#anotherampersand

[brasnbeauty]

Thank youuuuu, I had never heard of that brand before but after googling reviews all morning I'm pretty excited to try some of their bras :D I'll give the 32E/70E a shot and let you know how it goes! Of the three styles you suggested to me, which do you like the best/find the most comfortable? Do you find ordering and returning products with them fairly easy? Sorry for all the questions, I really appreciate you taking the time to help~~ ^^

I am so happy to help, it makes me feel useful! :P  Of the three styles, I personally like the CHP the best, although you should remember that my shape and size is different from yours~ I have pretty even fullness (neither FOB or FOT) and my boobs are tragically large (34J/32JJ at the moment).  The CHP fits me the best.  The PL is also nice but I feel slightly less contained by it.  In your size range that may not be an issue though, and the PL is great because you can wear low-cut necklines.  The Ss I've tried seemed good but I bought them in the wrong size so it's hard to judge whether they fit properly.

As for buying and returning - buying is very easy, you can just pay with Paypal, and the exchange rate is not bad at all.  Returning is another story.  To be honest, I haven't tried to return them because I have no way to do so (the post office is only open in Korea when I'm working...it's a terrible system lol...).  Plus the cost of shipping is exorbitant, unless you live in Europe perhaps.  What I would suggest doing instead is if you find that the bras don't fit well, try selling or exchanging them at bratabase or braswap, or even donating or selling them cheaply at random acts of bras for people in difficult financial situations.  Ewa Michalak is a quite popular brand, as you've noticed, and they tend to sell very quickly.  In fact, you may consider checking out those sites and seeing if you can find one in the size and style I've recommended. :P

One thing to note is that you can see the turnaround time for bras on Ewa's website under the price in red font.  Premade bras ship in 24 hours, whereas the ones made on request can take up to two weeks to ship, and then it takes several days for shipping.  Since you don't have any well-fitting bras at the moment, it may be worth seeking out the ones that are available in 24 hours. :)

I would suggest perhaps trying one bra from each style I suggested to see which works best for you.  It may still be an issue of trial and error to find the perfect size but hopefully at least one will fit well!

[brasnbeauty]

Thanks for the detailed follow-up! To answer some of your questions: the underwire felt like it rose up too high in between my breasts, although the gore lay flat against my chest--it seemed like the underwire might have wrapped too far around my sides, although that might just be me being sensitive to the feeling of it since there was no padding in these bras. The band size felt tight on the loosest hook, but not so tight that it was suffocating. [Continued in part 2 of this ask... haha]

I didn't get to wear the bras all day, because I knew after about 10 minutes of trying them on that I didn't like the fit enough to keep them, so I packaged them up again and sent them back. The material of the cups felt loosest at the top--not ridiculously so, but enough that I could pinch maybe a half inch of fabric? The names of the bras I tried on were: Jasmine Balconette (Panache), Izzy Balconette (Cleo by Panache), Daydreamer Plunge Balcony (Freya), and Mollie (Fantasie). All were 30E.

So to sum up, I'd say the main problems with these bras were the underwire rising high between my breasts and digging in a bit (maybe a tad on the sides, too), and the fabric being a bit loose on the top (but nowhere else). My discomfort at the feeling of thin fabric instead of padding is probably mostly because I've never owned a bra with zero padding before. Maybe due to the shape of my breasts (heavier at the bottom) a bra with cups that cover less would be good? I'm not sure, haha~

Oh goodness!  Okay well first I just want to make sure you know that a new bra will likely not be comfortable for the first few days you wear it; especially if you're coming from a very loose band, it will feel tight and possibly even pinching until you "break it in" (just like a pair of shoes).  That said, the fact that you could pinch fabric likely means that those bras were cut for someone fuller on top than you.

Okay I think what I'm gonna do here is recommend you some Ewa Michalak bras because she's one of the only bra-makers that makes good padded bras for FOB boobs.  Incidentally, she's also the only brand that I wear, so I can personally vouch for the value and comfort of the bras.

Because Polish people measure their band size differently, I suggest a 32E/70E in her bras.  Styles I recommend trying are:

PL style, which is a plunge and will solve your high-gore problems.

CHP style.  These are half cups with a lower gore than normal.

S style.  These have a slightly higher gore, but the shape should still work well for you.

All of these styles are molded with removable pushup pads for asymmetry.

Go here and search by size and style.

I really hope some of these work for you!  If not, please let me know and we will continue troubleshooting.  I do request that you try wearing these bras for at least a few days before ruling them out unless they are just like comically bad - all of my favorite bras have been a bit uncomfortable at first as I broke them in.

Don't get discouraged - we WILL find the perfect bra for you! :)

[brasnbeauty]

Okay, here they are! Sorry it didn't send properly before ㅡㅡ;; Standing bust: 35.5" 90° bent over bust: 36" Under bust, snug: 31.5" Under bust, tight as possible: 27.5"

Okay great!  I'm going to start you in a 30E, although you may find you need to go up or down a band size or cup size depending on how the bras you try on end up fitting you.  This is the size you said you tried from Figleaves, yes?  Oh dear~

It's possible the bra you tried on just wasn't suited to your shape or, like you said, that you'd prefer something with some padding.

It's hard to know what specifically was bothering you about the underwire - where does it dig in or hurt?  When you take off the bra after wearing it for a while, where are the red marks in relation to your breasts - do they fully encapsulate the tissue, or do they cut in on the sides?  Do they extend back much farther than the tissue?  Do the underwires slide down too far below the root of your breasts (and are you trying to wear it properly, with the underwires right at the base of your breasts)?

You also said that the material felt loose - where?  On the top, on the bottom, on the sides or middle, or all over?  This could be a cup size problem, but it could also just be a shape compatibility problem.

When you wear the 30E, do you have the floating gore problem, or does it tack to your sternum?   How far can you pull out the band (wearing it on the loosest hook)? 

Can you tell me the names of the bras you ordered?  This will help me narrow down what their issues are.

Unfortunately the initial measurements can only do so much in finding the perfect bra, but I promise I will be here to help guide you through the process as much as I can!

[brasnbeauty]

My breasts are heavier on the bottom I would say, relatively evenly set (at least they don't seem particularly wide or narrow to me), and maybe from the side they would look more conical than round, although that could just be my nipples making them appear that way--from the top view they look pretty rounded.

Currently I'm wearing a 34B, which is what I've worn since I was about 16 or 17. Some of the problems I have are the gore not meeting my chest in the middle, my breast tissue not being fully enclosed at the side of the cup, and my being able to stretch the band about 10 inches or so away from my back. It slides up regularly as I go about my day.

I had recently ordered some balconette bras from Figleaves in a 30E, but the material of the cup felt a bit loose and I don't think I like wearing a bra with zero padding. The underwire was also uncomfortable and annoying. My preference would be something lightly-to-moderately padded with an underwire that won't bother me much. Let me know if you need any other info! Thanks again~~ :D

Oh gosh, your current bra must be so uncomfortable.  You shouldn't be able to stretch a bra band out more than an inch or two.  All of this information is great and helpful when recommending a bra style, but unfortunately it won't help me rec a size for you.  I really need the four measurements I listed to even give you a starting recommendation!  I know you're probably in a hurry to get a comfy bra that fits, and I don't blame you, but first step is to get a tape measure and send me those measurements. :)  You can also try measuring with a string and then measuring the length of the string.

[brasnbeauty]

Hey there! I've been having issues finding decent, properly-fitting bras lately and itssarahssaem recommended I speak to you ^^ Problem is, I don't even really know what to ask, haha--help, please and thanks? ㅡㅡ;;;

Yayyyyy, happy to help!

Please send me these four measurements:

1. Around your naked bust, standing.  Make sure the measuring tape is parallel to the floor.  Generally you want it to go around your nipples.

2. Around your naked bust, bending over 90 degrees.  

3. Under your bust, where the band sits, snugly.

4. Under your bust, as tight as humanly possible, on an exhale.

Feel free to also include the current size you wear, the shape of your breasts (full on top or bottom, wide or narrow set, pointy or round, etc.) and common issues you notice with your bras.  Pictures are also welcome if you’re over 18.

[theflyingnah]

anotherampersand said: Probably about as amusing as when my scarf got caught in the bus door as I was getting off it today—near-beheadings are always a laugh and a half -_-

NO WAY. That sounds horrific! Hopefully no damage was done?!

The worst I got was one of the women turning around and laughing at me after she got off the bus.

[101x11]

And I had a fabulous fabulous fabulous dinner date with anotherampersand!!! Which was where I was coming from when I started that last post.

Hahaha ♡♡♡♡♡

[seoul-babo]

anotherampersand replied to your post: my surgery is tomorrow and I’m too nervous to...

good luck with your surgery tomorrow!! i had dental implants and a cheekbone graft done a few years ago so i totally understand your pain vis-a-vis the whole oral surgery deal. but the most important thing is your health, so take care of yourself! :)

Wow, that all sounds very intense. I'm glad you were able to make it through. Gives me encouragement. :]

I'm doing my best!! Trying to get all of these unpleasantries done before I leave instead of ignoring them and pretending they doesn't exist. (Which, I admit, I kind of wanted to do for a while...) Hopefully we'll both be happy and healthy in Korea this year~^^

darkwisp replied to your post: my surgery is tomorrow and I’m too nervous to...

You are gonna be just fine love! Ill keep you in my thoughts

Thank you very much. ;-; I needed this~ ♡