When I saw this bra reviewed by Sweetnothings and 2Cakesonaplate, I knew I could not resist.
The strappy bra hype is perhaps getting old, and I suspected Asteria would be an armpit attacker.. But look at that awesome back!

When Figleaves had a 30% discount on this style I just had to try my luck.
She arrived today and the sad news is, yes this is an unhappy armpit bra. Very wide in the front which makes the arm area chafey ☹️
The good news, the rest of the fit is pretty good - and I love the appearance.

Band: unlike 2Cakes I do think the band is pretty stretchy, I ... would have considered a 30 if the cupsizes went above G.
Cups: these are pretty deep, somewhat stretchy and thus quite forgiving for upper fullness. There is some bulging on my larger breast and some wrinkling on my smaller, so I think the cup size is spot on. Shape is natural, almost a bit pointy.
Gore: this is kind of low, good for me because tall gores always bother me!
Straps: things get tricky here. On the front, the area where the 4 straps attach to the cups is too wide for me. As mentioned, this really hurts my armpits (always a sensitive spot for me, so people with a better armpit tolerance may not mind as much). On the back, the wideness is also noticeable as the outermost straps on the 'wings' almost walk off my back and shoulders.
Fabrics: Bluebella seems to value their quality. Materials are comfy, feel sturdy and there's a sort of subtle pinstripe design going on, instead of using just plain black. For me personally, the meshy back band could be less stretchy.

Briefs: made from the same comfy materials. No pinstripe layer here though, which is a shame. Not sure if I love the way their straps are placed? I ordered a 16 for my generous butt. A 14 would have worked as well, the straps are almost too loose. Better than sausage straps though https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" />


So, final verdict: Very pretty bra, natural shape, unusual design. The back is definitely the main attraction!
But please beware of sensitive armpits.

Read more
263 more words

Black colorway

Updated on May 18, 2016 Flag this

Love this! After a few reviews of Bluebella's DD+ bras have popped up in the blog community, I knew I had to try it myself! I was worried that the double-cup would be tricky, and I can honestly say it does take some adjusting. I've found it's best to spread out the inner, beige cup closer to my arm pit. and then have the outer, mesh cup closer to the gore. Otherwise, I get major quad because I don't think the inner cup is meant to hold all your tissue. With them adjusted just so, both cups enclose all my tissue perfectly, and the shape is nice and ... round.

Size wise, I sized up in band and down in cup, as advised in Two Cakes on a Plate's post on her Bluebella bra. The cup volume is good, but the band is a bit loose. I'm actually quite ok with that, as I've been very comfort driven lately. The wires are perfect, and don't at all spread to my back. I usually have issues with depth and my IMF never gets to the bottom of the wire, but it's not an issue with Iana. For the price (I paid less than $45 for bra and shipping total, and it arrived in exactly a week), I am very impressed. The materials feel luxe, and I love the metal ware touches, esp the brand emblem on the side. I am definitely going to order more from this brand.
Read more
137 more words

Updated on Mar 03, 2016 Flag this

Ok, I'm going to make a stronger statement than I usually make in my bra reviews: This bra sucks. The quality is just bad. The quality reminds me of those no-name brand bargain priced bras you find on eBay--but this was a $40 bra. The sewing of the straps to the band looks wonky and wavy, there's threads coming out, the wires are flimsy, and the cups give absolutely no support. I tightened the straps all the way to see if I could get these cups to give me any lift at all, but my boobs just sat in them. The only way I could see this bra ... working is if you have firm, self-supporting breasts already, because all these cups do is cover them, not provide any shape at all. Or if you just like the strappy look and don't care about shape in your boudoir lingerie, go for it. But if you're someone like me who still likes their boudoir bras to be functioning bras, I'd say look into Pour Moi or one of Ewa's strappy bras. This is a great example of what I meant when I said it's useless for companies to expand into a full bust size range if they don't put effort into making their bras wearable for full busts.
Read more
109 more words

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Oct 14, 2016 Flag this

This bra is very shallow, and it has some weird plastic boning in the cup, which only serves to make it more shallow. The colour is lovely, and it's really nice to see Bluebella expand its size range!

Raspberry colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Feb 13, 2017 Flag this

It's beautiful. Comfortable. The cups cut in ever so slightly at the top, but it's within tolerances for me. I had to loosen the straps all the way, and I'm 5'5", so that's unusual. My only complaint after wearing it all day is that I have two spots at the top of my back that something --rough stitching?-- has rubbed raw. Hopefully that goes away with a couple of washes.

Updated on Jun 30, 2016 Flag this

This bra is so cool! I wish it fit me. I think my boobs fill the cups nicely, but the overall bra is WAY too wide. When I stand up my shoulders push the cups forward and create huge gaps, but if I move my shoulders back like a model it fits. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> I am sad to get rid of this bra.

Black colorway

Updated on May 17, 2016 Flag this