Top Bikini Picks for Summer

During my very short and sweet holiday, away from cloudy England and on to beautiful higher climates, I got a chance to test out my new bikinis.

The First bikini on my list, is the Freya Zodiac. Unfortunately, since I bought it earlier this year, my size has increased, and it is now to small for me. So, the only picture I have to show you, is one I took after I first bought it. Sadly, on holiday I couldn’t bring myself to wear something that was too small (not in front of others anyway!)

Freya 'Zodiac' Bikini

However, I did go for a quick dip in the pool with it very early one morning, while no one else was around. I can safely say that it water tested very well; it didn’t try to slip off and was comfy to swim in. Not only that, but it has a lovely pattern with bunnies and cats on it, which I love. The bikini briefs also have a flap that you can fold down, or pull up to cover your tummy if you so choose. I found it quite true to size, I tend to wear my bikinis in 32 rather than 30, as I don’t want too much squidgy-ness when in public.

The one down side that I find with most Freya bikinis, and in fact, most bikinis in general, is that there is a very limited size choice for briefs. They come in XS, S, M, L and XL. Knowing how unlikely I am to fit into most bikini briefs, I always opt for XL. I can tell you that these are the equivalent of a size 14-16..which is not very big at all for an XL. I really wish companies would expand their swimwear, not only in the brief department, but over G cups as well! I have many frustrated H, J and K cup friends who really struggle to find decent swimwear. Fantasie is one of the few brands that do – good on them!

This however, this is a small downside for a very lovely bikini. I would definitely recommend it.

My next review is for the Pour Moi Azure bikini. As  beautiful as I find it with its striking cobalt colour, and as much as I want to give it a good review, I just can’t. When I first bought this bikini, I found it huge in the cup. I immediately sent it back for a smaller size because it swamped me. On getting the correct size, it was a better fit…in the cup at least. The problem is, the back does not give any support whatsoever. I ordered a 32, which near enough makes no difference, as it is a tie back bikini, and even the 32 didn’t have that much extra tie -up material. No matter how tight I tied the back (and I had help from someone tie-ing it as tight as possible), I could still, every time, manage to pull the front of the band inches from my chest. I took a good look at the design of this bikini, and saw that the tie back straps and the band were separate pieces of fabric feebly stitched together. Because of this join, the back half cannot pull the front half any tighter.

Pour Moi 'Azure' Cobalt - Unsupportive Band

What a shame to have such a huge design flaw in what would otherwise be a fabulous bikini. I went in the sea with this on, swam for about 5 minutes; on my way out, my other half had to run over and adjust me, because everything had already fallen out underneath!

Pour Moi 'Azure' Cobalt

The top appears fine in the picture, before you start to move around or swim in it. If you plan to stay completely still the entire time, then that is the only time I would recommend this bikini.
I really did like having the option of tie-side briefs though, because that can work for so many different sizes. 

Next, is one I wouldn’t normally go for, but I took a risk anyway. A La Senza bikini. Generally I’m not a fan of La Senza bras, their sizing is usually off, and anything above a DD cup appears to be badly designed, or designed by someone who does not have a larger chest. They also incorrectly measured me; never a good sign.

However, I’m more open in terms of their swimwear, and spied a very pretty bikini, the Marbella, which I was pleased to discover came in a GG. I actually really liked it, and even though it had a similar build to the badly designed Azure bikini, because this time it had a clip-up band and not a tie back, it wasn’t a problem. It’s lightly padded which I liked as it gave me a little added support. It was also very uplifting, but without huge amounts of in-your-face cleavage.

La Senza 'Marbella' Bikini

At the time I couldn’t afford the briefs as well, so I made do with a pair of white tie side briefs that I found on ebay for £2. I quite like mixing and matching bikinis, I’m not really a person who tries to match their underwear either, so for me, anything with a complimentary colour will do.

La Senza 'Marbella' Bikini - Ebay Briefs

Last but definitely not least my favourite bikini of all; Freya’s Pier bikini. For a while it only came in red, green and black, all very lovely colours. However, I opted for the new pink pier! I have trouble resisting something sparkly and new to the lingerie/swimwear scene, so I pre-ordered it as soon as I could. It has not let me down. I love the way it’s made; it gives a little bit of cleavage, whilst being very supportive and comfortable. It has a clip back, which is always my preference, and the cutest ruffles on the edge of the bikini top, and on the sides of the bikini briefs. Again, the only downside is that I need to order XL briefs again, and they didn’t have my preferential tie-sides. I actually wore my Slinky Dip bikini bottoms (mentioned in a previous post) with it, just so I could feel a bit more relaxed in the briefs.

Freya 'Pier' Pink

I spent most of my holiday in this bikini, and I found it very comfortable to swim in. Not only that, but because of the wonderful support, I found that even though it lacks padding, when I untied the neck straps and wore it as a bandeau bikini, it worked perfectly!  The one thing I cannot quite understand though, is why Freya can’t make this in bigger sizes. I’ve been looking at the design of it, and it seems more than feasible. I tell you Freya, the sales you would get if you brought this out in something bigger than a GG!

Freya 'Pier' Pink

This is a thoroughly worthy bikini, and a staple swimwear item for any larger cupped woman. If you don’t already own this bikini, you should go get one now!

One other bikini that I tried on in store, and loved, but couldn’t get in my size, is the Freya Waves bikini. It is really bright blue and beautiful, but in store I couldn’t find anything bigger than a G. I felt that bikini ran small as the 32G was so tight on me in the cup; in the correct size, I have no doubt it will be fabulous.

Freya 'Waves' Bikini

Hopefully this will be useful to anyone searching for a good bikini this summer, and if you are looking for some entertaining summer reading, I very much recommend Caitlin Moran’s ‘How to be a Woman’. Beckie over at Busts for Justice recommended it to me, and it had me laughing out loud for a great deal of my holiday!

Love

Sophia xxx

Hot Weather and Big Bras – Not a Match Made in Heaven…

So we all know that bras can be a pain, even at the best of times, but what do you do when the thermometer suddenly rises into new uncharted realms of heat? You start to resent all those pretty new bras you just splashed out on, and consider leaving them behind in the drawer.

For the bigger busted girl, this is less of an option. A lack of support can lead to some serious breast swinging action, usually taking someone’s eye out in the process…often your own.

I thought I’d tell you how I have partially managed to deal with this issue. It’s not something that can ever really go away completely, but there are definitely ways to make your life a little more bearable.
If the weather has suddenly taken a very warm turn, and perhaps it’s a work day and an M&S Secret Support top just won’t do, here are a few tips that have helped me.

First of all, if you can, pick some bras with a high cotton content. I find that gives my skin a little more room to breathe and cool down in the heat. The wonderfully sexy Showgirl  Range by Curvy Kate has a 100% cotton lining, so they are a great padded bra option for a hot summer day. As for unpaddeds, Fantasie Lingerie do some lovely cotton mix bras; their Anna and Gabrielle ranges are especially popular.

 

A good idea is to put on some light moisturiser before you get dressed in the morning. Nothing thick and heavy, just something thin and cooling. My personal favourite at the moment is Garnier Body Tonic Hydrating Firming lotion. It’s fairly inexpensive, easy to get hold of from any Boots or Superdrug, and smells wonderfully fresh and lemony.

Garnier Body Tonic Hydrating Firming Lotion

Putting this light layer of moisturiser on eases your warm skin, and makes putting on your bra that little bit easier. It also means your bra shouldn’t rub or irritate you quite as much throughout the day.
I would also recommend making sure your bra band is nice and tight – this may sound odd when it’s hot and you want loose clothing, but being more supportive it won’t get the chance to wiggle around too much or cause you unnecessary irritation.

Another option, is to wear a strapless bra. A badly fitting strapless can be really uncomfortable – before I was fitted, I avoided them like the plague, but nowadays I have a lovely Freya Deco strapless, that works really well for me in the heat. I wouldn’t say that the deco bras are actually best type of material to wear during hot weather, but for me it does the job, and I do find that my chest feels a lot cooler in a strapless. Another strapless I have been recommended numerous times (but haven’t had the chance to try it yet) is Ewa Michalak’s Czarny.

Freya Deco Strapless and Ewa Michalak Czarny Strapless

Ewa Michalak is a great Polish lingerie company that I was recently introduced to. Their bras are so soft and light, and a lot of them are made using cotton in the lining, and thin soft materials (even in their padded bras) so I barely ever notice I am even wearing anything with them. I currently only own two, but I will definitely be ordering more in the future.

Ewa Michalak CH Toffik and PL Black

Above on the left is the CH Toffik bra; a padded balcony half cup, with a very vintage look which I love. It’s really comfortable, and the band is really supportive (slightly on the tight side, but not in a bad way for me personally).
On the right, is Ewa’s PL Black. A really lovely plunge bra. I was again surprised at how soft the cups were, and almost thought it wouldn’t be supportive enough. Another tight band, but as I measure 30-31 underbust and this is a 32 back band, it seems to work for me.

Cheryl over at Invest in your Chest has written a great review of lots more of their bras, including the aforementioned very popular Czarny strapless bra, so you may find some more useful information there.
Also, Brittany from Thin and Curvy has finally found, in Ewa Michalak, a company that can make her the 26 bands she’s been looking for; her review is definitely worth a read.

If you do decide to order from Ewa, don’t be put off by the site being in a foreign language. There is a UK flag at the top, which if you click, will translate the majority of the site for you, and each bra costs between £20-£30. You can check the conversion of ZLs into £s on google if you are unsure. The check out is with paypal, so again, it’s pretty secure.

A Bravissimo Racer Back top and Cami Top

Last but not least, if you have more of a choice in what clothing you can wear each day, I would really recommend the Bravissimo cami tops and racer back tops. They have built in supportive bras, and a set of hooks underneath so you can adjust it the same way you would with a regular bra. Because the bra is built into the top, the feeling of wearing one mostly disappears – I personally feel a lot more free in them, and consequentially have no concerns about my bra showing or irritating me while I’m at work. They come in all sorts of sizes and styles, but the cups do run large.

Bravissimo Grey Cami Top with Built-in Bra

This Bravissimo cami (above) is a size 32FF which is actually a size smaller than my regular, but it still feels like a 32G or even 32GG. If you can’t afford to buy one directly from Bravissimo, they do crop up quite often on ebay, so it’s worth having a browse every now and then, just in case.

A few last minute slightly more obvious tips are: drink lots of water to keep you cool, wear unpadded bras when you can (as they are generally much lighter/thinner), and wear clothes made of cotton and linen as often as you can, as this lets your skin breathe and deal with the heat more effectively.

I hope this helps, and if you have any keep-cool tips of your own, feel free to comment below!

Love

Sophia xxx