Mini Reviews! Forever 21, Soma, and Victoria's Secret

At my closest mall, we have very little in the way of bras outside of Victoria's Secret (VS) and Soma. I love Forever 21's selection of cheap, adorable bralettes/bras but they don't really work for me (not that stops me from trying!). I, as usual, tried something on from Forever 21 even though I know it wouldn't fit-I'm definitely not a 32C! Outside of the Forever 21 '32C', I wasn't really planning on turning it into a bra trip. I thought I was going to write a quick post on Forever 21 and be done with it. However, my fuller-figure friend wanted to stop into Soma. While we were waiting for her to join us from her bathroom break, I discovered someone I knew was working there. I figured it didn't hurt, and asked her what the smallest band/biggest cup size they carried. I was told that it was a 32G US, which translates to a 32H UK! Doing that research makes me realize I definitely did the mental conversion wrong because I thought that the 32G US was smaller then the UK conversion size. That does explain why nothing fit in that size though. I tried on the most at Soma. Finally, we ended up at VS. We always end up at VS. My friend loves their underwear and fragrances and stuff and I like to wonder around. I only tried on one bra, but it was a hell of an experience. Excuse any funny faces/lighting: fitting room selfies are extremely awkward.

This is the 32C from Forever 21. I wish I could have tried it on in a 32D but this was the smallest band/biggest cup I could find. It's super cute but everything is wrong. The cups are made of a stretchy soft lace that is not very supportive. I loved the bold mesh lace and the color of the bra. 

Sad sad shape. I get no support. I think it was a triangle seam cup with a side sling for added support. Straps were stretchy, cups were stretchy, band was stretchy. No support.

The band was divided into two parts: a mesh half and then a trendy strappy bottom half. Note the side sling-I'm not entirely certain it did anything.

The gore was too wide and rested on tissue. I thought it was an interesting way to treat the gore.

So Forever 21 was a bust. So many cute things-nothing in my size! On to Soma. I hate to say that I was a really bad bra blogger and forgot to note what style these were. :/

So I first asked for the smallest band/biggest cup they had. I had my conversions mixed up and thought that the US size was larger then the UK size. Knowing that it is the opposite explains why these next two bras were so damn big on me. Interestingly enough, this one and the tan one are molded cups. They're very thin and flexible like fabric though but offer no seaming.

Both bras in 32G US were far too shallow at the root for me. They were also full coverage and all up in my armpit. No bueno. I asked for the next size down and my friend brought me...a 32DDD. I was too confused to ask how that worked. I was expected a 32F (because a 32DDD could be considered a 32E). Doing some research, Soma has 32Es listed from the retailers Freya and Fantasie. 32F isn't even an option. The next time their own brand pops up is in 32DDD. If anyone can make heads or tails of that let me know!

So here is this tan one 32DDD. The volume is pretty good on the larger boob. I'm not entirely certain how much of that extreme wrinkling on the other is due to size difference and what is due to my taking photos. Again, super full coverage-tall cups, tall gore, long wires, tall wings. 

Band is true to size.

I didn't dislike this bra at all. However, for 65 or whatever dollars, I better be pretty damn wowed and to be honest I thought this bra was butt ugly. That plus the less than perfect fit made it a no go.

So here is Soma's version of a pushup bra (also in 32DD). Very shallow and wide. I almost hate to admit this...but I bought this bra. I know. It does not fit. It is a Bad Fit with capital letters. Yet, it is comfortable and soft and I have some clothes that are so clingy that even my flattest Ewas don't hide under them. Also there was a sale if you bought two so you know. I did this so my friend could get the deal. Anyway: shallow, wide, no immediate depth. Medium wings, low gore.

Band is nice and firm for a 32. I'm estimating 30/31 off the top of my head. I get some quad when I wear this as well as deep wrinkling in the bottom of the cups. Since this is a bra for certain outfits mainly, this was not as big a concern as it would be in a bra I'd wear every day. I'll go into this more in depth with my review, but I think the quad is actually from a shape mismatch and not a size one. I plan on putting in narrower wires but I'll go into that in my review, as well as my very pleasant store experience. 

And finally, Victoria's Secret. I haven't bought a bra from them since I found a bra that fits. And even then I wasn't buying bras from there. This was by far the most unpleasant experience. There was a very very pushy saleswoman who was trying way too hard to make the sale. I saw a 3 part cup in store but it didn't come up to a 32DDD or I would have tried it on. I tried on a longline and it's a laughable fit.

This bra was just a mess. It was too small and shallow, the band shifted around, the gore was too wide and I had quad. And the straps weren't fully adjustable! There's nothing special about the front of the straps that would necessitate half adjustable straps. I was very disappointed with my overall experience at VS.

Overall, I'd reccomend Soma if you are in their size/price/shape range. The bras are super comfortable and they do have some cuter options. I did not get sized so I cannot judge that part of the experience. However, the store was very pleasant and everyone was super nice. They also wrap your packages up really nicely with tissue and don't fold them to put them in a bag. I hope to have my full review of my Soma t-shirt bra up within two weeks at the latest. Thanks for reading! I hope this helped.

Ewa Michalak SM Ja Wiem in 65FF

Ever since it came out, I loved the SM Ty Wiesz. Stupid me though never ordered it. I thought it would never work for me, that the straps would be too long and the tops of the cups would reach my shoulders (it looked super tall). I put it off and off and off, reading review after review and seeing picture after picture of it. A few weeks ago I decided I had waited too long. Unfortunately, I was unable to order it from Ewa directly and when I reached out to Jaimie she was told that there was no more fabric to make this one. I waited too long! Ewa had released the same model, Ja Wiem, but in pink several months ago. I wanted the Ty Wiesz so badly because the tan would have been a much better match for my skin. Unfortunately, since I still wanted to try this style and I had screwed myself over, I didn't have much of a choice. I found this set on Bratabase in my preferred sizes of 65FF and 38 and that sealed the deal.

For this model, there is only a brief option. It is in Ewa's lovely unlined 3 part balconette cup and it is super sexy. Not only is it sheer, but the black cleavage straps are so fun and the cup's seams and wire casings are covered in black shiny fabric, as is the seam on the wings and the straps. The black cleavage straps are fully adjustable and have the cutest little rhinestone adjusters. The rhinestone adjuster is also on the gore on top of Ewa's signature big fat bows. The briefs are almost just as lovely. The only gripe I have with them is that they have some lace on them that is not present on the bra. Both items run true to size in my opinion. The brief is lower cut and has black spaghetti straps on them as well that really work to highlight your figure. The cups on the bra are made of mesh while the band is made of powder pink knit. The straps are thick and almost do not adjust short enough: while they provide plenty of support and feel perfectly fine, if I wasn't so lazy I would shorten them.

My worries were partly correct. The top of the cups is a little tall but I don't think it's too much taller then normal and it doesn't actually reach my shoulders! You can see here that this color doesn't really work too well on me in terms of 'disappearing' which is what I'd much prefer. This model seems to run shallow at the wire so sometimes if I've been wearing this for ages I have to pull the wires back up to my imf which doesn't really bother me. Almost no wrinkling! The one thing about those straps is they rest on breast tissue or something since I'm constantly aware of them throughout the day. I think they're well worth the very minor discomfort.

Ewa's signature perfect shape. Very uplifted and perky. As usual, it's not basketball boobs. I much prefer this shape. I feel very secure in this bra. The wires are perfectly narrow and well out of my armpit's way. The wire casings overlap a little bit at the gore and the gore is super low. 

This band is perfectly true to size and stretches to 30 inches. It is very comfortable and the knit is super soft. I don't even feel it when I wear it. 

This was the cause of my biggest concern. I love the fact that Ewa thought about and designed the back of the bra and I love the triangle straps. However, the adjustable part of the strap is almost too long. Those triangle straps are non-adjustable. I find them super comfortable and help pull the straps in. Which means that, for the first and most likely only time, Ewa's straps don't bother me with this bra! They aren't too wide-set for me since that second strap in helps pull the adjustable part of the strap in close to my back instead of my sides.

And here's how it looks under my favorite crop top. It's relatively flat and doesn't show-except for those sexy spaghetti straps! 

And this is the set all together! It's so super gorgeous and I'm so glad that there are full bust bondage/strappy options out there. The brief is entirely sheer. You can see the lace on them. I find that this doesn't go with the rest of the set and it would make more sense if it was on the bra as well. I still haven't found the most flattering spot to put the straps yet. The briefs fit true to size. Any signs of them being too small is just my body being weird. They are lower rise then I was expecting meaning they work perfectly for me. I have a littly bit of a tummy and my other Ewa briefs hit right at my tummy so they flip down and bug me.

I love this set so much even though it's not the color way I wanted. I still think this color works okay for me and I'm glad I have this set in my rotation. While it might seem strictly boudoir, this bra is a workhouse and consistently holds up to long 9 hour days. It's super comfy and super cute, and there's no better combo than that.

Samanta Mintaka A122 in 65G

I love Samanta's bras. I think they're gorgeous and very luxurious looking. Unfortunately for me, they do not ship directly to the US and I've been having issues finding retailers that do ship to the US that carry them. My options are therefore limited to second hand purchases, and even more limited because very few come up in both my sizes and a style I love. I loved the Mintaka the moment I laid eyes on it. It comes in two different color-ways and a 5 cuts (push-up, full coverage semi-padded, full coverage un-padded, un-padded balconette, and padded balconette). I love the cream color way best but beggars can't be choosers. I wish I had done my research on this style number before I purchased because I would have realized early on it would not have worked and saved myself the heartache. Because of my petite stature, full-coverage anything usually does not work in one way or another simply because of 'too much'-too much cup, too much width, too much wing height etc.

A122 is Samanta's full coverage un-padded style. To quote Samanta's description: This bra is designed for women with larger breasts. It collects the bust to the cleavage. Lifts it giving it strong support and comfort. Hidden supports inside the bra offer additional support.The cups cover 80% of the bust. I would have done better in their un-padded baclonette or padded balconette styles. This is a gorgeous lacey sheer bra. It is a 3 part cup with side sling. The straps are fully detachable which means that you can wear this bra racer-back if you so need. These straps were unfortunately wide-set which was sadly the deal breaker for me. I was lucky enough to receive the matching underwear to this bra however these were a major disappointment. They were almost entirely made out of the band material (which, granted, was super soft) with barely any of the beautiful lace on them. I purchased this bra in an EU 65G, which translates to a UK 30F. I believe this to be the best size for me.

This bra has a lot going on. There's two different kinds of lace on the cups. The lace on the gore is the lace that is on the top of the cups while the straps are embroidered with a completely different floral pattern. On top of all that lace the bow is double layer of ribbon with the top being velvety. The band is purple knit and super soft. It gives an east-west appearance. It is a lot of boob. There's not much immediate projection-it pretty much goes up like this / with the littlest bit of a curve. 

I love this shape, surprisingly. I didn't think I'd love a pointy bra but I do! I believe the reason behind the east-west shape is because the seams on the bottom cup are not located on the apex but to the side. You can see how deep that top part is. This is not only what makes it full coverage but what contributes to the pointy shape too. Let's see if I can explain this. I'll compare it to one of my SM's. The SM has a deeper bottom part and a shorter top part. That means that it's a rounder more minimized shape because there's a flatter angle when the longer bottom part is connected to the shorter part (I hope that makes sense!) while on this bra they are coming together at a sharper angle because the top and bottom are pretty much the same length. Please let me know if this needs to be explained better. I created a diagram which I hope helps with the explaining. The SM is in black and the Mintaka is the purple:

Hopefully you can see what I mean by the SM connecting at a flatter angle then the Mintaka does-picture the SM coming together at a 110 degree angle while the Mintaka comes together at a 90 degree angle (give or take).

I'm not entirely certain if these slings do anything but they weren't uncomfortable. From the side, you can see how far out the bottom seam sits. I find that this bra fits perfectly true to size depth wise with the wires being on the wider side of average. The wires were originally too wide so I bent them in by .25 inches.

The band runs perfectly true to size. The straps are half-adjustable and for the first time I don't have issues with half-adjustable straps not being able to be shortened enough.

I had wrinkling in the bottom of both cups. I assume this is due to the fact that this bra isn't quite immediate projection friendly.

This is why I gave the bra up. Although it looks fine in photos and on paper, for some reason the outer edge of the cups/straps dug into my armpit area and super-chafed. It was very uncomfortable. I hoped that by narrowing the wires a little bit it would help. It did, but not enough to justify keeping this bra.

The tag is super cute. It's the brand name Samanta as a piece of stand-alone embroidery.

The lace on the gore and top of the cups was mirrored but the lace on the bottom parts were not. I don't mind this: it was mirrored where it would be the most noticeable and that's all I care about.

The straps are super cute embroidered flowers.

This is the short-style bottom in a size large (it fits like a medium). Very comfy but super disappointing. I feel like Samanta half-assed this. I would much rather they used the laces from the bra in the brief instead of making it mainly of knit. That feels very lazy to me.

Overall, this bra felt very high quality. I would love to purchase more sets directly from Samanta so that I can pick what style I want instead of waiting to see what comes my way. Unfortunately, their shipping to the States is prohibitively offensive so if anyone knows of any stockists that ship to the US please let me know! Samanta has some gorgeous gorgeous stuff and I envy anyone that gets a chance to try them. I'd love one from each season! I hope I can continue to explore Samanta's options and ranges in the future.  

Passionata Starlight Plunge in 65H

Ages ago, before I discovered bras that fit, I purchased the Passionata Starlight thong. It looked cute, was bright pink and the best part was it had sparkles! I saw the matching bra but never wanted to pay for it. About a month or so ago I was bored online looking at lingerie as one does when I decided to look up the Passionata Starlight line to see if I was sol or if I could still purchase this bra. I wanted to complete the set as the thong is so comfy. There's two bras in the Starlight line: there's the plunge and then there's a t-back molded cup bra. I figured this plunge would fit me better. Unfortunately, while I could purchase this bra still, it was not available in my ideal size which would be a European 65G (UK 30F). However, for 15 bucks I figured I might as well try the EU 65H (UK 30FF) as one doesn't know until one tries. While this technically fits, all signs point to the EU 65G as being the best fit. So if anyone has one in pink and would like to swap for this one, let me know!

This bra is so pretty. It is a 3 part cup covered with glittery stars and checks. It's a double layer of fabric on the bottom for support while the top part is only one layer. It is not sheer though and hides nipples well. The gore is very low and the very top of it stops before the wire channels do which is an interesting effect not often seen in full-bust lingerie. The wires are on the wider side of average, which I expected from sizing up but it does seem wide for a 30FF in general. The cups are as deep as I expected (luckily!) although this means that I cannot bend the wires inward because then the cups would be too deep. Where I have the most issues with this bra is that it's tall and so full coverage. While the wings, at 4 inches, are not too tall to be uncomfortable, because it's so wide the edges of the cups are right in my armpit and chafe like hell. Not only that, but these cups are the tallest I've ever seen on a bra and not a bralette and they come up right to my shoulders. I'm sure in the next size down this would be less of an issue but I'm still not certain if the cups would ever not eat my armpits. The straps are the cheapest looking part of the bra: they have no decorations so they slip very easily.

Look how tall this stupid bra is. Why? Why is this necessary? I still get a decent shape but a little more east/west then normal because of the wide wires (I think). That means no cleavage which is fine. I can't really wear this under anything but sweaters anyway. The wires are wideset and have a tendency to slip off my shoulders if I'm not careful. The gore also poses issues for me and ultimately is the deal breaker. I could wear the bra on days when I'm not too active but even just lounging around, the gore stabs me. I have no idea why. I've had low gores before and it's not an issue. But this tacks so firmly it actually rubbed me raw over the course of a day. I can slide the wires in their channels to solve this issue a little bit but not enough to make it comfortable.

It was so hard to photograph but on the left side of this picture you can see how red I got at the top of the channel. It was actually rubbed raw and I had a little sore there for a couple of days and couldn't wear most of my bras comfortably.

So here you can begin to see how wide this bra really is. It gives a lovely shape really so I want it to work. I just haven't figured out how to yet. I'd say this bra is shallow to middling on the immediate depth front. My righty has some space under the cup because it's a smidge more projected then lefty.

Here it is folks. How awful is this. My poor armpits. The wide wires don't bug me too much but the damn wire channels are like half an inch longer then the wires. That means that this irritating situation isn't actually necessary. If I can figure out how to shorten the cup/wing without damaging the integrity of the bra I will. Nice uplift though and I can tell that if this wasn't a shape mismatch it would be pretty comfortable. 

The band is relatively true to size and wider in the back than my Ewas. I love the firmness of the band and it's one of the most comfortable parts of this bra.

I think I have average/tall roots but I had a lot of excess space in the tops of the cups that I think most people won't be able to fill. Luckily it lies relatively flat even when laying around.

I so wanted this bra to work. If I get a chance I might try the next size down. Unfortunately, it's just a big ol' shape mis-match. If it was just the wide wires or the tall wings/wide rubby cups or tall cups or gore I'd keep it but since I have issues with pretty much every aspect of this bra except for the depth and the band I know I should pass it on. I'll keep my eye out for the next size down because I'm too stubborn to give up this easily. It is for sale here. I won't discount Passionata styles in the future, especially since I figured out what size would work best for me. The quality looks good for the price and their pieces are so cute. It's a shame this one didn't work.

Bra Obsessed Excluxive Ewa Michalak PL Fairytale in 65FF

I know I've been bad about reviews lately. I've been putting this review off for a while for two reasons: recent comments about my preferred fit and the quality. When I posted my review for the BM Tajemniczy Ogród, there were a couple of remarks on Bratabase saying that the bands were too tight and I needed to size up. While I'm sure the users weren't meaning to be rude, that's the way they come off.  While others are entitled to their opinions and I do respect and appreciate others comments and suggestions about the fit of my bras, I prefer a band as tight as possible. My breasts may not be big enough for me to need a band that is as tight as I can comfortable stand it but that is what I prefer. I do not plan on trying a size up in the band unless the bra is known to run small since I am comfortable in this band size and that's all that matters. Members of the bra fit community rail against the +4 way of measuring: if I took those users' advice and sized up to a 32 band that is exactly what I would be doing and I would get absolutely no support. Not only that, but I've had issues with my self esteem forever. Put yourself in my shoes: how do you think you would feel if someone is telling you that there's no way you're a 30 band and you definitely need a 32? I know 32 isn't that big, but that still makes me feel fat and bad about myself. So please, I'm interested in your opinions but if you want to comment about how tight my band is I respectfully ask you to not. Different people like different things and what you find comfortable is what another finds uncomfortable. Thank you to the people on Bratabase who sent me kind messages.

Moving on, this bra is disappointing. I know I said that about my Jezynka, but in that case I was talking about the design and not the quality. I have never been this disappointed in the quality of an Ewa bra before. The band is too big and stretchy and the lace does not match on both cups. Ewa's team has always been so good about matching the lace placement on each cup so that they look the best. Not only that, but this lace has these big flowers on it and there's not a complete one on my bra. You could fit like two on each cup. The issues with the lace make it look very sloppy and cheap. And as if to add insult to injury, the lace on the thong is perfectly mirrored on both sides so I know it's possible. I've looked at others Fairytale's too and none of the lace is mirrored on the cups and that's highly disappointing especially given the price point. However, I did settle and keep this bra. It's a super limited edition from Bra Obsessed (less then 30!) and I know I'd probably never get another one and even if I did the lace would probably not match either. I love the lace-it's so pretty and I like the fact that it is continued on the band. But I want flowers on the cups! That's not that big a request. The band is too big and the thong fits on the generous size. I should have sized down in both the band and thong.

This is the typical Ewa plunge cut which I LOVE. It's beautiful. It gives amazing cleavage and great shape. It's super comfy but the band is too big and rides up. It compromises support a smidge but more importantly I am aware of it throughout the day so it is not as comfortable as it could be. I am willing to overlook all of this since it's purple-silver over the top floral lace. The gore is super low and it's my new favourite style (well, it's a tie between that and the S...and then the SM and the BM are tied for non-padded favourite). I had a devil of a time capturing photos so I apologize for any blurry shots. I gave up after I got close enough. I've rambled enough-onwards!

These are all taken without the pads in. The gore on this model is *super* low-only 1.5 inches! With the pads in I pretty much get touching cleavage. Yeah, I didn't think that was possible without hella quadboob. It's kind of a more pointier cup but I'm okay with that. You can see how the lace is on the cups. It looks cheap and sloppy. The wings are low cut and the straps are very very much clear of my arms. The wires are perfectly narrow and follow my wider root perfectly. An awesome situation! So you can see on the side picture the marks from one of my bras with a tighter and more comfortable band which is like the second major downside to this bra.

Again, if you look closely you can see the marks from a bra that was tighter and didn't ride up. I usually wear this on the second hook of four. Another thing I like about this bra though are the straps. They aren't too wideset and are wide and very pretty. It's totally possible to adjust them over the ribbons-it just requires some elbow grease.

And this is the bra with the pads in. I am not ashamed to say that this is like 80% of the reason why I kept this bra. I have no idea how Ewa works her magic but it's awesome. I tried to capture this in the last photo but I get cleavage with no quad. Like, I get cleavage but instead of bulging out it's flat across. If that makes sense at all. I ordered a new bra in the PL style because it's so nice and comfortable.

Whoever made the thong put the effort in to match the lace on both sides, but for some reason the same care wasn't put into the bra. It's very stretchy. I could have easily sized down in the thong and band size which is what I noticed in the Jezynka. On the bra band, it's one layer of lace and one of mesh. It's an absolutely stunning lace and I do love it which was a big reason why I did decide to keep it. So while I am disappointed majorly with the quality of this bra, it is comfortable and I do wear it on a daily basis. I'm glad I revisited the PL cut as it fits better then my first experience with it. While this bra did give me second guesses as to whether I wanted to invest in another one (like wait and see what others think of new styles first to see if they have similar issues to this one) I have no impulse control. Luckily, the next one has no lace. Let me emphasize here: I have no problems with the quality of the structure or the integrity of the bra. I do have problems with the quality of the lace placement. That's the biggest, most obvious issue with the bra. Even if it fits beautifully, how many people will be willing to spend so much on a bra if it looks sloppy and rushed? Also, the lace isn't attached securely. It ripples and sticks up and impacts the bra's ability to fit under a tighter shirt. Speaking of, let's see how it looks under said tighter shirt:

Very projected and in your face. This review ended up being far longer then I meant it to be so in sum: great fit, very comfy, poor lace placement which is super disappointing. It's almost the perfect princess bra, but it falls a little flat.