It’s Sunday again and I feel like time is flying when one is having a good time! However my boyfriend has situated himself on the couch to watch motocross races so I may as well take this little time to review something for you. I am going to start today’s review with a little story. When I was choosing for the swimsuit from Panache a few weeks ago it was a massive mess and I was a bad, bad blogger. I first opted for the size 30GG which is my usual size and when choosing a style to go with the size I wanted to try the sweet Betty swimsuit in hot pink shade. However, I changed my mind swiftly and asked instead a sister size 32G. Well, after changing my size preference I noticed that also the lovely Carmen was indeed available in this size and I reaaaaally wanted to try it so I emailed Panache to ask if they could send the Carmen in 32G instead. In the end, the lovely folks at Panache sent me BOTH Betty and Carmen (a link to my review) which means two reviews for you guys! I am so grateful and was super-eager to try how these two very different styles would suit me.



The Design: Betty is a more cute Cleo style and it really stood out to me when I browsed through the new Cleo Swim collection. I love pink (duh, just look at my hair) so I thought it would be a nice shade for me and my fair skin tone. The shade of pink is indeed flattering and the white dots keep the style simple and classy. Otherwise the colour-combo is almost too cutesy but looks nice when you are feeling a bit playful. The suit also goes nicely along with the Cleo’s pink version of the new Kaftan. To add up the girliness of this suit, Cleo has added some ruffles to the neckline and the bottom part of the suit as well. I really like the ruffles but I still prefer the more clean-cut look of Carmen – it’s definitely more grown-up and beach-suitable.

The Betty features non-padded plunge cups which is something people might prefer to achieve a better fit. However, as I guessed when opting for the suit the balconette shape of Carmen is still my go-to choice. The shape the cups give me is quite rounded which I love about Cleo styles in general and they feature only one seam that runs diagonally across the cup. Even though the upper part is very plunging it still features a center gore that’s quite high and sturdy.



The Fit: I was a bit worried about the plunge neckline since it doesn’t tend to work on my body and boobs that well. The cups were quite deep all over which made it more easy to adjust my breast into the cups and there was no overspill whatsoever. In fact, the cups were almost too deep for me and did leave some wrinkling at the apex when poorly-adjusted. When adjusting and taking the suit for swim I didn’t notice any problems anymore so I guess you should always take a swimsuit for a test-run before judging.

Betty runs about the same way Carmen did which meant the 32G was slightly too big for me in the body part of it. I could fasten the band to the tightest set of hooks so I could have definitely tried my normal 30GG. I am used to Cleo bands running pretty tightly so I would say both of the swimsuits I tried were more true-to-size in the band. To me, this is a good thing since customers can now buy their regular size without worrying about it being too tight.



Comfort: First of all, I didn’t expect how tricky it is actually to get a wired swimsuit on – it definitely needs some more time and effort than a regular one. The wires tend to stab me a bit in the stomach when putting on the suit but I figured out the best way to put it on painlessly; just roll the upper part of the suit either inwards or outwards before putting it on. This way the wires behave more nicely and don’t stab you too much. Otherwise the swimsuit is quite comfortable and also the halterneck straps are not as thin and flimsy as with the Carmen swimsuit. I think this style is very well suited for gals with bigger breasts than mine since it gives more support than Carmen and is deeper in the cups.

The center gore of Betty is quite sturdy and comes quite high for a plunge neckline which may be an issue for some women. I first thought it was a bit too sturdy on my sternum but when I actually went swimming, it felt fine and I couldn’t even notice it. The body part of the suit was also very comfortable and I definitely could have gotten away with an even smaller size.

All in all I really like the Betty but my heart still belongs to Carmen, as it’s more my own personal style and keeps me looking fresh with its colour scheme. However I would still recommend Betty more if you have a fuller shape than mine and want more sturdier support when swimming.

This style is available in a great size range of 30-38 D-H and you can find it eg at Brastop for £46. How did you like the Betty compared to Carmen? Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments! xx

Disclosure: This swimsuit was generously gifted by Panache for review purposes. All opinions are my own.