Does this bra fit me well? No.... Do I care? Not really.
I had to sister size up two sizes for this one. The band, which feels fairly stretchy, definitely is larger than I would like and rides up straight away. I don't know if it's a tight band for a 30, but it's not quite small enough for my roughly 26" ribcage unless I fasten it on the tightest hook. It's wearable like that, though. The straps are convertible. I don't think it'd work strapless for me, though I'm not bothered by that.
The molded cups have a lot of heavy push up padding in the bottom, and gradually ... decrease, with the padding ending maybe 1" away from the top edge of the cup. They seem to be a little too much on the shallow side for me, I'm guessing? The apex of my breast kind of pushes the cup away, so that it gaps around the edges a little. Like holding up a barely curved plate to an orange. So I assume that's a too shallow cup problem. It's not the same kind of gapping I normally have issues with at the tops of cups, and isn't noticeable. The gore doesn't tack, probably due to the combination of too-large band and the shape of the cups. Without the gore tacking, my normally farther apart breasts get crammed together underneath and the skin creases there.
So, lots of fit issues. However! I have never had cleavage like this. Never. At best, I've gotten very, very subtle versions of the 'cakes on a plate' cleavage, but still not much of that. This gives me that classic smushed together cleavage that I haven't seen on myself. It's kind of great. I wouldn't wear it all the time, but it's nice to have the option. The wires have so much padding around them that I don't feel any discomfort no matter where they sit. They're just like cushy pillows shuffling my boobs around. The construction is basically as if someone vacuum formed a soft shell around some pads and wires. Even with the shifting that occurs because of the band's looseness, I still get a nice pushup effect and shape under clothes (so I don't really feel the need to wear it on the tightest hook).
If you have a small band and a small cup and are having trouble getting cleavage, I recommend giving this one a shot. And if you're shallower, you may even get a better "proper" fit. Aimerfeel makes the same basic bra in different styles and colors - just look on the product page for the illustration showing the padding at the bottom of the cup and you'll likely have the right one. I have one of the plain, brightly colored "cho-mori" bras and a floral one that Google translate calls "mutually flower" or maybe "maturely flower", and while the fabrics are different, the cut and size are basically the same. I've seen them go on sale for pretty cheap, and even full price they're under $20.
The quality isn't the greatest, but it is a very inexpensive bra. The coating on one of the hooks is chipped and there's some stray threads here and there, though the stitching seems secure enough nonetheless. Overall, it's worth it for me. The entire front of the bra is seamless, which can be very helpful sometimes. There's some very flexible boning on the sides, less stiff than in some of my other bras. It's got a cute, basic look to it, the scalloping on the edges is a nice touch to keep it from being utilitarian, and I love the bold, bright turquoise all over with nothing to interrupt it.
I'm going to be trying this cut of bra in a 30C next, to see if the cup works any better, so I'll update this review then.
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Updated on May 28, 2015 Flag this