Chaffree underwear - Review

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of talking to the lovely Amanda from Chaffree about their new products.

Anti Chaff shorts are something I have been wearing since my teens, under skirts and dresses. There has been little in the way of the good but plenty of the bad and the ugly. I started with cycling shorts as a teen, which never lasted long and to be honest were usually hot and sweaty as the materials were not very breathable. I then moved onto short tights from Evans in later years, which to be honest mostly drive me insane, as the legs rolled up and the waist rolled down, the sizing was never great and the seams were often uncomfortable for me, I have super sensitive skin that gets sore easily so rarely even wear tights for this reason.

When I heard about Chaffree I was interested to see if the lived up to their promises

• Seamless, Stretchy, Lightweight and Quick Drying
• Keeps skin cool and dry as made in the performance wicking fabric COOLMAX®
• Latex Free with Anti Bacterial properties giving relief from sweating and chafing.

After asking Amanda a few questions, she really felt that her shorts could work for my ridiculously sensitive skin.

I have to say that they really do. I expected to have some gripes with the shorts as I have honestly hated every pair I have owned in the past. I wore them simply so I could wear a skirt without my legs being raw. even as a size 8 teen I never had the mythical thigh gap so long walks in just a skirt would make my sensitive skin raw.

The Chaffree Womens Knickerboxers  are a fantastic length and even come in two options 6" and 8" so you can have a shorter pair for short skirts or even for under summer shorts and culottes, if like me your legs even get sore in them.

I have been really unwell recently, part of my condition gives me what I call fluey skin, it prickles and burns as my nerves go crazy and my clothes feel painful against it. I have however worn these shorts on numerous occasions and they have not irritated my skin so far and I have also washed them many times and they still look and feel like new. The higher waistband on me in the size L/XL goes right up under my bra but I am pretty short at only 5'2 so not sure how that would work for taller women.

This is to give you an idea of where the shorts sit on me length wise in the longer leg L/XL I am also a size 22 apple shape to give you an idea of sizing.

I also have a some images from the site to give you an idea of fit and shape.

You can select mid rise or high rise waist.

These shorts are not shape wear so do not hold you in or make me you feel restricted in any way. the seams are placed in such a way that they don't rub between your legs and are lovely and stretchy.

I was also sent a pair of Womens Briefs in black which a lovely and cool under my clothing and fit beautifully. 

My lovely husband was also sent a pair of Mens Boxers which he said are amazingly comfortable and breathable. 

One of the things I would say these shorts would also be amazing for, is runners, the coolmax tech is comfy and cool and the smoothness of the material would be great to wear under shorts to keep things in place or to stop chafing in general.

Brices start at around £17 depending on style the longer shorts I was sent are £19, take a look around the site and give them a try if it is something you need. I plan on ordering myself a few more pairs and really want the blossom colour for under pretty light dresses this summer. 

Mhairi 

xxx

Surviving Hot Weather

I was stuck in our house all day yesterday, our boiler was having a part repaired which has meant our heating was on and off all day, it was sweltering in here even with the fan on full speed! This has got me thinking about the more serious hot weather we are likely to have this summer and how I am going to cope indoors and out. this isn't meant to be an instruction manual and there are many more ways to cope than the ones I know, this is just my own personal experiences.

Indoors

Indoors for me, is a delicate balance between dressing appropriately and being comfortable. I am step-mum to a 14 year old so hanging about in my knickers and bra isn't really an option, so finding light comfortable clothing that isn't restrictive or to warm is important! on my lazy days when I know I won't be disturbed by visitors pyjamas are my favourite, but lets be honest we don't always want to be caught by a rogue visitor in our scruffs so what is an option.

I am not the biggest fan of skirts of any kind for relaxing in, I find that my skin is hot and sticky and my legs sticking to each other is just not nice so I prefer trousers indoors for lounging in.
I am yet to find a pair of casual tapered trousers I am willing to wear out the fit isn't great on me to be honest and with the surge in popularity of chic cuffed trousers the last two summers it is frustrating.
I am not a fan of jogging bottoms in any form unless worn to the gym, but tailored versions are hitting the shops and sports luxe is fighting for its place in fashion and the shops are filling with silky joggers and harem pants galore.

The above outfit picture is from Yours Clothing, it is perfect for me to wear indoors and while entertaining friends and family and I would even be tempted to wear them out if by some miracle they fit me well, but I won't hold my breath as the odds seem to be stacked against me! This combination works for me, a simple light weight vest and a comfortable pair of trousers is spot on, I would miss out on the heels even though I am slightly obsessed with them! and instead slip on some comfy flats or flip flops!

Home essentials!

On a more practical note, get a fan, either a desk or pedestal fan, you can pick them up cheap in most supermarkets of go crazy and buy a posh one the choices are endless. Having the windows open is great but i find it is either too still and no air moves or it is too breezy and my curtains are flapping and stuff is getting knocked off all the time. I love my fan in the summer!!

Get out and about

But do it in a safe way. Even in the UK where our weather is not as hot as some places, we have such rubbish weather most of the time that the heat often catches us unawares. Sometimes getting up and moving can make things more bearable,  i know that sounds odd as when it is hot we most often want to stop and flop out somewhere and be still but as someone who suffers from depression, being stuck in one room not moving for hours is terrible and to be honest so boring. Getting out of the house is important to me, but I try to avoid being stuck out walking during the hottest hours as heat stroke is a big problem for me.     

Take a drink!

I always keep a bottle of water in my bag, I don't care if it gets warm, sometimes I just need hydration, Super cold water can just end up making me feel sloshy inside and a bit sick when I am over heating, keep yourselves hydrated, I prefer water or juice fizzy never seems to really hit the spot at times like this.

Wear a hat

Heat stroke is not nice, I have suffered from it a few times before and once so badly I passed out in the airport on my way home. I also have family and friends who have had to deal with skin cancer which has made me more aware of protecting myself. I have a freckly face and a mole in my hairline so I am as careful as possible!

I have had a little look around and there are some very cute ones around, I love this one from New Look.

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You could go full on floppy sun hat!

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There are so many styles of hat, you could even go for a head scarf that extra protection from the sun is important, especially for me!

Clothing choices

Every year there seems to be big debates on what is the best fabric to wear what styles work and how best to wear them, cotton vs synthetic is a hard fought battle especially amongst sporty types, but I am so not sporty so I can only go by what works for me. I am not a huge fan of cotton clothing, I always seem to rip it get it dirty or because there is zero stretch I end up feeling restricted and become anxious, add to that the creasing and its just a disaster our outfit day for me. Linen while it is lightweight and very cool also isn't my favourite because I always seem to crease it and it goes from looking gorgeous and crisp to terrible very quickly.
I tend to go for light layers a vest or lightweight dress with a very light cardigan over the top, I get far too hot and quickly become sunburnt when I have too much flesh out so I tend to protect myself a bit, but if you tan well then go without the card, I sometimes wish I could but even with factor 50 I burn these days.

There are a few items of clothing I want to give a go this year. First off their is the Skort, I feel a bit like I am slipping back to my teen years and the 90's but they are cute!

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This pair from New look are fab I could see them dressed up or down quite easily and the look comfortable and relaxed.

The other is the Kimono, I know everyone is wearing them, and it feels a little like a festival bandwagon but I think it will be a fantastic alternative to my usual cardigans as it will be lightweight, and flawy allowing more air flow. which is just win win for me.

I adore this one from ASOS I love the dark base colour and think it would be great for matching with almost any of my dresses.

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Other than that this summer will be dominated by circle skirts and the odd maxi thrown in for when I am out and about.

The evil of the dreaded chafe!

Only one or two things left to discuss, first for me is he dreaded chafe, it is the bane of many women and mens life and it is not limited to fat, thighs slim people suffer too, unless you have the legs of a flamingo most will experience their thighs rubbing together at some point and it is an evil pain!

So I throw it out to my readers what do you find best, I have had comfort shorts from Evans for years but I am not keen on the tights material and the feeling of the scalping together sets my teeth on edge!

I have heard good things about the Big Bloomers anti chafing shorts but have not personally tried them so can't vouch for them myself. I have also seen people talk about anti chafe sticks that you rub on and it stops it happening but I can't imagine that it last a long time and will need reapplying which also seems to have its own frustrations, so who has tried either of them and what do you recommend?

Suncream

Ladies and gents please wear suncream regardless of skin colour or tanning ability sun damage is a scary thing, from the wrinkles to the risk of skin cancer it isn't good!  I am the person who gets burnt hanging the washing outside, have to love my Scottish skin.

SO that is my list, to remind myself what I need to stock up on to survive this summer, what other recommendations do you have ladies and gents. Any other secrets and survival tips? They are greatly appreciated!