Cleo Rihanna giveaway for second blog birthday!

Hi, ladies! This blog is now two years and seventy-five plus posts of age! I don’t currently partner with any retailers or companies, but I thought I’d do a very particular giveaway/contest anyway (the downside I guess is that I only have one size). The prize is a new without tags Cleo by Panache Rihanna bra size 32G and the matching brief in size M. The bra’s too small in the cup for me, and the wires are a bit short so I get tissue escaping out the side. I’d give it a similar review as I did to Juna, though I’ve grown since then.

To enter: Tell me what you’d like to see more of on this blog via the comments section! I’ll roll some dice to determine the winner on 15 October 2013 and contact the winner via email. Starts now.

Trying things on for size: Cleo Juna

I made an ASOS order of three bras to celebrate my new job! I don’t know how full a review I can do of each since I just tried them on (I find more fit issues can appear after extended wear or several months).

The Cleo Juna is a continuity collection that always comes in beige and black.  There are also usually patterns based on the same shape: Darcy, Rihanna, Ellie, Sadie, and more. There’s often a fashion color each season: this March it’s strawberry.

I am not a pink person, but this is a hot pink I thought might work. I thought I would give this a model a try as I like padded bras, and seams offer extra support and shape.

Construction: Two-part padded cup with continuous band. Single vertical seam keeps the breasts from wandering east-west. Wire width seems about average to me. Straps are partly adjustable, so short torsos might have some issues without an alteration. Two hooks in the back.

Fit: Band felt on the stretchy side- I’d only be able to do an extended evaluation with wearing it for a month.  The cups fit in my ‘standard’ size 32G, but they are deep. Like the Masquerade Rhea, this seems best suited to full-on-top or full in the middle shapes (high and average profiles). I can get a good fit with my somewhat full-on-bottom shape, but if you have an extremely shallow profile I wouldn’t recommend this bra. Scooping and setting is necessary!

Looks: There was more lace than I thought there would be! I wonder what would happen if I removed it? Unfortunately, some of it attaches at the gore. I don’t like the lace pattern, but it does probably help smooth out the top line of the cup. Vertical seam was not visible under a tank top, but the top of the cup showed in some t-shirts. The bra is starched, so that might change after a few washes.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like the color with my skin tone. I liked the shape enough to buy, though, so I’m sending this back and purchased a Cleo Rihanna, which has a fun geometric print. As a software developer, I love the pixelated look!

Relocation present(s) to me!

I feel a bit odd about this, but I’m ordering bras from ASOS to essentially check the fit. If I turn out to love them I’ll keep them, but otherwise they’re getting returned. I wonder how retailers feel about this? I ordered a Cleo Maddie, a Masquerade Amor, and a Cleo Juna. Since ASOS has free shipping both ways the only risk is a package getting lost, and that’s a risk I’ve decided to take because I have a new job!

I’m moving to Seattle next month to be with my partner- I was unwilling to move before I found a job offer that I wanted there. I’m excited about my new coworkers and the city. I’ll recoup the moving costs very quickly, especially since I have over three weeks stored vacation which I’ll get an immediate payout for. So I decided to treat myself to some more bras! I’m not in need now, but four of my everyday bras are ten months old (the newest one I wear regularly is four months), so they are going to lose elasticity in the coming months. I’m curious about the fit of the abovementioned bras, so I’ll try them on and see how they work.

I’m most stoked about the Amor because of its clean design, but once I move I am going to try the Fauve Bronte. I’ve never worn a Fauve, and they stop at G in padded cups, and could be a tricky fit. But my favorite color is orange, so the padded longline will be mine if it fits. Oh yes. Lace, maybe, but the orange is so vibrant!