Volupties - First Shipment

Okay, can I start off by saying I was SO crazy excited to get these?  I am 5' 10'' and not supermodel skinny.  I got my height from my daddy and my hips from my grandmother, and I loved that woman, but she had a big old shelf butt.  Fortunately for me, I'm almost a foot taller than she was, so I carry those hips better than she did.  But clothes shopping for me has always been a nightmare.  Trust me, most stores aren't catering to girls with curves anymore.  Finding underwear that doesn't look like a diaper is even harder.  And most underwear subscriptions are for the little Twiggies out there.  Volupties is different.  Not only are they catering to girls with booty, they're serving up something sexy.  So relegate your crummy old Hanes to the period panty section of your drawer and check these out.

The Breakdown
Subscription: Volupties
Price: $17/month
Website: www.volupties.com 
Type of box: Blind
Billing date: 10th of each month
Shipping date: "between the 11th and the 19th"
Shipping charges: free to the US, $7 to Canada, $9 international (um, except Canada?)

What's the deal?

Volupties sends you three pairs of underwear in the size of your choosing.  It's what I call a "blind" subscription so, other than telling them your size, you don't get to make any choices as to what you receive (Which pisses me off a little bit, because their sister site for skinny bitches - Splendies - has a "no thong" option.  I know there are fewer options out there for bigger girls, and the company is just working with what's available, but it's still annoying.  Okay, enough bitching.).  It arrives in a plain white mailing envelope - you know, those annoying plastic ones that you usually have to tear open with your teeth?  This is cool though, since nowhere on the envelope does it indicate that there's underwear inside.  So no snickering from the mailman, glares from your nosy landlady, or creepy ogling from your next door neighbor who always has his hands down his pants.  Totally discreet.

Inside are three pairs of underwear wrapped in really pretty tissue paper.  Now, I am going to attempt to show these to you, but bear with me if my pictures suck.  I'm a writer, not a photographer, and I'm teaching myself how to do this as I go.

Pair #1

Holy crap, that's not as bad as I thought!  Granted, it's not the best picture on the web, and my bedspread makes for a funky background, but it's not terrible.  Ahem, sorry!

You cannot see in my mediocre photo, but these are actually ruffled waist to groin in alternating black and white.  The material is silky soft and slightly transparent.  The brand is Seven Til Midnight and, before Volupties I had never seen or heard of this maker.  That, in itself, made me pretty damn happy.  One of the hardest parts of finding underwear when you're a bigger girl is knowing who carries your size.  Finding a new brand is always awesome.  A note on Volupties sizing, however: my experience buying underwear has always been with sizes 5-10.  Volupties works in X's, 1 through 4.  Full disclosure - and you better appreciate it because this is not something I'm thrilled about sharing - I normally wear an 8.  Because I wasn't sure about the system here, I ordered a 3X.  All three pairs fit great, if that helps anyone out.  This pair in particular were actually a little bit loose, but I'm not complaining.  They're really sweet and kind of sexy.  Not something I'd wear under anything tight, but they're breathable and comfortable, so I'm stoked. 

Pair #2

Okay, I saw these and went, whoa!  I haven't worn a thong since high school and, in case you couldn't tell by my picture, this is definitely a thong.  I was a little bummed because I don't have the greatest memories of thongs.  You spend the whole day with a wedgie, sometimes in the back and the front, you sit down and the damn things slice you and two, and by the time you take them off at the end of the day you've got a bruised tailbone and probably a yeast infection, too.  Thongs suck.  But this one is SO pretty!  And I've never owned a pair of underwear this sexy.  So I reluctantly tried them on.  And was crazy surprised.  They fit.  Comfortably.  What the hell?  I could sit and everything.  Maybe I just didn't have the right size before.  Like I said, not a lot of people really catering to girls with curves.  Again, the brand is Seven til Midnight and they call this a "shaping thong."  I gotta say, they do pull you in a little bit, but not to the point where you feel like there's a boa constrictor around your waist.  The lace is very soft and the hot pink lining underneath just made these seem super sexy to me.  The fit is awesome and, I can't believe it, but I know I'll actually wear these. 

Pair #3

These were definitely my favorite in the bunch.  They're made of a silky soft material, high cut in the back, with super soft lace covering your butt cheeks.  I took a second picture of the back to show you the coverage.

 

I've heard people refer to these as "cheekies" and it's pretty self-explanatory as to why.  The brand name is Youmati, another one I've never heard of.  A little online research makes me think they're kind of a west coast boutique outfit, in the region where Volupties is based.  Don't really care though.  The fit on these is absolutely perfect and they feel weightless on.  My pic doesn't make it clear but the lace doesn't ruffle or stick out in any way, so these will be fine under any article of clothing.  I absolutely love them.

Final Judgement!

I gotta say, I was really impressed with my first shipment.  The underwear are all beautiful and they fit!  That's definitely a huge plus in my book.  For those of you who are looking for a bargain in your subscription boxes, I did a little googling to find the retail on these.  The first pair I found on eBay for $11.49.  The second ones I found on Amazon for $4.95, BUT they were only in a small and we all know curvy girls pay more for their undies.  The last pair I couldn't find anywhere and I think that's cool.  So are they worth the $17 subscription price.  I definitely think so.  My only caveat has to do with shipping time.  I don't particularly care for the 9-day shipping window.  It seems a little vague.  And my first package seemed to take forever to get here.  I subscribed on July 22, and got an e-mail saying they were shipping on the 25th (new subscribers' orders are shipped "within 7 days after purchase, sometimes sooner").  The package wasn't actually received by the post office until July 30th, even though there was a tracking number.  So that kind of perturbed me a bit.

Bottom line - Keep it or Trash it?

For me, this was a win and I'm going to keep the subscription, for at least a little while.  My underwear drawer is sadly in need of some sprucing up and I really liked this first package.  $17 seems like a fair price for three pairs of really cool underwear and I don't think I could find these brands in stores in my area.  My butt and I are really happy!