My Fantasie fantasy: Vivienne reviewed

 

Fantasie Vivienne ReviewI thought that if I could ever be grown up enough to own a house, I’d be altogether a much more collected version of myself than I was previously. I’d have somehow grown out of the habit of leaving clothes on the bathroom floor, have grown in to regular hair maintenance, and would spend my evenings writing in a smoking gown and elegant, taupe lingerie. No, I don’t know why either.

Well, I just bought a house [hence the less-frequent-than-normal blogging. Picking electrical sockets takes tiiiiime], and in spite of levelling up to a height of grown-up-ishness I barely thought possible I still cannot be held accountable for the whereabouts of all my socks, my hair is a two-foot long shag that gets cut once a year by a despairing hairdresser wielding shears, and my lingerie – though still rocking, obvs – hasn’t blossomed in to the grown-up, taupe fun festival of my dreams.

I thought Fantasie’s Vivienne (in mink technically, not taupe – but it’s in the ballpark) may be exactly what I’ve been looking for. And out of the box, she is. Shimmery, minky, taupey beautifulness with flashes of turquoise, this bra feels like the perfect bra to pretend to be a grown up in. And the pants are brilliant too – I am loving this new trend for seamless, see through bottoms – such a simple way to make even a simple pair of pants special. Plus, rude. I especially enjoy the rudeness.

I digress. I tried my usual 30G, and though the back could definitely have been more snug the bra fit decently – the wire tracked well, the cut looks great on, and in the mirror I felt like a quilted jacket and a slick of red lipstick away from my perfectly coiffured blogging dream.

Alas, that’s where the dream ends – for me at least. My prominent sternum (*shakes fist at bones*) just doesn’t get along with certain bras, and as lovely as Vivienne may look on and off her wires are extremely unforgiving on bony ribs. I almost wanted to flex the wires out the other way to stop them from pressing against my bones…. but that’s an expensive risk to take with £50+ lingerie. Sigh.

This time at least my Fantasie could not become my reality – but for those without flared rib cages or bony sternums, I recommend giving Vivienne a chance. She’s beautiful, she’s taupe, and she’s 50% off at Leia Lingerie right now. Taupe I tell you!

Fantasie Vivienne Review

Fantasie Vivienne Review

[To clarify…. it might seem counterintuitive to complain about pressure on ribs whilst simultaneously wishing for a snugger band. But actually, painful wires can be less of a sign of a ‘too tight’ bra than they are just an incompatible wire shape/bra shape for your body. Personally, I find that for bigger breasts a loose band can exacerbate irritation against ribs as much as a too tight one – as a less anchored bra can move around and irritate those pressure points. It’s about getting to know your body and shape, and learning what works for you. Butterfly Collection has some amazing blog posts designed to help you navigate these minefields – if in doubt I recommend heading over to their blog for some extra help understanding bra fit.]

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New campaign demands end to Page 3

A new campaign has kicked off to petition Dominic Mohan, editor of the Sun, to drop Page 3 from its papers. The group ‘No More Page 3’ was inspired earlier this year, when Lucy Holmes grabbed an issue of The Sun and found that in an issue full of stories of female Olympic triumph the biggest female image was “a massive picture of a girl in her pants.” They say:

We are asking Dominic Mohan to drop the bare boobs from The Sun newspaper. We are asking very nicely.

Please, Dominic.

No More Page 3.

George Alagiah doesn’t say, ‘And now let’s look at Courtney, 21, from Warrington’s bare breasts,’ in the middle of the 6 O’ Clock News, does he, Dominic?

Philip and Holly don’t flash up pictures of Danni, 19, from Plymouth, in just her pants and a necklace, on This Morning, do they, Dominic?

No, they don’t.

There would be an outcry.

And you shouldn’t show the naked breasts of young women in your widely read ‘family’ newspaper either.

Consider this a long overdue outcry.

Dominic, stop showing topless pictures of young women in Britain’s most widely read newspaper, stop conditioning your readers to view women as sex objects.

Enough is enough.

Thank you.

Can they do it? At last count they had nearly 7,000 supporters and a steep target of 100,000. There’s a lot of work to be done… but isn’t it time? Time we said good bye to this anachronistic throw-back? Time women – often teenage girls – weren’t casually objectified over the breakfast table? Or do you disagree, and is Page 3 nothing more than a bit of harmless fun?

Sign the petition here, or visit their Facebook page for 10 ways to help the campaign.

Good luck guys – we’ll get there x

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Gabby Logan for Speedo

Gabby Logan Speedo

Gabby Logan is the new spokeswoman (and spokesbody) for Speedo Sculpture – a new swimsuit collection with hidden support to help women feel more confident about swimming for fitness.

Okay, so it’s pretty messed up that as the awesome and inspiring paralympics draw to a close we have a culture so messed up that ‘fear of their own lumps and bumps’ is an obstacle that women need to ‘overcome’, but sadly that’s what we have. I’m a firm believer that exercise and all its associated endorphines are great for vanquishing self-hating – but if you feel too ashamed of your body to take part how are you ever supposed to break the negative cycle? If this product gets more women to be active, then it’s as valid as a sports bra.

That said, I do wish Speedo hadn’t paired Gabby’s appointment to the motivational “Plunge Panel” with a celebrity hair and make-up stylist. It makes it less about empowerment, more about making women feel they need to worry about dressing up for the pool. Come on, Speedo. If this was all about getting women in to the pool, you’d be giving tips on not-giving-a-crap about hair and make-up. No one looks hot with chlorine pinked eyes and a swimming cap. The important thing to know is that it doesn’t matter. Grr.

Anyway, for those of us with too much up top for Speedo, for me Freya Active is still the best D+ swimwear out there. Well worth trying if your boobs tend to migrate to your chin in the pool.

Don’t be afraid to jump in. The water – and your body too – is fine.

Gabby Logan Speedo

(Images nabbed from Speedo)

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Perfect Piper: Freya’s longline loveliness reviewed

Freya Piper Longline

I wrote in my recent review of Miss Mandalay’s Suzie bra that the other half of my birthday package from the lovely chaps at Large Cup Lingerie may be my favourite bra of all time. Well, this is her: Freya’s gorgeous longline Piper.

I love Piper so much I want to name my children after her. Or perhaps more appropriately, I just want to tell everyone how awesome she is so I can get my love out in the open and stop having to snatch clandestine peeks down my cleavage at the greatness beneath. This bra makes me feel amazing. It looks amazing. It is amazing.

Let’s start at the bottom. These shorts (when it comes to me with pants, more is always more) are perfect: great size and amazing shape, plus absurdly flattering. The back is entirely black lace, which adds a sexy twist that prevents this pinky-peach floral number from becoming too twee. There’s also a beautifully contrasting black lace scalloping that across the stomach (so, so flattering – try it and see), plus – when you thought it couldn’t get any better – they stick a cute polka dot ribbon at the front. Freya, with these truly perfect undercrackers you are really spoiling us.

Not everyone has the patience or the shoulder flexibility to fasten six (yes, six!) back fastenings, but believe me when I say she is worth the effort (or the recruitment of an assistant). The longline shape is extremely flattering – so flattering I spent a good ten minutes in the mirror musing that if I were braver or in possession of a completely different personality, it would work brilliantly as the sort of dainty floral crop-top Topshop were encouraging you to pair with high waisted denim for ages (note: the cups are lined with a thin padding, so no chance of nipple flashing).

The support is great, and though the cleavage is certainly no show-stopping Deco, there is a definite uplift and a nice full shape. This is the first longline I’ve ever tried, and it is a little strange to fill the extra fabric around your ribs – though I wonder if that’s because my ribcage is ‘flared’ so it’s a more challenging shape for the bra to sit on. There were a few moments in the afternoon where I felt the longline had ‘flipped up’ thanks to my horrible at-work-slumped-over-desk-over-laptop posture, but that just forced me to sit up straight. I should wear longline all the time: I’d save a fortune in physio.

Piper is a beautiful and unusual treat I could recommend on it’s support alone. But most importantly, it makes me feel special whilst being perfectly supportive. Wearing her makes my day. And if that’s not a perfect bra, I don’t know what is.

Freya’s Piper is widely available in sizes 30-38 C-G. She’s selling out fast though, so grab her quick. And if longline isn’t your bag (or if you’re not lucky enough to fall in the sadly slim size range), she’s also available in the equally beautiful and equally supportive classic balcony style in sizes 28 D-J, 30-36 D-K, and 38 D-J. Enjoy.

 

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Suzie by Miss Mandalay reviewed

Miss Mandalay by Suzie Review | Busts 4 Justice

I’m still loving being thirty, and especially love getting belated presents from my lingerie chums. The lovely Large Cup Lingerie (who – and fellow non-UK residents will appreciate just how day-improvingly brilliant this is – deliver worldwide for free ) just made my week with a beautifully wrapped little package of goodies to kick start my fourth decade lingerie habit. One half of this package may be my favourite bra of all time (I know, I know… another one). But that’s a story for another day. The other was the rather beautiful Suzie bra by purveyors of sherbet colours, retro styles and related loveliness: Miss Mandalay

The mighty Caitlin Moran says that leopard print is a neutral, and she’s absolutely right. Suzie is really a basic pink bra, with the added benefit of being non-boring and totally awesome. It’s the first bra in ages Mr B4J has noticed me parade around in, and though I can’t help feeling it would better on any skin tone darker than my own, it’s still a great looking bra on. Plus, I love a big ribbon. Who can say no to a big ribbon?

Suzie is a padded balcony with a fairly firm back and the power to give you a traffic stopping cleavage (which might explain Mr B4J’s interest more than the pink leopard print, I suppose….) As is often the case with padded balconies (similar to Ellie by Cleo), this cleavage has a lot to do with the space at the top of the cup – it’s definitely giving me a slightly trussed up ‘heaving bosom’ rather than a modest ‘daily with decorum’ – but then, that’s leopard print for you: basic, with a fun twist.

I could definitely use another half cup to make Suzie perfect as I suspect the heaving may overspill should I get too excited. I do love this bra for it’s everyday frivolousness – but it may be worth sizing up on if a more practical balcony is preferred, and (of course, as it stops at a GG cup) if it is possible.

Suzie by Miss Mandalay is available now, in sizes 30C-38GG.

 

Thank you LCL for letting me get my big cat on! *purrr* xx

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