that in mind. For someone a little more petite, the fit will be a lot better (I am 5’6). However, the waist cincher still does its job and flattens my stomach a bit as I do possess a little cookie pouch no matter how thin I am. The waist rolls down a bit as it’s too short for me so I cannot wear it without a belt to cover the seams on my waist but I usually wear it with my wiggle dresses which I like to wear with a belt anyway. The brief feels tiny at first but there’s still a fair amount of butt coverage so it’s a practical little number after all.

All in all the set is very pretty, well-fitting and comfortable. As I said before, I have been wearing this set a lot lately and with the co-ordinate options you can make it more versatile. If you would like to get Retrolution for yourself, you can find it on Gossard online store. The bra is still available in sizes 30-38 B-G so if there are any E+ sizes left, do consider them as when they’re gone, they really are gone!

How do you like the Retrolution set? Have you encountered any other pinup inspired lingerie sets you like? Let me know in the comments!
Suomeksi: Moikka kaikille! Tänään arvosteluun on päätynyt Gossardin “Retrolution” alusvaatesetti, johon kuuluu puolitopattu balconette-liivi, muotoilevat korkeavyötäröiset alushousut sekä tavalliset hipster-malliset alkkarit. Gossard ystävällisesti lähetti tämän setin minulle mutta mielipiteeni ovat luonnollisesti omiani!

Gossard on jo pitkään ollut lempparimerkkejäni mutta nyt perusmallistosta on löytynyt oikea helmi. Olen jo pitkään kuolannut tätä retroa settiä muiden blogeista ja nyt onneksi sain kokeilla sitä myös itse. Setti on kaiken kaikkiaan upea ja hyvin istuva ja harmikseni sen valmistaminen G-kuppiin asti lopetetaan tänä keväänä. Jos siis nyt löydät kokosi jostain, nakkaappa suorin tein ostoskoriin! Nyt keväällä rintsikoiden valmistamista jatketaan vain E-kuppiin asti. Liivit ovatkin Gossardin sivuilla alennuksessa joten ne saa reilulla parillakymmenellä eurolla omakseen 🙂

Kooltaan Retrolution rintaliivit istuvat samoin kuin muutkin Gossardin rintsikat – hyvä sääntö on siis ottaa isompi ympärys ja pienempi kuppi kuin normaalisti. Itse ostan yleensä kokoa 65H muilta brittiläisiltä merkeiltä mutta Gossardin kanssa 70G riittää hyvin. Retrolution on muutenkin yksi parhaiten istuvimmista seteistäni, sillä sen ympärys on tavallista leveämpi ja kuppien alaosassa on enemmän tilaa rintakudokselle. Kupin alaosaan ei siis muodostu minkäänlaisia ryppyjä vaikka malli on niiltä osin topattu! Yläosa on pehmeää pitsin ja mesh-kankaan yhdistelmää, joka toimii hyvin näin yläpainotteisilla rinnoilla.

Alaosat setistä ovat tosi nättejä mutta mitoitukseltaan hieman normaalia Gossardia pienemmät. Jos arvot kahden koon väliltä, kannattaa ottaa se suurempi vaihtoehto! Lisäksi korkeavyötäröiset muotoilevat alushousut on tarkoitettu melko lyhyelle keskivartalolle, joten tämä kannattaa ottaa ehdottamasti huomioon. 

Kaiken kaikkiaan Retrolution on mahtava alusvaatepilari kaikille retrofaneille ja pinup tytöille. Mitäs sinä tykkäsit? Jätähän alle kommenttia!

Canadian Goodies – Review Of Blush Lingerie “Paramour” High-Waisted Brief

First of all, I am hyperventilating here because I have my final job interview for being a bra fitter for a very well-known brand (and I REALLY want the job). So please excuse me if this review turns out odd, I am not myself at the moment. Okay, moving on…

A few weeks ago I saw this amazing set by Blush Lingerie and of course, got super excited and tweeted them that I would literally die if I couldn’t get my hands on it (this happens now and then). What I wasn’t expecting was that the lovely people at Blush contacted me and asked if I wanted to review the very same set called “Paramour”. Unfortunately, I do not fit into their bra size range which only goes up to DD with this particular range but I was very happy to be sent the lovely retro suspender brief in the lovely Black/Obsidian colourway. Here’s how it looks and fits…

I want to say something before I tell you about the briefs. It took me a whole lot of courage to post pics of myself in my panties so I hope you are gentle on me. I have scars and wounds around my body because of my eczema and I am not perfectly slim, I know that (also, I just noticed I have super weird ribs poking out under my bra band). Why I wanted to post these pictures was because I want to show how lingerie looks on someone my size and hopefully some of you can relate to my body type. If you are about to comment on this post, which I appreciate, leave my body out of the comments unless you have something nice to say. I am very touchy about this subject because of my eating disorder problems and will ask you to respect that. #diversityinlingerie

The brief looks as stunning in nature as in the pictures though the mint-green undertone looks much more accentuated in natural light. I am so glad Blush Lingerie has decided to pair the mint shade with black as it makes the bottoms approachable to us fuller-busted ladies as well and we can match it to any basic black bra we own. The design of the panties is so adorable and sexy at the same time and I love the high rise that looks pretty good on me too, even though I don’t have the best proportions for high-waisted stuff. The brief comes up to my belly button but doesn’t cover it so I would say the panties are designed for someone with rather regular proportions and height.

I went for the size Small with the panties even though my waist measurement belongs to the M category. The thing is, my waist and hips don’t have a dramatic difference between them so each time I go for a certain size, I need to pick whether the panties are a bit snug on my waist or a little too loose on my butt. I usually go for the snugger waist as I do like a nipped-in look with everything high-waisted.

The quality of the panties seems great to me and the detachable suspenders are made of a lovely velvet-y material, creating a more luxe look to the style. The materials are stretchy enough to feel comfortable and the gusset feels a good width to me. Also the butt section has enough room for my booty and looks quite flattering even though I don’t have much curves on my backside. All in all, the Paramour high-waisted knickers seems like a very good quality for their 38 CAD (=27 €) price tag! Shipping to Europe can be costly but eg. to USA it’s only $5.

How do you like the panties? Do you love or hate high-waisted bottoms? Let me know in the comments! xx