Sugar Candy Comfort Bra for Fuller Busts–How Sweet It Is!

July 27, 2017 By Darlene C. Leave a Comment

“Revolutionary seamless, wire free, fuller bust bra!”

“Literally never been done before!”

As I read these statements in a recent email, my eyes only stopped rolling when I saw the following:

Darlene, I want to clarify that Sugar Candy was not created to replace the typical wire, fuller bust bra which is much needed. Sugar Candy is purely a comfort bra option, that women can wear at home and to bed.

Well, then! I replied with a request for samples, and Cake Lingerie (they developed Sugar Candy because they “were constantly being requested to create seamless, comfort, wirefree options for fuller bust women”) sent me a medium and Leah an XS and S. We used the UK columns and rows in their size chart, and since I’m somewhere in the 34FF/G range right now, it was refreshing that M covered all my options. [Read more…]

Mission Accomplished: I Tried Corin at Bra Spectrum

July 11, 2017 By Darlene C. 2 Comments

It’s been six years since I first wrote about Polish brand Corin, and two weeks ago I finally got to try their bras–one of the perks of having a pop up shop for my big bust button-downs in an amazing lingerie store. (At my next pop up shop, I’ll finally get to try Ewa Michalek at the only brick and mortar store on the East Coast that carries them!)

Before I go into detail about the bras, here’s what I like about Bra Spectrum:

ALL the styles and sizes are out on the floor. This meant that I could browse to my heart’s content.
During each fitting, they make sure to give “scoop & swoop” instructions.
Owner Tatyana and store manager Kristin will run back and forth to bring whatever you request. I had created a pile of bra rejects by the time I was through, but Kristin never showed impatience or tuned out of the process, and I watched them cater to everyone the same way.
Ultimately they defer to what a customer wants rather than being militant about fit. This explains their giant selection for women who hate underwires, but more on that later!

I was especially excited to have a fitting because I’ve gained 10 pounds and don’t fit my 32F/FF bras anymore. Kristin began by measuring 79 cm beneath my bust and 103 cm around my bust and started with a 36F. A lot of fitters do this with me, so I let the process take its course, and eventually we found that most of the Corin bras that worked on me were around a 34F/FF . . . or a 75H if you want the Polish size. For the record, I’ve just measured myself ahead of writing this post, and I measure 33.5″ beneath my bust and 41.5″ around my bust, so a 34F/FF sounds about right.

Corin Semi-Soft Bras

I tried two semi-soft Corins in 75H, beginning with the Rosa, which I loved until I tried the Jacqueline, which I loved even more.

rosa flat final

jacqueline flat final

Maybe it’s my imagination, but I felt more contained, lifted and slimmed in the Jacqueline.

Corin Semi Soft Front Collage

Here’s a comparison of the two bra diagrams from the Corin lookbook. Can the angle of the seams down the front of each cup make such a difference?

Off the Rack ~ Freya “Pinup” Longline Bustier Reviewed

July 7, 2017 By Leah H 5 Comments

I’ve mentioned the Freya “Pinup” set twice before, most recently when I attended an Eveden marketing event a year ago. In that post, I called it the “standout” piece of the season. Then I sort of forgot about it…until it appeared in a Zulily sale a month ago! I snagged the longline strapless bustier and the high-waisted panties for a steal.

Lately, I’ve been wearing a 28GG or 30G pretty consistently. In fact, Freya is the lone holdout among brands that still fit me in 28G, but even then, it depends on the cut. For example, my Freya Hero and the Deco still fit at 28G, but the Deco strapless requires a cup size up. For the Pinup, I went with 30G (it doesn’t come in 28GG, and I often size up in the band with strapless bras anyway since they tend to run tighter to stay up). Luckily, 30G was the right size.

I originally purchased this set thinking it would be more of a “boudoir” piece, but after I got a nasty sunburn on my first beach day of the season (despite reapplying sunblock!), I couldn’t bear bra straps, and ended up wearing the Pinup bustier several times in one week. It turns out to be the most comfortable strapless bra I’ve ever tried!

The bustier features relatively stiff molded cups, mesh band and wings, semi-shiny black trim, side-stays, two pieces of boning on the front, two strips of silicon at the top of the band, removable straps with two attachment positions on cup and band, and five rows of two columns of hook-and-eyes.

On my long torso, the high-waisted panties (which I bought in size medium) just barely reach my belly button, so they’re not terribly vintage-looking. They’re more like granny-panties, but of course that wouldn’t be the case for a more petite wearer. Additionally, they don’t fully cover my backside, which is another common feature for me. However, for once in my life they don’t ride up into my buttcrack with every step, so they’re still pretty comfy.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Bra Review, Off the Rack

Off the Rack ~ Kinga “Nati I” Bra Reviewed

June 23, 2017 By Leah H

US flash sale site Zulily.com often has sales on British and Polish big-bust brands, including Panache, Cleo, Freya, Fantasie, Kris Line, and Kinga.

I tried two Kris Line bras from the site a while back, and was not successful. But I wasn’t deterred, so I recently tried another Polish brand through the site, Kinga.

Kinga starts at band size 30/65, uses European cup scheme (so no double-letters), and goes up to K-cups depending on the model.

Zulily had two cage bras available, the Nati I and Nati II. Nati I has less coverage and stops at cup size H, which is about a UK FF (Polish D = UK D, E = DD, F = E, G = F, H = FF). These days, I mostly wear UK 28GG or 30G, which would be a Euro 30I. But Nati II was already sold out of that size, so I gambled and tried the Nati I in 30H (30FF), since I can still get away with 28G/30FF in some brands.

Sadly, the Nati I is too small in the cup for me. When you look at the manufacturer photo, the cage straps on my cleavage are located where the cup edge rests on the model. There’s also plenty of escaping tissue on the sides. It’s very clearly too small all over. Though, impressively, there’s no quad-boob! The band stretches from 23″ to 30″, so I’d say it’s a little small compared to most 30 bands, but not by much. It certainly works well for my 29″ underbust.

I think I would fit quite nicely into the Nati II in 30I, but there don’t seem to be any US retailers carrying the brand other than Zulily. So hopefully Zulily will restock sizes and have another Kinga sale at some point because I really want this bra in my life!

The Nati I bra

The Nati II bra

Aside from the fact that this bra is not my size, I have lots of positive things to note. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Bra Review, Off the Rack

Sugar Candy Comfort Bra for Fuller Busts–How Sweet It Is!

Mission Accomplished: I Tried Corin at Bra Spectrum

Off the Rack ~ Freya “Pinup” Longline Bustier Reviewed

Off the Rack ~ Kinga “Nati I” Bra Reviewed

Connect with us