You guys may be getting sick of hearing me wax on about Ewa Michalak, but I think her bras are worth of all the praise that I’ve been giving them! Luckily, if you haven’t been able to try them out yet, Venusian*Glow is having a giveaway on her blog for one Ewa Michalak bra of the winner’s choice! So go and enter! (or don’t, and leave the chances for me to win higher 🙂 )
Monthly Archives: December 2012
Miscellaneous Monday
Hello and happy Christmas Eve! Just going to do a quick post on a few things that I’ve been thinking about this week but that aren’t long/important enough for a whole post of their own.
1. The Peplum Skirt
People have been talking about how a peplum skirt can look on a curvy figure all over the place recently, from Curvy Wordy to Fuller Figure Fuller Bust. A while ago, I think on Black Friday, I was in JC Penney and saw a cute green peplum pencil skirt in the juniors section and tried it on and fell in love! Unfortunately I didn’t have the money to buy it, nor really the occasion to wear it, so I had to put it back. But first I snapped a crappy cell phone picture of how it looked on me! I think that this is the skirt pictured, but they only have it in black. It’s also on sale now for only $20!
I was shopping in a dress, which is why this is a topless picture (I’m wearing my way too small Freya Deco – It’s a 30G!)
I loved how this skirt looks on me! The peplum sits at just the perfect place to cover up some of my stomach lumps, and the flare is just where my hips start, so it accentuates my waist. If it had been on sale when I’d tried it on, I definitely would’ve bought it!
2. Â Sandmaiden Etsy Shop
Not the most practical choice for the larger chest, but the sleepwear/lingerie at Sandmaiden Sleepwear is gorgeous, and made of  wool and other natural fibers! A little pricey, but would make a great special-occasion gift 🙂
Photo courtesy of Sandmaiden Sleepwear
Photo courtesy of Sandmaiden Sleepwear
3. Sock Dreams
This is another shop I just recently found, and if you follow me on Facebook I talked about it a little there. They have ALL styles and lengths of socks, as well as tights, stockings, and other sock and stocking related accessories.
Photo courtesy of Sock Dreams
This waist cincher is currently out of stock, but I am in love with it! It’s just one of many awesome things in the Accessories section of the Sock Dreams website.
Photo courtesy of Sock Dreams
4. Ewa Michalak Order
As many of y’all may know, for Christmas I’m getting two new Ewa Michalak sets: a CH Karmelki with matching thong, and a PL Mak with the matching briefs. I’ll do a whole post in the near future about what my ordering experience was like, but I just wanted to say that so far I have experienced nothing but great customer service! I had an “extra special” order since the Mak is only listed on the website in the CHP style, and they’ve been very accommodating. I’m a little nervous on how the bras will fit since both of them are bigger cup sizes than I’ve ever ordered before, but hopefully they will at least be close enough to not have to sell! Ewa Michalak has been very prompt with my order. It only took around 3 days from when I paid for me to get an email saying that my order had shipped, which is great considering that on the website it asks to allow for 2 weeks for custom orders! Now I just have to play the waiting game, but hopefully my package will be here at the end of this month or the beginning of January!
Blue (Lingerie) Christmas
I don’t know if y’all have noticed this… but one of the major trends this season is definitely a royal blue/black combination! Blue is one of my favorite colors, and when paired with black on a piece of lingerie… ooh, it just makes me shiver with excitement! It’s just as sexy as red and black, in my opinion, but offers a new level of sophistication and fashion since it’s not expected. So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite pieces that play on this trend:
Photo courtesty of http://www.comexim.pl
I LOVE THIS BRA. I still haven’t tried anything from Comexim, but they are on my “to-do” list. Unfortunately, this is the only set from my Christmas post that I’m not going to receive. But, beggars can’t be choosers. All I can do is hope that it’s still available come March 30 (my birthday!). My favorite part of this set is… all of it. I love the paisley-type pattern, I love the big bow in the center (though I do worry it would get smushed by my boobs), and I love the style of the matching thong – the thick sides look so flattering! I also love that the straps don’t look too “heavy duty” – a feature that I’ve come to accept about full-bust bras, but that I’m still not that crazy about.
Picture courtesy of http://www.ewa-michalak.pl
This one is a pretty simple take on the trend – it’s mostly black – but that’s part of why I love it! It does it’s play on the trend while still being wearable as a basic. My favorite part of this set are definitely the cute matching bottoms – the thong pictured above has that great floral embroidery with hints of blue, and the briefs are just as cute, with a little blue bow on the back.
Picture courtesy of http://www.ewa-michalak.pl
Picture courtesy of http://www.ewa-michalak.pl
3. Tempt Me in Midnight – Curvy Kate
Picture courtesy of http://www.bosom-buddy.co.uk
This set actually makes my heart hurt a little, because as you may know, my boobs did not get along well with the Tempt Me in Scarlet 😦 But it is beautiful none-the-less, and if the Tempt Me is a good fit for you, please buy this set so that I can live vicariously through your enjoyment of it.
4. Sapphire Garter Belt – Arabel Lingerie
Picture from http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArabelLingerie
I’ve actually never bought lingerie from an Etsy designer, usually because even though I love it, it’s outside of my budget! But this garter belt and panty set is decently affordable at £26.00, and would make a great match for whatever black bra is in your wardrobe (mine is a waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too small Freya Deco – 30G). I especially like the cheeky sheer back!
Picture from http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArabelLingerie
As you can see, this color combination is popping up everywhere! I wanted to include this gorgeous set I saw in Victoria’s Secret the other day on this list, but I couldn’t find it online! I usually am not very inspired by Victoria’s Secret’s designs (not that I can wear them, anyway) but I do have to admit that I recently popped in there for some new panties and was pretty impressed by what I saw… I remembered VS as mostly molded, solid color, microfiber push-up bras, but this time I actually saw cut-and-sew bras, waist cinchers, and multiple garter belts! Maybe it’s just because it’s the holiday season and they know significant others will be in, buying sexy things for their partners, but their stock was much sexier than the last time I’d been!
What do you think of the royal blue/black color scheme? Do you have a favorite trend from this autumn/winter?
Review: Panache Sophie Support Bra
So, over the summer while I was in bra-buying heaven, I decided I wanted a sleep bra. I didn’t really need one, but I would occasionally wake up with sore shoulders, or a boob in my armpit, and I thought maybe a sleep bra would be a good investment. Luckily, at the same time, the Sophie Support bra also cropped up on eBay for only around $25, so I snatched it up!
Unfortunately the closest thing they had to my size was a 30J, but since I was just getting it as a sleep bra, I wasn’t too worried about it not being a quite-right fit!
The bra is wireless, made of a solid pink fabric with a white mesh/lace overlay. It’s very pretty, and fastens with 3 hooks in the back. It’s extremely comfortable, but overall isn’t a good fit. The center gore doesn’t lay flat, though due to the wireless design I’m not sure it would on anyone. I have to fasten it on the tightest of many rows of hooks (I don’t have the bra with me, as I’m at my parent’s on winter break, but I think it was 5 rows?), and the edges of the cups wrap around almost all the way to my back. The front of the cups are a good fit, but there is obviously a lot of empty fabric on the sides.
The shape from the side definitely leaves something to be desired! It’s basically just my natural shape, which is alright, and I still wear this bra out of the house sometimes, but it’s not my preferred shape – emphasized and round!
Overall, I don’t have a lot to say about Sophie. She’s definitely beautiful, and if I were someone who hated underwired bras, I’d probably be happy with her. She does a great job of what I bought her for – to keep my bosoms from catching on things in my sleep – but she’s not really supportive enough to enter the daily bra rotation. I would say that Sophie is to me what those cheap Target sports bras are to girls with smaller chests – a bra for days where I’m too lazy to put on a real bra.
Some Thoughts On Reversed Letterphobia and Wide Wires
I’m sure many of you have read this blog post before, since it’s been around for a while. This is something that I’ve been thinking of for the past few days, prompted by me ordering a new Ewa Michalak PL bra in a 28K. I try not to have letterphobia, and just buy what fits, and according to my experience with the PL Lilia, a 28K should either fit, or be slightly too large. Either way it shouldn’t be far off the mark. But every time I go up a cup size, I worry, am I falling victim to reversed letterphobia?
In case you were too lazy to click the link above to the fantastic blog post by Drueber und Drunter, reversed letterphobia is when women, frightened of wearing too large a band and not getting proper support, begin to wear bands that are too tight with cups that are too large.
This phenomenon was first pointed out to me by a comment on my early review for the Curvy Kate Emily. The woman pointed out that the wires were being bent too far back and being distorted, which was causing my problems with the shape in the front. I’d noticed this before too, as I’d tried on a 30H Romance in Breakout Bras whose cup shape I was much happier with, but the band was much too large. Even on the tightest hook, it rode up in the back and had to be adjusted after just a few minutes.
So today what I’m thinking about is this: How many women wearing small bands are actually falling victim to reversed letterphobia, and how many are just suffering from bras with wide wires? Are there women out there who are having problems with cup distortion even in brands with narrow wires? Because I have never seen such a case!
Writing out this short post while constantly adjusting the band on this 30H bra has calmed my mind, at least when it comes to wondering if I’m falling victim to reversed letterphobia.
But now I really have to wonder, how many women wear a 28 or 30 band and fit well into the wires of, say, the Panache Tango II balconette bra?  From Bratabase, a 30JJ Tango II has wires that are 8.5″ wide, and a band that stretches to 30″. This means that, if these wires fit well, the root of this woman’s breasts take up over half of her torso, assuming she measures 30″ around. I know that there are women who need wide wires, but how many? I feel like I see almost all women struggling to find narrower wires! Women love Ewa Michalak for this reason! Looking at the reviews for this bra on Bratabase, the only time people complained about the wires on the Tango II being too narrow was when the cup was too small all around.
I guess what I’m trying to say, in this long winded post, is why is it that wide wires are the norm, and not the exception? I know that it’s hard to find wires narrow enough, but do any of my readers struggle with finding wires that are wide enough for their shape?
Oh, and one more thing, that I’ll probably address more in a future post, but this is where using the same underwire for sister sizes doesn’t make sense to me. Why in the world would a 28J woman need the same width of wires as a 40F woman? Can anyone enlighten me? Am I just filled with bra naivety?
Cleavage Concerns
Dear readers,
Before you embark on the literary journey that is this post, I want to make sure you understand that some of these cleavage techniques are designed for when you are putting cleavage and sexiness above comfort. Some of these looks will feature double boob. Some of these techniques may make your bosoms feel squished. But if it is the look you like, the more power to you! That being said, I do not want any disparaging comments made about any of these types of cleavage! So say you’re a “soft hills” type of girl who thinks “butt cleavage” looks trashy and crass and painful. Good for you, but some women actually like that look and want to know how to achieve it, so don’t leave any nasty comments!
Much love!
Robin
Everyone has their own opinion on cleavage. Some like the affectionately named “butt cleavage”, made popular by too-small-cups everywhere. Others like the “soft hills” look that one gets from a well fitted bra that doesn’t have very much umph. Some may prefer the “cakes on a plate” Marie Antoinette shelf-style cleavage. Still others prefer no cleavage at all.
With that in mind, this is not going to be an opinion piece. I think Fuller Figure Fuller Bust’s post on cleavage covered that well. Today, I want to share with you guys how I create the varying levels of cleavage that I’ve described above. As I believe I’ve mentioned before, I’m pretty active in a few large-busted online communities (which can be found on the Busty Resources page of this blog), often helping women find their correct size, and answering any questions they may have. A pretty popular question or concern is, “Where did my cleavage go???”
I will admit, this was my major concern when I was first fitted from a 34DD to a 30FF. My boyfriend at the time was very much a boob guy, and loved when I wore cleavage baring outfits. But my new, well fitted 30FF bras… well… they just didn’t provide much in the enhancement area. The problem only got worse as I moved through the bra alphabet. Push up bras begin to disappear around an E cup. Even just PADDED bras begin to be few and far between as one moves past a GG cup, and soon you realize that you may soon have no choice but to wear unpadded bras! For me, the complete lack of cleavage just didn’t fit in with my style. I was not okay with it, and I resolved to find a solution.
Some might argue that when you already have large breasts, why would you want them to look bigger? Well, it all comes down to personal preference. With that in mind, here is how I create each cleavage look!
DISCLAIMER: MANY OF THESE LOOKS DO NOT FOLLOW PROPER BRA FITTING ETIQUETTE AND WILL NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR REGULAR WEAR. DOUBLE BOOB MAY OCCUR.
No Cleavage
Times it’s appropriate: work, professional settings, family gatherings, any time.
Tools necessary:
- Balconette bra with a high center gore
- Hhigher cut scoop neck shirt
How to do it: This one is pretty simple. Most cloth bras provide very little cleavage. Combine this with a moderately high cut scoop neck, and you will be cleavage free! You could go with a crew neck, if you’d prefer, but I find that shirts cut too high also emphasize the bust. This plan would also work with a high cut v-neck.
What I wore underneath: Kris Line Jasmine, balconette bra with a high-ish center gore
Combined with a higher cut shirt, no cleavage in sight!
“Soft Hills”
Times it’s appropriate: lunch date, casual outing, really any time other than a very professional or serious setting.
Tools necessary:
- Lightly padded or molded bra (preferably a plunge, I would use the Freya Deco as my example for this)
- Lower cut scoop or v-neck shirt
How to do it: This one is also pretty self explanatory. Simply put the bra on, and add a shirt that’s low enough to show a little bit off! Other people may find that the Deco and other padded bras provide too much cleavage, and that they get pushed into “butt cleavage” territory. I’ve never worn a soft cup plunge bra, but judging from how they look on other bloggers and models, I’m guessing that they would work well for the “soft hills” look.
Full disclosure: this bra is a lot too small for me so I had to loosen the straps a lot for this shot. This is how the cleavage looks in the correct cup size (at least for me).
This picture doesn’t do the nice “soft hills” look I get in this bra justice, but I really wanted to get this post done! I’ll update soon with a better picture of what this looks like in an outfit 🙂
“Cakes On A Plate”
Times it’s appropriate: date night or a single girls night out, daily in casual situations when you’re open to a little extra boob attention!
Tools necessary:
- A (preferably padded) half cup bra, such as the Tease Me, Thrill Me, Rhea, or any Ewa Michalak half cup.
- A low cut, broad neckline
How to do it: The key to this look is definitely in the construction of the bra. The general construction of half cup bras involves three vertical seams which help lift the bust up and out, but they also include a high center gore, which keeps the breasts separate. Something that I find helps increase the shelf look of this cleavage is to pair it with a tank top with a built in shelf bra. Since for the bustier lady, those shelf bras are always too small, the tighter section of the shirt helps push the boobs up more, creating even more of a shelf. This look obviously works best with a low, broad neckline. A v-neck with this look will not showcase the extent of your shelf, and may accidentally show off the center gore of your bra! This is a great look that has little to no chance of double boob.
This is the only picture I have for this look because the light in the clothed picture totally flashes out the nice rounded cakes look! But you can see here what I mean!
“Butt Cleavage”
Times it’s appropriate: date night or a single girls night out, the bedroom, any time a little extra boob attention won’t get you in trouble.
Tools necessary:
- A padded or molded plunge bra
- Low cut shirt
- Something to provide a little extra padding, if desired or necessary
- Optional: a clip or safety pin, to convert normal straps to racerback
How to do it: There are a few different options for this one, depending on how much cleavage you’re looking for. The simplest is to put on your plunge bra and add the extra padding. Extra padding could be official push up pads (like those available from Ewa Michalak) or even just a folded up sock. The following steps can lead to slight discomfort, but if cleavage is your MO and you’re willing to sacrifice comfort to achieve some mind blowing “butt cleavage”, these steps will help you achieve it. The first slightly uncomfortable option is to tighten up your straps. That one is fairly obvious. A more effective version of this, however, is using a bra strap clip or safety pin to pin your straps into a racerback shape, preferably without lengthening the straps. The closer to your neck you clip your straps, the more cleavage you’ll have! Double boob is pretty likely with this look, especially if you tighten or racerback your straps. I remedy this by wearing a shirt that is cut in line with the bra to an extent, which masks the boob overflow.
This is the PL Lilia, which is, at it’s best, a little small for me. Add in the push up pads and tighten the straps a little more, and it’s the ultimate butt cleavage bra.
In an outfit, cleavage that will definitely get someone’s attention! Mainly only appropriate for sexy events when combined with a shirt this low cut.
“INSANE PORN STAR BOOBS”
Not for the faint of heart!
Times it’s appropriate: honestly, almost never, but that doesn’t stop me. I use this level of cleavage almost every time I go out clubbing with my friends, or on date nights. But this really is a completely outrageous amount of cleavage, and do NOT follow these steps if you are not prepared for EVERYONE (including straight women) to be staring at your chest all night and whispering, “Did you see that girl’s boobs?!” as you walk by.
Tools necessary:
- Two plunge bras, at least one of them padded
- Something to provide some extra padding
- Racerback clip/safety pin (optional)
- Bronzer (optional)
- Very low cut shirt
How to do it: Repeat everything from the butt cleavage section, but with TWO bras on. Wearing two bras will give you the most insane cleavage that you have ever seen in your entire life. If you want the rounded top look that is most common with enhanced breasts, try moving the padding from the bottom of the bra to more the side of the bra. This will push your upper pole fullness more towards each other, and will create that rounded look. This look can be emphasized with the bronzer by brushing some along the top curves of your breasts, dipping down the cleavage slightly in the middle. This contouring creates the illusion of cleavage even on a flatter chested woman (it was used on Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Carribean!). This look will inevitably create double boob, so use it with caution. Remedy the double boob as described above, by wearing a shirt that works with your look instead of against it.
This is the PL Lilia (including the push up pads) underneath the Deco, whose straps I tightened back to a comfortable level.
Insane levels of cleavage! If I were to wear this out, I would not expect anyone (male or female, regardless of sexual orientation!) to be able to look me in the eye
As you can imagine, and as I mentioned before, some of these techniques definitely result in some boob falling out over your bra. But take a look at how wearing a shirt whose cut works with your cleavage instead of against it can help remedy the double boob:
AHHHHHHHHHHHH SO MUCH BOOB EVERYWHERE NO SHIRTS WILL EVER LOOK NORMAL WITH THIS
With the right shirt, double boob is still a little apparent, but you would never guess that my boobs actually look like the photo above underneath.
And there you have it! All of my cleavage secrets. As I mentioned before, the last two looks are really NOT good bra fitting etiquette, and perhaps I shouldn’t even share them on a blog that is at least partially dedicated to supporting proper fit. But my point of view is, if you know your proper size and are wearing it most often, then there isn’t any harm in occasionally sporting a bit of double boob for a few hours in the name of sexiness if that is your prerogative!
Obsessed With Breasts 