Review: Comexim Carmen

The full set! Ignore the messy apartment 😛

Um. Holy crap you guys. This is kind of one of the best bras I’ve ever put on my body. So this is going to be a very glowing review.

I dithered over my Comexim purchase for a really long time, because it’s always hard to pinpoint what size to get when you’re trying out a new brand, especially if the reviews of the brand that are already out there are contradictory about how the brand runs! I kind of knew that I needed a 60N/65M, but I’ve been lusting after the Carmen for a REALLY long time now, and the largest cup its made in is a 60M/65L. Keeping in mind that the band might run tight, I went for the 65L. For the thong, I looked around Balkonetka (sort of a Polish Bratabase, though a bit different) and noticed that sometimes women would post their hip measurements on there and include the size of bottoms they  had gotten, so based on those I got the matching thong in a large. I feel like I’m a little in between sizes on the bottoms, and proooooooooobably could’ve done a medium, but I’m not upset with the large at all, and the medium might’ve cut in a bit.

So how does the bra fit?

Trying to photograph the quadboob that wasn’t coming across in the other photos.

It fits pretty much exactly as I would expect it to, about one size too small in the cups (though the pictures do not do the amount of quadboob justice). I’d read that Comexim bands run firm, and I would agree with that. When I first got the bra, which is the equivalent to a 30HH, I was nervous that the band would be too big, since I normally go for a 28. However, it fit well on the loosest hook. I can wear it on the tightest hook, and if I had gone for a 60 band instead of the 65, I probably would’ve been fine and just suffered through a little discomfort for a few days. I would say that the band is maybe half a size smaller than normal, so if you normally wear a 28 in a brand that runs loose, such as Freya, you may want to size up, but if you wear a 28 in Panache or Cleo or another brand with more true to size/tight bands you probably will do fine with your normal size.

The cups, aside from being slightly too small, are awesome. The wires are the narrowest I’ve had, similar to Kris Line’s wires. They are definitely narrower than the Ewa Michalaks I have, so if Ewa is borderline or too narrow for you, Comexim will be a no-go. I think that the wires are actually a little bit too narrow for me, because as the day goes on I find a lot of my “armpit fat” (breast tissue… not sure if that’s just where it will always be or if it needs to be migrated) falls out of the cups and my double boob goes away. I think that if I went for the tighter band and the larger cups I would get a better fit, because when I put the bra on the middle hook this happened a lot less. I also get a little bit of “orange-in-a-glass” affect, where, because the wires are too narrow/the cups are slightly too small, my boobs can’t fall into the bottom of the cups and I get a very small amount of empty space there. Even though the wires are slightly too narrow, the bra is very comfortable and I don’t get any poking or anything (which is what makes me question if they REALLY are too narrow or if the fit issues I described above would be solved with the bigger cup/smaller band…).

The shape seems less projected than Ewa Michalak’s does (my boobs feel less big in it) but that once again might be because the cups are slightly too small. It isn’t perfectly round, but it’s still a shape that I really am enjoying. Despite the boobs-feeling-smaller in it thing, which I usually am AVOIDING in a bra, this is already one of my favorites. Possibly because it replaces the sexy feeling I get from showing off some boob size with an undeniably sexy color/shape/pattern. Like seriously. Just look at it.

The absolute BEST PART of Comexim, for me so far, is that they seem to actually scale their cups with band size instead of just sister-sizing the cup down to a smaller band without changing the strap position and cup height under the armpits. Because I’m decently petite and have high set boobs, pretty much every bra I’ve ever tried on has straps that are a little too far apart, cups that dig into my armpits, and wires that go a liiiiittle higher than I like. Not Comexim. The side of the cup actually doesn’t cut into my armpit! And neither does the strap! Hallelujah! So if that’s something you regularly struggle with like I do, and you can handle some super narrow wires, I would definitely check out Comexim. I cannot tell you how awesome it is to have a bra that isn’t showing through the armpit holes of every sleeveless item I own.

Ordering from them isn’t a completely straightforward process, and neither is figuring out the size you should buy, but I feel like that information is separate enough to deserve it’s own short post, so I’ll be writing that a little later (possibly tonight)! Seriously though, I’m not sure how many other companies I’ll be buying from after trying Comexim… they are exactly what I’m looking for in a sexy bra, and the prices are extremely sensible (though shipping can get a bit pricey). Overall, based on this set, they are definitely one of my new favorites!

Why I Can’t Stop Shopping at Victoria’s Secret

Alright, there are a ton of VS posts going around the internet on all sorts of blogs right now, mostly because of the false rumor that they’re coming out with a line for middle school girls. The “line” in question, “Bright Young Things”, was actually just a marketing campaign for a spring break line from PINK, which focuses on a college aged demographic. The “line” is causing people everywhere to question what age is okay to start shopping at VS, since they’re obviously a very “sexified” company.

But this post is not about that, at all, even a little bit. This post is just about how even though Victoria’s Secret doesn’t carry my bra size and has awful fitting techniques, I still shop there. And there’s pretty much only one reason why.

My name is Robin, and I am addicted to Victoria’s Secret cheekies.

Seriously. Sometimes they’re called other things (“sexy little things”, tanga, cheeky… alot of the tags on these were different, but they’re all cut the same).

Probably less than half of my collection…

These panties, you guys… I buy a new pair almost every time I have disposable income. And I haven’t had to get rid of a single pair yet. I seriously have cheekies that I’ve been wearing regularly for multiple years. That’s one of the main reasons I keep buying them! There is underwear from Victoria’s Secret that isn’t great quality. I know some of the pairs made out of lace that I’ve had from there have gotten holes in them pretty quickly, but these have held up against the test of time! They come in all the colors under the sun, and there are new ones constantly coming out. They are generally made from a Lycra/spandex mix, which is stretchy enough for me to get a comfortable fit from them, but still feels really silky too, and they  have a lace waistband and leg holes.

“But Robin,” you may say, “tons of other stores sell cheekies too. You could buy them from elsewhere.” And that is true. But I really have found that for the quality, Victoria’s Secret is the best price. I’ve bought cheekies from Target fairly often, but they get holes within a few months, which is why I don’t have any to show you! I could buy them from a department store, but they can get pricey for the same quality. And if my main beefs with Victoria’s Secret are their narrow size range, poor fitting techniques, and homogenous models, then what am I really helping by shopping at a department store that probably also has all of those issues?

In terms of wearing cheekies, I think they’re the most comfortable underwear I have, but I know not everyone will. They definitely go up your butt. They’re really more like a glorified thong than anything else, so if you like thongs, you’ll probably like these, if you don’t like thongs, you may not. I have kind of a big butt, so pretty much all underwear gets eaten by it. Even my more full coverage pairs, like the Curvy Kate Emily briefs go up my butt at some point, so that is no where near a deal breaker for me. They don’t give enough coverage for me to feel comfortable posting a shot from directly behind, but here’s a view from the side. I think that it gives a pretty good picture of the kind of coverage we’re talking about.

They hide well even under my tighter clothing. I regularly where this style of panty under yoga pants and tight skirts, with minimal panty lines, although if I wanted to be 100% confident that I wasn’t showing, I would definitely opt for a thong.

Wearing this underwear is great, because it’s a perfect cross between functional and sexy for me. They give enough coverage and comfort so that I’m not adjusting them all day, but at the same time I know I’m wearing something really pretty underneath my clothes.

The cost of these panties vary, they’re usually in between $12 for the solid colors and $18 for the more embellished ones, but you can often find them at the Semi Annual Sale for $6 or less. I generally wear a size small in these, or a medium if I want more coverage.

Rhinestones and lace! I think these were $18, or maybe even as much as $22 retail, but I got them at the Semi Annual Sale for $12.

Ewa Michalak Review: PL Mak

Ok, I’ve been trying to hold off on reviewing my Ewa Michalak bras until I’d properly broken them in and worn them around and whatnot… but I am too excited to wait any longer to review these bras! I’ve worn them both quite a bit, but only around my house because I’ve been having a few extremely lazy days. Regardless, I think I’ve gotten a good enough impression to give a review, and if anything bad happens somehow after this gets written, I can always come back and edit it!

A picture of the set, no pads in the bra

As I’ve mentioned a million times, the PL Mak was an “extra special” order, but I’m glad I requested it over the CHP because, although I haven’t tried CHP specifically, I now know that I definitely prefer the PL to the CH style (and CHP is obviously more similar to the latter!). Based on some comments from the helpful fitting community on Bratabase, as well as a comment on my review of the PL Lilia, I decided to order 2 cups higher than the 28J I tried out in the Lilia. This meant I was getting a 28K (!!!!!!!!) and I was extremely skeptical that it would fit, because in my head my boobs are admittedly large… but not the highest cup size made by most UK brands! Ewa Michalak cups I think fit a bit smaller than the average UK brand, but I honestly can’t say too well because I don’t have any UK brand bras that fit well. So if there is someone who is more informed on that manner, I would love to hear your input!

My first thought was “Holy crap that’s a huge bra!” and my first impulse was to put it on my face. Look how little my neck is in comparison! And my chin and forehead are both in the cup. When I look down it doesn’t look like I have two heads on my chest…

This bra is absolutely GORGEOUS! In case you can’t tell by their sub-par quality, all of my pictures are taken with my phone (someday I’ll get a real camera!) and as a result the lighting isn’t always the best, but I think that the picture of the CHP Mak on the website is the most accurate depiction of the color.

CHP Mak, photo from http://www.ewa-michalak.pl

It’s a really basic bra, without any embellishment on the cups, but the few decorative accents it has are gorgeous! The lace on the band is accented with an opalescent embroidery that is kind of impossible for me to photograph, but when the light hits it the right way it sparkles and is just gorgeous! I also really like the style of bow that is on the center gore and straps of this bra. I tried to get a good picture of the bow on my Freya Deco so you could see how it’s different, but unfortunately black bras don’t photograph that well on a phone camera. The straps are embroidered, which both makes them prettier and keeps the straps in place once adjusted.

Strap embroidery and the pretty bow 🙂

Super gorgeous lace on the band

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As far as the fit of this bra goes, it’s almost right on! The band is pretty tight, but fits very comfortably on the loosest hooks. It came with removable push up pads, and without them my boobs don’t quite fill the cups. Since the pads aren’t a whole cup size (I’d estimate they’re about half a cup) and based on the way that the 28JJ Karmlki I ordered fits, I think I’m in between 28K and 28JJ in Ewa Michalak bras. I think getting the 28K and wearing the pads is what I’ll do from  now on, especially since I like my bust to be emphasized. It’s great that these are effectively push up bras for me, as that’s something I’ve sorely missed since finding my correct bra size!

No pads

Pads in

No pads

Pads in

No pads

Pads in

The underwires are the right width for me, but the combination of my height (5’3″) and my high set boobs means that the wires can get a little pokey! This fortunately only happens if my migrated tissue sneaks back to my armpit, or if I’m sitting down, so in both cases it’s something that just a little adjusting solves. The straps are already pretty short, but they’re kind of stretchy so I need to keep them adjusted pretty tightly too (once again my height and high set boobs are a factor). I usually struggle to find bras whose straps are not too long for me, but these straps were a great length.

I also purchased the Figi Mak to complete the set, although the color of this bra lends itself to literally every pair of red underwear that I have! I’m so excited! I have a lot of red underwear and it’s actually kind of amazing how well this bra matches almost every pair. It’s like the dye is called “lingerie red” and all lingerie producers have been using it 😛

Warning, the following picture is of my butt. But I wanted to show off the back of this underwear, because it’s gorgeous and it’s what made up my mind about buying yet another pair of red underwear.

Butt aside, aren’t these gorgeous?!?!?!

Yeah. So. This is pretty much my favorite bra right now, and I’ve worn it all three days since it got here. It’s sort of a shame that I’ve been wearing it so much, because it means I haven’t had a chance to really break in my CH Karmelki yet, but I just cannot get enough of this bra!!

Here is a link to the Bratabase listing for measurements of this bra 🙂