Review: Bravissimo Lace Trim Cami Top 30GG-H

So, I'm a big fan of not wearing a bra on my days off, whether I have housework to do, my sister is visiting or if I just decide to be a couch potato. I hate wearing a bra if I don't have to. While I have a Freya Rosie soft cup in a 30GG, it has a lot of coverage and can still feel a little constricting at times if I want to sleep in it, not to mention the slightly pointy shape and high coverage so it shows when I wear it under a singlet. I really wanted a bra sized singlet that had some integral support and was comfortable without my boobs falling out. These are few and far between. 

  

I bought a cami with a shelf from Bonds and it was atrocious. I bought an Australian size 12 despite being a 10, and it shows wayyyy too much boob. When I first put it on, I can adjust it to kind of fit, but after a while or if I lie down, I get quadboob and it just looks a little obscene. I had it for a week and has been sitting in a drawer ever since.  

   

So I finally took the plunge and spent the extra money on a Bravissimo singlet with the integral wirefree bra. I opted for the Lace Trim Cami which is in grey marle with ivory lace detail. It was £28.00 ($57 AUD) so I really hoping it was everything I wanted it to be.

Stock photo from Bravissimo

The Lace Trim Cami comes in 28-38 bands, but there are only 4 cup size options: D-E, F-G, GG-H and HH-J. I measure about a 30GG at the moment, so I went for the 30GG-H size and it is pretty spot on and true to size. There is actually a bit of room in the cups so the vertical seams wrinkle a little mainly at the apex since I haven't filled it out. It is barely noticeable though and the singlet overlay covers it all anyway.    

This is the integral bra, which is attached to the singlet only from one strap to the other via the top seam around the back of the bra. This means the singlet is pretty much just an overlay and you can adjust it a little higher/lower at the front if needed and it doesn't bunch up weirdly. You can also adjust the straps which are halfway adjustable. 

There is no hook/eye closure at the back so putting it on can be a bit of a struggle if you have a large cup as it is just a stretch back. I put it on over my head and then put one boob up and in the bra at a time. Once on, it is super comfortable.

There are three vertical seams on the front to manipulate the shape/construction. One in the very centre, and one in the middle of each cup. This gives a pretty rounded shape, which is awesome.

			It's no Comexim plunge shape, but still pretty nice for around the house! The light padding also means no visible nipples if you have an issue with that.

Added in an angle view.

As for the material that the integral bra is actually made of, I was unsure of how padded it would be and how comfortable it would be. I ended up speaking with someone from Bravissimo's customer service chat team about it before purchasing and they assured me it was only lightly padded, less padding than a regular padded bra. She was totally right.  

Light padding.

You can actually kind of see the vertical seam in the bra on this, but I took this picture to show how light the padding on the inside is. I'm really glad it's not thick padding like a real bra. It kind of looks like there's some stretch to it by the way I'm holding it, but there is none so the shape won't stretch out like with crop tops. The fabric is incredibly soft, too.  

I've had this cami for about a week now and I have to say, I adore it and I'm so glad I bought it (even if it was full price). It feels very supportive during the day but still super comfortable if I fall asleep in it. Since I've had it, if I wasn't wearing a bra, I was probably wearing this. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone that wants a bit of support without wearing a bra.

Review: Samanta Desert A922 in 65K

Several months ago I purchased a Samanta A122 (Aurora in Claret) in a 65J, finding it about a cup too small. So, a couple of months ago, I decided to try a 65K in the A922 to see if it was better, as I wasn't prepared to give up on Samanta just yet! 

Spoiler alert: the 65K was a mistake. I also overestimated my cup size, buying a 65L in the Aurora Claret A922 as I loved the colours and embroidery so much. Details on the 65L can be found here on Bratabase. I doubt I will be doing a separate review for it on here as it was just so large.    

SIZING/FIT  

Seeing as my 65J in the A122 fits me now, I kind of knew that this 65K in the A922 would be a bit big, especially as the A922 is known to be a bit deeper in the cup than the A122.  

Bandwise, it's great. The 65 band in Samanta is just perfect. I can easily do it on the second hook, but it's still supportive on the loosest. Either way, it's very comfortable.  

The wires are perfectly narrow, and are quite low. Some women might not like the low wires if they get some tissue escaping, but usually I read about the issue of pokey wires. These wires are not pokey at all, despite being very sturdy.  

The 65K is meant to be the equivalent to a UK 30H. I'd consider myself about a 30H. But this bra is pretty roomy in the top of the cup, as you can see below. I'm barely pulling the material away from my skin and I can fit my entire hand in there. I'm relatively FOT as well, so I'd say this bra runs a bit more generously than the A122. Certainly a bit deeper, with more immediate projection. 

APPEARANCE  

For a black bra, it is quite pretty. Not stunningly beautiful like some of Samanta's other sheer bras, but I think in the right size, would be quite nice. The material is a bit heavy-looking, almost Winter-y, but it isn't actually thick fabric at all. 

The straps are matte black with a thinner sateen ribbon running down the middle of it, which is a nice touch. 

I think in the right size, it would look quite nice on, but as is - I don't feel strongly about it.

SHAPE  

The shape it gives on the side is certainly lovely. More of a natural rounded shape than the A122 than the typical Polish shape, but I'm sure it would be a bit more uplifted if it were in the right size, so the below shape is probably not super accurate as I just can't fill it.

I've placed my finger on the underwire since it's not very visible in the picture.

Forgive the slippers and towels! But you can see from the top view that it gives a very round, front/centre shape.

The Desert A922 bra is available here on the Samanta website for €73.00.