Finding Your Bra Size, all over again : guest post by Kaela

Posted on January 16, 2013 by busts4justice
Kaela LaRosa: guest maternity blogger

The perks, pitfalls and perilously over-stuffed cups of a busty mum-to-be: introducing new guest writer Kaela LaRosa.

It wasn’t until I was in my 30’s that I was (finally!) shown the light of a fitted properly bra.  I dropped band size, increased cup size and the effects… WOW doesn’t quite cover it.  It was vaguely reminiscent of the feeling you have after finally ending a shitty relationship; why did I stay so long? Why was I so committed? So convinced?  Goodbye 38 D, Hello 36 F. Supportive, comfortable, sexy, and perfect for me.

And then I got pregnant.  My clothes got tight, my bras got tighter. My husband, normally a fairly normal guy became a ‘dude’ and reverted to gaping (and groping) at me like a 16 year old boy.  This man is no stranger to breasts, especially mine, but the newfound fascination he’s had with them has been beyond flattering. Let’s just say no complaints!

I figured as an already well figured woman not much would change. Foolish!  It’s all changed, from size to weight to sensitivity and everything I’ve learned to be true and right for my chest has been called into question.  In an attempt to maintain my perky ways, I went and purchased a couple new bras, same band size, one cup larger.  My logic seemed to work at first, but soon I was back where I started. And though I was wearing my favorites styles, they were binding and the pretty lace I always covet was irritating me and making me itchy in unflattering ways.  The term ‘let ’em down easy’ wasn’t meant for your chest but that’s what I found myself doing at the end of every day, taking a deep breath, unhooking, and literally letting them down.  With all the changes and challenges that lay ahead, getting to re-know my chest was never one I considered.

So what’s a girl to do? What reviews to believe? Underwire or soft cup, nursing bras pre-natal or wait until after?

How much more change is there to come?

 

Kaela LaRosa will be writing about her pre & post baby boobs and reviewing maternity lingerie on Busts 4 Justice throughout the year. If you have a request, question, top tip, suggestion or solution, please comment on this post or say hello through the usual channels (here, here, and here). 

Posted in Maternity | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Princess and the pea: Curvy Kate’s classic reviewed

Posted on January 14, 2013 by busts4justice

Princess by Curvy Kate

Like a fairytale, Curvy Kate‘s Princess bra is a classic and – as it prepares to launch in to yet another two seasons – certainly aiming to be as timeless. With its signature ribbon stitching along the cup and its simple, everyday shape, Princess continues to win loyal fans… but Busts 4 Justice here still hadn’t managed to try it. I know, I know.

But finally, I have here in my paws – in this beautiful teal colour with a pink ribbon trim. Regular readers will know that I always try bras in what I understand to be my ‘size zero’ – as in, my bra size as calculated without adding inches to my underbust measurement – of a 30G. This tends to be a reliable starting point, and the most consistent way to gauge how a bra fits compared to others. But equally reliably, I find a lot of Curvy Kate styles to run slightly small in the cup – so as with my review of the Daily Boost and Tempt Me I ordered a 30GG. I’m glad I did – once again, sizing up by one in the cup works perfectly for Curvy Kate. Does anyone else share my need to consistently size up with this brand?

The 30GG is spot on size wise, and gives a perfectly rounded shape and a natural cleavage – less ‘full cup and trussed up’ than similar-ish style Portia. The cups are angled slightly so it does rather make the boobs point outwards (not Madonna style, but certainly retro). This style can work well for wide set breasts – and indeed the center wires are much wider than you find on other brands. The underwire tracks comfortably along my body, and the support is fantastic. My only niggle – my pea in this vibrant lacy fairytale – is that the seaming along that signature ribbon is a little irritating at first. It’s an easy nuisance to forget, but it does make the bra feel a little cheaper than it looks. Still, the rich colour certainly brightened this bitter grey day – I think I can take a moment of rough with this smooth.

Curvy Kate’s Princess is widely available in a range of colours and in sizes 28-40 D-K (although you can often grab a great deal at Brastop). Keep your eyes peeled for this beautiful Orchid colour – getting ready to drag you out of the darkness and in to spring.

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New Year’s Resolution #184278321.4: GET OVER BOOBS

Posted on January 2, 2013 by busts4justice

After a Toblerone, pyjama and Danish murder mystery based Christmas hiatus, B4J is back and ready for another year of boob justice, bra reviews, and the rest. But before we launch in to whatever treats 2013 has in store for us I’d like to take a pause and make a small resolution for 2013…. Can we make 2013 the year we get over boobs?

Before you rush to inspect my addled brains for sign of Swiss chocolate haemorrhage, let me explain. Breasts are brilliant. Not only are they fun, they look great in a balconette AND can deploy vast quantities of exactly the nutrition a newborn baby needs without a recipe. Breasts are something to be celebrated, cherished, respected, checked routinely, and generally loved – and B4J will continue to be here for them.

But we – and by we, I mean a lot of people that probably aren’t the sort of people who read Busts 4 Justice – have a bizarre and increasingly tedious obsession with boobs that does nothing but flood the Internet with great tomes of writing each and every day whilst simultaneously grossing me out in the process. Miley Cyrus’s bra size is not news. Emma Watson’s side boob is not news. Taylor Swift’s bra strap is definitely not news. PEOPLE, THIS ISN’T NEWS!

The worst thing is, it’s just flat out creepy. As a society don’t we generally believe that someone following very young women, obsessively staring at their breasts and speculating about their underwear/bra size is an acceptable thing. In fact the consensus is that that would be gross, inappropriate and sinister, and probably worthy of a restraining order of some description.  I think the world would be an infinitely better – and safer – place if we made a collective resolution not to put up with these creepers any more.

I’ll probably give up Toblerone for a bit too.

Who’s with me?

Happy New Year to my lovely readers – please let me know if you have any requests for Busts 4 Justice in 2013. I’m hoping to make this year better than ever xx

 

Posted in Feminism | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A real Gem: Freya’s “new Jolie” reviewed

Posted on December 12, 2012 by busts4justice

Freya Lingerie Gem bra

It’s no secret that Freya’s discontinuation of their stalwart style Jolie in colours – in the colours I have come to depend on as my very favourite, very high rotation bras – has left me crushed (or rather, standing over a precipice without a non-boring comfort bra to rely on).

At the time, Freya themselves recommended Gem as the girl who could win my heart once Jolie had left – but then a denial discount website splurge enabled me to track down enough back-ups to delay facing the inevitable. 8 months later, it’s time to face reality. Luckily sometimes, reality isn’t so hard to face at all. In fact, sometimes reality is a surprising treat…

Freya Lingerie Gem

Gem was not based on Jolie (actually she’s based on Rio, which I haven’t tried) but she is similar to Jolie in a number of ways: it’s a basic, lightweight non-padded bra with a full, rounded, no-messing shape. Like Jolie, the wires in the center run close together, which is great for narrower girls and girls with close set breasts – and the reason I love Jolie so much.

She is simple like Jolie, yet more ornate. With a pretty polka dot cup lined lace with floral trim, she’s like Jolie’s smarter older sister. She has wider side straps for a firmer support, and gives the same great shape and comfort I’ve come to depend upon from my long loved favourites. In fact, Gem is as close to a diamond in this everyday basics category as I’ve been able to find.

Freya Lingerie Gem

Fit wise, she’s less straightforward than her predecessor. I tried my usual test size of 30G – the size I always wear in Jolie – and though the back was firm and the support itself comfortable the cup was significantly bigger than I tend to expect from a (non-Deco) Freya bra. Cup to cup, Gem has a good extra inch of underwire on Jolie – I’d suggest trying a size down in the cup at least one size to find the perfect fit.

I will miss Jolie and the candy bright colours she has brought to my lingerie drawer (especially the part of my lingerie drawer reserved for comfort days), but with Gem I sense I’ll be okay. The colours may be more muted, but I don’t need to miss that subtle shape, that lightweight feel, that perfect center gore I know and love and reach for so often. Gem’s elegant simplicity can add a secret sexiness to my everyday days: a cracking, comfortable but interesting bra destined to be a favourite basic.

Plus, check out these high waisted pants coming with the set (that will run to a K cup) in January. Le squeee!

Gem by Freya Lingerie is available in sizes 28-38 D-G*.

Thank you to the lovely peeps from Bras & Honey for sending Gem to help me out of my denial and in to life after Jolie. Keep up the good work! x

 

*edit: it’s been brought to my attention that the Freya website is wrong and Gem does indeed go up to a J cup. Joy!

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

How to be Santa: getting gift lingerie right

Posted on December 11, 2012 by busts4justice

It’s Christmas (get out! For real?) and if you’re anything like me your work and social life is festively escalating to the diary equivalent of the climax in Die Hard. Christmas shopping? Er, can I just wrap the thought?

Lingerie can be a great and easy gift for a partner to give (not least because, like all the best gifts, it keeps giving – and often back to the giver), but it’s also an emotional and mental minefield that can erupt a perfectly lovely Christmas morning in to one of relationship doom. Or quiet disappointment. It depends on the girl.

So in the spirit of good will – and to compensate for my many entries on to 2012’s naughty list – I wrote this survival guide to getting it right. Feel free to forward it to any Santas you know who may be venturing out in to the cold……

1: Get the size right!

Yes, bra sizes are tricky but – here’s a secret – they’re written on every label on every bra. While she’s in the shower, grab her favourite bra from the drawer/floor/kitchen table (if she’s a lingerie blogger), make a note of the size, and feel like Columbo for a moment before selecting the right bra. Do NOT try and work this out using comparatively sized fruit and/or the sales assistant for reference. Trust me.

If she doesn’t have a favourite bra, or if she routinely tears her bra away from her body with the hellish discomfort of it all, you can make her happier by giving her vouchers for lingerie and a fitting from a good lingerie boutique instead. A fit overhaul is nothing short of life changing. Plus, delayed gratification is good for you.

2: Stick to what you know she loves

You may enjoy nipple tassels/crotchless knickers/epic frills/box fresh three-for-two white cotton panties from M&S but that doesn’t mean that she does. Remember this is a present for her. Receiving lingerie you hate because your partner thinks you’d look sexy in it is a sure fire way to feel like your partner doesn’t know you at all, or that they know you but that ‘you’ is not good enough.

A good way to avoid this is to imagine your partner wearing the lingerie. Got it? Good right? Now look up – at her face. Is she happy? Or does she look like she couldn’t be less sure of herself if she were trying it on in front of your entire family? If you’re not pretty sure she’d pick it herself, or she hasn’t mentioned that she’d like to try it, show due caution. Put out some feelers. Check her lingerie drawer. Look at her Pinterest. Don’t assume because she read 50 Shades of Grey on holiday that all she wants for Christmas is a lace thong and riding crop.

3: Keep it smooth

Feel the fabric. Would you wear it? Not in the personal style sense – that’s your business – but in the ‘would I want this near my delicate bits’ way. Poor quality lingerie is worse than no lingerie. Steer away from stuff that itches, stuff that feels so static-inducing you’re practically a dry hump away from being a human Van de Graaff generator, and stuff that feels unpleasantly artificial – especially in the bottoms. Nothing says ‘Bad Santa’ like synthetic crotch induced thrush. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

4. Keep the receipt

Just in case, eh?

Go forth, brave santas. And merry Christmas shopping to you all.

You really want me to wear this? Huh…

Posted in How to... | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments