From time to time I face a lingerie set that just has to be mine. I’d do anything for it, beg or not eat in a few days. Walk a few miles to the ByBox, for instance (which I totally did! 4,2 miles to be exact). When I saw Curvy Kate’s Carmen a few months ago for the first time it was love at first sight. That bra HAD to be mine, no matter what it would take. A couple of days ago I finally received my Carmen which I bought from Figleaves and I couldn’t be happier. Turns out, in addition to great looks, Carmen is also made of true Curvy Kate material; it’s comfortable and well-fitting. Here’s my review, hope you enjoy it!

Design:

Carmen is a longline bra which means the band of this beauty is much wider than on regular bras. This fine individual features six hook and eyes and I would estimate the band to about 8 cm wide. The cup construction is very typical for a padded CK style: it has three vertical seams which gives the cups a very traditional balconette shape. My boobs and the balconette work wonders together once again and the cups give me a pretty rounded uplifted shape. The material of the cups is by no means thick so this bra doesn’t add too many extra inches to my natural breast size.

When it comes to colour and styling I love how CK preserves their well-known aesthetics with a fresh twist. I personally love the look of longline bras which is one of the reasons this bra was a mus-buy for me. I am also sucker for a good pink or red bra and loved how feminine and elegant the colour scheme looks on this particular style. Also the flowers that adorn the cups are created in a fresh, young and modern way which suits my 21-year-old taste. The dash of lime green just adds a girly and fun edge to the bra and prevents it from being too pink.

Fit: The fit of this bra is quite similar to my new Tease Me which I reviewed just recently. I would say the cups run a teeny tiny bit larger which is why my other cup ends up gaping just a little bit. Otherwise 30GG appears to be a great choice. The cups of the bra are definitely on the shallower side but not too much to cause major problems with my boobs (just a little extra space in the bottom of the cup which causes slight folding of the cups). I love CK balconettes: they are very compatible with my FOT shape and provide extra space on the top part of the cups.

The band of this longline bra is one of its best qualities, once again. I have had VERY painful experiences with longlines before which made me a bit hesitant to try the style in the first place. However, CK bands tend to run a bit on the looser side which meant that the band was stretchy enough to allow normal movement without any pinching or rolling.

The straps of the bra are a bit wide-set but not once have they fallen off my shoulders. They are also fully-adjustable which makes this bra an easy option for many petite girls as well. Wires are the same length as your usual CK bra: pretty average and especially spot-on on yours truly. They also end at the right spot under my armpit which prevents discomfort and chaffing.

Comfort: As mentioned before, I have previously had problems with comfort issues when it comes to longlines. However, CK Carmen is constructed differently than most of other longlines I have encountered so far. Here’s the difference; Carmen only features 2 additional bones which are right below my armpits. Since there is no boning in the back of the bra it makes the whole design much more comfortable and better for everyday use. Also the boning used on the sides of the bra is very flimsy which makes it super easy to move around without any pain or discomfort. I also love how stretchy the band is an doesn’t compress my ribcage too much.

All in all I think Curvy Kate has managed to pull off their first longline design very well without any major fit issues or comfort-related problems. If I could make one improvement suggestion it would be to reduce the height of the cups to create more cleavage and an a more appealing look over-all. I love how my boobs look in Tease Me and just out of my personal preference I would love to see a more revealing version of Carmen.

Has anyone of my lovely readers tried the new Carmen yet? If not, is it on your spring lust-list? Let me know in the comments! xx