Cream Intimates

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The other week my Beau and i reached a big milestone for us, our one year anniversary. It's a date that happens to fall a week after his birthday and less than a month before mine so the months of April and May are particularly indulgent for us. That being said, we're currently saving up for our new member of the family (July can't come soon enough) so i put together a list of inexpensive gifts to cover both events (mostly comic books and figurines) but one lingerie set did slip on and Beau being the sweetest Pickle in the world surprised me with it (after many other amazing gifts).

Cream Intimates are a British indie who popped onto my radar via instagram. Whilst not all of their styles are my cup of tea, i was instantly drawn to the Limited Edition Iris Ring Detail set. As you know, i love strappy designs and i love hardware so total no brainer right? After my last disaster with putting lingerie on my gift wishlist i was nervous about adding this set but its aesthetics won me over and since i'm on a bit of a lingerie spending ban, i thought it was worth a try to get someone else to pay for me to indulge in a new, local (as in same country), indie brand.

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Beau ordered the bra in a 32A and the knickers in an XS small for me AND THIS TIME, the fit was perfect! Like snug all over but not digging in perfect. Like fits my 24" waist and my 32.5" hips perfect. Like sits actually on my waist and not twenty inches below it perfect. Like gives me a great smoothed over shape with a little lift and minimal wrinkling in the cups perfect. Like i could wear this for days and on long haul flights and to sleep and to climb a mountain and feel comfortable perfect. 
But i'm getting ahead of myself. Once i undid the bow and removed Beau's perfect wrap job (he's getting better than me at all things domestic) i was confronted by a simple black box with a Cream Intimates logo on it. It's so minimalistic and pleasing, i'm adding it to my list of lingerie storage i would be happy to have on display in my apartment. Inside the box was a chunky fishnet laundry bag (i also love this bag, a lot) and inside there was my Iris. So perfectly presented in a vessel befitting of the lingerie inside it.
The set itself is a very fine micro mesh with matte satin elastic strapping and overlapping gold metal hardware. The knickers have a flattering low rise cut to them in the front and a high rise cut in the back. The elastic strap around the waist gives the illusion of a large cutout detail but without the commitment of actually cutting parts of the fabric away. It's clever. It's effective. It's comfortable. The bra has wide set cups (yassss) with a central dart for shaping and a thick band which keeps my little goodies securely in place whilst lifting a tad. Both sets of straps are functional and fully adjustable although i will say the sliders are a bit stiff at first.
As for a more thorough overview of the sizing, the 32A bra measures 25" around the band and stretches up to 34". The XS knickers measure 24" around the waist strap and have a couple of inches stretch in them too. 

This set exceeded all my expectations. I expected it to be a cute set, nothing overly special but cute. What i actually got was a very special set, one that makes me feel good about myself, one that reminds me of someone i care about a great deal, one that is comfortable and one that feels like me. No airs, no graces. This is me as a lingerie set. This is me wearing the same lingerie set for the rest of my life. This is me happy. So that's a win.
Think i'll have to pick up the Pamela bra next although i'm kind of praying they release knickers with high waisted strapping detailing to match because i'm not about that high leg life, but i'm all about straps going all up my body... Duh.

NightProwl London

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Recently NightProwl London got in touch with me with some sweet words about my blog and a request for a collaboration. I'm always blown away when brands take the time to check out what i do and make their emails to me personal, it makes me feel like i'm not talking to myself and shows when a brand really cares about what they have to offer! 
Currently NightProwl offer two of their ranges in bra sizes that go down to a 30B and i'm a sucker for a brand offering my sister size (28Cs are gold dust but 30Bs are equally as rare nowadays). They offered me a choice between Elixir and Elysium and although it was a tough one, i opted for Elixir because i thought the shape would be more complimentary to my shallow, wide set bust. 
When the package arrived however, i'd been sent Elysium in ivory which would have been a disappointment if i weren't immediately super impressed with how stunning it was. Sometimes surprises can be so much better than you'd imagined ♡  

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So in my beautiful box of goodies (no seriously, pink AP boxes move over because NightProwl have my aesthetic taste in a storage solution) i received the Elysium Bra in a 30B and the Elysium Brief in an XS. 
The ivory range is billed as bridal (you all know my thoughts on things being labelled as bridal...) and the ivory silk definitely fits the typical wedding vibe but to me it's just a very luxe addition to my collection. I love all shades of white and i love extremely soft silk so it's a winner for me irregardless of my disinterest in marriage and everything that comes with it. Although the fabric is a fine silk, it's pretty sturdy and only delicate in looks. The construction really matches the beauty of the fabric too. All the seams have their place in the design and the subtle structure to the cups and briefs are reminiscent of a very floral rendition of the art deco movement. Also the Guipure lace trimming the cups, detachable, decorative arm straps and brief cutout is divine and something i haven't come across before. The gusset on the briefs is fully lined with a fabric less prone to fluid damage and the bra has little pockets inside for any extra padding you may want to add (although none for me because then my nipples would officially be making the great escape).

The fit of the brief is snug and flattering. Their size guide pegs an XS as a size 6-8 but i'd say they run more towards a size 6, with them sitting flush against my currently 32.5" hips. Unfortunately the fit of the bra is not quite as ideal for me. The band runs true to size and i find it most comfortable on the tightest fastening which is consistent with my band measurement being 3" smaller. The cups are constructed in such a way that they push your bust up giving a nice rounded shape on top but also pushing your nipples up out of the cups and sitting them behind the Guipure lace trimming. I'm not entirely sure if this peak-a-boo effect is intended or if my nipples are supposed to sit in the main body of the cup. But i find if i push them back down and try to re-adjust then i get some gape. It could very well be because i am not so suited to balcony styles and i don't have much breast mass on top to push my nipples a bit further south so, much like the Duke of York, when my boobs are up, they're up! (i.e. my entire breast is up including my nipple, instead of some of the top mass just shifting to a more raised position). This definitely makes this set less of an everyday one for me since my piercings (and ridiculous angel wing jewellry) are guaranteed to get all bunched up in that lace, and thus will be relegated to my special occasions and layering pieces arsenal.

Overall i'm exceptionally impressed with the construction and size range of NightProwl. I love that they're trying to offer some of their more interesting styles in smaller sizes. One upon a time i'd have never thought that i'd own such a lush, mature, stunning set like this so i'm very happy NightProwl has given me opportunity to. I'm super excited to see what they come up with next and hopefully get my hands on Elixir to show some support for their smaller sizes (and get another one of their ugh so perfect boxes).

*These items were gifted to me free of charge for the purpose of a review. All opinions and writings are my own