My Thoughts on Curvy Kate Galaxy Bikini

With all the success I've had with various Curvy Kate bras, I really wanted to try their swimwear.  After reviewing the Scantilly set Curvy Kate gifted to me I asked if they might be able to send me a bikini to review as well, they were generous enough to oblige and let me choose the style.  There were several I really liked including the Daze especially the Cross Over Bandeau, Cherry Berry, and High Voltage.  Ultimately I could only pick one and it came down to Daze and Galaxy, I chose Galaxy since it came in a plunge, halter style.  I have a bit of concern with bandeau based styles as they can sometimes be a bit wide and shallow though I can't speak for Curvy Kate's bandeau's since I have not tried one.

The Curvy Kate Galaxy comes in several styles the halter plunge which I chose, a strappy bandeau, and a one piece sharing the strappy design of the bandeau.  The bikini is offered with 2 different bottom options including a side tie brief and a high waist brief.  While I am intrigued by the high waist bottom, I'm was a bit unsure of how I would like that style on myself, so I chose the side tie briefs in a size 8, since my experience with Curvy Kate bottoms is they tend to run a bit big.  Until the bikini had arrived I forgot 8 is equivalent to XS in US sizing and when I  noticed I was a bit worried, but it is a side tie so worst case it would just be a bit cheekier.

Choosing a size for the top was a bit easier.  I'm usually a 30E or 32DD though I have a couple Curvy Kate bras that have me considering a cup size larger.  I decided to go with 32DD since I'm between band sizes and the bikini top doesn't have an adjustable closure.  The only concern I had with the top was that it's a plunge and the only experience I have with a plunge from Curvy Kate was with the Cabaret unlined plunge which was a bit of a shape mismatch, but the Galaxy is padded so I was hoping it would fit differently than the unlined Cabaret plunge.

I rushed off to try on the new Galaxy bikini, I put the top on first and at first it seemed I might have some gaping, but a quick readjustment of the halter strap solved that.  The band is a perfect fit, I'm satisfied with my decision to go with the 32 band, I think a 30 would have been too small for me.  After making adjustments the cups seem to be a pretty good fit as well.  The top also gives a great lift and cleavage.

Taking measurements for the top I was actually very surprised to see that the wires are quite narrow at 5in, the wires are also very short at about 7.5in.  The cup depth isn't as deep as most my best fitting bras, but considering it is a plunge it may be about average, the depth is 7.75in.  Despite seeming a bit small in the depth department, it has quite a bit of apex projection, though not a ton of immediate depth. The gore is about an inch wide, but since it is a plunge the gore is less than 2in tall so I don't think the width is causing any real issues, it almost looks like it's on a bit of tissue, but I don't feel it. The top also is a 3 part cup with one vertical and one horizontal seam.

Now knowing the top is a great fit, I grab the bottoms to try on.  To my surprise the bottoms fit very well too, they are definitely cheeky, but looking back at the photos of the model, I'm fairly confident this is how they are designed to fit.  It is possible I could have went with a 10 and had a decent fit as well, just perhaps with slightly more coverage, but I'm quite pleased with how the size 8 bottoms fit.  If the high waist brief goes on sale at some point, I may give it a try, but I feel like high waist things aren't super flattering on me, but that could come from shunning high waist bottoms of any type for so long.

Overall I am very pleased with the Galaxy bikini and will most likely try other Curvy Kate swimwear in the future.

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Bra-Ventures, Bras and Road Trips, Part 2

If you haven't seen Bra-Ventures, Bras and Roadtrips Part 1, be sure to read it first.
<Back to Part 1

Day 4:

Since it had been a bit chilly the day before, I decided to wear my Comexim 3HC Sonia.  Now my Sonia is a bit special in that i believe it has been mislabeled.  I bought it secondhand off Bratabase and the measurements matched up to my other 3HC's.  My Sonia is a 75G, I would say it fits like an in between of 75F and 70G.  The band is a bit loose and I wear it on the tightest setting, it doesn't seem to ride up any.  Again I did get a bit of the wires resting on my  ribs but not as bad as in Irish Coffee.  I think when I have taken measurements of all my 3HC's I did notice Irish Coffee to be a bit wider than my others, making it most likely shallower so that might be the issue with that.

Comexim Sonia

Bra-Ventures, Bras and Roadtrips, Part 1

This is going to be a bit different from my usual blog posts.  I do mention the bras I packed and my thoughts on them for the day, but it will be heavily focused on our trip.  I hope you enjoy reading this, and let me know your thoughts. This is a 2 part series, click here for Part 2.

So my boyfriend and I live in Ohio and they salt the roads like crazy during the winter, this causes tons of rust especially on older vehicles.  Both of us being car enthusiasts,we tend to have a fondness for older cars.  My boyfriend had owned 29 cars (all used and usually a purchase price under $1000 or he made trades), for vehicle number 30 he wanted to get something he really wanted.  However what he wanted was an early 80's Toyota Pickup, most of which in our area have horrible frame rust (so if not currently structurally unsafe could happen) in addition to body rust.  He scoured craigslist all over the country in regions that don't salt their roads.  He found one in Washington state, despite all their rain, the vehicles there tend to be in good condition.  We planned to fly there and drive the truck home (extensive photos, videos and questions were taken and answered about the truck before purchasing plane tickets).


We both work as independent contractors and didn't have any jobs lined up anytime too soon, so we would be making a vacation out of road trip home.  I wasn't sure how long we would be gone, but I wanted to bring a few bra options.  We were traveling light since we didn't want to deal with any checked bags (I always fear something will get lost and can't justify the cost nor do either of us need that much).  We were able to bring a personal item and carry on bag (we both chose back packs for the personal item). I chose to bring 6 bras with me 3 padded and 3 unlined (unlined are great for not taking up space).

Day 1:

I've been loving my newly acquired Cleo Mimi recently and decided to give it a try for our flight from Ohio to Seattle with a connection in Chicago.  I was very pleased with my decision on that one, it remained comfortable the whole time.  I also partially chose this one for the flight since the band is a bit on the looser side, although I chose not to pack any of my tighter fitting bras that would require an extender.  I was very pleased with the Mimi, it remained comfortable all day and didn't get irritating while being cooped up on the flight (some bras get a bit uncomfortable while sitting especially if you you sitting backwardly).  I put Mimi on at 4am EST and didn't take it off until probably 8pm PST (11pm EST), so that was a long day.  If you haven't read my review on the Cleo Mimi be sure to check it out, I found it to be a good alternative to a Polish half cup and did a comparison.

Sunrise in flight to Seattle

My Thoughts on Scantilly Peek-A-Boo

Before I get started, I decided to change up where I take my photos, normally it's the bathroom because it tends to get the best light, but I decided to try out the recently renovated bedroom today.  I think the darker color wall offsets this sexy set pretty well, although the lighting may not be as good as the bathroom.

I've been having really good luck with Curvy Kate unlined bras recently and have been intrigued by their Scantilly line.  Scantilly generously offered to gift me a set for review,  the set I received was the Peek-A-Boo in black.  I got the bra in 30E and the brief in medium.  I was unsure what size to get in the brief as I hadn't tried and panties from Curvy Kate before.

The bra is a balconette style with sheer mesh cups, but has a black (spandex?) overlay that covers the lower part of the cup (hence the peek-a-boo).  It is a four part construction with 2 vertical seams and one horizontal.  There are several panty options including a thong, brief, and bare face brief (it has a cut out over the cheeks).

The bra fits decently, although the cups are a bit on the small side.  I have some bubbling, so I would be interested in trying it in a 30F to see if that is a better fit or if it ends up being too big, I have a suspicion that the bra is just intended to be low coverage since Scantilly is Curvy Kate's budoir line.  The gore on  the Peek-A-Boo is also rather wide, after full scoop and swoop I have to reposition a little so it's not sitting on tissue.  The cups almost feel a bit shallow, but when I feel under the overlay to see how the cup is fitting pulling the overlay away makes it actually feel rather projected.

I've seen a few reviews saying the overlay portion is a bit strange, but for me it didn't seem to be an issue.  I think in order for the overlay to work well, it needs to be a near perfect fit so if the fit of the band or cups is even slightly big the overlay might wrinkle.  When I was asked my size preference for the bra I said a 30E or 32DD depending on how the band fit and the representative said Scantilly bands run a bit big, but I find the band to be fairly TTS.

The panties I was sent are the bare faced brief, when asked size of those I said small or medium and provided measurements because I frequently fit in between sizes.  I was sent the medium, and  unfortunately they are too big, I would say they fit a bit more like a large.  I might try to take them in a bit.  Since I haven't tried and Curvy Kate or Scantilly panties previously I can't provide a comparison.  I almost wonder if the bare faced brief might run a bit bigger than regular briefs.  If anyone has tried the bare faced brief and regular brief any insight on fit between the 2 would be awesome.




The photos seem to be hiding the looseness of the panties, you can kind of see the upper band wrinkle a bit on the back shots.

If you look at the waistband, you can see a bit of wrinkling, it is also a bit loose on the sides.

Overall I am quite pleased with how the bra fits and the aesthetics of it as a set, I just wish the panties fit better.  It is a very sexy set, but I think it could still function well as a regular bra.  Now I do have a few qualms with the quality for the price point.  There are some loose stitches on both the bra and briefs, and the materials just don't seem to be as high quality as the price point would suggest.  I know that you can pretty easily find Scantilly on sale on UK based sites, so if you want the set and can find a good deal it's still nice just not at the MSRP.

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Curvy Kate Florence

Curvy Kate Florence

After my success with the Curvy Kate Ellace, I really wanted to try out some more Curvy Kate bras.  I knew the Ellace was related to the Bardot cut so I looked for other cuts that were related and came across Florence.  There were some nice fun colors as well as a soft pink which Curvy Kate calls blush.  It just so happened that sometime during my search for other Curvy Kate bras that the Blush Florence in 32DD came down in price so I ordered it.

The Florence unlike Ellace does not have any stretch lace, it's a mesh bottom with a lace upper section, but no stretch.  When the bra first arrived I was at a larger part of my cylce and I thought it seemed a bit small, I checked Amazon and found Florence in a cup size larger it arrived quickly so I was able to compare to my size at that time.  The 32E Florence definitely too big, so it went back immediately, sorry I didn't get pictures of the 32E.

The Blush color of Florence does work very well as a "nude" on my fair skin.     The only downside is the upper lace section is fairly visible through thin shirts, but that really isn't an issue.  The overall fit is amazing, I really can't believe that this fits so well without stretch lace, usually if lace isn't stretchy it gapes or I get pretty obvious in cup quad, that isn't the case with the Florence.

One thing I really love about the newer Curvy Kate unlined bras is that the side wings are super low.  I don't have issues too often (that could also be since I primarily stick with altered Comexims), but there have been some bras that I need to tighten the straps more and just can't because the combo of a wider set strap placement and taller wings or cups feels nearly lethal.

The band on Florence doesn't feel as tight as Ellace, despite it measuring identically.  I think this could have to do with the band on the Ellace having a firmer less stretchy elastic. Both bras fit great, but sometimes with the Ellace if I'm working outside in the heat I will use a bit of an extender with it because it will occasionally feel tight.  Florence on the other hand, I can fairly easily clasp on the tightest hooks, but I wear it on the loosest with no riding up.  It's kind of crazy how much the tension of the elastic can affect how a band feels.

Since I mentioned how well it works as a "nude" for me here are a few shots under a thin white t-shirt.  You can see the seems a bit, and while not visible in the photos the lace can be a bit noticeable as well (very thin $3 Wal-Mart t-shirt).  Florence gives nice rounded shape, but a bit more natural at the the same time.  I think it's fairly similar to the shape that Ellace gives.

Overall I am very happy with my recent Curvy Kate purchases, it's nice to be able to buy a bra and get it in just a few days as opposed to waiting a month.

 

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Curvy Kate Ellace 32DD, Amazing Lift, Shape, and Comfort

Curvy Kate Ellace

I came across the Curvy Kate Women's Ellace while browsing Amazon, and I fell in love with the look of this bra especially in the Black/Champagne colorway. I was hesitant to order because the last Curvy Kate bras I tried hadn't worked out that well for me (Portia and Smoothie).  However it was on sale on Amazon for around $15 in 32DD, most the other sizes were at least double the price or more (I had wanted to get 30E, since my last Curvy Kates felt a bit big in a 32 band, but it wasn't on sale), so I decided to give it a shot worst case scenario I could return it.

The first day I wore it was a 12 hour work day outdoors in the heat.  I don't particularly like trying a bra for the first time when working, but I was really wanting to wear some unlined bras while working and I don't have many yet (my work shirt also limits which ones I can wear without a tank top since it shows some textures quite well).  The Curvy Kate Ellace remained comfortable throughout the entire work day, just the band felt a tiny bit too snug late in the day (it was quite hot and humidity was up).  The band is fairly true to size though, I was quite surprised when I measured it because I really thought it felt like it ran a bit small, but it stretches to about 31.5in (I didn't measure until after the second wear so maybe it loosened up a bit).  The champagne band on the bra is a fairly thick piece of elastic and I think it does quite a bit to make the bra feel very supportive and firm despite stretching a bit larger than I usually prefer.

The cups are mesh and lace, the mesh part has 2 pieces of mesh and provides a good amount of lift and shaping.  The lace also seems to start a bit higher up than other bras. The top of the lace has a very thin piece of elastic to help the lace lay flatter.  On me it slightly presses in, but it doesn't cause any bubbling or anything, the seam where the mesh meets the lace also presses in on tissue slightly, but doesn't seem to cause any issues.  In Cleo Minnie and Marcie I do get in cup quad. The wires are also quite narrow at 5.2 inches and it has a good amount of projection.

The Ellace gives a very uplifted and round shape, and it doesn't push so much in from the sides the way Cleos (Update: I've tried some new Cleos and don't have this issue) do on me.  It doesn't really seem to be the  least bit minimizing either.  I really love how the Ellace fits and the shape it gives.  It is extremely comfortable (I wore it at work again today and it didn't start feeling too snug, I think it was cooler out today so maybe that had an effect on how the band felt by the end of the day), I really wasn't conscious of wearing it at all.  Even most of my Comexims and Ewa Michalaks aren't this level of comfortable.  I kind of wish I had a bought a second one while they were on sale.

Ellace comes in several other colorways as well, Latte, White, Navy, and Crimson .  While it looks amazing in photos, I love it even more in person especially after putting it on.  I really want to get another one (or more) of these, I would love to try the Latte (hopefully it's not too dark to work as a nude for me).

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