Wizz Pop: Mimi Holliday’s firecracker reviewed

Posted on June 17, 2013 by busts4justice

Wizz Pop by Mimi Holliday

Oh Mimi. I’ve been hankering after the perfect neon bra all ‘summer’, and following the disappointment of Bravissimo’s Alana [review here – wrong shape for me; loads of women love it though] I thought it was never meant to be…

Until I found Wizz Pop. Mimi Holliday‘s neon treat is a little expensive, true – but to me so worth it. And not to sound crazy, but I have a newly bought leopard print maxi dress [here from Whistles – trust me: stick a belt on her, looks awesome on curves] and Wizz Pop is the perfect bra to peep out of the side of her when the sun finally does come out…

Okay, so I do sound crazy. But Wizz Pop is more than a pretty face. The construction is extremely high quality, and the fabric and detail are silky soft. I love the contrast between the pink and the yellow day-glo (I’m an eighties child…), and the silky straps are a luxurious change from the standard ribbing of my average day bras.

I found the 30G to be true to size in the cup, although a little generous in the back. I could probably have managed a 28GG [to get a little extra life from it in the long term], but even so she was extremely comfortable and supportive all day long.

Wizz Pop by Mimi Holliday is available from a range of higher-end stockists in sizes 28D-36GG, and selling out fast… Catch her while you can.

******** EDIT *********

However much I loved (and still love, oh my broken heart…) Wizz Pop I feel it is my duty to add that after a few wears I discovered a fatal flaw. She is dry clean only.

I barely have time to buy milk, let alone do dry cleaning runs for my smalls. A dry clean only bra may just about be one of the most impractical and frustrating things I’ve ever heard of.

Not as frustrating, however, as realising it was dry clean only… after carefully handwashing it. It is totally, irreparably ruined.

There’s a moral in here somewhere…

 

 

 

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Smooth operator: Freya’s multiway Shape Deco reviewed

Posted on June 13, 2013 by busts4justice

Freya Deco Shape Multiway

I’m obviously a massive Deco fan already (here, here and here… if you’re counting), so I when my personal bra heros at Bravissimo offered to send me a new Deco Shape multiway bra to review I jumped (well, squeeeeed) at the chance.

The Shape collection is an evolution of the standard Deco range – taking the smooth, seamless simplicity of the original and expanding it to include more shapes and control underwear. And like the standard Deco, the Deco multiway is another impossible feat of engineering from the Freya team. With her extremely deep plunge she gives an uplifted cleavage, but subtler and wider than the va-va-voom of the original. Which means that – without trying – I’ve actually stumbled across a very real contender for under my wedding dress. Dun dun duuuun.

The multiway isn’t meant to be worn as a strapless but I wanted to check out the security and support so wore it that way anyway. I have been running up and down stairs, unloading the washing machine and generally getting on with my evening for hours and – unbelievably – nothing has moved. Not a nipple. The support is phenomenal in this thing. In fact, the only thing you really need the detachable, versatile straps for is to stop the top peak of the cups snagging on your armpits as you defy gravity. If the cups were a different shape, this would be a kick ass strapless too.

I usually wear a 28GG in Deco, but actually the 30G in the shape multiway was a good fit. I suspect a 28GG would have been a little too tight – so you may want to consider ordering up a back size (and down a cup size to match) of your usual Deco size.

For the bottoms, I’ve never worn control pants in my life before but I liked these – the pretty floral panel was enough to make them pretty but not overtly twee. Plus – and I’m sure Spanx veterans will know this already – they felt amazing. I actually tried them on over tights at first and – I won’t lie – had about five minutes of fun running around the house like a superhero. I’m not going to pretend I’m a control pant connoisseur – all I can vouch for is that I like them and they didn’t make me want to pass out or give me weird sausages for legs. They also stopped Mr B4J – lover of big floral pants (and girls pretending to be Superman) – dead in his tracks. Not a bad sign if this wins out in the wedding wars…

Massive love to Bravissimo for letting me try this absolute beaut of a bra. Freya’s Shape Deco multiway bra is available in sizes 28DD-G, 30-36 D-GG, 38D-G.

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Help Me Busts 4 Justice: my boobs are uncomfortable!

Posted on June 10, 2013 by busts4justice

La Senza Cup Choir

Reader P sent her struggle with sister sizes to Help Me Busts 4 Justice. Let’s help her navigate her way to a more comfortable fit…

Help Me Busts 4 Justice!

I just found out my actual size is 28D (I’d been wearing a 34B). I read in one of your articles that 28D is the same as 30C, 32B, and 34A. I’m confused because for a time a few years back I did wear 32B and 34A and neither of them felt good. And I can’t find any affordable stores that actually sell a 28 bra. My boobs are uncomfortable! What do I do?

Hi P,

Thanks for reaching out. While it is true that there are sister sizes that have the same volume as other sizes (eg 34B, 32C, 30D, 28E) – it doesn’t mean that they’ll all fit the same woman. While a 34B and a 28E may technically be the same volume, the way they are structured is very different. This is because on a 34 back the breast is distributed across a wider body, whereas on a 28 the same amount of breast will be protruding forward.

Importantly in this case though, you write that you were a 34B, but that 32B and a 34A were uncomfortable. That’s not surprising as they are not sister sizes to 34B – both 32B and 34A are smaller cup sizes than a 34B. The 28 back sister size of a 34B is actually more like a 28E. That said, as 34B tends to be a ‘catch all’ size for so many women (thanks M&S/Victoria’s Secret!) you may find that a 28E is actually still too small. In that case, size up to a 28F (or higher, if you need to).

You’ll know you’ve found your perfect fit when the band sits horizontal to the floor and flat to the chest in the center, the cups perfectly encapsulate all breast tissue (not sitting on it, or creating pockets of space), and the cups sit smoothly across the breast without digging in, gaping or puckering.

How easy it is to find a 28E largely depends on where you are in the world. If you’re in the UK, you increasingly find 28 backs on the high street in places like Bravissimo – it is well worth making the trip to see them if you can, especially if you’ve never had a decent fitting before. If you’re in the US or elsewhere, if there’s not a specialist boutique in your area you may need to rely on ordering from overseas. Look for companies like Large Cup Lingerie, Brastop or Figleaves who all either offer free international shipping as standard or at least have regular deals.

Good luck – and let me know how you get on!

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Olivia by Midnight Grace reviewed

Posted on June 7, 2013 by busts4justice

Midnight Grace by Figleaves Olivia

I get lots of messages asking for help finding inexpensive lingerie options for big busted girls on a budget. While I doubt you can find a well-constructed DD+ bra for the same kind of prices as you can get an A cup for in Primark (nor would I want to – there’s something unsettling about those kind of prices…), you can find a huge array of bras for under £30. And while that might be a big upfront cost for supporting yourself up front, with good care (hand washing & air drying only) they’ll last long enough to justify the investment.

One brand that consistently delivers in the lower end of the market is Midnight Grace by Figleaves, with bras selling on average between £16-26. At £24, Olivia is actually at the higher end of the Midnight Grace scale, but with her pretty stitching and delicate pink/grey colour combination, I had to investigate.

Midnight Grace by Figleaves | Olivia

 

Unfortunately Olivia fails where previous Figleave-own bras I’ve tried like Just Peachy and the Fortune bikini have succeeded: a decent, fairly true to size fit on a budget. She is uncomfortable firm and small in the cup – the 30G I tried fit more like a 28FF/G. And with such a narrow size range already, that makes Olivia a significantly less interesting proposition for the full cup market.

Although she looks very intricate and pretty even in the flesh, I also couldn’t help but think she felt like a ‘budget’ bra on. The seams were a little rough and scratchy, and even in the right size I think she would have irritated. Girls on a tight budget would do much better to grab an out-of-season bragain over at Brastop, or explore the very many £25-£30 priced, better quality bras available out there in the market.

Olivia is available in sizes 30D-38G – but for my money there are much better ways for a girl on a budget to spend her hard earned cash.

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Help Me Busts 4 Justice: the quest for a one-piece H-cup swimsuit

Posted on June 5, 2013 by busts4justice

As we creep towards the summer season, my Help Me Busts 4 Justice hotline is full of swimsuit dilemmas. And swimwear being one of my most favourite things, I’m always happy to help…

Dear Busts 4 Justice,

Help me Busts 4 Justice!: I would like to find a cute, but stylish one piece bathing suit.  My bra size is a size H cup.  I want a supportive bathing suit, maybe with a built in bra.  However, the suits I find are grandmother looking or the cups are way to small.  Help!  I am going to Florida soon, and I need a suit very soon.  I need to slim my stomach and hips as well.

R

Freya Fever Swimsuit

Dear R,

Thanks for getting in touch. Although you haven’t given me your full bra size, there are loads of cute H-cup one pieces out there. My absolute favourite is Fever (above) by Freya. It’s really simple but the low neckline and waist band make it smoking hot and super-flattering. It’s available in a bunch of colours too.

Bravissimo San Marino Swimsuit

If you’d prefer some colour, D+ cup specialists Bravissimo have this simple but bright red San Marino swimsuit, also up to a K Cup.

Panache Silhouette Shaping One Piece Swimsuit

And finally if you would feel more comfortable with something shaping, Panache do this stylish, structured number in a huge range of sizes up to a K cup.

I hope this helps – let me know how you get on!

Love from Busts 4 Justice

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