Mercury

I wanted a perfectly plain, smooth black bra and was sold on the promises of heavenly softness and shapeshifting memory foam cups.

Unlike the Everything strapless, the 24/7 fits and feels exactly as advertised. It really is perfectly soft and squishy, but not bulky -- the cups are thickly lined but I wouldn't call them padded. The band is smooth all the way around and has the label printed right on to the padded hook closure so there aren't any itchy tags. All of the hardware is metal.

The 30D band fits well on the tightest hook right now, so the band is true to size. I think I may ... just have to make peace with loose bands because 28-anything is an inconvenient size to find.

It's a little hard to tell how the cups fit by looking at them. Going by feel, I think they're just slightly too wide, which is not an issue. They do however appear to cut in pretty quickly at the top, similarly to the 30D Claudette Dessous. Somehow, inexplicably, this doesn't seem to cause any visible quadding, so I guess it's not a problem either.

Appearance wise, this bra looks absurdly projected. I don't understand how the cups feel completely filled and don't cut in, because this bra is absolutely not the same shape as my boobs. Underneath a clingy shirt, it makes me look unnaturally perky. In theory, there's no way a bra shaped like that should fit me, but my boobs are convinced that it does. Witchcraft.

I don't know how I feel about the ultra-round shape or the weird pleated straps, but it's so pillow-soft and comfortable that I don't even care. This bra is going straight into regular rotation.
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black colorway

Updated on Dec 11, 2015 Flag this

I wasn't going to buy any bras today but I've been lusting after a Natori Feathers forever and when I saw this baby at Nordstrom in 30C (one of maybe like 4 bras available in 30 backs?) I had to try it. And then I absolutely had to splurge on it because IT FITS MEEEEEE~

The band runs tight, not quite a 28 but tight enough that I think I can get away with wearing it on the loosest hooks for now. The cups are lined and soft and seem flexible enough to fit just about anybody. The lining ends very close to the edge of my nipple but ... the mesh part covers everything just fine.

Plunge bras are usually a quadra-nightmare for me but this one is sooooo comfortable. I'm starting to think that my boobs must be close set because the wires on most of my bras are usually sitting on breast tissue at the centre gore, something I've only recently noticed (and need to update on other reviews). So I appreciate that the Feathers doesn't have any stabby wires there.

Overall: NO REGRETS
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Green Jewel colorway

Updated on Jun 28, 2015 Flag this

I like it! I definitely think this fits similarly to Marcie. The cups feel good, no wrinkles or quadboob. Open enough on top not to interfere with my tall-ish roots and upper fullness. It looks a bit small in the side pictures but I think that's because I need to awkwardly push my arm back to get that shot. The gore is low and narrow enough not to sit on my close-set boobs, but not so low that I spill out of the middle. Wires are also a good width; they're not creeping into my armpits where I don't need them.

The band feels loose to me, which makes ... sense, since it's a used 30C, and I need a 28D/28DD in Cleo. It's fine on the tightest hook, and if I need to, I can always alter it. Based on how the cups fit, I think a 28D Minnie would be perfect, so I'll be looking for the red version in that size.*

Love the cute polka dot pattern -- it has a bit of a pin-uppy feel, without being too over the top. Overall, my first impression is that this one is a keeper.

Edit: After several hours of wear, the back rides up, causing the sides to dig in. I will definitely be altering the band.

*Edit: Acquired 28D Minnie. Band is perfect but cups are more closed on top?! whyyyyyyy ._.

*Edit: altered band. cups now visibly too small.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jul 15, 2017 Flag this

I don't know whether to laugh or cry or both. Marcie fits just right in every way and looks good. And now that Cleo is making it in black and nude, they've dropped my size. Marcie is now only available starting at 28E which is much too big. [insert string of profanity here]


Edit: Okay, I should try to review this properly, given that it's currently my favourite bra but also has the least informative review.

My roots are narrow-ish and very tall. My ribcage is on the small side of 28" and my bust is full on top and /relatively/ projected for my size. Take all of the previous ... descriptions with a grain of salt because I'm still learning here.
28D Cleo Marcie in red is basically the perfect bra. It fits like it's painted on. The cups are open enough on top (by which I mean, they are extremely open on top) and the wires follow the edge of my root all the way around. The shape it gives is beautifully rounded (which is impressive, given my size). The colour is a bright bold fire-hydrant red and the fabric is just the right level of sheer. Perfect perfect perfect. /endrave

If you have a 28D Marcie that you're not 110% happy with, pleeeeaaaaase send it to me and I will love you forever! On that note, thank you biesmie for this one.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Aug 25, 2015 Flag this

I got this sports bra because I was thinking of getting into running. The Shock Absorber 4490 has good reviews all around, it runs notoriously tight, and lucky me, there was one in my size listed on Bratabase!

[As a side note, it took about a month and a half (!) to actually finally get to me via airmail (!!!); presumably because Malaysia Post accidentally sent it on a joyride around the world first (who knows!) but sender cass_lee28 was extremely polite and apologetic about the whole ordeal. She was just about to refund me in full when the bra finally arrived. Props to her!]

Back to ... the bra. It's tight enough that, although I am technically flexible enough to do up both sets of hooks behind my back by myself, I had to get my S.O. to do it for me today because my arms were way too sore (due to an unrelated adventure on the climbing wall yesterday). Based on the measurements I took, the band currently stretches to 26in, which is tighter than my snug underbust (27) but not break-the-tape tight (25). I consider this perfect for a high impact sports bra. It's tight enough to feel, but not so tight I can't breathe.

The bra pretty much holds itself up by the band, so there's very little pressure on my shoulders. The straps are quite wide too, so it wouldn't be a huge issue either way. I found the straps to fit me just fine on the shortest setting, though as some others have mentioned, there's not much to adjust.

The cups are also fairly tight, in a compressing way, not a "too small" way. They come up high enough that even with my tall roots, I felt like absolutely everything was contained. I found it easiest to scoop and swoop BEFORE closing the upper set of hooks because ain't no way my hand is fitting in the cups after closing it all the way. Once it's on, there is zero chance of boob movement. Seriously. None whatsoever. I ran in it and didn't notice any bouncing or discomfort or anything. I pretty much forgot I have boobs. As far as performance goes, 10/10, extremely impressed; I may buy more of these.

With regards to appearance, I'm not a fan of that pink/orange combo, but who cares, it works better than literally every other sports bra I've ever tried, including the 28DD Panache Sport (underwired, moulded) and the 28D Freya Active (underwired, non-moulded) and definitely much better than everything that doesn't have hooks at the back. I don't think it's even possible for me to pull this bra over my head without undoing it first.

The cups do have another layer of fabric on the inside (lining?) which seems slightly tighter than the outside layer. This results in the *slightest* bit of wrinkling on the outside of the cups just along the seams, though I definitely do not have any room to spare on the inside. It doesn't bother me at all because it's entirely an aesthetic issue and I don't intend to wear the bra on its own.

I would absolutely recommend this bra if you need 100% boob immobilization.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Mar 08, 2016 Flag this

The only thing that wasn't perfect about the 30C Cleo Minnie I got from runs_with_scissors was the fact that the band was loose. So I swapped my Cleo Lucy for this 28D Minnie from tealeaf_egg , expecting it to fit like Marcie.

On the one hand, it fits better than Lucy, but on the other hand, I'm somewhat disappointed. The band is true to size and fits me much better than the 30C Minnie. But the cups, which SHOULD be identical, since they're sister sizes of the same model, have a bigger lace section. For whatever reason, that makes the cups way more closed on top than the 30C version... which makes this an awkward fit for my tall-rooted boobs.

Going by the 30C Minnie, I can see why people say Minnie and Marcie are sister cuts, but it seems Cleo is inconsistent with their cup construction? :/ I guess I'll be altering the band on the 30C after all.

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Nov 22, 2015 Flag this

This is an intriguing little bralette with a band that crosses over in front, wraps around, and clasps in the back. The cup separation is therefore entirely variable depending on how tightly you adjust the band-straps.
Unfortunately, only one of the band-straps has a slider on it. Even with that one slider on the tightest setting, the band is too loose for me. Because of the weird physics of this bra, if the band is too loose, it results in the cups being way too separate. The band is supposed to pull the cups towards each other. In other words, if the band is too loose, the cups barely ... cover my nipples. The wide part of the band also rides up in the back. I intend to add a slider to the other band-strap to make it adjustable. It looks easy enough to do and should (hopefully) result in a better fit.

To be fair, according to their size chart I should be wearing an XS rather than an S. In fact, I initially ordered an XS but returned it immediately because a) It was sent to me in the wrong colour and b) after trying it on, the XS felt much too small (in terms of cup size). Luckily Toru & Naoko has excellent customer service and the exchange process was painless.

EDIT: added second slider. fit is much improved!
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white colorway

This bra's measurements have been altered

added slider for adjustability

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Apr 16, 2017 Flag this

I love it. SO happy I got it for free from runs_with_scissors . It's comfortable and does seem to run a little small in the band; fits similar to Freya 28s. The cups fit me like a demi, which I assume is not what they're supposed to look like, this being a balconette, but they're so open on top it doesn't even matter. Little to no quadraboob spillage. Edit: okay, SOME quadraboob.
I'm not sure what bra construction witchcraft is making this work, but this flimsy looking bit of lace with underwires actually makes my boobs look more rounded on top, rather than the straight ski slope ... from my collar to my nipple that is my naked boob shape. It's flattering is what I'm trying to say.
The seams are slightly bumpy under clothes but not hideously so. Not that I care when it looks this good when the clothes come off.

Note on the pictures (again): the bra only pictures (taken with the main camera on my phone) are accurate colourwise. The front cam, however, is fond of turning everything blue. This bra is charcoal grey.

Edit: the seams do leave marks on my skin. not a deal breaker for me but thought I should mention it.

Edit 2: I got a 30C Lulu Tout Juliette from bluebelle2 which is the same cut in a bigger size and it's a perfect fit. I find that one more comfortable so I will be relisting this one.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Aug 20, 2016 Flag this

I've been putting off writing this review because I feel like I should wait until I've put this sports bra through more vigorous quality testing first but honestly, if the review has to wait until I start regularly exercising, it will never get written. So here goes.
Beating around the bush for a while: aesthetically, this thing is pretty ugly, not gonna lie. That horizontal seam makes me look more pointy than I naturally am which is impressive and unfortunate. The heavy duty wide straps don't look good peeking out underneath anything. I bought it in white because I'm boring.
Moving on, the fit is actually pretty good and surprisingly ... not uncomfortable. Some days my smaller left boob wrinkles slightly and some days my bigger right boob quads slightly but most days both boobs are happy. The band is tight and has hooks and eyes for daaaays. It will NEVER stretch out at the rate I'm using it.
Now let's talk bounce.
For reference: I snowboard, have recently started hiking up mountains, occasionally drop in at my university's fencing club for lessons and casual bouts, and play dodgeball because that's a thing in residence. I don't run, work out or do anything overly bouncy. I tried to simulate that kind of boob abuse by skipping in my room for a couple minutes, simultaneously reminding myself why I should exercise and why I don't.
Anyway, this bra passes the skipping test, as well as everything else I've thrown at it. So if you're in the market for a sports bra that has all the functionality and none of the aesthetic appeal, I have to recommend this one.

EDIT: I'm surprised it took me this long to notice. The cups on this are actually too separate for me. I can feel the wires sitting on breast tissue in the middle, which makes it uncomfortable if worn for any longer than about 30min at a time. They're also too wide, which is less of an issue. Still, I prefer the moulded Panache one for comfort. More recent discovery: Shock Absorber 4490 is even better at reducing movement AND it doesn't have any hurty wires!
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white colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Mar 11, 2016 Flag this

This pretty little thing is marketed as a sports bra, intended mainly for yoga and other low impact activities. I'll be honest, I bought it with zero intention to use it as such. It mostly struck me as a beautiful, minimalist layering piece. But since it's technically a sports bra, I will review it in that context first.

If you want something to keep your girls strapped down tight, move along. The Teardrop is not what you're looking for. The band is comfortable -- not as snug as I would like, not terribly loose either, but definitely too loose to provide enough support for something like running.

The straps are ... quite long and not adjustable, which is unfortunate if you are not a 6ft tall supermodel or if your boobs happen to be high-set. The band sits lower than my IMF because there isn't really any way to adjust it to sit higher, so again, not the best for support. It doesn't affect comfort though, so I'm not terribly upset about it.

In the product description, Montiel makes it very clear that this is NOT supposed to be a compression bra, which is kind of funny because it is actually fairly squishing, imo. Almost as much as my 32A Under Armour sports bra. In other words, it's not terribly flattering from the side. It does come with a thin set of pads, which appear to be primarily for hiding nipples. I am not wearing the pads in my pictures but the bra looks pretty much the same with them inserted.

All that being said, I'm still glad I bought it because support be damned, it's SO PRETTY! As far as I'm concerned, it's a strappy bralette made out of strangely thick but still breathable material. Unlike regular halter bras/bralettes, this thing doesn't put a ton of strain on my neck, which I appreciate. Interestingly, it doesn't ride up either. Layers well under open or sheer back tops and the double straps also look cute from the front. Comfortable enough to sleep in (if you really wanted to).

I haven't washed it yet*, but the care instructions claim this thing will survive the dryer. I intend to air-dry it, just in case, because it was a little on the pricy side.

TL;DR: not a good sports bra* and definitely not for big heavy boobs that need iron support. Would recommend to anyone looking for a comfy and simple strappy bra.

*2016 April update: I've been going to the climbing wall regularly since February and this is now my favourite bra to wear for bouldering. I have to revoke my previous comment that this is not a good sports bra -- it's by far the most comfortable thing to wear for low impact sports. It has also survived the laundry just fine so far, being machine-washed with cold water and left to air-dry (which it does quickly).

*2016 August update: Having now acquired the Thalia bra from the same brand, the Teardrop is no longer my favourite low impact sports bra because Thalia fits better. The coverage is higher and the cups seem to have more stretch which translates to more room and less squishing. I still wear this one lots but it's not as good of a fit. I do spill out slightly if I scoop and swoop very thoroughly -- not sure if this happened before without me noticing or if my boobs got slightly bigger.
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white colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Apr 25, 2018 Flag this