All I want for Christmas…

This is not just lingerie; this is M&S lingerie...

The bra I have up for review this time is the Perfect Fit Underwired Extreme V PlungePush-up by Marks and Spencers.
I chose this bra as one I would like to receive myself as a Christmas present! (Here’s where I hope my boyfriend is reading)

I chose this bra because I’m a bit of a tomboy – I wear a lot of t-shirts, so needed a bra that was pretty enough to look at alone, but smooth enough on the cup to wear underneath a t-shirt without it becoming lumpy.
The cup of this bra is nice and smooth, with a little lace detailing towards the bottom of the cup, which flows seamlessly into the lace on the back band.
It’s also a great colour for wearing under a white top, for example, as the colour is described as ‘fawn’ a pink-beige colour.

The back of the bra is gorgeous, and the lace means that it can be worn as a luxury item, and looks gorgeous underneath a sheer blouse or shirt.  

It’s a genuine all-rounder to be honest, and is comfortable to boot!

With regards to the fit of the bra, there isn’t much negative to say at all.
The cups are well shaped and fit me very well, despite having two different sized boobs! Generally I get a fair bit of gaping on the right cup, but both cups on this bra fit me well, and there was only a tiny bit of gaping on the right hand side (which was barely noticeable and certainly not an issue).

I did expect the lace to be a little irritating, as this can happen with a lot of similar bras, however I was pleasantly surprised that even after wearing it for a while, it was still as comfortable as it was the moment I put it on J
This pleased me no end, because it’s so beautiful that anything less than perfect comfort would be an injustice!

The straps were also sufficiently well-built to withstand holding even the largest pair of twins, and they didn’t dig in at all in the time that I was wearing it (and believe me, I gave it a thorough testing!)

The bra was described as an Extreme V Plunge Push-up and it really did live up to that description.
Trying the bra on with my most revealing of dresses, no an inch of bra could be seen in the V of the dress, and the push-up effect really was amazing.

I always get a little wary of bras that claim to be extreme plunge, as it normally means that the padding is on the outer edge of the cup and I end up looking ridiculous with a gap the size of the Grand Canyon between my breasts.
However.
The Extreme V Plunge Push-up did retain some of the padding on the bottom of the cup (in its rightful place) and so I actually ended up with a decent cleavage for once. A miracle considering the meagre quantity of boob that I actually possess!
The quality of the padding is also pretty good. Sometimes you find the weird bean-filled sacs in the bottom of bras, or really heavy, poor-quality ‘foam’ type padding that does nothing more than weigh you down. Again, 

I was pleasantly surprised, as the padding was lightweight and comfortable, with just enough there to do the job, without there being too much.

As a result, the shape that the bra gave me was also very natural. With it being a plunge bra, a lot of what makes up the shape of your boobs while wearing this bra is, in fact, your own breasts.
On occasion, the padding takes over, and all you see under your clothes is what appears to be half a tennis ball stuck onto your chest; however this was not the case here.

As I said, the shape this bra gives is very natural, and does look as if there is no padding there at all, especially with the plunge feature leaving a lot of breast uncovered.

Testing

I gave this bra all my usual tests…

I wore it for a number of hours, and did a fair bit of jumping around to see how well it would stand up to that (In all honesty, I did a few star-jumps, but it’s a worthy test nonetheless!)
Safe to say nothing fell out or over-spilled, though I did have to pull the back down once or twice.
My argument for this is that I had the bra on the loosest hook (which you should always do when trying on a new bra). While I could have got a smaller back size, after putting on the middle hook, all my troubles ceased and I had a fully functional, supportive bra.

Lifting my boobs into the cups proved no problem. They fit in perfectly, and didn’t over-spill or gape (I’ve already mentioned my issues with differing cup sizes between my boobs) so that was all good!

During my trademark ‘shake test’ the bra also stood up well. Hanging upside down while frantically trying to shake my boobs out of the cups amounted to nothing, as this bra held me in with no trouble at all, despite having a fairly low plunge at the front.

Just take a look at my fitting guide to see what size you need to begin looking at. Of course, this doesn’t give a definitive answer, it’s merely a guide to get you started.
To be honest I always find that once you find your back size, getting the cup size is really a matter of common sense and trial-and-error. Getting the back size isn’t usually too hard either; it’ll be roughly the measurement (in inches) around your ribcage just under your breasts (this is always a good starting point). 

Always try on bras on the loosest hook, and if you feel it’s too tight, go up a size. If it’s too loose and the back is riding up, make sure you go down a back size, or you risk not getting the support you need, which can lead to back problems in the long run, among other things.

With the cup sizes, as I said, there’s a bit of trial-and-error involved, but once you’re started its really very easy. If in doubt, most stores now have trained professionals to help you anyway. For this, I highly recommend Marks and Spencers, Ann Summers and Debenhams – these are the best from my experience.
If you’re experiencing a bit of overspill from the cup or under your arms, go up a cup size. If there’s gaping, go down.

So to summarise…

I’m going to rate this bra in four categories, with stars being awarded out of five for each category:

Comfort: ★★★★★
Fit: ★★★★
Support: ★★★★★
Quality: ★★★★★

In summary, I gave the fit 4 out of 5 stars because of the slight issue with the back size, though that wasn’t a major issue and it was easily sorted by just tightening the band a little.

Every other aspect I was immensely pleased with to be honest, and I think I would be hard-pressed to find a better bra for the same purpose anywhere else J

Anyone that wants a link to this bra, here you go! Just click on the image below. It comes in three colours and is very reasonably priced at £22.50 :) 

Haych xxx 

Drumroll please...

So...it's clearly been a while since my last post. Life has a bad habit of getting in the way sometimes!

But from now on, I have a lot more free time since I finished my degree (hooray) so I'm getting back into the blogosphere well and truly. And I hope to do it in style ;)

So first of all, a review of one bra that I'd love to receive for Christmas, from the M&S range. Why I crave it, how I know it's right for me, and a link in case a certain someone wants to buy it for me (hint) haha

As the Boxing day and January sales hit, I'll be identifying the very best in New Year bargains from every lingerie range you can imagine, with thorough lists of the best deals, and how you can get them :)

That's it for this short post, but in the meantime, Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New year from me!!