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Help, Hints and FAQ's

Self Help Guide - For The Ladies

You may have purchased hundreds of lingerie items in the past, and pride yourself as something of an expert at it by now. But there's always room for improvement. This guide is to help you in your quest for your next purchase-be it choosing a new style (and maybe learning some new names you didn't know existed), fitting your bra correctly, or choosing the right style and fit of corset-hopefully we can make the process that little bit easier.

The Basics

There are many different types and styles of underwear available, but which do you choose? Some are best suited to women with small breasts, some to women with large breasts, some to slimmer women, and some to curvier women. And some suit everybody. Here's the basic styles available:

Bras - Plunge-Plunging neckline to show off the cleavage-can be spotted by the small band connecting the cups

Push Up - Push the breasts up and together to create fuller cleavage and more rounded breasts-usually contain some form of padding

Balconette - The cups are squared off at the top and create a 'shelf' appearance

Triangle - A very obvious one to spot-the cups are trangle shaped and offer no underwiring as a general rule

Full cup - totally encompasses the bust and covers the entire breast, leaving just the very top of the breast exposed-a good choice for women with a large bust or those who want a lot of support

Half cup (also known as the demi bra)-only covers half the breast, leaving half exposed. This style is best left to those women with smaller or very firm breasts, as the style tends to barely cover the nipple. A good choice for strictly-bedroom lingerie

Quarter cup - this style leaves three quarters of the breast exposed, and mainly offers underbust support, but none to hardly no coverage. Can be teamed with nipple tassles for the bedroom, and a more risque option

Knickers - French knickers-covers the bum and tends to be made of lace. Offers coverage to the front and back

Shorts (also known as boyshorts)-similar to the french knicker, but usually plainer and slightly smaller than the french knicker. A good option for women who like french knickers but want a plainer alternative

G-string - a small triangle of material at the front, and a very thin strip at the back to hold the pieces together. Doesn't offer any coverage, but good to wear under tight fitting clothes

Thong - Nearly backless knickers, with just a small strip of material to the rear

Briefs - Fuller at the back, but a similar front to the thong. Covers the bum, yet still doesn't cover as much as shorts or french knickers

Lingerie - Babydoll-Tends to fasten just under the bust, with a defined bust area, and splits below the bust into two, which gives a floaty feminine appearance. Stops just under the hip

Chemise - A longer version of the babydoll which is closed at the front. Tends to have an appearance similar to a very short dress, and covers the tops of the thighs/bum

Camisole - A short vest like appearance, usually with slender straps and stops at the waist

Corset - Tend to be very tight fitting, with steel boning throughout the garment. Can be worn without a bra, and when lace tightly it gives an hourglass figure to the wearer

Basques - Similar to a corsets, but with light boning and straps

Bustier - Tend to be strapless and similar in appearance to a corset

Finding The Correct Bra Size

So now we've covered the basic types of lingerie, let's move on to fitting a bra. Far too many women are wearing the wrong bra size, and it is doing more harm than you'd think. An ill fitting bra can cause short and long term back pain, and can cause long term damage to the breast tissue. It is vital to find a bra that fits well, and the only way to do this is to get your size right in the first place.

Fitting a bra - The first thing to do is to pick out the bra that currently fits you best, which isn't a minimizer or padded bra, as this will distort the measurements. The first measurement to take is the underbust one. Wrap the tape measure around the ribs, directly below the bra. If possible, stand in front of a mirror while doing this, as you will be able to make sure that the tape measure is straight and lying flat on your back. Pull the tapemeasure taught, but don't pull it so tight that it digs into your skin-it should be flat against the skin. Take this measurement in inches. For an odd number, add 5inch on. For an even number add 4inch onto it. This is your band size. The band size should always be an even number. Eg-an underbust measurement of 29in will be a band measurement of 34 in bras. The next measurement is taken around the fullest part of the bust.The tapemeasure should be held taught again, but not dig into the breast tissue. Make sure the tapemeasure is level at the back again. Take the measurement and record it,preferably on a piece of paper. If the band measurement is the same as the overbust measurement, this results in an A cup. If the overbust measurement is 1inch smaller, this is an AA cup, and 1inch larger is a B cup, and so forth. Eg-a band measurement of 34in (when the 4in/5in is added on) and an overbust measurement of 36inch will result in a 34C cup. This is not an exact science, and some people will still be a different bra size, due to styles of bras, different manufacturers used etc. But it does give a good idea of the size you should be focussing your search around.

A good fitting bra should make your cleavage appear pert and fuller, it should improve your posture and make you feel fabulous. A good guide to follow is:if the bra looks good, fits well, doesn't ride up at the back, and sits flat to the body, then you're doing well. The bra cups should not be wrinkled or create bulges, the back shouldn't be painful when tightened, and should create a smooth line under tops. If a new bra can be fastened on the tighest hook and eye then it is too big around the back. Try a smaller back size, and a cup size larger if the cup fits well.

Fitting A Corset - The corset is rapidly becoming the hot lingerie item that all women should own. A well fitting and quality made corset will reduce your waist size by 2-4 inch, will create a fantastic cleavage, improve posture and make you feel like a total goddess. A corset which is worn correctly can do this, and one that is well cared for will last a lifetime. It is therefore very important to know how to fit a corset correctly to get the best from it.

Firstly, you need to loosen the laces at the back of the corset as much as possible. This will help you to put the corset on easier. If you can get someone to help you put it on the first few times then this will help a lot. If not, then it will take a little longer to put the corset on, but it's not hard with practice. Once the laces are fully loosened, unhook the front of the corset, wrap it around your body, and start to fasten the hooks back together. It might be slightly easier to start fastening the front of the corset from the top downwards. Once the corset is fully fastened, it's time to tighten the back. Start tightening the laces from the top into the middle, then from the bottom to the middle. Once tightened, pull the ribbon from the centre to tighten any slight slack. Tying the ribbons in a bow is the easier way to keep the corset tight, and it makes the ribbons easy to undo aswell. Once tied, make sure the corset is still in place and has twisted. Move around a little to get used to the feel. The corset should give good support, and an overbust corset will give enough support to the bust that a bra isn't necessary. The corset will improve posture, and will make you stand taller. When removing the corset, be sure to fully undo the laces before unhooking the front-this helps to keep the corset in the best shape, and help to stop the boning from distorting.

Hints - A Guide For The Gentleman

We realise that buying lingerie for the lady in your life can be somewhat of an impossible task at times, especially if you don't know where to start. We will walk you through the necessary steps you need to take in order to purchase the perfect lingerie gift for that special someone. We will help with the perfect selection of lingerie that is guaranteed to bring a smile to her face, we will show you where you may have been going wrong in the past (and how to avoid it in the future), and we will help you to pick up some extra brownie points along the way.

Points to Remember-You are buying for her, not for you! You may love that red, see-through lacey number, but if it's not something she'd normally wear then she isn't going to just because you paid for it! Buy something that is similar is style to what she'd choose for herself, and maybe add some accessories to sauce it up. A simple set can be transformed into a sexy and seductive set by the addition of stockings, choker or a pair of saucy handcuffs. Also remember, those little extras go down very well. A robe to go with the bra set, some stockings for the suspenders, or some massage oil to treat her will all be a lovely surprise.

-Buy a set that will suit her! If she is conscious of her tummy then a chemise or babydoll would be a good choice. If she loves her legs then buy a bra set and stockings. If she normally wears tight fitting clothes then a corset is bound to be met with approval.

-Check her size! There is nothing worse than going to the effort of buying a beautiful and well thought out lingerie set, only to discover you've bought it in a size too large, or even worse, a size too small! Take a sneaky peek at a bra if you can-it's easy to do if she's at work and you live together, and even if you don't live together, there are plenty of opportunities to ask her outright. Find out her pant size aswell. If all this is too much, then knowing her dress size will do-over 70% of our lingerie is arranged by dress size, so it is simple enough to pick out a gorgeous set that will fit. If you have no idea, then take a guess, or buy a set that is One Size-these sets can be adjusted to fit her size perfectly, and are a good choice if you don't have a clue where to begin.

FAQ's

Confused as to what to purchase? Don't know where to start? Have a burning question that needs to be answered? Then take a peek, and see if we have solved your dilemma. If not, then please email us at aqualingerie@hotmail.co.uk