Hello my lovies,

About a month ago I was lucky to be invited to a lovely dinner hosted by Marisota. The dinner was to celebrate the launch of new range AVA by Mark Heyes. It was lovely to spend time with my fellow bloggers, and to meet Mark as well, he seemed like a really nice guy. As a part of the goodie bag for the event we got the chance to choose a few items from the range, and I chose a collarless coat and a studded blouse. The coat is a real bargain at £49, as it feels and looks really luxurious – well done Marisota and Mark!

The blouse actually comes with a cami, but I decided not to wear it. You know me and my love of all things sheer. AND how can I not show this gorgeous Curvy Kate Portia-bra as well? Am I right ;)?!

Coat*: 24, Marisota | Blouse*: 26, Marisota | Skirt: 24, Simply Be (similar at Simply Be) | Tights: E, We Love Colors | Boots: Evans | Bra*: Curvy Kate | Glasses: Select Specs | Lippy: Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Brazen Berry

Takki*: 24 UK, Marisota | Paita*: 26 UK, Marisota | Hame: 24 UK, Simply Be (saman tyylinen Simply Be:llä) | Sukkikset: E, We Love Colors | Saappaat: Evans | Rintsikat*: Curvy Kate (saatavilla: Simply Be, Lumilingerie) | Rillit: Select Specs | Huulipuna: Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Brazen Berry

Heippa!

Noin kuukausi sitten sain kutsun Marisotan järjestämälle illalliselle, ja illallisella juhlittiin merkin uutta AVA by Mark Heyes-mallistoa. Marisota ei valitettavasti toimita Suomeen, mutta kuuluu samaan konserniin kuin Simply Be, eli osa malliston tuotteista löytyy Simply Be:n EU-kaupasta. Illallisella oli kiva viettää aikaa bloggaaja-kavereiden kanssa, ja Mark itse vaikutti oikein mukavalta mieheltä. (Hän on siis kuuluisa stylisti täällä Briteissä.) Osana tapahtuman goodie bagiä oli se, että saimme valita mallistosta pari tuotetta joista pidimme eniten. Valitsin siis kuvissa näkyvän takin ja paidan. Paitaan kuuluu oikeasti musta alustoppi, mutta minähän rakastan läpinäkyviä paitoja, joten päätin jättää alustopin pois. Päällä oli kauniit ja istuvat Curvy Katen Portia-rintsikat, joten niiden sietääkin näkyä ;)!

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Photos: / Kuvat: Mimmi

* denotes a gifted item / * tuote blogin kautta saatu

Hello my lovies,

A while ago I was offered a chance to try out a bra and briefs set from Parfait by Affinitas. The brand has only come up to G-cup before, but after lots of feedback they decided to extend their sizing up to K-cup in some styles – and that piece of news made me SO HAPPY. I have been coveting after the Charlotte-set since I heard about the size extension, but the set I was sent was Sophia. I do admit that I was disappointed for a few seconds, but I assure you that the feeling left me as soon as I put the bra on.

I was sent the underwired lace bra and high waisted briefs (Sophia-range also comes in cup sizes D-G in a padded bra, a camisole with hidden bra and hipster briefs). I was sent them in sizes 38J and XXL.

I asked for 38J, hoping it would be right (as we all know sizing differs between brands), and that is the size that I am in Curvy Kate bras. Thankfully the sizing is perfect for me. The bra comes with a wide, strong back with 4 hooks, and it’s made of gorgeous black lace. The central core is flat against my skin, and the wide back feels really supportive.

The knickers are highwaisted and stretchy, which means they actually fit me! I was sure that they would be too small and sit underneath my belly, but NO. They are perfect!

I really adore this set, and I definitely recommend you give it a try if you are in a size range 30-40 D-K. Click here for a store locator for both online and high street retailers who sell Parfait by Affinitas.

And yes, one day (hopefully soon) Charlotte will be mine as well!

Heippa!

Jokin aika sitten mulle tarjottiin mahdollisuutta kokeilla Parfait by Affinitasin alusasusettiä. Merkin liivejä on aikaisemmin tehty vain G-kuppiin asti, mutta runsaan asiakaspalautteen ansiosta he lisäsivät kokoja tietyissä malleissa K-kuppiin asti. Tämä uutinen sai kyllä minut (ja varmasti monet muutkin) todella iloiseksi! Tuosta lähtien olen kuolannut Charlotte-setin perään, sillä se on aivan järjettömän ihana! Setti joka mulle lähetettiin, oli kuitenkin Sophia. Hetkellinen pettymys loppui kuitenkin heti, kun puin liivit ylleni.

Sophia-sarjaan kuuluu kuppikoissa D-G myös topatut liivit, aluspaita jossa piilotetut liivit ja hipster-alushousut, mutta mulle lähetettiin kaarituelliset pitsi-liivit ja korkeavyötärölliset alushousut. Nämä pyysin koossa 85J ja XXL.

Kaikkihan me tiedämme, että liivien koko ja istuvuus on erilaista eri merkkien ja mallien liiveissä, mutta pyysin koon 85J, koska olen tätä kokoa Curvy Katen liiveissä. Onneksi ihme tapahtui, ja tämä on oikea kokoni myös Sophiassa. Liivit istuvat täydellisesti, kaarituet ovat ihoani vasten ja neljän hakasen leveä ympärysnauha on todella tukeva.

Entäs alushousut sitten? Olin varma etteivät ne mahtuisi, mutta nekin on täydelliset! Korkea vyötärö mahdollistaa sen, että ne mahtuvat, toinen malli olisi jäänyt viehättävästi mahan alle ;).

Mä olen todella onnellinen tästä setistä, ja suosittelen kaikkia kokeilemaan, jos olet ympäryseltäsi kokoa 90 tai alle, ja kuppikooltasi D-K. Tästä linkistä näkee missä kaupoissa Parfait by Affinitasia myydään, ja jotkut nettikaupoista listalla lähettävät myös ulkomaille.

Ja kyllä, joku kaunis päivä hankin itselleni myös sen Charlotte-setin! ;)

Bra and briefs were gifted to me / Alusasusetti blogin kautta saatu

Panache Lingerie started a new range for plus-size women a while ago, called Sculptresse. Ever since I heard about the range, I have wanted to try it, as I love Panache bras. So when Best British Bloggers contacted me about reviewing a set from Sculptresse range, I didn’t hesitate at all in saying yes! The range has 5 different sets: Bellise, Pure, Pure Lace, Rosie and Willow. Only Bellise and Willow come in my size (38J/40HH) and I went with Willow. It wasn’t an easy choice, and will definitely get Bellise at some point too – it’s gorgeous.

I got the Willow bra in 40HH and the bottoms in 26, and the bra fits perfectly. The band is a little tight (in my experience Panache usually has tighter bands compared to other brands), so I’m happy I didn’t go for 38 band. The central core sits flat against my chest and the cups fit gorgeously around my breasts – no complaints about the fit of the cups at all. The bottoms are a little big and sag slightly where my bum meets my thighs, so I guess I could have gone for 24.. but then again those might have been a little small around my belly. This is only a little sagginess though, and it doesn’t bother me at all when I’m wearing them :).

The colour is a stunning Raspberry, and the lace print is so pretty. Part of me wishes that it was real lace though, but I understand that then the bra wouldn’t be as firm and controlling as it is now.

All in all I really love the set, and I hope that in the future collections Panache will make them all in bigger cup sizes too. (Although my wallet would suffer if there was more than two options for my size, haha.) If you are interested in purchasing this pretty Sculptresse Willow set , the bra and bottoms are available at Simply Be. I definitely recommend that all ladies within their size range give Sculptresse a try!

** This set was gifted to me to review **

Once again it’s Wednesday, and I’m sure you know it’s Fatshion Faceoff time! If you’re new to the blog, please see here what Fatshion Faceoff is about :). I’m so happy to be back doing the challenge, it was weird (but needed) to skip the last two weeks! This week’s theme was chosen by me, and I chose underwear as outerwear. This gives us a chance to do something a bit more daring, and to bend some ‘rules’.

I tried 3 different outfits before I chose to do this one. I had a great idea with one of them, but couldn’t do it because of various reasons.. I’m sure you will see that outfit someday in the future though. I wore my trusty biker jacket, my new wetlook-scubaish skater skirt from New Look Inspire (which is sadly sold out online already – but I have still seen them in stores) and the gorgeous floral slip from Simply Be that I modelled at Plus North last year.

Slip*: Arlene Phillips for Simply Be | Jacket: 20, Primark (similar at Simply Be, similar at Forever 21+) | Skirt: 26, New Look Inspire (A-line skirt at Forever 21+, skater skirts at ASOS Curve: 1, 2, skater skirt at New Look Inspire) | Tights: Lycra Xceptionelle 40 denier 3D tights, Yours Clothing | Booties*: Luxury Rebel via Shopbop (same in burgundy/taupe at Bloomingdale’s, similar at ASOS: 1, 2) | Glasses: LensWay (similar at Select Specs) | Lippy: Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in Electric Orange (US link at Target, UK link at Boots)

I really like this look, it’s sexy, but not way too revealing. Not sure what would be the right occasion to wear it though, maybe a gig or a festival? Anyway, enough about me and my outfit – I’m too excited to see the other girls’ looks… let’s click to see!

Dani: DIY Fatshion (USA)
Mhairi: Lilybobombs Lovely Lumps (UK)
Mouna: Brussels Fatshion (Belgium)
Olivia: Wait Until The Sunset (Australia)

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* denotes a gifted item

So, it is time for my last anniversary giveaway! The amazing Cha at Large Cup Lingerie has given me £50 voucher to give to the winner, and they can spend it on anything at the store.

Large Cup Lingerie stocks lingerie and swimwear in 28-40 back sizes and D to K cups, and there’s  very pretty sets to choose from. They also have FREE worldwide delivery, which is amazing!

I have also found during this year of blogging that Large Cup Lingerie is extremely nice company to bloggers. The lovely Cha retweets posts, communicates with bloggers, and is very helpful if you have questions. The customer service at Large Cup Lingerie is absolutely amazing, and Cha always puts the customer’s needs first. Good example on this: LCL gifted me the pink Panache Sport bra a while ago, and since I found the bra so great I wanted to get it for my mum too. My mum’s size wasn’t in stock, but I asked Cha if she could order it, and she did! Cha let me know when she had added it to the site and I went and bought it. To me that kind of things are the best customer service there can be. And if all this praise wasn’t enough ;).. I highly recommend Large Cup Lingerie, and no, this post was not sponsored! (LCL deserves all the praise!)

So, what do you need to do to enter? Anyone can enter, since LCL has a worldwide delivery – YAY! Just fill in the Rafflecopter below.. like Large Cup Lingerie’s Facebook page, follow them on Twitter, and leave me a comment which lingerie brand is your favourite (it doesn’t have to be one that LCL have). You can also get a few extra entries if you like my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter, but these are not mandatory. That is all – get entering below :)!

And please remember my other anniversary giveaways too: styling session at Evans and £100 outfit, £100 to spend on Scarlett&Jo at Evans, and a pair of Minnetonka suede moccasins!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received a BEAUTIFUL bra from Panache a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to build an outfit around it. I think this is the first time I wanted to do this.. base an outfit around a bra! It was just so amazing, that how could I not to. It’s not easy showing your décolletage during winter, firstly because it’s cold, and secondly, I really don’t like when it’s windy and I have a lot of skin showing. BUT thankfully sheer tops are a big thing right now, and I guess if you’re a regular reader you’ve seen that I’m obsessed with them ;). I went with this cream sheer top, so that the vivid red of the bra shows through – I love a bit of accent colour during winter!

Bra*: 38H, Masquerade Rosetti by Panache in Scarlet (ASOS, Bravissimo) | Shirt: 24, George at ASDA (similar at ASDA, similar at Simply Be, similar at Evans, similar at Forever 21+) | Skirt: 22, ASOS Curve (didn’t find puffballs, but skater at ASOS Curve, chiffon at Macy’s, jersey at Debenhams) | Tights: E, We Love Colors | Shoes: New Look (similar at Debenhams: 1, 2, similar at ASOS, similar at New Look) | Clutch*: Next (similar at Karmaloop, similar at Ax Paris, similar at Urban Outfitters) | Glasses*: Four Eyes Fashion | Necklace*: Boohoo (similar at Dorothy Perkins, similar at New Look) | Lippy: Natural Collection Moisture Shine in Crimson – available in Boots (similar by MAC)

And the bra itself? I love it! I got the same size that I was fitted in Panache Andorra, which is 38H, and it fits me perfectly. It gives me lift and support, and looks beautiful!

Do you like to show off a bra with sheer tops? Are you a fan of Panache lingerie?

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* denotes a gifted item

Like I mentioned in my post from week ago, I went to Bluewater with Caroline of CurvyWordy, and our main intention was to visit Leia Lingerie. I was very excited to go bra shopping with Caroline, since she is what I call a guru when it comes to bras, the lady knows everything! She was the one who told me that I basically need to get fitted everywhere to know what my size is in each brand etc, so going to Leia store with her was a really great experience :). We were welcomed by the lovely store manager Leigh, who introduced us to Julie who did our fitting.

The only time that I have had a fitting before was at the Curvy Kate bloggers event (post here), and in their bras I’m a 38GG, so we used that as a starting point for me in Elomi bras. First bra we tried was the beautiful Betty, and we tried 3 sizes before we found the fit in 40GG. Julie and me agreed that either that or an H cup is the best fit for me in Betty, since my other boob is quite a bit bigger than the other. They didn’t have Betty in 40H in store, so we tried with some other Elomi model and that was WAY too big. I decided to take the risk without trying Betty in H cup, and actually after using it for a day I know that H is what I will purchase when I get my next Betty (and I will get many Betty’s in the future – love the bra). I also got the Betty brief, which is frilly and GORGEOUS.

After Julie and I got my size sorted in Betty, I mentioned to her what I REALLY needed. A sports bra and a strapless bra. Julie left the fitting room determined to help me find what I need. I really appreciated it that she really looked for items everywhere in the store (and apparently upstairs storage too). Sadly they didn’t have the Elomi Energise sports bras in store, and since I only wanted an underwired one, I only got one Freya bra to try. That one was sadly way too small, so Energise is definitely something that I want to try out in the future! (Might have to do a new visit to Leia soon! Haha.)

Then to my second ‘need’: strapless. I tried a few different brands and bras, with Elomi Smoothing being the best fit, but still nowhere near perfect for my boobs. Julie wasn’t going to give up though. Once again she said that ‘she’ll look upstairs’ and came back with the most gorgeous basque I’ve seen. It was of course the Elomi Occasions basque, and I REALLY wanted it to work for me. Now like you have seen, my underbust width is much less than around my belly, which means that the basque can never work for me as a proper basque with the suspender straps etc, but it works perfectly as a ‘bralet’. TOTALLY ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY. My problems with strapless are gone and I’m so completely happy about that! I fitted as 40G in the basque, but there’s still a bit of room in the cups, so I think that possibly a 40H-HH could also wear it, since I can as a GG :). The cups themselves have a light boning in them, which keeps the boobs in a perfect shape. I’m so in love with this basque… and if Elomi ever decides *hint, hint* to do a strapless bra with the same kind of light cup-boning, I will buy about zillion of those!

See! I can wear a strapless dress! Dress: 18, New Look (similar.. or actually a lot fancier, haha)

I also put together an outfit where I use the basque as a top. Looks pretty great like that, or what do you think?

Elomi Occasions basque in 40G (online store link) | Biker jacket: 20, Primark (similar) | Skirt: XL, Old Navy via Dani, and also shortened (similar) | Belt: XL, Dorothy Perkins (similar) | Heels: Clarks (similar)

What do you think? Successful bra-shopping? I’d say so! I love the cuteness of Betty and the sexiness of the basque, AND obviously the fact that it works so well for me as a strapless bra. LOVE. I want to give a HUGE thank you to Leigh and her fabulous staff, especially Julie of course. My readers, if you have a chance to visit the Leia Lingerie store in Bluewater I absolutely recommend going. The customer service is amazing and the lingerie gorgeous.. and to tempt you even more: Elomi has amazing stuff coming.. like for example.. A LONGLINE BRA…

See that gorgeous longline bra in the catalogue? It’s calling my name!

Yeah, I really think that the girls of the Bluewater store will be seeing me again soon, and obviously I’ll make Caroline go with me again ;)!!