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!

Boob Growth and Some Other Stuff

Hey guys! I have a fluid mechanics test coming up on Monday, so you know that means it’s time for me to write a new post 😛 My favorite form of procrastination!

So what prompted me to write this was realizing that my PL Mak, which when I first received it almost 3 months ago, was a little too big without the push up pads in place, now fits perfectly without them. Picture evidence:

Now

Before

Before

Now

Now. (Ignore the pit stain 😛 A college student with only 1 well fitted bra doesn’t have time to hand wash something very often! Haha)

Before

 

 

 

This is one of the reasons Ewa Michalak really meets my needs. Maybe the pictures don’t show it as well as I can see it, but this bra is much more full now than it was at the beginning of January. I don’t know if it was tissue migration, the fact that I’m only 19 and could well be experiencing breast growth still, or something else, but I love that with Ewa I can order a size up from what my “safe” choice would be and I don’t have to worry about it much. I also love that now that this bra doesn’t gape without pads, I can use them just for extra cleavage when I feel like it (and if I’m being honest, I always feel like it!). So yeah. If you know your boobs are growing (mine seem to have been growing steadily since around last April), ordering a cup size up in an Ewa Michalak bra that comes with removable pads is a good plan. I know that before I got this bra, I was having to buy a new bra in a higher cup size ever 3 months or so. I just do not have the money for that! I got three months out of this bra with the pads, so hopefully I’ll get at least three months out of it without the pads before it is just all around too small. That will still be twice the average life span of my bras prior to this.

The “other stuff” I mentioned in the title is just this little thought I had inspired by the semi-controversial Bras I Hate & Love post about using +2 instead of +0. I personally disagree, but to me it also doesn’t matter that much what the starting point is because I’m going to end up  just telling everyone to do what’s comfortable for them, and +0 is just more logical to me than +2 (I personally find it much easier to tell if a band is too small than if it’s too big) but that isn’t what my thought was about.

After reading the post, naturally I tried on a few bras to see if I was falling victim to the very tight band look that she had going on in 28 bands. When I saw that picture, it looked very uncomfortable! I thought, “Surely my back doesn’t look like that! Wouldn’t I have noticed?”. Then, she mentions strained hooks as a symptom of a too small band. And my super comfortable, perfectly fitted (in my opinion) PL Mak has strained hooks! So today I took a picture of what my back looked like in it, to see if it was indeed too small.

The hooks do appear strained, though not nearly as strained as the ones on the 28 bands in her post, but I don’t get the corset-like compression she describes. I think my back here does look similar to her well fitted 30s (it’s hard to see what the hooks in her well fitted bras look like because her example is a darker bra and it’s a rather dark photo).

But the hooks on this bra do look pulled out when I take it off. But the more I looked at all my bras… all of my hooks look strained.

28K PL Mak hooks

28J Tease Me hooks (usually worn on the 3rd set)

34DD Victoria’s Secret push up bra hooks

So, yeah. Obviously the PL Mak is the most pulled, as it is the smallest of the bands shown. But it’s also the only one that doesn’t ride up and move around. The 28J Tease Me stretches to 32″, far above my underbust measurement of 28.5″, but still shows signs of strain and pulling out. Even on the 34DD, the hooks I usually wore the bra on are pulled further out and show some strain (compared to the first pair of hooks which I don’t think I ever used), though obviously they show the least strain, since that band stretches to ~36″.

Basically I’m not sure that for everyone, strained hooks is a sign of a too small band. Two of these bras are definitely too LARGE in the band for me and the hooks are still pulled. Also when you look at how the back of the PL Mak fits me, I don’t think it looks too small. It has the normal amount of bubbling underneath the band, but none from the top, but the hooks strain. But I can pull it around 3″ away from my body, and it’s perfectly comfortable to me.

I guess ultimately it doesn’t matter. If your hooks strain but the bra is comfortable to you, wear it. I keep worrying that I’m wearing my band too tight, after reading about reversed letterphobia and the Bras I Hate & Love post, and I keep doubting myself. But then I remember that I have multiple bras in a 30 band that lay unused in my drawer because I can’t even leave the house without pulling the band back down to the correct level. I wish I could wear a 30 though! So many more options!

The other “other stuff” that I’ll go ahead and mention again, in case you don’t follow me on Facebook, is that I’ve made a couple purchases relevant to the blog! I bought the Small Red dress from Urkye in a 36oo/ooo and the Carmen bra and Carmen stringi from Comexim in a 65L and a size large. I’m in between sizes at Urkye, and in hindsight feel like I should’ve gone for the 38oo/ooo for the extra boob room (my bust measurement is too large for any of the size 36 clothes), but whatever. I’ll just wear shapewear and hope for the best on the boobs, since it’s made from stretchy fabric. The Comexim bra is going to be an iffy fit, because I bought it in what’s essentially a 30HH. I hear the bands run tight sometimes, and would rather have a slightly too large band than an unwearable one, so I went up a band size. Nowadays I think I’m a 28JJ (I think?!?!?!), and therefore would’ve needed a 30J, but the Carmen doesn’t come in a larger cup size, and it’s sooooo sexy… I couldn’t pass it up! And honestly, all my bras aside from the Mak are too big in the band and too small in the cup, and that doesn’t stop me from wearing them, and that won’t stop me from wearing Carmen assuming all else looks good.

Red Dress from urkye.pl!

Carmen set from comexim.pl

Hopefully you guys don’t mind my hodge-podge post! Haha I just had a little to say about a lot of things. Also, how would you guys feel if I branched the blog out to other things (makeup, shoes, non-busty-specific clothing, general woman-with-curves things, delicious recipes?). I don’t really have enough money to do bra reviews very often, and now that I’m kind of buying exclusively from Poland, there isn’t much selection for me either. Let me know what y’all think!

Ewa Michalak Review: CH Karmelki

Hi guys!! Sorry it’s been so long since my last post- over a month, if you can believe it! Since school started I have just been INSANELY busy, since I’m taking quite a few hard classes (Physics 2, Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics… I’m looking at you!). School and sleeping and the rare night out are really keeping me from updating regularly, but I’m going to try to get better about it since I just went through a “test cycle” (that’s what I call when all of my professors have tests in the same 2 week period) and will probably be a bit freer than I have been so far this semester.

Now that I’ve made excuses for myself, on to the review!!

Unfortunately, this review is not going to be as good as the review for my PL Mak. Something about this bra just doesn’t fit quite right with my shape, and I think I’ll be sticking the PL cut from Ewa Michalak in the future.

The total set!

As you can see, for a “plain” beige bra, it is really quite pretty! It has a line of 3 buttons down the center gore, lighter tan lace lining the top of the cups, and a criss-cross shimmery embroidery pattern. The only one of these details that interferes with the nude-under-shirts function (nude for me, that is!) is the lighter colored lace at the top of the cups. It’s lighter than my skin, and can be seen under my most see through top, but is generally fine still.

Not a super accurate portrayal of color, but a detailed shot of the criss-cross embroidery!

Ok, now that we’ve discussed how gorgeous it is, it’s time to get down to the bad parts 😦 I bought this bra in a 28JJ, which is what I currently would guess is my size in most UK brands (though I’m not sure because I don’t own any that fit!). Right after I put it on and arrange myself into the cups, I fill it perfectly.

 

As you can see, initially this bra, while not perfect, fits decently well! The straps are too far apart, and the wires are a little high/wide, but the same things could be said about the PL Mak (except the wire width, the width of the wires on the Mak is perfect) and I love the Mak! The problem comes after I wear this bra for more than a few minutes, especially if I’ve been sitting down. Here is what this bra looks like right now, after wearing it just while typing this post:

So much gaping!!!! My boobs just fall right out of the wires into the band! Usually when this happens to me, it is because the band is too loose. And this band is definitely stretchier than the band of the PL Mak. I could fasten it on the tightest hook comfortably right when I took it out of the box, but I remembered reading that Ewa’s bands were constructed to be supportive without being overly tight, so I tried to keep it on the loosest hooks anyway, in order to get the most life out of the bra. But not long after I had it on I realized that it was riding up, my boobs were falling into my armpits, and it was just generally being annoying, and that I did indeed need to fasten it tighter. However,  this still did not fix my boob-falling problem! 

After thinking about it, I decided that the problem is that the bra is just too wide for me in almost every way. The straps sit IN my armpits and I have to angle them diagonally so that they sit on my shoulders well. Not exactly the best thing for support. I’m thinking of attempting to alter the bra to bring the straps closer together, because when I’ve pulled the cups from closer to the middle the seem to support me better. Until then, I’ve kept it because 1. it’s not returnable, and 2. I don’t have any my-nude bras aside from this one, so even though my boobs fall out of it after a while, it isn’t noticeable under shirts and I still need something to wear under my lighter colored clothing.

Basically, in the future, I think I’ll be sticking with PLs. Plunges generally work better for my close-together shape anyway, and I am kind of a cleavage addict, so usually half cups won’t give me everything I’m looking for in a bra. If I ever get around to altering this bra, I’ll make sure to post about it! 

 

Ewa Michalak: The Custom Ordering Process

Hi everyone!

As some of y’all might already know, I just received my Ewa Michalak order! The bras are absolutely AMAZING and I am completely smitten, but before I review the two sets I bought, I thought I’d do a quick overview of the custom ordering process.

I’d read a ton of reviews of Ewa Michalak bras, and how to order custom sizes from them, but for some reason was still nervous about it! I just wasn’t sure exactly how things were supposed to work, and I have an extreme planning personality: I need to know exactly what is going to happen, and when it is going to happen or else I just start to get anxious and uncomfortable. So emailing EM to begin the custom order process was nerve wracking for me, and as a result, I’m going to describe how it went for me here, in as much detail as possible!

First, I decided what I wanted from the website. I knew I was going to get a CH Karmelki and the matching thong, but I also really wanted a new bra in the PL style. Unfortunately, no other bras were appealing to me as much as the CHP Mak. So, thinking to myself, “how hard could it be for them to take a completely solid colored bra and cut it a different way?” I emailed them (at sklep@ewa-michalak.pl) and said:

Hi!

On the website, only the CHP style is listed with the Mak. Will a PL version ever be available, or could one be requested? I love the color but fit better in a plunge style.

Thanks
Robin

They responded fairly promptly, simply asking what size I’d like the PL Mak in! I responded with the size, and then also asked to add the other items (CH Karmelki, Stringi Karmelki, Figi Mak) to the order. At this point, they asked me to create an account on their website, as I didn’t already have one. So I did, and then since I was unsure what to do I just emailed back saying “Hi! I created an account. What should I do next?” They requested that I repeat my order, as well as confirm that I knew that custom orders were not returnable/exchangable, so I wrote back:

Hi,

I understand that I can’t return or exchange my order. I’d like a PL Mak in a 28K, a CH Karmelki in a 28JJ, figi Mak in a 12 (40) (this one: http://www.ewa-michalak.pl/product-eng-304-Figi-Mak-.html) and stringi Karmelki in a 12 (40).

Thanks
Robin

The next email they sent me said they had created the order for me, and included the price (in zlotys) that my order came to, as well as the order number. They said they would be sending a payment request soon, and I received one the next day. The payment request was through Paypal, but was unfortunately in Polish. I didn’t really deal with figuring out the Polish thing though, because I just forwarded it to my parents for them to pay (the order was my Christmas present from them).

Once the order was paid for, I received an email saying that my order was placed on hold because some items weren’t in stock (I figure this is standard for custom orders). A few days later, I received an email saying that the order had started being processed, and then later the same day I got an email stating that it had been shipped.

My package was shipped on December 20th, and I received it January 5th, so it took 13 business days from Poland to South Carolina. It might normally be faster than that, but I ordered right around the holidays, and we all know how much slower everything goes at that time of year!

Overall my experience with Ewa Michalak was great, and I am much less hesitant and nervous to order from them in the future. The customer service was always prompt, usually responding to my emails by the next day, and they were very accommodating to my “extra special” request. The English wasn’t perfect, but it was always understandable, and the language “barrier” wasn’t really a barrier at all in the ordering process. I’m very thankful that they speak English, as I don’t know a lick of Polish (Actually not true! I learned that “mak” means “poppy-seed”! So I know one word of Polish!), and if I couldn’t order from them I would not be in bra heaven right now!

I think the best thing you can do if you have a question about Ewa Michalak… is to just ask them! I wanted to know if I could get a PL Mak. I thought it would be a longshot, but I asked anyway, and it paid off! I am very excited to order from them again 🙂

 

Excuse my holiday tummy and the less than perfect lighting in these pictures, but I wanted to give y’all a look at what I got! Reviews to come soon 🙂

Miscellaneous Monday

Hello and happy Christmas Eve! Just going to do a quick post on a few things that I’ve been thinking about this week but that aren’t long/important enough for a whole post of their own.

1. The Peplum Skirt

People have been talking about how a peplum skirt can look on a curvy figure all over the place recently, from Curvy Wordy to Fuller Figure Fuller Bust. A while ago, I think on Black Friday, I was in JC Penney and saw a cute green peplum pencil skirt in the juniors section and tried it on and fell in love! Unfortunately I didn’t have the money to buy it, nor really the occasion to wear it, so I had to put it back. But first I snapped a crappy cell phone picture of how it looked on me! I think that this is the skirt pictured, but they only have it in black. It’s also on sale now for only $20!

I was shopping in a dress, which is why this is a topless picture (I’m wearing my way too small Freya Deco – It’s a 30G!)

I loved how this skirt looks on me! The peplum sits at just the perfect place to cover up some of my stomach lumps, and the flare is just where my hips start, so it accentuates my waist. If it had been on sale when I’d tried it on, I definitely would’ve bought it!

2.  Sandmaiden Etsy Shop

Not the most practical choice for the larger chest, but the sleepwear/lingerie at Sandmaiden Sleepwear is gorgeous, and made of  wool and other natural fibers! A little pricey, but would make a great special-occasion gift 🙂

Photo courtesy of Sandmaiden Sleepwear

Photo courtesy of Sandmaiden Sleepwear

3. Sock Dreams

This is another shop I just recently found, and if you follow me on Facebook I talked about it a little there. They have ALL styles and lengths of socks, as well as tights, stockings, and other sock and stocking related accessories.

Photo courtesy of Sock Dreams

This waist cincher is currently out of stock, but I am in love with it! It’s just one of many awesome things in the Accessories section of the Sock Dreams website.

Photo courtesy of Sock Dreams

4. Ewa Michalak Order

As many of y’all may know, for Christmas I’m getting two new Ewa Michalak sets: a CH Karmelki with matching thong, and a PL Mak with the matching briefs. I’ll do a whole post in the near future about what my ordering experience was like, but I just wanted to say that so far I have experienced nothing but great customer service! I had an “extra special” order since the Mak is only listed on the website in the CHP style, and they’ve been very accommodating. I’m a little nervous on how the bras will fit since both of them are bigger cup sizes than I’ve ever ordered before, but hopefully they will at least be close enough to not have to sell! Ewa Michalak has been very prompt with my order. It only took around 3 days from when I paid for me to get an email saying that my order had shipped, which is great considering that on the website it asks to allow for 2 weeks for custom orders! Now I just have to play the waiting game, but hopefully my package will be here at the end of this month or the beginning of January!

Christmas Shopping In Poland

Now that Thanksgiving is ending in just 1.5 hours, it’s time to start making my Christmas List! I’m not sure if you can tell from the bras I’ve reviewed on the blog so far… but almost every single one of them is a bad fit. I outgrow my bras constantly, so I have a constant case of the double boob. I’ve also realized through my bra journey that no matter how pretty an unpadded bra is, and no matter how well it fits… it simply is not going to get worn. Basically anything that does not give me a decent amount of cleavage is just not going to see the light of day, and this makes shopping a little bit more difficult, since almost everything available in a J cup is a sheer, 3 piece cup. The padded offerings from the UK in a J cup almost all run small (I haven’t tried the Daily Boost or the Smoothie yet, though!), and I really need a true-to-size J cup!

As a result, I have realized that I am going to be doing almost all my bra shopping exclusively in Poland for now, and have amassed a rather large Ewa Michalak wish list. I narrowed it down to make this post more reasonable (and because there is no way my parents can afford to buy me 5 or 6 sets for Christmas :P):

1. CH Karmelki and Figi Karmelki

All images courtesy of Ewa Michalak 🙂

There are quite a few reasons this bra has made it onto my wishlist. For one, I don’t own any “basic” bras aside from the PL Lilia, and what kind of girl doesn’t own a single beige bra? I also don’t own any boring bras though, and this bra accomplishes beige without being boring. The subtle latice embroidery is really gorgeous, and I love the lace and button details. I also want this bra because I feel like I’ve read before that Ewa Michalak is phasing out all the CH and HP bras in favor of the newer CHP style, so I want to try it out before it possibly disappears forever.

2. HP Koktajl and Stringi Koktajl

Like I said earlier, I don’t really believe in boring bras… and this one is definitely not boring! I don’t have any teal in my lingerie wardrobe right now, but I’d like to add some because it’s a color that basically always looks good on me. It’s incredibly flattering when I’m much more tan in the summer, but isn’t something that’ll wash me out when I’m pale in the winter. Basically I just want this because it’s super beautiful 🙂

3. CHP Mak and Figi Mak

The last thing on my list from Ewa Michalak is the CHP Mak. Red is my absolute favorite lingerie color on me. Nothing in the world makes me feel sexier than some good, red lingerie! This bra is a little basic, but I felt like if I got the CHP Milady instead that I would have too much black lace in my underwear drawer! Plus, I absolutely love the back of these matching panties.

There are also quite a few things I have on my list from Comexim, another Polish brand that I haven’t tried out at all yet. The one I have my eye on the most is the Blue Magic plunge bra and the matching panties.

The royal blue/black mix is really on trend for autumn, and it’s a look that I personally love. I think it offers a great alternative to the predictable red/black, but is equally sexy.

My only problem with Comexim is that in a lot of their bras I think I’m sized out. Looking at their size chart, my measurements put me just outside of a 60N. Really my measurement is a centimeter outside of the cup range for a 28 band, so I think that this is a brand where I would just suck it up and get a 65M, knowing that I would have to take the band in eventually. Their lingerie is simply too beautiful for me to not experience, and at the rate my boobs are still growing, I don’t want to put it off and then out grow it!

There are a bunch more things on my Christmas list, if I could just ask for anything I’ve ever wanted in the whole world, but with my parents budget in consideration these are the main things I’m requesting! What is on your list? Are you as obsessed with Polish lingerie right now as I am?

Curvy Kate Showgirl Collection, Part II – Tempt Me

Hello! I have hijacked my boyfriend’s internet to write a new post, so although I don’t have my own internet yet, hopefully updates can become a bit more regular again!

Today’s review is of the Curvy Kate Tempt Me in Black/Scarlet, which I purchased a month or so ago from Brastop in a 28J.

I feel like there aren’t as many reviews for the Tempt Me as there are for the Tease Me and Thrill Me, so I’m glad that I’ll be able to put my review out there! I have a lot of good things to say, but I can definitely tell why it’s not as popular as the other parts of this collection.

I personally LOVE the look of this bra. The Scarlet color isn’t a straight red, it’s more of a red-magenta mix that looks very nice mixed with the black lace. A little more girly-sexy, whereas a strictly red hue would’ve come off more sex-vixen-sexy. The little button detailing also adds to this girly-sexy vibe. The materials are nice and soft, and the bra is lined with a cottony material similar to all the other Showgirls. This makes these bras a better bet in heat than some other padded options!

As for the fit, I already knew it wasn’t going to be perfect, but I have very close set breasts and desperately wanted a plunge bra, so I bought it anyway! It isn’t a horrible fit, and I still wear this bra fairly often, but in this I’d really prefer to have a 26K or so. The band fit fairly firm at first, but is extremely stretchy, and the cups run small. So, for me, a fairly true 28J (sometimes a HH), the gore doesn’t sit quite flat and I fall out of the cups, resulting in four boobs.

My biggest problem with this bra is something that I saw in every review, but for some reason didn’t expect to happen to me. The bottom inch of the cup folds and makes a strange crease that makes me not care too much for how the bra looks when it’s on.

The strangest part of this crease is that it looks like I’m not filling out the cups in the bottom… but when I take the bra off after wearing it all day, the wire indentations are right at the root of my breast. Hmmm, strange indeed…

Aside from the issues, I love how this bra makes my boobs look… without a shirt on. Naked, I get great cleavage that reminds me of the 34DD bras I used to wear. All of the cleavage, only a few hints of the horrible fit! That being said, with a shirt on, I find this bra pretty underwhelming. I like my breasts to project a lot, and this bra just does not provide that. Because of this, I find myself reaching for my Tease Me and Thrill Me before I even consider this bra.

I don’t have any pictures, because I have somehow already lost them (how does one lose panties?!?!), but I also purchased the matching thong in a size 14 UK. As the size 12 Emily shorts were already almost too big for me, I was worried the 14 wouldn’t work, but it was the closest size Brastop had left in stock. They ended up being probably 2 sizes too small! I was so surprised and disappointed. I kept them, as they’re not UNWEARABLE… but they give a pretty good case of muffin top. Aside from the weird sizing, they were very pretty, and surprisingly comfortable for a too small thong.

 Overall, if you can go up a cup and down a back size, I would recommend this set. Although the fit isn’t quite right for me, I like having this set in my drawer as an option under low cut shirts and as a bedroom set!

Curvy Kate Showgirl Collection, Part I – Tease Me

During Brastop’s huge sale this past month, I managed to snatch up the Tempt Me in a 28J, the Tease Me in a 28J, and the Thrill Me in a 28HH, so those reviews are all coming shortly! First up, the Tease Me in a 28J, in the Silver/Black colorway.

From the front- definitely “cakes on a platter” look going on here!

From an angle- cleavage even more apparent!

Ok, I have to say it. I have fallen in bra love. I want to buy this bra in every color they ever make ever (especially this one in pink and white!) because it is exactly what I want in a bra. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before on here, but I actually really like having big boobs. I don’t want to make them look smaller, I want them to look the size that they are (or even a little tiiiiiiny bit bigger is ok, like as much as a thinly padded bra might add), and this bra ACCOMPLISHES! And it does it while still being comfortable enough to be worn to work, and after work, for a total of around 15 hours without me feeling scratched or uncomfortable.

Something else that I love about this bra is that it is extremely low cut. If they made this bra in a 28JJ though, I would get it, because while wearing it with tank tops I am occasionally concerned about a nip slip in this 28J, and also I get slight double boob if I don’t occasionally readjust. The benefit to wearing a 28J however is that the spaghetti strap tank tops that I wear almost religiously during the hot summer months aren’t ruined by a collarbone high bra (like the Panache Tango, which I also loved, but for different reasons).

View under a tank top from the front- slightly cleavagey, but not too much!

View from side in tank top- definitely not minimizing! (Please excuse the double boob, which is caused by the shirt, not the bra. Yes I still wear things like this in real life despite the breast conflictions 😛 )

A last note on the fit- it’s widely told that Showgirl bras have a very loose and stretchy band, but I didn’t find this to be the case. I measure between 28.5 and 29 underbust, depending on the time of the month, my weight, etc., and find this band to be as firm if not firmer than some of my other 28s!

I’m trying really hard to think of some complaints with this bra besides it’s limited size range… and… I can’t think of any! If I could get this in a 28JJ for the days when I wanted my cleavage a little less in-your-face, it would probably be my ideal bra. Also if Curvy Kate would make this exact shape into a basic bra in continuity colors with minimum embellishment… that would be more than ok with me! 🙂

Panache Tango II Balconette- a Surprise Favorite

Hello! I’m finally back with another review!

As I mentioned, I received 5 bras this past week, and one of the ones I got was the Tango II Balconette in a 28J. When I was recently sized, I was diagnosed as a 28HH, though some styles I feel I would have felt more comfortable in a J, so when I saw the Tango on ebay for $21, including BOTH the matching thong AND briefs… I had to go for it.

Ok, looks wise… This is not something I would wear for sexy-times. Absolutely not. It takes up a lot of my chest and is definitely the highest cut bra that I own, not to mention that even though it’s a “balconette”, it is cut like a full-cup bra, with the top section connecting to the strap as opposed to the usual bottom section connecting to it. On, this bra gives great lift, although a slightly pointy silhouette. This bothers others more than it bothers me, and under clothes this pointyness is less pronounced.

As far as fit goes, I know that technically it is not perfect, but it gives me great support and that’s the most important part of a bra as far as I’m concerned! The band feels very comfortable, and fits nicely on the tightest hook, but the cups take up too much of the band area, reaching back about an inch past where my breasts end. I toyed with the idea that going down a cup size would help, or going up a band size, but a looser band would definitely need to be fastened on the tightest hook, and a smaller cup would cut into the front of my breasts, where the J cup currently fits very well.

From the front, before performing slight strap adjustment (which does away with the slight wrinkling in the bottom)

Angle, showing pointier shape and the wrinkling in the bottom.

As the first caption mentions, the straps on this were too long for my petite (around 5’3″) frame. They are only half adjustable, but once I shortened them there was no wrinkling in the cups except for on the side where the cups are too wide. I’m writing this review at a moment where I can’t take more pictures, but hopefully I’ll be able to update this review soon with the fixed straps and pictures of the too wide cups from a straight on side shot!

Like I said earlier, I found this bra very comfortable! I work as a waitress, and broke one of the cardinal rules of bra wearing in order to wear this during my 12 hour shift- that’s right, I wore it two days in a row! The only thing I can complain about is that the center gore is too high for my close set breasts. Only one of the wires will lay flat at a time, while the other pushes up and tries to go on top of the other one in order to form a more narrow gore. This is pretty common for me in balconette bras, but unfortunately very few plunges are made in my size range.

Overall, although I considered it a risky buy at the time because of the slightly larger than usual size, and “meh” to negative reviews I’d read about it, this bra was a surprise winner for me!

Review: Curvy Kate Princess

I’d read in other reviews that the fit in the Princess was hard to get, so I ordered up from what I considered my size to a 30H, and I’m so glad I did. This bra really is beautiful, and I plan on ordering it in my more correct size soon, but until then this one will do.

The bra features velvet polka dots that are just SO soft and smooth and add a great texture to the bra, although it does make it difficult to wear under thinner knits, as they bump up underneath. I wear it anyway, and find that the bumps also conceal any nipple appearances that may occur in the freezer aisle of the grocery store.

It has a very pretty lace top with a ribbon run through it. The ribbon is a little tight, and cuts into my breast in the 30H, so when I order again I plan on ordering a 28J or 28JJ, as I also fasten the band on the tightest hook.

(You can’t see the cutting in so much but I promise it’s there! 🙂 )

This is my favorite of the shapes that the non padded Curvy Kates have given me so far. I also own the Emily in a 28HH and this shape is just FAR superior. The shape is soft and rounded but still natural looking. It isn’t my favorite shape overall (I prefer Cleo’s very round look) but it’s nice for days that I want to minimize a bit.

I have 2 negatives for this bra:

1. The straps are not fully adjustable. I am a short person (around 5’3″), and usually need to adjust the straps pretty tightly to get good lift. The Princess has very pretty embroidery on the straps, but it limits their adjustability. I made do by just carefully pushing the embroidery through, but it did make some of it come a little loose and not look as nice.
2. The second problem is purely because of the color I chose, but the velvet polka dots picked up the colors of all the shirts I’ve worn over it and it hasn’t come out even though I’ve washed it twice. I’m pretty sure this is a white problem, not a problem with the bra, but it’s something to be aware of if you’re thinking of purchasing.

I’m glad that I like the Princess because it comes in like a million beautiful colors. I’m especially into the red, hot pink, and indigo versions:

Overall the Princess is currently my second favorite seamed cup bra, and I give it my seal of approval!