It’s no secret that the Freya Deco Plunge is one of my favourite bras – so I’m excited to hear about Deco 365,  a year long celebration of the style just launched for 2013. Always on the right side of that fine line between ‘seamless and moulded’ and ‘ugly and cumbersome’, time after time I come back to the Deco Plunge for a truly epic cleavage and a few surprising fashion solves too.

Like, riding a bike. Deco Plunge is no sports bra, but when it comes to cycling long distances (or for a long day of short distances over Amsterdam’s cobbled streets), Deco is by far the most comfortable choice for cycling. By uplifting the cleavage, it prevents painful jolts in the breasts – in exchange for a gentle jiggling in the top of the cup (which I usually cover – no one needs to see two huge panna cottas wobbling by at speed on the back of a tandem on a Saturday morning). Deco is a boob defender.

Or fitting my boobs in to certain dresses. Sounds counterintuitive when you consider how epic the cleavage is, but because the Deco is so ‘front and center’ it can sometimes make all the difference between a fit and a smoosh when wearing fitted clothes. The picture at the bottom is of me in one of my favourite Whistles dresses (FYI K Middy has it too. I say BACK OFF K MIDDY. LEAVE WHISTLES FOR THE REST OF US), and the picture (#awkward) that I uploaded to Freya’s Deco 365 gallery. There’s no give in the lining of that dress, and without the stretch curvy girls depend on only Deco can wrestle G-Unit in to a position that works. You have to admire her can do attitude.

And did I mention the epic cleavage? I think Deco is peerless for D+ push ups. Need to make an impact? She’s got you covered. Need to distract from an ill-timed bloat by upping your waist-to-bust ratio? No problem. Enjoy finding lost pieces of popcorn when you get home from the cinema? Just me then…

So let’s talk fit. I find Deco a little big in the back, so usually size down in the back and up in the cup (something only possible since recently, when they expanded their sizes. The H cup Deco surely can’t be far away?) The straps are quite wide set, and – my favourite feature as a bony girl – the deep plunge of the bra means a narrow, comfortable centre gore that never digs in to my sternum. Deco Plunge, I couldn’t be without you.

Discover the full Deco range and upload your own Deco style at Freya Deco 365.

“Ultimate” is a word often bandied around about push-up lingerie, but if there’s one bra that truly embodies the word it’s the gravity defying wonder of engineering that is Wonderbra’s Ultimate Strapless bra. I’ve reviewed her before a few years ago, back when my more-often-than-not size of 30G was still not available. Even in a imperfect 32F – which did feel a little slippy around the sides – she gave me a level of comfort and support I (all big boobs and bony ribs) had never been able achieve before. And this was no easy ‘jump up and down in the changing room’ test either – my imperfectly sized Ultimate Strapless passed the sixteen hour bridesmaid test. Oh yes, she rocks.

But could she get any better? I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to order a 30G since they expanded their size range (in the black lace – she’s pretty too) but I wont waste time on regrets. I have her now, and I will never let her go.

I don’t have a wedding to test this out in, so I made do with a normal day (weirdly a similar amount of dancing is involved, but the music is better). As before, she’s extremely comfortable. The cleavage is perfect – it’s uplifted, definitely – but in a sexy sweetheart shape way rather than a two-footballs-glued-under-your-chin kind of way. The back is firm but not crushing and the cup size is pretty spot-on (possibly a little generous in the cup if you’re fuller on the bottom, but I didn’t have any visible seams when I put clothes over it). And the best thing? For a big bra, her low back and extremely plunging center means she’s extremely versatile for whatever you’re wearing.

Just as before with the 32F, she gives amazing support all day long… but better. The fit is even more secure; and because she’s my actual size, her proportions are better under my clothes – meaning I’ll wear her more often, and love her all the more. Ultimate support, ultimate comfort, ultimately recommended.

Wonderbra’s Ultimate Strapless is widely available in sizes 30-38 A-G.

Can your favourite strapless beat mine? Let me know below!

I love Fauve. Fauve is everything I want from my lingerie – it’s grown up, beautiful, elegant… and for some reason the orange Bronte longline coming this spring (below) is one of the most exciting pieces I’ve seen for G-cups in a long time.

Except… I can never make Fauve work. Not because I don’t have a long satin housecoat, or big glossy hair, or immaculately manicured everything (I mean, I don’t have those things either), but because I can never figure out the sizing. However much I love Fauve, I find it really hard to navigate to a size that works.

Take the Coco balcony bra in Mulberry. She is beautiful (although to be honest I could lose the little pearl/diamante caterpillar in the center – this isn’t Victoria’s Secret), she is elegant, and she feels like great quality. But in my usual size of 30G (and the size I usually default to in sister brand Freya), Coco was all wrong. In the back she’s perfect – firm and comfortable and exactly as she should be. But the cup – be it from size or cut or both – was a miss. There was at least a half-cup size’s worth of space left empty, and I couldn’t fix it by adjusting the straps because… the gap was in an empty, eye-poking peak above the nipple.

I could try a 30FF of course, but even then I’m still not sure it would be a solve. The rest of the bra seemed okay, so if the cup compressed anywhere except in that tip I’d be squeezed. Plus, 30 backs are so rare in Amsterdam I’m totally reliant on mail order.  Coco is a lovely looking bra, but I’m not sure I can be bothered to spend time and money shipping another one over to disappoint me.

Fauve would be perfect if they could get a fix on sizing – something perhaps usually consistent sister brand Freya could help her with. I’m crossing everything that the Bronte longline is the very first exception to my Fauve misfortune….

Fauve Coco balcony in Mulberry is available in sizes 30-38 D-GG and 40 D-G.

This post is hugely overdue thanks to my recent adventures in amazing Texas (howdy y’all), but two weeks late this not-so-new news is still worth shouting about.

It’s no secret I love Bravissimo. Non-UK readers: whenever you ask for the reason why the UK is so much better equipped for our fuller busts than other countries, Bravissimo is it. Founded by a frustrated big busted woman in 1995, Bravissimo went from mail-order secret to high street game changer – re-educating (and empowering!) women about their bodies one bra size at a time. They reshaped the lingerie industry for those of us beyond a C cup (now most serious department stores and lingerie brands carry G cup bras almost as standard) and they continue to champion the importance of good (and regular) fittings and properly sized lingerie.

Boob School is proof of their continuing dedication to that cause. For those of you who have never been “Bravissimo-d”, there are no tape measures in their changing rooms. The fitters assess bras not on numbers and letters, but on how they fit. They show you how any bra does or doesn’t work for you, and explain how to tell when you’ve got it right. For me, this is the key to getting all women in to well fitted bras. An online bra calculator is never going to do it – we have to help every woman to recognise the signs and find her perfect fit for herself, even if it contradicts what a ‘professional’ fitter is telling her.

To be honest, I already classify Bravissimo as a company with great fit advice and a dedication to educating their customers, but Boob School aims to do this on a much bigger scale and to a wider audience. It re-imagines the information that has been hitherto tucked away in the bottom links of their webpage and in the brains of their fitters, and puts it front and center with these easy to understand cue cards on their website and Facebook. So many women wear bras in sizes that squish, squeeze, bulge or otherwise bother their breasts, when the truth is a good fitting bra can stop you from noticing them from one end of the day to the next (unless you want to…) Bravissimo were the ones who introduced me to 30G (from 34E), and in doing so freed me from hating my body… and freed me to discover running, swimming, shirts that button properly, non-nipple exposing swimwear, and liking my boobs. And if you’re one of the many women still struggling with awkward lingerie, I hope one day they will do the same for you too.

Check out Bravissimo’s seven bra faux pas below and see if you need to work on your bra-rithmetic….

I had no idea I would ever be writing about weddings two posts in a row, but last weekend on the back of  a boat on the Thames and to my total surprise Mr B4J asked me to marry him. I said yes.

I’ve never dreamed of being a bride – I won’t be in a wedding dress on the day for sure – but I can’t wait to be married to my best friend. And so we have set ourself a challenge: four months, no procrastination, and one awesome party for our friends and family.

We both know what we want to wear (hell, I’ll buy a dress this afternoon if it’s in stock and suits G-Unit), we know what we want to eat and drink, we know the sort of place we want to have it, we know who we want to come and we know the sort of party we want to have. There’s only one totally blank void in the plan:

I have no idea what lingerie to wear.

This is an amazing opportunity to splash out on some extremely special and decadent undercrackers…. but what do I want to wear? Fit must be perfect, of course – and the structure of the bra will need to work with that of the dress. But beyond that I have total freedom  to choose anything to hold me up on our wedding day. I don’t need to restrict myself to bridal lingerie as I won’t be in white (or cream, or anything bride-y) – so on one hand I have total carte blanche. But on the other as regular readers will know white underwear – a genre wholly unrepresented in my swelling lingerie collection – is Mr B4J’s favourite: it might be nice to – for once – indulge him.

White lace wedding present for my new husband, or something bright and beautiful for myself? Or – the dream – is there a white bra out there that can look special enough to me at a G cup to be something for the both of us?

Four months until L&B4J day. This is going to be fun…

So regular readers will know I recently raved about Bravissimo’s continued dedication to good fitting advice, and fellow bloggers may have seen my (very sincerely meant) quote on the Boob School press release. It wasn’t necessary, but Bravissimo’s team sent me some lingerie as a thank you: their classic style Alana.

Alana is sort of a legend, because she is the only L-cup bra available on the high street. But I’d never actually tried her until this new, lime green beauty arrived on my doormat. I am super in to neon at the moment, and this looked like just the refresher my lingerie closet needed.

Sadly, it was not meant to be. Alana is a classic style, similar to a Freya Gem or Freya Jolie in shape -however, she has an extremely high center gore compared to those other styles, which (as I’ve written about often) doesn’t suit my body at all. I’m relatively petite with flared ribs and a prominent sternum, and a high center gore really cuts in and becomes uncomfortably very quickly. (FYI, a bigger band size doesn’t help this: in fact, with less anchorage my band will tip backwards and exacerbate the problem). A pity, as I really do love the colour. It looks like sorbet, which screams sunshine even if the weather refuses to…

In terms of fitting, because Alana reportedly runs small in the cup, I was sent a 30GG. But while the back was firm (though not tight) and the underwire tracked perfectly, the top of the cups were slightly baggy on me – enough to show under my top but not enough to really justify sizing down. Or saving exclusively for those two wonderful days a month where G-Unit becomes GRRRRAAAAA-Unit. Either way, it’s awkward.

I wondered if this is actually something to do with the height of the center gore – perhaps Alana is better suited to taller/longer bodied women than I am – because the top of the bra starts that much further up the chest? Or perhaps it’s just better suited to women who are fuller in the top? Either way, I put Alana back in to her box – pretty as she is, she’s never going to be the girl for me.

The upside of this disappointment is this though: I know this bra is wrong because of the lessons Bravissimo have taught me over the years. And I know – despite the unsuccessful review – that they’d be proud that I have the knowledge and confidence to know when something’s just not right for me. That’s what fit education is about after all: giving women the tools they need to know their perfect fit every single time.

Alana in lime is available from Bravissimo, in sizes 28 FF-HH, 30 E-KK, 32-40 DD-L.

Not long after writing this review of Curvy Kate’s Princess bra did team CK reach out to me to let me know that the fitting nuances I’d noted in my review – namely that it ran slightly small – would be resolved in the new season Princess style. Quite a promise from a brand who does typically run slightly large: but is it true?

Interestingly enough, it is. Although the band could be a little bit firmer, the wide three-hooked support gives good support while the cup fits much ‘truer’ to size than previously. The underwire tracks perfectly, and though pastel purple isn’t usually my cup of tea I have to say this is my favourite Curvy Kate bra to date.

It’s not just the fit. The style is slightly different too: the cups seem closer together in the center – much more comfortable for a close set girl like me – and it doesn’t have the same outwards east-west pointing as it did before.

In many ways, Princess seems to have been engineered precisely to my tastes. It suits my figure better, it’s infinitely more comfortable on my ribs, and gives my favourite rounded everyday shape. Good news for me – although I wonder what old die hard fans of the style will make of it. Have any of my Curvy Kate loving readers tried it yet?

Curvy Kate’s new orchid purple Princess is available in an extended range of sizes from 28-40 D-K, 42-44 D-G.

When I saw Freya‘s new Babes in the Wood bra, I knew I would love it. Their unpadded half-lace style is one of my favourites ever – I always know what fit I’m getting, it always suits me, and the prints always add a touch of flair to my everyday days. Freya’s Dionne is one of my current favourites and I fully expected Babes in the Wood to be the same.

Except… she’s not. Yet. Though Freya are usually great at cookie cutter bra styles, Babes in the Wood runs much bigger than Dionne. I was so startled by the excess of fabric that I actually double checked the label; and I even put my Dionne on to double check my boobs hadn’t suddenly deflated. But no, it is definitely a bigger cup – I’d need to size down to at least a 30FF to get a proper fit.

In every other respect, she’s brilliant. Firm back, soft fabric, and a beautiful and delicate tree print I love. Babes in the Wood has got everyday classic written all over it… just not in my everyday classic Freya size.

Babes in the Wood is widely available in sizes 28 D-J, 30-36 D-K, 38 D-J.

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.

Twitter followers will know I’ve been hankering after Patsy in coral since I saw her in Selfridges’ lingerie paradise last month. She’s longline (love!), polka dot (what’s not to love!), and skin-colour-friend-to-dumpling-white-gingers-everywhere coral (love love love!).

She arrived on my doorstep last week… and – shocker – I do like her a lot. The 30G fitted me perfectly – better perhaps even previous longline Piper, as she’s a little snugger and the longline doesn’t seem to flip up. She gives an uplifted (but not Deco amounts of uplifted) cleavage, and of course the smoothing longline is fantastic for smoothing any errant back bumps under clingy summer dresses. The cups seem true to size – certainly this is the fit I expect and love from a good Freya bra.

That said, as much as I wanted to be she wasn’t perfect. For whatever reason, the straps are positioned slightly wider apart at the back (not at the front, mind…) than on Piper. As you can see below it’s not a huge difference – except as the day wore on I realised this meant the metal hoop was frequently digging to my shoulder blade. A frustrating little niggle on what should be a clean home run for Freya.

That said it wasn’t too bad: although I really felt it when travelling for five hours by van in to the depths of France; when I’m not strapped in to a seat trying to persuade my fiance to let me play November Rain at the wedding via the persuasive medium of air guitar it’s not really that noticeable…

Personally the frilly pants don’t really do it for me – I’d prefer matching non-thong undercrackers that you can actually wear under fitted clothes – but that doesn’t get in the way of this being a fairly cracking set for the summer.

Freya’s Patsy Longline is available in sizes 28-30 D-G 32-38 C-G.

Busts 4 Justice puts on her agony aunt hat (and bra) to help K with the tricky issue of stretch marks on young boobs.

Help me Busts 4 Justice!

I have white stretch marks on my breasts that distress me. I am young and kinda concerned, my boobs give me enough trouble I don’t need them to look bad too! I’ve been told I should try some oils and lotions, but I was wondering about sleeping and bras. Should I wear a bra while sleeping, or at very least a sports bra? I measure out to be a 28GG (UK sizing) so I’m worried that flopping about in my sleep is making the stretch marks worse. Please help my busts 4 justice! I know you can!

K

Hi K!

Thank you for writing. Stretch marks on your boobs are perfectly normal – especially when you’re young and they’re relatively new -, and they do fade over time. There are lots of lotions and potions on the market that claim to reduce them, but shy away from expensive ones promising miracles. For most skin discolourations, something with a load of Vitamin E in is your best bet. You can use BioOil of course, but I’ve always found Palmer’s Cocoa Butter (particularly the waxy variety that comes in a pot) the best on scars. It’s available from most drugstores, is super cheap, and makes you smell edible all day long.

As for the sleeping issue – I’m actually asked this a lot. There is no proven evidence to suggest that sleeping in a bra has any beneficial effects against sagging, or that it would make your stretch marks worse. But take comfort: I’m guessing I’ve got at least a decade on you age wise, but we’re almost the same bra size (I’m a 30G). My boobs are still as perky as ever and I’ve never used a sleeping bra at night. I put it down to a combination of perfectly fitting lingerie by day, and a little bit of luck with my genes.  If I look - really look - I can just about find traces of the white stretch marks I had as a teenager, but they’re really not noticeable even to me now.

To sum up, you have nothing to worry about! That said if you’re considering night-time support because you’re uncomfortable, then choose a non-wired soft-cup bra (Freya and Panache have really pretty styles) or pyjamas with secret support (Bravissimo make these, but you can get them everywhere). If you don’t like either of those options you could always try the Kush, but if you’re young enough to live with your parents you may want to warn them because it looks rather like something else!

I hope this is helpful – try not to worry about stretch marks. We all have them – and they’re never as noticeable to anyone else as they are to ourselves.

Love from Busts 4 Justice

I’m a big fan of Panache’s brighter, bolder brand Cleo – I’ve actually been rocking Ellie today – and now they’ve transferred the same fun prints to Cleo Swimwear. Fun silhouettes (check out the ‘collar’ on the strapless one piece) and vibrant fabrics make for an eye catching collection. Wedding planning may be consuming most of my time right now, but in under two months it will be the first day of my honeymoon and for that I need some cracking swimwear…

To help out, the kind chaps at Bras & Honey sent me the Tilly balconnet from Cleo’s SS13 range. Print wise, she’s perfect for a summer holiday: the bright seaside print (with gulls!) is perfect for the beach, and she comes with good coverage for fun in the sun.

Unfortunately though, this Tilly won’t be accompanying me to Italy/Mexico/wherever-we-wash-up-possibly-the-North-Sea-at-this-rate. In a 30G, she is extremely tight in the back – so tight that it actually makes the underwires dig in at the front. Additionally, the back straps are much skinnier than I’ve seen on G+ swimwear, and combined with the tightness this creates mega back fat even where really there is none. I’d suggest sizing up in the back to get a comfortable fit.

It’s hard to gauge cup sizing because the back is so tight (so the wire was actually quite a distorted shape at the side of the bra), but she’s is a little big at the top too. My advice would be for women with less full-at-the-top breasts to size down in cup volume as well to find your perfect fit. In bra maths, that would make me a Cleo Tilly 32F.

Not the girl (or gull?) for me alas – but that does mean my suitcase is wide open for other options…

Cleo Tilly is available in sizes 28-38 DD-J.

Thanks Team Bras & Honey for letting me try her! They do international delivery of these beauts, btw…

Panache’s classic Tango plunge will be twelve this year, and as the very first ‘properly fitted’ bra I ever owned it’s a style that will always hold a place in my heart-shaped lingerie drawer.

I’ve written previously about the style in black (a bra I’ve bought repeatedly), but never any of the seasonal colours. Yellow is my absolute jam this year though, so I could resist branching out and adding another to my collection.

Except… in yellow, the exclusive-to-Bravissimo Tango plunge isn’t what I’ve come to expect from the style. In my usual 30G the back band seemed up to one size looser, the cups seemed up to half a cup bigger, and the ever-so-comfortable low plunge poked in to my ribs at the front.

Wanting to give the benefit of the doubt to a style I’ve loved and depended on for over five years, I tried my black one on to see if my body had changed and caused the discrepancy. But no – all was as it should be. Whether it was a size mislabelling or an adjustment to the size in the exclusive range, the yellow Tango plunge just wasn’t working for me. A real pity. And my yellow cravings remain unsated…

Panache’s Tango plunge in yellow is available in sizes 28-38 DD-H.

A mega Bravissimo order on potential bras for my wedding was the perfect opportunity to audition honeymoon lingerie while I was at it…. And as Tutti Rouge’s Betty – with its floral and frilly chintz – is exactly what the soon to be officially Mr B4J loves in a pair of undercrackers (much to my horror, I have to say…) – I had to give it a try for him.

This is the second bra I’ve tried from the very new lingerie brand (I loved their debut Lilliana – find my review of her here) – and once again the fit is pretty strong. The back is firm, the cups ran true to size at a 30G, and she gives a fantastically uplifted cleavage.

As with Lilliana, the straps are refreshingly skinny although a little too wide set for my frame – and with a relatively wide set center she’ll appeal to Curvy Kate fans concerned that old classics with the same shape are evolving to be closer set in the middle. As a piece of engineering, she’s a great.

But. The frills. It is possibly the frilliest lingerie set I’ve ever tried. Tufts of lace emerge at every opportunity – especially on the knickers which are rendered essentially unwearable under lighter clothing. I also personally didn’t like the feeling of the lace at the bottom of the band – it was scratchy and made me feel like I had grown mould.

Now I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with a little bit of frilly flair if that’s your jam… but it’s definitely not mine. Betty made me feel like a doily – and however much Mr B4J may think he likes that sort of thing it’s not how I want to spend my first days of my married life.

Bit of a disappointment for me – but considering fit and how much I loved Lilliana I’m still excited by this new brand. Just please, hold the trimmings for me next time would you?

Tutti Rouge’s Betty is available in sizes 28-38 DD-HH.

At last night’s UK Lingerie Awards, Panache took home the Sports Bra Brand of the Year award for the second time running. It’s no surprise: the bra – which runs from B-H cup – has been unanimously celebrated by reviewers across the world, and is constantly recommended to me for all manner of situations. People love it.

There’s just one thing. I don’t.

I first tried the Panache Sports Bra in a 30G about a year and a half ago. I went for a run, excited to try this long-awaited innovation. To the eye, it fit fine – but after about 10 minutes, I had to turn back – I was in too much discomfort with the bra to continue. The next day I tried cycling – and the same thing happened. The day after, I tried yoga – just to be sure. Performing back strengthening exercises on the floor, I was in so much pain that I actually cried.

Although the bra didn’t seem to be riding up or shifting, or even too tight – each and every time I wore it I found it slowly cut in to the muscle at my armpit until I couldn’t wear it any more. At the time I actually wrote to Panache (who – full disclosure – had actually sent me the bra for review) to see if there were any sizing tricks to the bra I wasn’t aware of. They never replied, and I clean forgot to chase or even write my review.

Until now. I’m not writing this because I don’t think Panache should have won. Panache is a brilliant company and this bra is extremely popular with a lot of women and has enabled a lot of women who had written off exercise back in to fitness: I’m sure for some it must be good. But it’s tough for curvy girls to get in to sport as it is – and I’d hate to think of a woman being put off trying because ‘even the best sports bra in the world doesn’t work for me’.

Looking at the bra now, it’s clear that the problem is the the style in relation to my frame. I have a short body, and an even shorter chest – the bra is simply to tall for me and even the most perfect fit won’t stop the slow pinch of that bra in my armpit. However, the ‘BEST SPORTS BRA IN THE WORLD’ not working hasn’t deterred me – once a serial PE dodger I now run regularly (and actually like it…). For fellow petite ladies, Freya do a fantastic underwired sports bra also to an H cup that is cut lower at the armpit. Or if you prefer a softer style of support, Shock Absorber is also pretty good, although in a more limited range of sizes.

Photo from panache-lingerie.com

This first review of 2014 didn’t get off to the greatest of starts. As I tucked myself in to Figleaves Boudoir’s Carmen – the first trendy Marlies Dekkers-esque “strappy” style bra I’ve ever tried – the only words that came (screamed) to mind were OHMYGOD BRA CAGE. It took a few moments to realise that – seasoned bra reviewer that I may be – I was trying to put the damned thing on inside out. Oops.

Carmen did work slightly better the right way round – but although it didn’t feel like my boobs were entrapped in a PlayDoh fun factory, unfortunately it wasn’t exactly a perfect match either. In a 30G the cup was extremely narrow, so at the side the underwire was resting on my breast tissue tracking about an inch away from where it should have been. At the same time the cup fabric, which is actually constructed from two totally separate overlaying layers of mesh, was about a half-size too big – so the neat lines you see in the image above became something rather mangled and unappealing indeed. Tightening the straps did help, but there was still significant puckering and distortion. For a bra who’s raison d’être is to look awesome without clothes on top, it’s a bit of a miss.

Such a shame. I love the design of this bra, and Figleaves have made an affordable version of this dramatic, glamourous trend – but this fit was just way too wide off the mark for me. If you’ve tried a similar style in another DD+ brand I’d love to hear about it.

Figleaves Boudoir’s Carmen is available in sizes 30B-36G. All photos from Figleaves.com

On paper (or, you know, Internet) I love Masquerade. Panache’s luxe offering always delivers on style and I usually spend their seasonal sneak peeks wishing away whole pay packets. It’s boudoir without being too bordello, and the construction is always fantastic.

Like all Masquerade, Antoinette is another soft, gorgeous, well crafted piece of lingerie. The bandeau shape is unusual and super-flattering, giving a heaving cleavage that reminds me of… well… I can’t think. You try similes with this pair of distractions staring back at you in the mirror.

I suspect Antoinette is a great match for a woman with a broader frame – the front centre is quite wide and the straps the were widest set apart I’ve reviewed in a very long time. The back is firm and the underwire tracks nicely, however the cup is slightly small at the top giving me a prominent quadraboob when viewed from the side (if one can escape the epic view from the front). It’s by no means a perfect bra for me but I can’t help but be tempted to keep her. Perhaps that’s why it’s called Antoinette… who cares what the head is doing when you’ve got a rack like this?

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time I’ve had trouble with Masquerade’s sizing. Although Medina was spot size wise, the (even more beautiful, sigh) Capela ran far too big in the cup for me. Now with Antoinette I’ve run the full gamut of fit nuances; not a problem when you have time and a helpful assistant in a well stocked store, but not ideal when you’re ordering from overseas. I suspect Antoinette will be reluctantly returned. After I’ve looked at her for a little bit longer, natch…

Masquerade’s Antoinette comes in sizes 28D-38G

It’s not easy having big boobs on a tight budget – with decent E+ bras often retailing at the same price as a single broke girl’s weekly food budget investing in them can be extremely daunting.

While (unpopular sentiment alert) I don’t believe that decent large cup lingerie can be made dirt cheap well or ethically – you won’t catch me in Primark these days, let alone lobby them for bigger bras – I do believe that broke girls can and should get the support they need at a price they can afford.

Figleaves‘ Just Peachy range is definitely catering for the younger, student tastes and budget – with styles retailing for about £20 (and often in the sale/made cheaper by Figleaves’ frequent 20% off offers). I’ve tried a couple of them before – their non-padded balconette is great and while Daisy ran a little small in the cup it was a solid bra for the price.

Zara, in Zebra, is similar again – snug in the back and good in the cup (although still fractionally on the small size – you couldn’t wear her on ‘fuller’ days). She gives a nice, natural shape – not too trussed up – and the zebra print is subtle and classic, with a gentle scalloped lacing on the cup that makes it a little bit more special for an every day bra. She’s also surprisingly soft – often cheaper bras can be tellingly scratchy, but Zara is comfortable. Another cracking bra from Figleave’s own range, available in sizes 30DD-38G.

Remember – whatever your budget, if properly care for your bra your investment will go further. Hand wash, air dry – and never so much as show it to a laundry appliance. You’ll save a fortune in the long term.

I wasn’t ever a huge fan of Curvy Kate‘s earlier Tease Me/Tempt Me/Truss Me (I made that one up) Showgirl series so I’ve quite enjoyed their recent lines – simple and unfussy styles with the odd mega-plunge for days that need an extra oomph.  Roxie is definitely one of my favourites from this season – a pretty, deep padded plunge bra which gives a killer cleavage in something that serves as a cute alternative to your average moulded plunge.

The plunge is extremely deep which makes it great for low necklines (not to mention my problematic bony sternum, which stops me wearing many of Curvy Kate’s higher cut styles), but the scalloping along the cup stops it from being too severe. I really like the “sherbet” underlay beneath the black – you can’t tell from the pictures but it’s actually a subtle, dusty pink and quite pretty. The back could be a little firmer perhaps, but the cup fits perfectly – and like many of Curvy Kate’s styles the far-apart straps are perfect for broader women (although not so wide that they slipped off my quite narrow shoulders).

I actually love this bra, but I’m not keeping it. It’s the weirdest thing… Roxie is the LOUDEST bra I have ever worn. Seriously. It creaks with every tiny move. On closer inspection, it seems to be the covering the metal on the bra rings and strap lengtheners squeaking against the ribbon straps. Who knows, perhaps it would ease away with wear. But it would drive me bonkers in the process.

Curvy Kate’s Roxie is available in sizes 28-30 D-J, 32 D-HH, 34 D-H, 36 D-GG and 38 D-G.

And the first odd beauty story of 2014 is… boob deodorant. Now, I’m no fan of ‘invented beauty issues’, and all of the media I’ve read around the subject focusses on this being another symptom of a culture that spends a lot of time (and makes a lot of money) from inventing new problems for women to worry about, and new unattainable standards for women to be held up to. There’s no question that this is a real phenomena. But for once, I disagree that boob deodorant is a part of it.

Most big boobed girls will understand why this product could exist. Hell, in summers between 1997-2007 I would routinely roll my Sure across my ribs. There are few things more distracting to a class or a night in the pub or a day at work than (no exaggeration) rivulets of sweat running down your stomach.

Why did I stop this weird, desperate behaviour in 2007? Hint – it wasn’t because someone invented a better product than my cotton fresh roll-on. It’s because I changed the bra size I wore from a 34E to a 30G.

When you have heavy breasts, you need to wear a tighter back band than your smaller breasted friends might because you need a stronger anchor to keep them in place. Too loose, and the back will ride up… because the front is being pulled down. This results in breast resting on chest – skin on skin – and just like the sweat you get behind your bent knees and elbows on a hot day, it sweats. Yes, it’s natural – but being a teenager is hard enough already without throwing in wet chest patches and under-dress dripping.

Boob deodorant isn’t like ‘underarm beautifying deodorant’ or the baffling ‘boob wrinkle smoothing bra‘ because it isn’t an invention designed to make us feel crap about something we didn’t realise we had to feel crap about. If you are unlucky enough to suffer from ‘swoobs’, you feel crap about it already. Much like bras with padded shoulders to avoid digging, or over-sizing bra components to avoid overspill, boob deodorant is a salve for the symptom, not a cure for the problem. Throw away your quick-fix gimmicks and everything you think you know about bra fitting. If your underboobs are sweating profusely, a better fitting bra is your key to a dryer, more comfortable summer.