Ewa Michalak HM Wzor 10 in 60G

On Black Friday, I eagerly scrolled through Ewa Michalak's website, hoping to find something cute in my size. Ewa had several random models on her site included in the sale-there were some older models, some custom models, and seemingly some one-offs. I found this beauty, who has no name, on her site in a 60G and 65DD. I've been wanting to try a 60 band for a while now so I decided to take the risk with this bra seeing as it was on sale and also so gorgeous. Unfortunately there was no matching underwear available for this bra.

The HM style is an unpadded half cup with 1 seam and 1 dart near the gore for shaping. I have so far tried this model in a 65FF and a 75DD. The cups in the 65FF gave me a seriously weird shape and the band on the 75DD was understandably too large and the gore didn't tack at all. The 60G has a band that is slightly too tight and the shape is kind of odd but I consider it a perfect fit. The bra has wide set straps, a tall gore, and very open cups. The shape is minimized and very odd in a way I can't put into words (I have photos). However, it gives me a crazy amount of lift.

The cups look full coverage on me but I'm not sure if that's the style or just how it fits my body. I fill the cups completely with no wrinkles-I've never had a soft style fit with no wrinkles before! It's a very tight to the body shape which makes me look a little flat. It is perfectly pattern matched in the most beautiful shades of soft orange and coral and salmon. 

I get a little quadding on my larger side but overall fill the cups well. You can see here how wide set the straps are. It's a common complaint of mine regarding Ewa's bras and it's exacerbated here. I hope it won't prove to be too annoying if I wear it for longer periods of time. 

I get an insanely lifted, round appearance from the side so I'm not sure why it looks so flat/minimized from the front. The band runs on the firm size of true to size, measuring in at 27.25 inches. That is my current underbust measurement so it feels firm on me. I don't think it will bug me too much. The bra's clasp only has 2 rows of eyes. If there were 3 I don't think the band would be a problem. It is made out of ridiculously soft knit in the most glorious shade of salmon.

And here is that weird shape I was talking about earlier. I have no idea what it is about the construction of the bra that would cause it, so if anyone can enlighten me that would be awesome!

Close up of the armpit attack going on with the straps.

The straps are very wide at .75 inches and completely smooth. I am worried that they will slip because there's no embellishment on them at all. They are medium stretchy and soft.

 Even the inside of this bra is pretty. Light pink elastics with red stitching and the wings/band are lined with beige powermesh. The jersey/powermesh bands are my favorites because they always seem firmer than the lace ones. I noticed that the seam tape is sewn with pale pink thread on the inside, matching the seam tape, and red thread on the outside, matching the embroidery. It's a little thing that most people won't notice, but it shows all the thought that is put into Ewa's bras.

The gore is wide and tall and the wires don't really overlap. In this size, the height of the gore doesn't bother me too much. It is a soft tack and doesn't really rest on tissue. 

I can't say enough about how beautiful this bra is. It is well made and hopefully will be comfortable once I break the band in a little bit. I'm not convinced that 60 bands are for me but I will size down if a bra is known to run loose. I'd say my ideal band size is a 28.5/29 and since Ewa's models are known for running tight a 65 band is usually the safest bet. I was worried that this bra would be too big since I normally take a 65F in unpadded sizes which would translate to a 60FF if I went down a size. However, this bra fit well and even a little small on my larger size. I am glad I took the risk on this one. The only thing that would have made it better would be matching underwear but I know that will never happen! There is one model of this bra left on her site in a 65DD. If that's your size I reccomend you snatch this one up! 

Playful Promises Rosie Quarter Cup Bra and Ouvert Brief in 30F/S

Hi all. I want to apologize for being a poor blogger this year. I've been going through a lot of stuff this year which hasn't left me with much time or energy left to devote to this blog. Hopefully that will all start changing, and I wanted to start again with this review. It's a lot of firsts: first quarter cup bra, first ouvert brief, first order from Playful Promises (and first review in too long). This is a long review guys, and please note that I am not wearing pasties in these pictures so my nipples are visible.

I'm not sure what inspired me to do so, but a week ago I was looking on Playful Promises' (hereafter known as PP) website and discovered they had a sale on. As I often do, I decided to check it out. I was expecting to just window shop, but then I found the Rosie Bra. I've always wanted to try a quarter cup bra but I could never justify it. When I saw this on sale, I knew that it was time. My order total was 35 pound, or $60. PP's website is easy to navigate and the UK/US sites have different stock, at least of the sale items.

I wasn't too sure on sizing so I decided to order what I believe to be my UK size of 30F (I've not bought a UK bra in ages) and the ouvert brief in a medium. Their size chart confused me: at first all I saw was the conversion for bra size. I didn't realize their size chart had sizing for briefs on there until after I had already placed my order. And according to this size chart I had discovered too late, the brief in a medium was equivalent to a US 8-I'm a US 4. I immediately emailed PP, hoping it wasn't too late to change my order to a size small brief. The next morning, I got an email saying my order had shipped. While I was bummed I couldn't change the brief, I accepted it as it was entirely my fault. Imagine my surprise when Anna from PP emailed me a few minutes later saying she'd try to pull my order and update it for me! And she did-she emailed me back saying she had updated my order and swapped the brief for me. This is some of the best customer service I have ever received and I wanted to make sure everyone knew about it.

This bra is a quarter cup bra. It has 2 pieces/1 seam. There is mesh on the wings and boning on the seam between the 2 wing pieces. I don't know how necessary the boning is but I'm going to leave it in there until it bugs me. It is a full band bra with a leotard back. The straps are the most disappointing part for me. I knew they weren't fully adjustable, but these are the longest straps I have ever seen. When I shortened them I just sewed the stretchy pink part straight to the back elastic. The cups are also shallow which gives me a pointier shape. The material is soft and the colour is beautiful. For the original price of almost $90 for the set, I think the construction and materials live up to the price point.

Again, I am not wearing pasties in these pictures.

These pictures are all taken pre-strap shortening. I have gaping and the edge of the bra clearly shows under shirts. I don't feel super supported and the straps won't stay up at all if I don't stand still.

Because these cups are so low, the shape you get depends a lot on your own natural shape. I'm pretty even and my nipples just peek above the cup edge. Without a shirt on this results in a pretty pointy shape especially because the cup goes straight out at an angle because of how shallow it is. However, with a tight tank on it's not as extremely pointy as it is without it. The cups fit pretty true to size but shallow on the bottom and inside. I get a smidgen of quad around the inside, but I believe this is the best fit I can expect in this style. The straps are wide set but soft. As I mentioned earlier they are extremely stretchy and long. The wires are medium firm and narrow. The gore touches at the top but does not overlap. I get gapping up around where the strap connects but I'm ok with that. The band is nice and firm, stretching to about 29.25 inches which is perfect for me. The wires stay in my imf for my brief test drive. I believe they would slide down over time because I don't have the depth I need but since I won't wear this for hours and hours that is something I can overlook. I am pleased with the fit and appearance of this bra. 

It's really hard to get a good photo of your bum but I tried. These briefs should be equivalent to a US 6 but the waistband is super tight. It's a lower cut brief so luckily for me it doesn't really cut in too bad. I believe the next size up would be too baggy in the bum/crotch so I'm not going to try the bigger size. Despite the tight waistband, the leg elastic doesn't cut in and the bum fits fine. The ouvert part is actually pretty discrete as evidenced in the photos and fits as expected.

 The ouvert part is nicely lined with very thin binding or piping.

 I forgot to take photos of the straps pre-shortening but I had to cut off all the adjustable part to make it work for me.

All in all, I am extremely pleased with my first set from PP. Customer service was excellent, the quality is great and it fits well enough. I expect to get plenty of wear from this and if I have the funds I'd like to further explore this brand in the future.

Ewa Michalak PL Zielony Pieprzyk in 65FF

Hi guys! I'm sure some of you may remember my review(s) of the Ewa Michalak S Syrena. The Syrena was my first dabble in Ewa Michalak. I loved the green with the navy lace and it's still one of my favourite bras to wear. Fast forward almost a year, and I see the S Zielony Pieprzyk in a newsletter Jaimie at Bra Obsessed sent out. Even though the base colors are the same as the Syrena, it has polka dots. So, you know, it was different enough for me to justify ordering. I thought it was a fitting way to end my first year in a relationship with Ewa Michalak. This model normally comes in the S style but I special ordered it in a PL, something that can be done with most Ewa bras either through Ewa directly or through a retailer like Bra Obsessed or Zathiya. I'm still digging my S models but I love the low gore and wires and most importantly the cleavage the PL gives me.

Some of Ewa's models come with the option for briefs or thongs, some briefs only, some thong only. I haven't asked her yet if she would make a thong into a brief or vice versa. This bra does come with brief only. It has elasticated leg holes otherwise I would have asked Ewa if she would accommodate a request for a thong. A brief without elastic legholes is gonna right up my butt anyway, might as well make it by design. The polka dot lace covers the cups up till the top seam where there is a pretty, chunky lace trim followed by bare cup. The seams are covered in black satin tape and there's a row of the floral lace on the wings of the cups followed by green satin tape. The band is black and the gore is see-through, creating a little peak-a-boo effect. The straps are my favorite kind with green satin tape scrunched up over them. This is of course fully adjustable, just takes a little patience (or, alternatively, sheer strength and will power). In the interest of full disclosure, I did photoshop these images but purely for purposes of color correction. I got as close as I could: my camera doesn't want to cooperate lately. I tried, you guys. I'm so sorry for the piss yellow walls. If I can remember how to selectively color balance I'll replace the photos.

This is the most accurate color wise. It's a little bluer in real life but here you can see the cup design and the low gore. This is without pads.

Without pads. You can see this model is a little rounder than the last few PLs I've tried. I'm okay with either shape. The polka dots on this cup are the perfect size between twee and obnoxious and you can see how the wing (as well as the gore) is made of green mesh backed by green.

Without pads. The cups fit perfectly without the pads. I get no quadding and a perfect shape as well as unmatched support. As usual, the gore is a soft tack but I find that to be more comfortable then an extremely hard tack anyway. The wires are nice and low on the sides and don't poke, harass, rub or otherwise harm my poor innocent armpits. The band is a little on the stretchy side for me, stretching to 30.5 inches. That's completely true to size and I don't find it riding up or too uncomfortable.

And this is what the bra looks like with pads in. I get touching cleavage as my boobs settle in. With the pads, however, there is not enough room for my center fullness so I get a touch of cleavage. I anticipated this since the PL cut is barely projected enough at the center for me anyway.

This photo is pretty true color wise as well. The gore has a little folded over fabric detail that's topped with a signature big floppy bow. I love this design so much. It's super comfortable and makes me feel super wonderful.

I ordered the matching briefs in a 38. They are beautiful (all of Ewa's coords are). I think they are relatively true to size, but they fit a little funky on me. I have a feeling that's because they're too 'tall' and hit my belly in an awkward spot, leading them to either fold or slouch down. They're still pretty comfy and not too full coverage which I appreciate. Best of all, they barely show or ride up over pants.

This bra is a classic beauty that I reach to again and again. What's not to love? It looks beautiful, fits beautifully, and makes me feel beautiful. That's a winner in my book.

Ewa Michalak Pl Zielony Pieprzyk 65FF

* Stretched band length: 30.5in

* Band length: 24.3in

* Cup width: 5.5in

* Cup depth: 9.5in

* Wire length: 8.3in

* Cup separation: 0.8in

* Cup height: 6.0cm

* Gore height: 1.9in

* Wing height: 3.8in

* Strap width: 0.6in

* Hooks: 2

Full details at: http://bra.pe/XVTZ/

Ewa Michalak PL XOXO in 65FF

So the last time I was bugging Jaimie about a bra, I was inquiring about the SF Royal Blue. Jaimie followed up by sending me a picture of what Ewa was going to release in the new future. I saw the XOXO and decided to try that one instead of the Royal Blue, which I now regret because it's not visible on Ewa's site so I'm worried I missed out. The image was small so I thought that this was a pin-striped bra, not a polka dot bra. The XOXO is a very Victoria's Secret-esque style and is normally made in the M style which is for smaller busts. I had this special ordered as a PL since at the time the M cut did not come high enough.

This style has a corset-style gore with cord being the only kind of support there. It looks like the wires are attached at the top and that's the only support there. Because of this corset gore, it's a band-less style which is uncomfortable for me. There are frills on the top of the cups which I'm not a big fan of, but it wouldn't make or break the look of the bra for me. I find it's relatively true to size in the cups/wire length, but the band runs over one size tight. It only stretches to 27.5 inches and I couldn't do it up without 2 rows of an extender. The straps also seem longer/stretchier than usual but I have similar straps on bras that do fit better so I'm thinking the extender pushes the straps are far too wide for comfort. My colors are not true to size due to lack of sunlight-picture baby pink and black.

These are the photos with the pads. I'm not sure if it's this bra in particular but it looks like a lot of bra on me. Looking at my PL Fairytale photos however it looks like it covers the same. It's an odd, kind of lumpy shape that might be from the pads but it might be from the fabric. It was kind of wrinkly. There are the polka dots, black wire casings with the loop trim from the gore on them, black lacee on the top as well as frills. 

Better view of the shape. It's not super rounded but it seems different to my other PLs. They're pointy as well, but it's a smoother pointy. For lack of a better word, this seems chunky.

So there's lace all around the band and the loopy trim follows all the way up the wires. I was too cold to take a picture of the back but it's bad-I can't even come close to doing it up. 

Without the pads. Fit is similar-the shape is a little smother but still kind of funky/geometric.

Here is a closeup of the gore and wrinkly cup fabric. I do have the thong in a 38 but I forgot to take extra photos. I was freezing because my room isn't heated so I was in a hurry. I pulled the following two photos from Ewa Michalak's website. These colors are true to size.

I haven't tried these on so I can't tell if they are true to size. This set is super cute, however not my style. I knew I was taking a risk ordering this style but I hoped I would fall in love. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I wish it was one solid color instead of the polka dots because that makes it too cutesy for me. I have decided to hopefully exchange this bra so I have reached out to Jaimie at Bra Obsessed to see how we can make it so.

Wellfitting Meow Classic Demi in 65HH

I have always wanted a bra like this-covered in a quirky or weird print and cats definitely suit the bill! Ordering this bra was not as easy as ordering from some other retailers. Originally, this bra was going to be available in a longline only. I emailed Wellfitting to confirm the rumor and when they did, they also asked if there was anything they could do to help me out. I asked if I could order it as a regular band and they just responded by saying it was longline only. No explanation, no nothing. What's the point of asking if they could help if they would refuse my simple alteration? They partner with Comexim, which is one of the most alteration friendly brands to work with. I understand if Wellfitting just didn't want to logistically deal with a million and one alterations but I thought that offering it in a regular band was a reasonable request. I am not ashamed to say I bugged them and got others to bug them and eventually they offered it in the regular as well as long band. My biggest issue, besides the original lack of regular band, was the price. Comexim sells bras for max $40 USD. Wellfitting's cheapest bra is $59, while their most expensive is $90. That means that they're marking their bras up at least 50%. I would never ever pay that much for a Comexim bra unless it was a print that I will never find any where else, like the Meow. Honestly, the prices are expensive, you can no longer return stuff to the US and the customer service wasn't anything special. I appreciate all that Wellfitting does and is but I doubt I will be a repeat fan. While companies like Bra Obsessed and Zathiya sell their Polish bras for a markup, it comes with unbeatable customer service and still reasonable prices.

The Meow is available in longline and regular bands as a 'classic demi' only. The classic demi is their term for a 3 HC cut. There is a high-waisted brief, regular brief, and thong as coord options. It has a plain black back for the bra and coord as well as kind of cheap feeling straps. The cups fit perfectly, although the measurements say that shouldn't be possible. It's super deep and super open so while not the shape I originally wanted (I really wanted the plunge cut) it still gets along perfectly well with my body. I'd say it fits tts for a Comexim 65HHI am also not ashamed to say I emailed Anna at Comexim to ask for one alteration: moved in straps. I sent her my Wellfitting order number and practically begged her to do this one thing for me. While I have no proof that it was done, when trying it on the straps are so far from my armpits it's hard to believe it wasn't. On Wellfitting, it says that it may take up to 4 weeks for manufacturing and in my case it took the full 4 weeks, although shipping to the States was quick enough (I'm still waiting on something shipped from Canada that was shipped 11 days ago).

Look at how narrow set those straps are! This is what heaven looks and feels like guys! The foam on this bra is medium thick. It's more of an hourglass from the sides look rather than all pushed in to the front. The gore overlaps and is super narrow. The bow is super adorable. It's orange with two little silver ribbons put on top to look like whiskers. The center gore is kind of high (2.75 inches) and is taller than other 3HCs I own. This difference is noticeable but still tolerable. 

The silky ribbon on top of this bra might make it a smidge more closed off but unless you're super full on top I wouldn't worry about it. The immediate projection is great and gives me plenty of room for my breasts to sit.

Relatively narrow cups. I'm grateful for the all black band because, while I love cats and floral, I think that it would be super overwhelming to have this particular pattern continue onto the band and back of the bra.

If you look closely, you can see some sort of weird shiny texture on top of the cat print. This disappoints me so much. It cheapens the look of the bra and makes no sense whatsoever. It would make more sense on a plain bra but on a patterned one it's overwhelming and distracting.

Narrow set straps! Love love love! My favorite Comexim alteration. The straps have some kind of decoration on them to stop them from slipping. They are kind of stretchy but not too bad. I cannot fault the quality of the bra, besides the odd textured overlay. It's a buttery soft fabric with cotton lined cups. The satin binding on the top has been carefully stitched so that it's smooth and the foam is nice and supple and not rustley. The powernet on the wings feels strong but not scratchy. It looks like some kind of fabric tape has been placed over the seams on the inside, maybe to strengthen them or to provide a smoother fit? One side of my bow is twisted like a mobius strip. No one else will probably notice it but I do and it bugs me. It shouldn't have been overlooked, especially at this price point.

I purchased the matching thong for this in size medium. I'd say it runs relatively true to size but if you're between sizes size up. The edges of the thong are bound in the same satin as on the top of the cups and the back is sheer mesh. It's one of my new favorite sets to wear.

I applaud Wellfitting for its diverse ad campaign and range of models. I, however, cannot justify the prices on bras that I could either get somewhere else cheaper or get something comparable and cheaper. The customer service was just okay and I would much prefer it if you could still return stuff to the States as to me that was a major selling point in the beginning of its existence. I'm too lazy to return stuff but it was nice to have that option in the back of your mind, especially for those who are new to the world of Polish lingerie. I hate having to write reviews that are less than positive, especially for a independent company that is producing good product. I think I'll stick to buying direct unless they come out with another cool print bra because to me personally, that is the only thing that makes the price point worth it.

Wellfitting Meow Classic Demi 30HH

* Stretched band length: 30.0in

* Band length: 23.0in

* Cup width: 5.5in

* Cup depth: 9.0in

* Wire length: 9.5in

* Cup separation: 0.3in

* Cup height: 5.5cm

* Gore height: 2.8in

* Wing height: 4.0in

* Strap width: 0.6in

* Hooks: 2

Full details at: http://bra.pe/XUyX/