Lovehoney Plus Size Elixir Luxury Red Lace Bra Set (4 Piece)

I have this set in black so was very pleased to see it available in red! When it arrived I looked it over to see how similar it was in design to the black version that was released previously, and I am happy to report it's identical apart from the colours. The quality of production is just as good, the velvet is lovely and soft with a nice sheen, and the lace and gold thread detailing is still beautifully delicate and intricate.

In this four-piece set, you get the fully adjustable long-line bra, which has cheeky underboob cutouts as well as accent extra straps over the top, a matching adjustable thong, a soft lacy wide-cut suspender belt, and some super cute 'gauntlet' style wrist cuffs with a pretty little decorative chain. I like the addition of the cuffs, as they're something a bit different and really add to the appeal of the completed outfit.

Fit-wise I'm a little smaller than the stated size range, as I wear a 14-16 on top and a 16 on the bottom, however, I found this set perfectly comfortable as it is fully adjustable. I don't think it would sit right on anyone much smaller, but the variety of adjustable straps on the bra and sides of the thong make me sure it would fit right up to the top of the size range and still sit nicely and be comfortable to wear. I have C/D cups and found there was plenty enough room for me in the cups of the bra, but anyone very well blessed in the chest department might find the top straps dig in a bit.

If I had one minor gripe it would be that I don't have any stockings with a lace top to fully match this set, as it is so intricate and unique; any other red lace-top stockings won't match, so I have had to wear it with plain ones. It's not a problem, it's just I feel like some stockings with the matching lace and gold decoration would really complete this otherwise very luxurious-feeling set.

I bought this underwear for a special night with my other half as I wanted to feel sexy but also a tease.

I slipped it on and oh my god. The bra is to die for, I would buy the whole set just for the bra. It is unbelievably comfortable and cups your breasts beautifully. My partner said it made my boobs look amazing! Which is great as I'm very self-conscious about them.

The open crotch underwear was something I'm not used to so at first I wasn't too sure about it. But after wearing it for a while I love the feel of it, all covered up at the front until it gets a little steamy and then, woohoo, easy access. I have to admit, the open crotch knickers are now one of my favourite types to wear.

The only thing that I would personally change would be to make the band of the knickers a bit wider as I found it kept twisting which felt uncomfortable after a while.

When I saw a 4-piece bra set as a tester item I was intrigued. I worked out that it was a bra, knickers and suspender belt, but I was unsure what the 4th item was going to be. I thought maybe stockings (and as we're going into the autumn and winter I was slightly excited by the idea of really long woolly socks), but when the set arrived and it was cute little cuffs with a thin but fairly sturdy chain it did peek a certain amount of excitement inside me.

The bra itself is a really pretty red with the pattern highlighted with a stitched gold edge. It is underwired, which was a slight concern to me as the set was sold in overall sizes rather than specific bra sizes. The bra is quite unusual, with little bits of additional detail including an elasticated strap that goes from a ring in the centre and runs across the top of your breasts joining on to the shoulder strap. Similarly there is a wider elasticised strap that runs below your breasts with some teasing holes in the patterned material to show a bit of additional flesh.

I had to try it on immediately as I just love lingerie! I was instantly pleased to see three positions for fastening on the back (I used the middle one as a 38C) and three hook fastenings, making sure it wasn’t going anywhere! Additionally, both shoulder straps were fully adjustable, so my initial sizing fears were soon forgotten and I soon had it comfortable and holding my breasts nicely with a decent amount of cleavage.

Of course, a decent bra needs some matching knickers. In this case, they are crotchless to the extreme. There is the customary panel of material to cover the pubic hair area and then they are open all the way to the waistband where they meet the elasticated waistband.

There are panels of material to sit on your buttocks. The really nice thing about these knickers is that the waistband is elasticated, but also has an adjustment like bra straps to make sure they are comfortable for any size. Within a few minutes I had them sitting comfortably and looking great. They’re not going to keep you warm, but wearing them out under a skirt made me feel really naughty!

The set could be worn like this on a day to day basis and is really comfortable. However, for those special occasions there is the matching suspender belt. This has two elasticated waistbands with the same pretty lace red material between them, and then hanging down from the bottom band is more of the lace material and the 4 red straps to attach to stockings. These straps are all adjustable and easily slide onto stockings to hold them in place. The back of the belt matches the bra with 3 hooks and 3 different positions, as a size 20/22 in the waist I had to use the biggest setting to be really comfortable. I teamed it with some fairly plain black stockings, but I imagine red or nude would probably work as well.

The final part is the cuffs, if you’re into really hard restraints then these aren’t going to be for you. However, they slide on over the hands and sat nicely on my wrists. They don’t stretch a huge amount, but they seemed to fit okay. The chain itself is fairly sturdy and clips onto silver rings at the middle of the cuffs.

My husband enjoyed being able to restrain me, but I felt I could break out at any time. We have heavy-duty wrist restraints on our bed and I can pull against these and they won’t give, but I didn’t feel I could strain these little clips without them breaking ,so they are more fun than anything.

Overall the set is great and comfortable. However, I would probably have been more likely to purchase it as a two-piece bra and knickers set as I don’t expect to use the other bits too often.

I’m a real sucker for a bra set. They are easily the most versatile type of lingerie with so many different options for how to wear them.

My biggest issue, however, is that my body is not your ‘average’ plus size body. I’m a 40 DD/E, 5’6’’, and generally wear a dress size 18/20 (1X/2X). However, on the bottom I often have to go for the 3X option because of my large bum and my thunder thighs can stretch me all the way to a 5X. As you can imagine, finding a set that does everything I need it to is beyond complicated.

Fortunately, Lovehoney seems to have really made an effort to accommodate the variable frame that is the plus size body and yet again have managed to produce a set that is both comfortable and ticks most of my lingerie needs. The Elixir set gives me something a bit more exotic in my wardrobe and in my favourite colour as well!

Brace yourselves for a long review because this set gives you everything you would possibly need in a set. I’ll start with individual pieces and then move on to the general notes.

Let’s start with the underwear provided. I would say these are a solid ‘good’ for my large bottomed needs. They are adjustable at the waist and would work for someone much larger than me actually. It was a nice addition to the underwear. However, I found that though these were crotchless in theory, the reality was somewhat different. They sat quite low at the front for me, which meant that clitoral stimulation was impossible wearing these and during vaginal penetration, the fabric rubbed and irritated my partner. That being said, if you’re all about anal, these are perfect for you to wear during the act.

Secondly, the suspender belt. I have to say it has got some beautiful detailing with the velvet straps and is just gorgeous. Though with a bigger belly I found it difficult to get it to sit properly on my figure. I have a small waist for my size so it kept bunching up in certain areas even with stockings attached. The most frustrating thing was that the front pointed bit that should have visually elongated my figure kept rolling up. Here’s some advice for this lingerie generally: invest in some body tape. It was a life saver and kept everything where it needed to be. I will give it this massive compliment though, these suspender straps (though not removable) were the easiest I have ever used. It took me less than a minute which is impressive for a bigger lady.

Time for the biggest test: the bra. Generally, I don’t really expect much support from non-specific cup sizing and I have to say this slightly went above my expectations. The wiring fits fine and the cups covered my nipples when standing (though failed magnificently when bent over). The straps didn’t dig and there were plenty of clasps on the bust band to keep me happy. I wouldn’t say it was supportive or gave amazing cleavage but it didn’t hurt like others have in the past. However, I found that the gorgeous detailed bottom band with the cutouts kept bunching up under my bust and had to be fixed with body tape again. Small price to pay to look sexy to be fair though.

And finally, the cuffs. I wouldn’t call these cuffs really. They are more gloves that fit with the overall look. They don’t come down on my arms anywhere near as much as the model but I like them and they look great for the 30 seconds they’re on before you get into the swing of things. The chain is removable, which is great for me because I’m not a fan of having my movement restricted but love the ‘gloves’. All in all, they’re a cute addition and I think add to the look really nicely. Great detail!

Is this my favourite set of all time? No, but I feel crazy sexy in it and I like the Arabian nights, genie-in-a-bottle type look. The red and gold lace combination is really attractive (though difficult to colour match) and the velvet straps are utterly gorgeous and strokeable. Though not the most comfortable in the world, as I found it a bit itchy and rough for long-term wear, it is good stretchy fabric. I’m very happy with my red Elixir set and would recommend it though it does have a few minor fit issues that let it down slightly. 

I am a size 18 and a 38G. Normally a 1X/2X fits well, but this time I found the bra ridiculously small.

The suspender was a good fit but the bra was just far too small. I exchanged it for the 3X/4X and found literally no difference in the size.

The bra and suspenders belt seem to be exactly the same. The bra only fits if the underwire sits on my boob and altering the straps did nothing. Very disappointed as it looks lovely.