A common problem in microwave imaging of human body parts is the creation of unwanted surface waves due to permittivity mismatch between the object under test (OUT) and the surrounding space. These waves propagate more easily along the surface of the OUT and can overshadow the desired signal from an inner inhomogeneity (e.g. a tumor). Submerging the OUT into a matching bolus liquid has proven to reduce surface waves, yet also to increase the overall signal attenuation. In this paper we present a novel applicator concept that can be used to effectively illuminate the human breast without the need for such a bolus liquid. Electromagnetic simulations show that the applicator creates almost no surface waves even if placed 1 mm away from a simplified breast model. An estimation of the applicator performance in a realistic measurement scenario is made using a detailed breast model from the UWCEM Numerical Breast Phantoms Repository in the simulation.