My top Valentine's Day picks for 2014

Love it or hate it, St. Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Single or not, what better way to treat yourself than with a new lingerie set (and maybe a big tub of ice cream...)! Using my favourite online retailers I've put together a collection of my top picks for this February 14th.

1. Entice Alexa by Figleaves Boudoir 

The latest trend in lingerie seems to be straps. Straps everywhere! The Entice Alexa set from Figleaves Boudoir is a perfect example of this. It's strapping details hints cheekily towards bondage whilst remaining classy. The bra comes in XS-L suggesting it's not meant to be a functional piece and rather one for, ahem, 'bedroom wear'. 

Photo courtesy of Figleaves

Priced from £14 to 34 per piece in red or black and consisting of an unpadded bra, thong, brief and suspender belt it's above my budget for something that lacks functionality. However, for that special occasion it's rather stunning! 

2. Detachable Choker Bra Straps by Esty Lingerie

If the Entice Alexa from Figleaves is your kind of thing but you can't quite bring yourself to part with over £60, how about a detachable choker strap from Esty Lingerie? These straps simply attach to your bra band at the central gore and range from just £5.49 to £19.99. They add a subtly sexy rock/bondage look to any outfit and are really quite unique!

Photo courtesy of Esty Lingerie

Not sure? Check out the reviews from The Full Figured Chest, The Undercover Lingerista and Of Lambs and Lace.

3. Femme Fatale Slip by Gossard

Sadly this sexy slip is old stock and doesn't come in a large range of sizes (32-26 B-E) but if you're lucky or willing to sister size you might be able to find this at a bargain price. Gossard are currently selling this at £35 knocked down from £59.00. The slip can be paired with any black thong so you don't even have to buy the matching one.

Photo courtesy of Gossard

I love the contrasting lace bra section and the sheer polka dot slip. It's functional too, useful as shapewear and with foam padded plunge cups it'll boost your bangers for a WOW cleavage!

4. Charlotte by Parfait by Affnitas

The only set in my Valetine's selection I actually own is the decadent Charlotte. I bought her from LargeCupLingerie a few months ago and have only worn her a handful of times. I have this weird OCD thing about 'special' sets and sadly rarely get to wear them because of that reason! Although I've not yet reviewed the set, you may have seen my selfie on Twitter a while back.

The set is sexy, supportive and high quality, so you really feel you've treated yourself should you choose to buy it. I found the cups on the small side so I bought a 28H and the thong is a Large. The padded cups quite shallow and didn't give me any cleavage, which is forgiveable since the set is so nice! The band is firm and VERY wide as are the fully adjustable straps, which can only be a good thing if you have a large bust.

Photo courtesy of Affinitas Intimates

I bought my Charlotte set in Red but it's also available in Peach and Dusty Rose. Charlotte costs £30 for the bra, £12 for the brief and £14 for the high waisted shorts here at LargeCupLingerie. Charlotte comes in sizes 28-40 D-K, the best size range I've seen in a long time!

5. Tease Me by Curvy Kate

Long standing readers of my blog will know I'm a huge fan of Curvy Kate's Tease Me, and when they released the autumn/winter colour way of black and scarlet I knew I had to have it. 

Photo courtesy of Curvy Kate

At £29 for the bra, £13.50 for the thong and £15.50 for the shorts it's not the biggest bargain but I do love Tease Me so I'll be buying mine from Debenhams shortly. The set can also be found at Brastop for the same price but most sizes are now out of stock. *Don't forget that if you can, try a band size smaller and two cups larger. If it's not possible to downsize a band or you like a looser fit then just go up one cup size.* Tease me comes in sizes 28-30 D-J, 32 D-HH, 34 D-H, 36 D-GG and 38 D-GG but the above retailers don't have all sizes left.

*Edit* Curvy Kate have kindly informed me that this version of Tease Me now runs true to size, so it's advised that you order your usual size.

6. Carmen by Curvy Kate

Brand new from Curvy Kate is the pretty pink long line Carmen. This is the first long line bra Curvy Kate have produced and with it's padded cups with pale yellow embroidery I'm sure it will be a hit! In sizes 28-38 D-J Curvy Kate have made sure all their usual customer base won't miss out.

Carmen is a three part set consisting of the long line bra £35, suspender belt £18, and thong £15 or shorts £16. All can be purchased at Brastop. If pink isn't your thing wait until AW14 range when Curvy Kate will be producing it in black. I'm sure you'll agree it's fabulous! 

7. Neon Yellow Contrast by Made In Preston

This may not be the obvious choice for Valentine's Day so let me explain. My boyfriend ADORES yellow. His bathroom is yellow, his kitchen is yellow including ALL appliances. He loves it. Yellow isn't a colour often found in lingerie, particularly in the market for larger cup sizes. When I came across this fun set from Made In Preston my heart skipped a beat on his behalf!

Photo courtesy of Petite & Plentiful

In a good size range of (yes, a 26" band!) 26-30 DD-J, 32-36 DD-H and 38 DD-GG, Made In Preston have really pushed the boat out to ensure a lot of large busted women are included. My only complaint about this is that they are charging a higher price of £38.95 for 26 bands! It seems ridiculous to charge for the smallest and most niche of band sizes when they already have the patterns cut for all the advertised sizes. All other sizes cost £34 and the matching knickers are £8.95. I don't know if the bra is padded or not and with Made In Preston being new to lingerie, I can't advise on fit I'm afraid.

Will you be buying yourself lingerie for St Valentine's Day? Let me know your favourites by commenting below!

Entice by Curvy Kate

Again, a bra from Curvy Kate's A/W12 season, but I thought I'd out this review up in case anyone is thinking of getting one now it's at a lower price on Brastop, currently £14.50 for the bra, £9.95 for the thong and £10.95 for the short.

When I first saw the initial shots of the Entice set, I loved it. It ticked all the boxes of what I look for in lingerie. It's sexy, padded and comes in a great size range; 28-30 D-J, 32 D-HH, 34 D-H, 36 D-GG, 38 D-G.  

While I was more than happy with the fit, it pains me to say that I was more than disappointed with the fabric. I was expecting a printed stretch satin, like that of the Thrill Me. Instead I got a kind of cheap polyester mix with the 'stripes' being a slightly bulky stitched-on trim. The shorts were mainly made up of a black stretch satin type fabric and weren't so bad. 

I'd read that the Entice is based on the same shape as the Fleurty, so I ordered it in a 28HH, and the shorts in a 16 as normal. As with the Fleurty, the fit was spot on, so bear in mind you should go up one or two cup sizes but stick with your usual band size. Order the shorts in your usual Curvy Kate size and you should have a set that fits. Hopefully! I was particularly fond of the straps on the Entice. They're not your usual boring bra straps but they are much wider at the point they're attached to the bra, tapering off to a wide strap for greater support. This is only a small difference but one that sets the design apart from all the other bras in my drawer. 

As much as I love how this set looks on, I found the fabric far too much of a reason not to keep it, so I've returned it. I'd love Curvy Kate to make this set in a stretch satin. Not only would it justify the (not discounted) price tag, hich in my opinion doesn't match the quality, it would also be much more wearable and less bulky under clothes.

The Entice is also available in Ivory/Gold which would make a beautiful bridal set. if you can live with the fabric. Here's the gorgeous Sophie Morgan modelling the set. Photo courtesy of Curvy Kate.

Ladies, would you rule out an otherwise perfect lingerie set due to fabric issues?

Curvy Kate's Smoothie

It's been a long time since I've found a bra that I can truly say I'm happy enough with to replace my faithful Freya Decos but when Curvy Kate released photos of their new moulded bra last year, I felt things might just change.

When the Smoothie bra was released as part of Curvy Kate's AW12 range it was speculated that this new basic would be a rival for the firm favourite Freya Deco moulded plunge bra, which I'll be reviewing later this week hopefully.

The Smoothie is made from a lovely smooth black stretch fabric with a subtle leopard pattern, which can't be seen in my photo. It is lightly moulded and has fully adjustable straps and is the most true to size back in Curvy Kate's padded bras I've tried so far. The central gore sits higher than that of the Freya Deco which is good if you have soft, bottom heavy breasts that tend to fall out of the middle of plunge bras.

I've had my 28H Smoothie since November and the only real issue I have with it is that it comes up a touch high under the arms. The wires are just a tiny bit too long and this can cause a bit of discomfort towards the end of the day. The band is a little on the large side, but as I said before, it's probably the best so far from Curvy Kate, other than the Fleurty. The thong is a size 16 and is  perfect fit. 

Although the Smoothie doesn't quite give the epic cleavage that the Deco offers, it's overall a better fit. I will certainly be buying the Smoothie in each and every colour it's released in as it's such a good staple bra.The next colours to feature in the SS13 range are Hot Pink and Blush, as seen below (photos courtesy of the Curvy Kate blog)

Currently only available in black, but soon to be released in the above colours, get yours for £29 here at Brastop. Sizes 28-30 D-J, 32 D-HH, 34 D-H, 36 D-GG, 38 D-G

A quickie review of Flirtelle's Audrey and Curvy Kate's Rio Ruffle bikini

Hi guys, I'm so sorry I've not posted since November! My December holiday then Christmas got in the way and I stopped buying clothes and lingerie so I ran out of things to review. 

I looked through some old albums on my laptop and found a few bra pics that I hadn't posted. The following are both still very much available at Brastop so I feel this is a relevant and up to date post.

Please excuse the photo quality, I only took quick snaps as I was packing for my holiday at the time and I had to get both sent back for a refund asap.

Firstly we have the Curvy Kate Rio Ruffle bikini, currently at just £12.95 for the top, and £6.95 for the bottoms! The Rio Ruffle bikini was from Curvy Kate's very first plunge into the sea of swimwear and when I first saw it I fell instantly in love. The colours are beautiful, a rich jade with a cerise trim, and it has RUFFLES! I love a ruffle! I ordered a few different sizes on the recommendation of my busty pals, as this bikini is a tricky one to get right. In the end I settled on my usual size of 28GG for the best fit. 

Personally I found this bikini was too east/west for my breasts, and cut across slightly, giving me a spot of quadraboob. It would suit those who usually have success with lots of Curvy Kate bras, such as Emily as the Rio Ruffle is based on the Emily shape ut with lightly padded cups. I better suit their balcony shape (Fleurty, Tease Me) so it didn't work for me. I'd have preferred something a bit more cleavagey with more forward projection.

Rio Ruffle bikini by Curvy Kate

Next I tried the Audrey by Flirtelle, sister company of Curvy Kate. Priced currently at £12 and £6.95 for the brief, the pretty simplicity of the textured floral fabric attracted me to this set. It's certainly no show stopper but better suited as an everyday bra. It is lightly moulded and is very supportive, but again it's an east/wester on me, and again slightly cuts into my breasts across the middle, although this can't be seen in the photo below. The Audrey bra seems to me to be the same shape as the Curvy Kate Daily Boost bra.

Audrey bra by Flirtelle

I'm so sad that neither of these worked for me as I really like the look of them both. Oh well, at least it gives me a better idea of what to look for in the future!

Get Fleurty with me!

When I first laid eyes on Curvy Kate's Fleurty from their 2012 Spring/Summer collection, I knew I had to have it. Its pretty but unusual combination of a coral base with blue overlay and circular cut-out pattern really hit a chord with me but with me being a bargain hunter, I knew that this set would eventually surface in a sale or on Brastop, stockists of big bras from past seasons for low prices. So I waited, and eventually there it was! It's currently on offer for £18.95 for the bra and £9,95 for the shorts.

The strikingly pretty colours of Fleurty

As always, I consulted my trusty team of busty friends to find out how the Fleurty fitted in size compared to Curvy Kate's Tempt Me, which I wear in a 28H, and it was agreed that I try a 28HH. wo cup sizes larger than my 'usual' size of 28GG. 

The Fleurty is a balcony bra and unusually for the Showgirl range the band seems true to size! Since there is quite a lot of detail on the cups, the lumpiness of the pattern and pleating at the bottom of the cups can be seen quite easily under tight fitting clothes. This can be remedied by wearing a seamless cami over the top. The back of the bra is plain.

A close-up of the detailing on the bra

As for the shorts, after a spot of trial and error, I ended up with a size 18. To be honest I was somewhere between the 16 and 18, but the 18 offered less muffin top, so I went for those. I don't mind what the label says as long as it fits, but I am concerned that this kind of sizing may rule out a genuine size 18 lady from getting comfortable pants to match the bra. The front of the shorts echoes the design of the front of the bra and the back is a double layer of blue mesh.

The amazing detail on the shorts

So, here's the set, aint it gorgeous?! I couldn't be happier with the fit, it's spot on!

Tah-dahhhh!!

In my opinion, this is the best fitting Curvy Kate bra I've tried yet, and sadly, it's the first and last of the Fleurtys! Apparently it didn't sell too well. Perhaps it was the unusual colour combination or the bulk of the detailing. Either way, I'm gutted. Please, Curvy Kate, consider reintroducing Fleurty, even if it meant a few tweaks in the details. It's a stunning bra!

Do you like the colour combination?

By the way...I WON!

Totally forgot to thank you all for voting for me in Brastop's Cover Girl competition. I won! 

If you're a Brastop customer, you have probably already received your copy of their magazine with me on the front and an exclusive interview inside! Eek! Exciting stuff! If you're not a customer, you can read the magazine online here, but (at the time of writing this), 'my' issue is not online to view yet.

So here's what the finished product looks like, along with the postcard that was sent out to customers for my Model Of The Month win back in January.

Thanks again, I wouldn't have won without your support :)

Help me WIN! (And see me in pants again!)

Back in January you may recall me winning Brastop's Model Of The Month competition for December. On May 4th I attended a professional photo shoot for the overall Covergirl competition with 4 other Model Of The Month winners. The winner gets to feature on the front cover of Brastop's summer issue of their magazine.

As I knocked on the door of the London house, I could hear lots of girly giggling! I was greeted by Becky Mount, one of Brastop's resident bloggers, with a huge hug! Firstly the hair stylist got to work on my stubborn hair, setting it in large rollers...

Arrgh! No make up!!

Then I had lots of free time to roam around the unbelievable £5 million house(!), so I took a few shots, naturally:

Then, after snacking on cake, crisps, etc, I was whisked into make-up. Soon after that I got to try out my first lingerie set of the day, the Freya Erin. I loved this set but sadly it's not availible in my size. All 5 of us girls were then asked to do some fun shots, such as all five of us piling into a wardrobe, using kid's toy cakes as makeshift boobies, that kind of thing! We had such a laugh, I had tears running down my face!

All five of us all glammed up and ready to rock! Good luck girls!

I must admit, being around these 4 gorgeous girls (and they really are stunning) made me feel so old! I think I managed to hide my 30 years though. Or should I say, the make up artist did! After the fun shots I was asked to change into three different sets for my individual shots. The photographer was he lovely Alison Webster, the same one I'd met last year for the Curvy Kate Star In A Bra 2011 top 10 shoot. A fun (and manic) day was had by all, and the 5 hours I was there flew by way too fast! I could have stayed in that house for a long time just exploring each floor!

Here are a few of my shots from the day:

Curvy Kate Emily in Lavender

Curvy Kate Princess in Pink

So....Now the important part. Time for your input! 

All I need you to do is CLICK HERE and LIKE my photo. This photo in fact:

Freya Flamingo Bikini

Voting ends on Friday 18th May 2012, So if you'd like to see me on the front of Brastop's magazine, please take a few seconds to vote for me. I'd really appreciate it if you could also share the link after you've voted to help me even more! Since I missed out on winning Star In A Bra last year and id't get chosen this year, I'd love to win this competition.

All the gorgeous lingerie featured in this post is available from Brastop.

Please cross all fingers and toes for me, and VOTE VOTE VOTE! Thank you! <3

xxx

Any publicity is good publicity....Or is it?

When I won Brastop's Model of the Month December competition, I immediately contacted my local paper, The Sentinel, to generate a bit of publicity for Brastop and the competition. I went to speak to a reporter, who asked a few questions, then met a photographer for lots of fun shots with my bag of bras I took with me, including Curvy Kate, Ewa Michalak and Freya. I'm hoping to get some of these photos to use here on my blog, so keep your eyes peeled.

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/Kelly-aims-star-bra-D-plus-lingerie-magazine/story-14446747-detail/story.html

Now....I have some issues to say the least with the article...Hmmm....32G? I haven't worn a 32G since before my diet, which was about 18 months ago! I told the reported that I was a 28GG and she looked shocked, so I went on to say that women are often scared of bigger cups and that they shouldn't be, because if they went for a proper fitting then they would probably BE in the cup sizes they're so scared of. It seems that the reporter didn't listen to me and added 4 inches to my band size *RAGE*, as so many fitters and online calculators do. 

The other issue is that they mentioned I'd been buying Brastop's magazine for a year, which is also untrue. The Brastop magazine, which can be read online here, is free and sent out to customers. It hasn't been running for a year either! Also, the prizes listed in the article aren't 'runner-up prizes', they are prizes for winning the Model of the Month competition. 

It's all so wrong...I wanted to set the record straight here, just so you know the truth!

Note to reporters: LISTEN TO YOUR SUBJECT!

2 more from Curvy Kate!

Rich jewel colours, ruffles, bows, oodles of detailing...It can only mean one thing, another Curvy Kate Showgirl review!

I have to admit, every time I open my lingerie drawer, I let out a sigh at the sheer beauty of this first bra. It is truly beautiful! It is Curvy Kate's Thrill Me in Jade/Fuchsia. It's base colour is supposedly jade, but I'd call it more of a turquoise. It's trim is a bright, contrasting fuchsia, and works beautifully against the jade.

I was fortunate enough to receive this bra, along with all the bottoms; the thong, high-waisted brief and the shorts as a Christmas present from my lovely boyfriend. I prefer the shorts out of the three, as they have cheeky ruffles across the bottom and also have detachable suspenders. The high-waisted briefs are something I've not tried before, and although other women find them flattering, I feel they make me look bigger somehow. I love the thong as frills at the top of each leg, so cute! 

For size reference, the bra is a 28H and the bottoms are all in a 14. As always with Thrill Me, back down, 2 cups up is my general rule, but this must only be used as a guide, as you may find they fit you differently. op to bottom, shorts, thong, high-waisted brief.

Again a Christmas present, this time Curvy Kate's Tease Me in Black/Almond. I LOVE Tease Me, it's so sexy AND supportive. The almond colour makes a nice change from the brighter colours from past seasons, and I must admit, I wasn't a fan initially, but seeing it in the flesh changed that. I just have the gorgeous shorts in this set, with ruffles on the back and detachable suspenders.

Again, in a size 28H and this time the shorts are a size 16.

There's nothing more I can say about these sets that I haven't already covered. I just think they are gorgeous!

Thanks for reading
<3

Finally I've won something!!

So on my quest to be photographed professionally in my smalls I've been entering Brastop's 'Model of the Month' competition every month since it started back in July last year. Yes, you guessed it, I won December's title!

I can tell you I'm thrilled to bits and have already landed an interview with the local paper (again) to try and drum up support for some votes when the time comes. I'm sure the people at The Sentinel are sick to death of me now, since I was only in the paper a month ago for the third time last year! It's all unpaid so they can't really complain!

As part of the prize I'm to attend another professional photo shoot and make over at the end of the month, and I'll be put through to Brastop's overall Cover Girl competition, which is when I'll need your votes (pretty please, you lovely people <3)! Please do check out Brastop.com, it's the only online bra shop I'll go back to again and again! Nice plug there Kel... I'll leave you with one of my winning photos ;)

As always, thanks for reading! x