Figleaves Lulu Tout Fleur Rose 34G & Briefs

As I mentioned in my last Figleaves Carmen review, I love the styles that are coming out of Figleaves' house brands lately. This set is made under the label Lulu Tout which are "French-inspired styles up to a H cup". Fleur Rose is exactly the kind of romantic, unique and affordable design that I gravitate towards. Sadly, it didn't quite work for me for reasons I'll outline below.

Available in 30-38 DD-H at $40 (Briefs: $27)

Looks:
I am an absolute sucker for florals and navy blue. I love the sheer layer that is wrapped in a soft peachy fabric embroidered with navy roses. The quality of the details is really quite lovely on Fleur Rose, especially for the price. The hardware is a pretty copper color, and there's a sweet keyhole detail in the gore. All of these factors should result in a bra I'd love and cherish but (spoilers) it fell flat in the fit.

So pretty in theory...

Fit:
This bra is a very similar to fit to Carmen. The band runs true to size and it's small in the cup with narrow wires. I did not attempt to size up though, because the shape is wholly incompatible with my breasts. It is very shallow and in particular has very little immediate projection along with a single vertical seam. This funnels my breast tissue up to the apex where it creates a very unattractive triangular shape. (Similar to my experience with Pour Moi? Treasure, actually).

Sad-shallow-triangle shape

I actually think that I may have been able to fudge the fit on this one though if--if!--that beautiful rose top-layer had been attached. This is a common complaint with Figleaves' bras (one that was also an issue for me with Carmen). With the way my breasts settle into the cups it makes the design lift away for a very awkward effect. I think if you are shallower this might work, but it's a luck of the draw how that fabric lies against the skin, sadly.

Those roses are making a run for it

Comfort:
Despite my fit issues, I actually found this bra to be fairly comfortable. The fabric is soft and the sheer mesh is fairly forgiving. While the narrow/short aspect of the wires do poke me a bit, it was something I was considering overlooking for the appeal of the design.

 

Briefs: 

The briefs are lovely. I don't have any detailed images of them unfortunately, but the embroidery is identical to the bra's. I haven't been shy about how much I love the look of this set, and the briefs have a nice rise and the sheerness of the fabric is very delicate. I bought them in a size 14 UK per usual, and they fit true to size. 

Since discovering the ubiquity of Figleaves' designs featuring that maddening unattached upper-layer, I've been shy about ordering from them since. I do think that I will venture into exploring more of their styles though, since the true problem was the shape of the bra being incompatible with my breasts. Stay tuned!

Curvy Kate Scantilly Pounce Set (Bra, Waspie, Briefs) 34G

Wow, I'm sooo excited about this set! When Curvy Kate announced their new Scantilly line, I was incredibly pumped for some sexy lingerie options for full-busts. Despite Curvy Kate being an absolute mainstay D+ brand, I have actually never tried their bras! Their usual designs are bright, cheery, and youthful, all things I support but not my typical style. Yet Scantilly...Oh, Scantilly.

Bras 30-38 DD-HH ($80), Waspie/Briefs S-XL ($55/$45)

I was lured into splurging on my first Scantilly set during Figleaves' Black Friday Sale. With such a variety of delightful and sexy sets for me to buy how did I decide which one to try first? (Believe me, I mean 'sets' quite deliberately. There's no way I'm splitting up the family). I chose Pounce to start. Folks, I am not what you'd call an animal print person. Yet the design is dark and subdued and the leopard spots small and condensed. The print combined with the design overall has a kind of classic retro decadence to it, shown in the styling of the promotional images. The leopard print seems to be a cheeky little wink, as if to say "I'm a classy lady...but not that classy" which I love.

Anyway, to answer the question, I bought it because of the waspie (I love waspies!).

Looks:
I don't usually buy higher-end lingerie, and it's a real treat to open up a package where what you're getting is so clearly a tier above the usual insofar as construction and materials. I love details in my lingerie, and this one has many sweet ones such as small satin bows, mesh ruffles and rose-gold details. The leopard-print fabric is silky and has a certain luster that is quite beautiful.

Fit:
Scantilly sets are clearly designed for the boudoir, so I'll be judging the fit based on slightly different criteria than usual. This isn't the kind of bra you'd 'chase the bus in', so I won't be treating it like those workhorse bras I wear daily. That said I do have pretty high standards for fit along with low expectations for molded/padded bras like this one. They usually make me feel like I have something bulky on my breasts, and they never fit quite right for the amount of projection I have. I was pleasantly surprised by Pounce. I think the way they designed the cup was quite smart, with a gently sloping upper-cup and vertical seams which push the breast tissue upwards, creating alluring cakes-on-a-plate cleavage.

Lookit them cakes!

It is definitely shallow, but I find that works to its advantage in giving that extra boost since it is so open on top. I was also impressed by how well the wires stayed close to my inframammary fold, a difficult feat even for much more projected bras. However the gore does not tack and I do have some quad-boob and breast tissue escaping the sides which all indicates too-small a cup. The band is also fairly stretchy, and I think if I were to get a "perfect" fit I would size up in the cup and down in the band (so going from 34G to 32H). I went back and forth for a while on whether to exchange the bra for a different size. I ultimately decided against it because I love the va-va-voom cleavage I get here which is often only possible for me in a small cup due to my wide-set breasts. While my breasts do settle into the cups a bit after the intial scoop and swoop, I'm impressed by how lifted they remain even after plenty of movement.

I have added the bra's measurements on bratabase if you are looking for more detail.

 

 

The waspie is lovely but is too large for me (I was wearing it on the tightest hooks), and kept sliding down. Your mileage may vary--I often forget how small my waist is compared to the rest of me, and I will be exchanging for a size medium. The boning doesn't do a ton of shaping at this size and I look forward to seeing how a medium cinches in my waist.

The briefs (size large) seem true to size yet often feel like they're sliding off my butt in a disconcerting way. I'm not sure if they're too small or if the fabric is too slippery or something, but the rise is a bit strange from front to back. I am not planning to return it for larger since I don't really want more coverage, but in the future I might elect to get a thong.

Comfort:
The luxury of this set is apparent in the fabric choices. The leopard print is particularly silky and decadent, and the mesh is much softer than other mesh lingerie I've worn. The bra is fairly comfortable, though I find the cup wings to be a bit high and wide into my armpits which causes some rubbing. This might also be related to the strap placement being too wide, though I usually don't have that issue since I have broad shoulders. Another point of discomfort is that the bottom of the gore (not sure how else to put that), where the band is in the front tends to cut in slightly to my stomach. Most of these issues I imagine are caused by the size being too small. They are not by any means unbearable, but worth mentioning.

 

The waspie does have those bow embellishments where they meet the stockings, which is darling, but makes them rather difficult to attach. I tend to struggle with garters on a good day, though, so keep that in mind.

In conclusion, I had high hopes for Scantilly Pounce and it exceeded my expectations as a beautiful, high-end boudoir set for full-busts. The entire set's design is very smart and works with a full-figured body and breast shape rather than against it. It will take some restraint to not buy up more of the line immediately, and this is definitely not the last you'll see of the brand on the blog.

Thanks for reading!

Figleaves Boudoir: Carmen 34G Bra & Thong

Hey folks! It has been a while. I'm excited to have a couple of bras by Figleaves' house brands up on deck for review. Their Figleaves Boudoir collection caught my eye as the designs are quite sexy and fashion-forward at an affordable price point for large busts (some styles are not full bust but others go up to a G-cup in a 30-38 band).

Available in B-G cups up to (I think) a 36 band

The first style I'm reviewing is Carmen. When I first saw it my reaction was plainly: FINALLY A CAGE BRA! Sure, cage bras/harnesses and the like are probably 'so 2015' now but I will never tire of them. Plus Carmen now comes in a purple and floral colorway, as well as being expanded to other configurations such as a babydoll and bodysuit.
 
Looks:
Carmen does truly satisfy that 'cage bra' itch I've been dying to scratch. It has one 'cup' of mesh black fabric with another layer on top that creates the vague illusion of a half-cup. The two meet in a very creative and interesting-looking strap design which tickles me pink after wearing a variety of uber-thick straps from other full-bust bras. I find the fabric itself to be fairly comfortable and, as you can see, it is fully sheer. The outer layer of mesh fabric is not attached. This was a bit vexing for me, as it would easily get disheveled and fold down, ruining that clean line. 

Fit:
I will start by saying that Carmen runs small in the cup. The wires run quite narrow as well, (for me, as I have average to wide roots), which did pinch a bit on the sides. Other complaints are that the straps are very long for me which is not a problem I usually run into. I had to tighten them quite a bit, but annoyingly they slide down very easily after regular wear. Despite these complaints, I still love this bra and didn't find the size incompatibility to ruin the shape which is fairly uplifted and not overly pointed (perhaps a natural-to-round shape is the best way to put it).

I did run into an issue that surprised me. Usually when I scoop-n-swoop, I pull on the bra where the strap meets the cup to put my opposite hand in to scoop. My other bras are elastic enough that doing this has become second-nature. But when I did it to Carmen, maybe the fabric was too rigid or the straps not stretchy enough--Not sure!--the mesh fabric tore a bit where it meets the cup. You can see the little hole on the right. I was pretty bummed that it got damaged, and frustrated it would fall apart so easily. This happened the day that I got it, so it was not a normal wear-and-tear situation. So be warned, the mesh is not particularly stretchy and behave accordingly.

Comfort:
I find Carmen to be a very comfy bra, despite the fit issues described. The only complaint I have is with the narrow wires. I've worn it both in sexier situations as well as under my regular clothing and I was surprised how much I liked it. However, I don't really wear Carmen out and about as a daily bra. Part of me wants to preserve it for more fun stuff, part of me feels like it's not quite the right shape and size so it's not ideal. Sometimes, I guess because of its transparency, I feel a bit too exposed even under my regular clothing. The straps and style are very fun though and I have worn it with a low-cut black dress for going out to expose the sheer details.

Please pay no heed to the giant bruises on my ass.

Briefs: 
 I wish the thong (Size 14 UK, per usual) worked for me. Strappy ones don't tend to work great though, as they cut in quite badly into my hips. I love the back detail in particular, but the actual design felt like it came up SO high on body. I'm rather short-waisted and I just didn't feel like I had enough waist to accomodate the design. Great for someone else, but not for me.


Another Figleaves set is to come! Thanks for reading!