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

Dolores, Dolores, let down your hair....

Just before Christmas I'm ashamed to say binged on Collectif dresses and tops. They were running a 40% off sale at the time, so that's how I justified it! The style in question is my favourite 'Dolores'. All prices featured in this post are correct at the time of publishing. For size reference everything here is a size 8.

The cut of the Dolores with it's ruched centre and sweetheart neckline means that you get a sensational cleavage and room for the girls too. The sleeves are puffed, giving the Dolores a distinctive gypsy style. The Dolores range features tops, flared dresses and tops made from stretch cotton to hug your curves in sizes 8-22, and come in a huge range of kitsch patterned and plain fabrics.

L-R: Dolores fitted Cherry Stem dress (with and without cardigan), £45

Dolores fitted Hibiscus dress, £45

Dolores fitted knot seagulls dress in blue, on sale at £25

Above is the Dolores doll dress in navy polka dot, £50. I wanted to show a few different looks with this one, as I think it's pretty versatile and can be worn for shopping on a summery day or for a big night out. In the third photo I'm wearing a fabulous red puffy Lola petticoat, £39, which adds volume, drama and a splash of colour as you move in this amazing dress.

Now for the tops!

The first photo is the Dolores feral leo top, £25. My god do I LOVE this top?! Again, it can be worn casually with jeans (mine are high-waisted and from Primark), or it could be dressed up with a pencil skirt for a sexy night out! The second photo shows the Dolores top in black, £25. Again, this could be dressed up or down and is a good staple for any wardrobe. I also got this in white for the same purpose.

Collectif is my favourite place to buy 50's style clothing. Their prices are reasonable, and their clothes are beautiful. I particularly like how they have a basic range of shapes, then simply change the fabrics they use each season, ensuring you'll always have your favourite shape to come back to. If you love 50's styling, you'll love Collectif!

Mwah! Thanks for reading lovelies! x

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

Brands In Focus: Curvy Kate!

For the first of my occasional Brands In Focus series, I'm looking at the relatively new brand for the bigger bust; Curvy Kate!

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I'm a big fan of this particular brand, which I only recently discovered this year by taking part in their Star In A Bra competition. More about that later. 

Admittedly I only have 'real life' experience of two Curvy Kate styles, Thrill Me and Tease Me, but boy do I adore them!

Firstly, Thrill Me, a balcony bra with soft satin cups and oodles of detailing from Curvy Kate's Showgirl collection. Curvy Kate always seem to choose beautiful colours and contrasting trims. I have four Thrill Me's so far, a collection I'm hoping to add to. The uplift you get with this style is spectacular, often giving good cleavage too, although I don't tend to get this for some reason! The only problem I have with the Thrill Me bra is that the sizes aren't exactly spot on; back down, 2 cups up for me. I usually wear a 30G, and in the Thrill Me bra I wear a 28H. With the shorts, I tend to buy a 14 as the 16's are too large in the butt. The 16's are perfect on the waist though, so this is also a little niggle I have with the Thrill Me. The shorts have a sheer back, with ruffles at the top, trimmed with contrasting thread. I also LOVE the fact that they have suspenders attached. Anyway, on to the photos...Ahhhh, the ruffles, the colours, the bows, the lacy trim...LUSH!

Next, my other Curvy Kate favourite again from their Showgirl collection, Tease Me! Deliciously burlesque, this Balcony bra set is sure to wow whoever you're trying to impress. The Tease Me is available in a variety of colours, but only with a black overlay at the minute, something which will be thrown out of the window at Curvy Kate's HQ for their Spring/summer collection, with pretty spring inspired pastels. The basic structure of the cups is the same as the Thrill Me, thus gives the same shape. Again, Curvy Kate have paid a great amount of attention to detail, with bows, ribbons and ruffles. The shorts fit slightly differently in the Tease Me, which suits me down to the ground to be honest! The 16's are perfect on me, as with the thong. Again the shorts have attached suspenders and a sheer back with a row of ruffles, but no contrasting trim this time. I have to say, the Tease Me is a knockout set. I love it! Take a look...

So my love of Curvy Kate came earlier this year when I discovered they were running their annual Star In A Bra competition. Admittedly I didn't know a lot about the brand, just that their bras cost more than I liked to pay back then. I entered the competition on a whim, and incredibly got through to the top 10, which involved me travelling down to London for a photoshoot and leaving with a goodie bag! It all seems like a very unreal, distant memory, but I'm so glad I entered or I would never have discovered this fabulous brand, or made fabulous friends along the way. Since then I've been involved in a few photo shoots for my local newspaper, The Sentinel, and a local magazine, The North Staffordshire Magazine, and I hope they continue to consider me for any future features they may want to run. My next feature with them was shot last Thursday and will be in this week's Sentinel Magazine which comes with the Saturday Newspaper, so if you're from Staffordshire, look out for it!

Aside from the super sexy styles above, Curvy Kate also do a huge range of unpadded bras in cups D-K, backs 28-40. I was lucky enough at the Star In A Bra photoshoot to try out the Lottie, which hadn't yet been released at the time. The Lottie was the 2010 Create A Curvy Kate winner for De Montford University, another competition run by Curvy Kate. I LOVE how Curvy Kate involve their customers so much, it really helps me and others warm to the brand. Here's me in the Lottie, photographed by the fantastic Alison Webster. I'm sure you'll agree the colours and fit are stunning!

Ladies, if you're a D-K cup, you really should give Curvy Kate a try. Check the store locator to see where you can buy their fabulous lingerie. Go on, treat yourself ;)

Gorgeous by Debehams, a mini moan about size discrepancies...

A quick one this time. I bobbed into Debenhams (again) to buy the Gossard Ooh La La set from my previous post and tried two bras from Debenhams own 'Gorgeous' range. Now in my last post, you'll remember that I found the backs too small, and the straps too long more often than not. Aside from the luxurious satin and lace bras, Gorgeous also produce a more everyday range. Now this is where things get complicated! See, the backs are very small and the cups also run around a size smaller too in my experience. 

Below is the white floral balcony bra in a size 28G. The back was nice and snug but the cups far too small. As this is the biggest cup they do in a 28 band, my hopes of getting something in a shop were seemingly dwindling by the day....

....however, I also picked up this pink striped balcony bra in a 30GG to try, and it turned out that the back was pretty much the SAME as the 28 above!! Unfortunately the cups are a little on the small side, giving a slight 4-boob situation. I will try the 30H as soon as I can, but I think we have a success story here.

So, the moral of the story is; Don't just assume you're one size in all brands/shops/styles. ALWAYS try bras on as different brands/styles will fit differently. For example, I wear a 28H in Curvy Kate's Thrill/Tease Me, a 30G in 30G in some Gorgeous, and 32G in La Senza bikinis! 

Happy Shopping! x

To every cloud there's a silver lining...

Today I did another photo shoot for the local paper. This time it was all about bargain partywear. Not just any bargain partywear, but PRIMARK partywear! I had great fun posing with the mannequins in the entrance and ended up buying one of the dresses I wore, a leopard print skater dress for just £10. Apparently they couldn't give it to me, even though I was doing a piece basically advertising for them! If you're local to Staffordshire, I think it's going to be in the Sentinel Saturday Magazine in 2 weeks. 

After my shoot I went on a typical bra hunting expedition in the very few shops Hanley has to offer. First up, as usual, Debenhams!

I was excited to find the Freya Taylor in my 'Deco size' of a 30G, which makes a change as they never usually stock Deco's or any variant in a 30G. I've heard the Taylor runs a little small in the cup and that's not incorrect! The back was tighter than a normal Deco too, which was perfect. The cups were small, but apparently they loosen up pretty quickly. I must admit, I fell in love with this when I first saw it online, but having seen it in person, I'm not so sure. I would have preferred Freya to have used a black velvet ribbon as opposed to brown. Other than that, the styling is gorgeous.

The next brand I tried was Gossard, purely because they are half price at the moment in Debenhams admittedly! Firstly we have the Beau bra. Pretty and a nice fit, although if you're a 28 back or above a G cup, you're sized out of this. I found I had to wear it on it's tightest hooks, which can only mean one thing; I need a refit. I also found my usual problem in that the straps were too long.

Next I tried the Ooh La La range; plunge bra and suspender belt. I was instantly drawn to the vintage styling of this range, but why Gossard decided to make the straps so thin is anyone's guess. I would like to say this set was perfect, but it wasn't. The cups weren't quite right, although I can't quite put my finger on what exactly is wrong. Maybe if it was a balcony bra it would be perfect. I love the structure of this set, lots of detail, and I love the mix of powermesh and stretch lace together. The suspender belt is a small, and sits high on the waist. It's so beautiful and I would have bought this if it had fitted. I'm sure you'll agree that it's a very striking set.

Now onto Debenhams' own brand for the fuller bust; Gorgeous. I was delighted to find this sexy longline bra in my size! For once, the purple straps weren't too long, but the cups were a little on the small side, giving me a bit of side boob, as shown in the second photo. I loved the ruffled edge and black on black polka dot fabric, and the longline style made a nice change from usual bras. Debenhams are known for being hit and miss with regards to back bands, and this one was nice and snug, ideal for me. It's a shame they stop at a G cup, I'd like to see this available in further cup sizes like other bras in the Gorgeous range.

Next up, This pretty green silk mix balcony bra. I love the gorgeous pintuck detail and lace edging on this, but again the straps were too long and the back slightly too large. Again, a fitting is in order, and again, this bra doesn't come in a 28 back.

This next one was a nice idea, an unusual snake/croc print, but the fit was not nice! Very much 'down and out'. Not recommended!

Next up, a limited edition for the festive season. Navy lace with a gold metallic thread, this is a very pretty choice, nice in the cup and in the back (if you're a 30 or larger), and a limited edition, so snap it up!

I promise there aren't too many more! This was perhaps the best of the Debenhams bunch, a memory foam (yes, you heard right!) steel blue t-shirt bra. Both comfortable and functional, and with the potiential for cleavage (with a little adjustment), this bra comes in a few different colours. Finally, a bra I'd recommend!

After my epic session in Debenhams, I toddled off to Marks and Spencer and was rather underwhelmed to only find 3 bras in my size, one of which I've reviewed in a previous blog. I was delighted to find this eye-catching black sequinned design in a 30G, although I'm also aware that a 30G can sometimes mean a 28F with the odd sizing in M&S. I wasn't far wrong...Check out my four boobs! I'd need at least a 30H in M&S sizes, something that is only a far distant dream. SORT YOUR SIZING SYSTEM!!

Now, to end, a pleasant surprise. A VERY pleasant surprise. A M&S bra that FITS! It's A 30G  tight in the back, more like a 28. The cups are perfect too! Not to mention it's polka dot and red <3 The only reason I didn't buy this is because I already have lots of bras that I'm still to wear. If you're still sceptical about M&S bras I suggest you try this one. You may be surprised.

You may have noticed that I've not put any prices up this time. This is because there are so many offers and pre-christmas sales around at the moment, so you may find a bargain ;)

As always, thanks for reading x

Curvy Kate Thrills Me again....

So after a very long wait, I was finally able to get my free Curvy Kate set for making it into the top 10 of their Star In A Bra competition earlier this year (see my past blogs for further reading). I chose, after much deliberation, the Thrill Me in Grape/Jade. 

As soon as I opened the package and unwrapped the hot pink tissue paper Kimberly had wrapped it in, I was in love! It's rich jewel colours and pretty trims make you feel like you're getting a real treat!

As usual with Curvy Kate's showgirl range, you need to go down a back size and up 2-3 cup sizes, so I ordered a 28H, which is a perfect fit. The Thrill Me shorts are a firm favourite of mine. I adore the ruffles, trim and the suspenders. Sadly I'm not quite as happy with the fit. I feel the waistline could be an inch or so bigger, with sizing more consistent to the Tease Me. I ordered a size 14 because I know the 16 is too big on the butt, from previous encounters. I'll probably end up getting the thong too, the set is too hard to resist!

The Thrill Me is also available in Jade/Fuchsia, which is divine, and is on my Christmas list ;)

Both colours and more can be purchased here at lovebras.com

Thanks for reading!

K x