Rainbrasspetals

MY SHAPE: projected, even top/bottom, center full, tall roots, narrow roots.

THE TAKEAWAY: A soft mesh embroidered cup, with a strip of elastic running across the top that might give FOT / tall-rooted people trouble. Projection is probably good, and I _think_ it's doing a good job of handling my center-fullness, but see the details for notes. The bottom of the cup is lined with a second layer of mesh; the top of it is not. The embroidery on this bra is too thick for it to be a proper t-shirt bra. This 70H only _hard-stretches_ to 32", so it's a little small in the band.

DETAILS: Initially, this bra ... fits well, if a tiny bit small -- but I've got a case of Period Boobs, so that would probably indicate a good fit, and that this 70H is solidly comparable to a 32FF (my 'usual' UK size, though increasingly I'm taking 30G). But on trying it on again just now, I noticed that I was getting rather more serious quadding. I'm going to try a band down and a cup up, to see whether this is a size issue, or a shape mismatch. I'll update the projection / center-full notes when I do!

I'd also call the cups potentially itchy, especially on the top panel where there's no lining between your tissue and the embroidery, but if I wasn't itching (haha, pun) to try another size, I might assume it'll soften up after a few washings. (I don't break out or anything, but I am somewhat sensitive to 'itchy' textures; I absolutely cannot wear wool right next to my skin, even merino wool, because of this.) It doesn't feel super expensive, probably because it isn't. (46% polyamide, 45% polyester, 9% elastane...)

Because the cups are a bit small, I'm not sure whether or not I'm getting good uplift in this bra; I definitely like the shape better from some angles than from others. (I'm not wild about the side view.)

So, consider this review a work-in-progress until I have one that fits...
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White colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Nov 07, 2016 Flag this

MY SHAPE: Projected, center full, tall and narrow roots.

THE TAKEAWAY: Called "semi-padded" by the manufacturer, this bra has a lightly-padded three-part bottom cup topped with (NON-stretch) lace. Impimi recommends it especially for fuller-bust folks. Good projection, seems to handle my center-fullness well. Band is on the bigger side of TTS, hard-stretching to ~31". The lace is fairly stiff, so truly FOT folks might want to look elsewhere, but with my tall roots I was able to go from an FF to a G and get a good fit. Straps are wide-set.

DETAILS: I find the 30G to actually be a liiiiittle bit big on the right side tonight (which ... is funny, as that's usually my slightly larger side), but while tightening the strap fixed it, it's worth pointing out that Impimi does asymmetrical bras for no extra cost, so if I wanted a 30G that was an FF on the right side, they could simply... make me one. Nice.

The straps are a bit of a problem, though, for me -- and I say that as someone who doesn't usually have issues with strap placement on a 30 band. (I had problems much more regularly when I was a 34.) They're definitely threatening to give me some armpit chafe, but I'll probably keep it anyway because it's so nice everywhere else.

For comparison, my usual UK size is 32FF/30G, depending on the band, so for me this was a pretty straight conversion, although the FF might've also fit in a style that was a little more flexible on top, so when I make my next order (it'll probably be the Impimi Colette with the STRETCH lace top), I'll try 30FF and 30G again.

The Adell probably won't fool you into thinking it's a luxury bra (and for this price point, I wouldn't expect it to), but the lace is fairly soft rather than actively scratchy, and so is the inside of the padded cup. It's also just a very pretty bra, but admittedly I'm weak to black and red colorways.

After my catastrophic failures with the 70H - Gaia » Annika Soft (553) in both 70 and 65, it was wonderful to put on a bra and have it seem to just... work! And this one definitely does.

The shape it creates is very nice, I think; not extremely round, but not pointy either. Uplifted in a gentle way. And the light padding is sure to be appreciated by people who worry about unlined bras and nipple show-through.

An interesting note on the gore: it isn't actually as high as it looks. The top inch of it is just soft fabric, the wires having stopped lower down, which is kind of perfect for my center-heavy boobs. It keeps them a little bit separated, but doesn't press in, and might be more comfortable for people who have issues with other gores.

Also, the Adell and many other styles are currently on sale for as low as $20 USD, so you might wanna head over there now (or wait to see if they do a sale for Christmas).
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Red/Black colorway

Updated on Dec 15, 2016 Flag this

MY SHAPE: Projected, center full, close-set, tall and narrow roots.

THE TAKEAWAY: Ordered as a three-part half cup, this bra has excellent depth. With my stronger-wires narrow-and-overlapped-gore customizations, it handles my center fullness pretty well. Band is very comfortable, possibly to the point where I should be wearing it one hook in. I will measure it and edit this if I'm right.

DETAILS: Super round shape and mondo cakes-on-a-plate, in part because these cups fit me so precisely that they're almost to the point of being a smidge small. The cups are thinner, imho, than in some other Comexims I own, but still thick enough for modesty concerns.

The color is ... a vibrant green that my photos don't do justice, with cornsilk-colored lace that gives a very dandelion impression. The lace definitely keeps this from quite being a t-shirt bra, but an even slightly thicker shirt should be fine, and it's so beautiful. I'm particularly taken with the black accents, and I like the little triangle window in the straps.

I requested the alterations I did because this exact same bra with weaker wires just collapses in the center under the weight of my tissue. It causes a very peculiar fit problem that for a long time had me thinking I needed a K cup -- until I actually tried a couple and discovered that they were HUGE. Oops.

On Comexim's website this bra is actually described as a full cup, which intrigues me, but I've had so much success with the altered 3HC that I'm sticking with it for now.

One very minor note: lately all the bras I've bought from almost anywhere have had a little bit of extra fabric on the end of the rows of hooks, which really increases the comfort when you're on the loosest one. This bra doesn't have that, and I'm a little sad about that. It bumps this down from excellent to good in terms of comfort.
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This bra's measurements have been altered

Narrowed gore, overlapped gore, stronger wires

Updated on May 12, 2017 Flag this

MY SHAPE: Projected, center full, close-set, tall and narrow roots.

THE TAKEAWAY: A beautiful plunge bra with removable cookies (the pockets are partially sewn shut). Cups are about 6" across, which like Kinga in general is a little bit wide for me, but probably would have been comfortable enough if this had been the right size for me. Band was fine -- 24.75" when it arrived, 29.5" hard-stretched. A pretty TTS 30/65 band.

DETAILS: I wanted so badly for this bra to work -- I love Kinga's so-called padded plunge* designs -- but I knew it was a long shot. My center fullness doesn't usually get along very ... well with plunges to begin with, and Kinga's plunges only appear to go up to 65H... which is one cup too small for me. (See my happy review of the 65I - Kinga » Sapphire (BC-444), one of Kinga's very lightly padded "semi-soft" bras, where I was a wee bit unsure whether an H would work for me.)

As an additional note, the straps on this bra are narrower than my 65I, probably because that's where Kinga's decided to delineate between lighter and heavier breast tissue. (Or, as one bratabase user once called it, "the GG divide" in Panache bras... I'd ordered a G and a GG, and noticed that the GG had thicker straps.)

Kinga continues to have two-hook bands, but spaced more widely than two hooks usually are, which I personally find increases my comfort compared to the two-hook Cleos I own -- it makes the band just a little bit wider and more sturdy. If I had my way, this would be a major trend! https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" />

*Again, they come with cookies! https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" /> So you can make these UNpadded, if that's more your thing. From what I can tell, they would then have the same very light padding that the semi-soft Kinga did, only all over instead of just on the bottom part of the cup.

It's possible that this bra would work with the cookies removed. Possible. But since the cookie pockets are partially sewn shut, I'm not completely sure I could remove the cookies without pulling out some of the stitching and thereby having to keep the bra. Alas!

IMPORTANT NOTE: The cup depth measurement reflects my unwillingness to pull the cookies out of this bra. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> Sorry. They don't feel VERY thick, about the same as an Ewa Michalak cookie if you're familiar, and I feel kind of like they mostly cost me depth because they make the cups less flexible, if that makes sense...

Since this bra doesn't fit at all, I can't really speak to its comfort. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> It's going right back... sigh.

Minor note: This bra, like most of the ones I've been buying lately, has a little bit of extra fabric at the end of the last row of hooks. I love this touch, it really improves comfort for me in some bras. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
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Black-Beige colorway

Updated on Nov 09, 2017 Flag this

MY SHAPE: Projected, center full, close-set, tall and narrow roots.

THE TAKEAWAY: A gorgeous bra with black lace on the cups and a cream band, done as a 3HC with stronger wires. The band is more TTS than my previous experience with this brand, and so comfortable immediately that I'm considering ordering a size down. For people in my range, I wear a 30G-32FF pretty consistently in Panache/Cleo, and a 70J right now in these bras, but am considering a 65K in the future.

THE DETAILS: This is my go-to alteration right now (3HC with stronger wires + an overlapped gore), as it really seems to suit my shape well. ... The resulting shape is round and fits great, though the black lace does mean this isn't a t-shirt bra. The Beauty is not part of Comexim's "luxury" line, and you can definitely tell, but it's still a gorgeous bra.

The fit of this bra is very similar to the fit of my other recent Comexim purchases (see my more detailed review of the 70J - Comexim » Rosettes Half Cup). https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" /> Comfortable and supportive and beautiful, a total win IMHO.
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This bra's measurements have been altered

Stronger wires, overlapped gore.

Updated on May 17, 2017 Flag this

MY SHAPE: Projected, center full, close-set, tall and narrow roots.

THE TAKEAWAY: This "semi-soft" bra has slightly stretchy lace with an elastic band along the top rim (warning, FOT shapes) and a pretty high gore which handles my center fullness admirably. Band is quite comfortable. Color and lace are gorgeous. Cups might be too big!

DETAILS: Half of the cup is very lightly padded, just enough for modesty concerns, and the other half is lace. Gorgeous, very deep cups might have you sizing down from your equivalent UK size. (I would be a 32FF/30G (30:8/30:9) in Panache/Cleo, and this 65I (30:9) might be too big for me.)

The color ... is a deep, slightly bluish green, and the pattern on the cups is really interesting to me -- pinstriped, almost, with soft ribbon, combined with floral lace. Straps are sturdy, a bit wide but not uncomfortably so on me, and the two hooks are interesting; they're wider-set than any other hooks I've seen, and this means you get a slightly wider and more supportive band than you'd usually expect with only two hooks.

I would, however, describe the band as pretty stretchy. (It's a typical mesh.) It could go wider than the 30" I've put here if I hard-stretched it, and that's something to keep in mind if you're interested in ordering this particular bra.
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Zielony/Bottle Green colorway

Updated on Oct 10, 2017 Flag this

MY SHAPE: Projected, center full, tall and narrow roots.

THE TAKEAWAY: Definitely inspired by other similar half-stretch-lace bras (cough 32FF - Panache » Jasmine Balconnet Bra (6951) cough 30G - Cleo » Hettie Balconnet Bra (9011) ), this Comexim bra is a soft cup with a soft unlined fabric on the bottom and a stretchy lace on top. FOT shapes, be warned: there's an elastic strip on the inside of the top lip of the stretchy lace, making it more closed on top than it would otherwise. Hard-stretches to ~33", so it's a bit stretchier than some Comexims. Fully-adjustable straps and four rows of ... three hooks.

DETAILS: I bought this in both a 70J and a 70K - Comexim » Karen, because I've had problems with Comexims not being "big enough" in their padded bras so I wanted to use this as a diagnostic. (Padded bras cover a multitude of fitting sins.) To my surprise, the 70J is actually a little bit too big... arguably.

My particular needs with Comexim, related to my center fullness, are definitely stiffer wires (and narrower gores), so on closer inspection I think that might be what I'm experiencing here, too -- the gore floats a little, and also sits partially on breast tissue, because it's too wide and the wires are too soft to hold their shape against the weight of my tissue. Ordering the 3HC Beauty with firmer wires and an overlapping gore gave me an almost perfect fit there (the gore still only soft-tacks), and it initially had very similar problems to what I'm experiencing in this size.

So, while I initially reported that I thought other customers might be able to go down a size in the Karen, it's proooobably very similarly-sized to Comexim's padded plunge and half-cups.

My biggest note of concern for other boobs fitting into the Karen is definitely the elastic strip that has been sewn to the inside of the stretch lace. It gives the cups a different aesthetic look than they'd have without, gathering the lace slightly, but will probably also cut into FOT shapes. (It's cutting into my tall roots a bit, too, but given the sizing/wires issue I'm not sure whether that would still be the case with an overlapped gore, etc.)
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Apr 21, 2017 Flag this

Ahhhhh this is the most gorgeous thing. IF ONLY THE CUPS WEREN'T VERY SLIGHTLY TOO SMALL. I'm going to open a bra fitting just to beg you folks to tell me it's okay, honestly. That's how much I love this bra and how reluctant I am to wait until the store opens for real in May.

The wires are narrow (5" across in this 30G), there is projection, the band is comfortable... everything looks and feels quite luxe, in my opinion. The matching panties are gorgeous.

And most of all, after a day of wearing a similarly-sized Fantasie Rebecca Spacer Moulded Bra (2024) (which is too wide and ... too shallow for me), and being uncomfortable much of the day... just putting this bra on was such a relief that I didn't really want to take it off to measure it. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" />

Also, I must compliment the staff, who initially responded to an email asking about their other line, Bosom Galore, and then directed me to this sister brand when I withered upon hearing that the BG bra I wanted most is somewhat shallow. We spent about a month with me occasionally sending them questions and them replying quickly, and then they helped me order this gorgeous little sample they had before their website was officially open for orders.

I will probably be ordering both the styles and colors they currently have. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> And then still wanting more.
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Black colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Apr 05, 2016 Flag this

MUCH better!

This bra band runs TTS, but stretchier in the band than the 70G - Ewa Michalak » S Summer Time. (Even at 65GG, it feels 'stretchier' than that bra. This is especially true of the straps -- very stretchy.) Cups run a bit small for a UK GG, by the depth measurement, which is to be expected for cups measured in cm instead of inches -- there's half a cm less of difference between every cup size, which adds up over time -- but these are still too big for me. (I'm more of a UK 30G than a 30GG, so that's not the fault ... of the bra.) As such I'll either need a 65G or to give up on this bra and potentially this cut. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" />

I took pictures with one cookie in to test it out. I have some very slight asymmetry, less than most people probably, and a single cookie kind of overcorrects it, but it was an interesting test. It also eliminated what is otherwise clearly wrinkling in the bottom of these cups, so cookies can definitely be used to create what are effectively "half" cup differences, but half a cup smaller isn't enough to fix the weird shape I get from this because it's too big. Not at all the rounded shape one expects from a correctly-sized Pl.

This is such a beautiful bra, I really wish I was having better luck with it.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Oct 03, 2016 Flag this

MY SHAPE: Projected, center full, tall and narrow roots.

THE TAKEAWAY: Construction very similar to the 30G - Cleo » Hettie Balconnet Bra (9011)! The stretch lace panel on top makes this a forgiving bra, and I can almost get away with it in both a 65G (one cup size down) and a 75F (two cup sizes down). Good projection, handles my center-fullness admirably. Band is TTES (True To Ewa Size), stretching to ~31". If you mostly wear padded Ewa styles, you may need to size down in the cup for the BM. The stretch lace is good for my tall roots, but should accommodate both FOT ... and even-full breasts well.

DETAILS: In my review of the Cleo Hettie, I note that it (and the Marcie) square me off on the sides, lending to a somewhat odd torpedo shape looking down. For whatever reason, and despite what seems to be a very similar seaming construction, the BM does not do this; I get a very round shape from all angles. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the stretch lace covers the entire cup? Maybe the lace is molding me into a rounder shape? I guess we'll see, when I eventually try the SM.

I have so far tried three BM bras: 75F - Ewa Michalak » Bm Szmaragd (794), 65G - Ewa Michalak » Bm Bibi Flamenco (808), and the Naomi. All three were beautiful, but I think the Naomi is a stand-out for me, with the way that the lace is only on the cups, the exposed band pleasantly-silken to the touch, and the choice to leave the stretch lace panel unlined, which creates a very elegant look on the skin. That said, do note that the Naomi is unlined: the seam on the inside of the cup is much more prominent against your skin than in the other two BMs, and I'm sure there are people for whom that would be a sensory issue.

I've read several reviews that call out the BM as having hard wires. I'm not the person to ask about that, because I've never actually met a bra with wires too hard for my comfort. The only time I've even really noticed wire hardness was when I used to (gulp) put bras on upside-down and backwards, then wiggle them around and yank them up. Doing that with some of my Panache bras caused a hilarious, audible SLAP as the gore viciously whipped into place. But even then, when I wore them, they weren't actually uncomfortable. I will say that the BM has the firmest tack I've experienced in an Ewa Michalak, but since I've probably worn most of her padded bras in the wrong size I'm not really sure that's not the reason.

Currently, the BM is my best-fitting bra. For many of the others, what I'm calling good is in practice a little small in the cups, or a little big in the band, or a little wide in the straps. The Naomi BM is none of these things, at least not for me. (The strap width is especially good in the too-small Flamenco, though, so that in itself might be a good reason to try more BMs in 65...)
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Updated on Apr 30, 2017 Flag this