Hiya lovely readers! I have so much to show you and would wanna blurt it out all at once but I have to be patient. In meantime I can reveal that there is still four lingerie reviews to come in the next couple of weeks and a dress review next week. Today I am reviewing a lingerie set that has been in my possession for quite a while. I took part in the Lepel’s #SelfieLove competition with a picture of me and my sister and for my surprise, won one of their sets as a prize. I chose the lovely Iris set first in a size 30G but as it arrived, I noticed the band was way too tight – closing but causing my back to bulge horribly. I changed the size to 32FF and now that I’ve tested it for grand three months, I think it’s time to review it properly.



The Design: Iris is a full-cup style bra which means it covers the breasts fully and the edge of the cup comes quite high up my decollete. I don’t have a lot of experience of full-cups except my old trusty Jasmine bra so it was a nice thing to try though I do love my balconettes. This style is very popular among people who want a more modest look and not too much cleavage. Many women also think it provides the most support since there is a lot more fabric going on than with plunges and balconettes.

Iris has a three piece cup-construction meaning it gives a very nice lifted shape. I love my Iris for this reason exactly – even though it’s an unpadded bra it gives me a lovely natural shape and great uplift. The materials are also pretty thin which makes it a great bra when you wanna feel less bulky – this is the kinda bra you want to wear on a hot summer day to make you feel less clothed. The pale pink shade is also spot on for summer. It works well as a “nude” bra for me since I am very pale, almost white most of the time (except I have a class reunion tomorrow so now I’m definitely getting me tan on). It works really well under t-shirts and doesn’t show through at all. The lace of the bra is very beautiful and classy which makes it look a bit more romantic than your other everyday bras.



The Fit: Most of my friends love unpadded cups for their fit – they accommodate one’s bust shape nicely and don’t show size differences too drastically. I however have always preferred padded cups as a more secure option, but again, an unpadded bra amazes me with it’s lovely fit. It seems that Lepel fits me pretty much like Gossard – a band size up and a cup size down from what I’m used to wearing. This means good news for everyone who needs a GG-cup or a 28 band even though the brand is not offering them. I would gladly recommend to try Lepel out if you fit in their size range. The company has a long history of making bras and they produce fashionable yet well-fitting styles that are reasonably priced as well.

The band is not too stretchy, as said I needed a bigger size of it than with eg Panache and Curvy Kate. It features two hooks and eyes but feels still very supportive. The cups are very stretchy meaning they can easily accommodate size fluctuations. I would definitely recommend this bra especially to women whose breast size changes due to their monthly cycle. The cups are quite big all over so I would also recommend sizing down, at least one cup size. I believe that if I would go up a cup size, this bra would still be nice to me and fit well. The straps are quite long and I have to almost fully adjusted them, so this might be a problem to someone more petite. However, they are fully adjustable so it should not cause too much trouble with women of average height (I’m 5″6).



Comfort: Now, pay attention. First this bra was not the best for its comfort. But don’t make hasty conclusions! After only a couple of wears it softened a great deal and the center gore became a lot more flexible. First the center and the wires felt really stiff and almost a little painful but after wearing the bra and washing it, it now feels really comfortable and is one of my everyday bras for its great shape and comfort. The wires are an average width meaning it’s a great fit but also quite comfy. The wires aren’t poking me anyway and definitely sit on a right spot to encase all my breast tissue. Also the materials feel very soft against my skin and don’t cause any irritation.

I was sent the short-style panties that belong to the set and I quite like them as well. If I could say something that Lepel could improve, would be the rise of the panties – it’s quite high so for me so it’s not the most flattering style. If however you have a bit more booty (I have none) this might be just the right style for you. Say, if you hate Cleo panties, these are right up your street! I got mine in a size 10 which is pretty true-to-size so a bit roomy for me as I would need something between 8 and 10.

All in all Iris has worked lovely for me as a “skin tone” shade bra and I will most definitely get even more wear out of it when the summer finally comes (18 C tomorrow, think about that!). The size range is 30-38 A-G (panties 8-18) and the price for it is about £24 for the bra and the £13 for the panties – an absolute bargain I say! You can it at Figleaves, Brastop and Mio Destino.