I ordered this Perfects Louisa from Kohl's. Other reviews said the band runs very small, so I sister-sized and ordered a band size up and a cup size down. At the same time, I also ordered Perfects' Millie, Michelle, and Mila. All three of those have shallow cups, but the Louisa is more projected. But they ALL run small in the band.
The molded cups are a thin foam, so no padding per se to add volume; just enough coverage for modesty. The cups give a nice rounded shape. The overlace is smooth so it won't show under thin clothes, (except maybe just a little, ... at the top edge, where it has an additional layer of lace that puts a nice finish on the cups). It also has a dart in the bottom of the cup and even in a super thin, tight shirt I could still barely see the dart. The underwire is pretty firm, but not uncomfortable, and keeps its' shape when the band is stretched.
The gore is Almost Perfect for my close-set breasts. The channels are 'ever so slightly' overlapped, and the gore sits nicely on my sternum. It is only a smidgen too tall, but not enough to be uncomfortable. They call the Louisa a balconette, but the gore sits lower than a typical balconette. It gives nice forward facing cleavage without looking fake or feel like you are being squooshed into the middle.
The band is supportive, made with two layers of stretch mesh and elastic on the edges. The back strap is anchored to the bottom band. The wings are not too tall, but neither are they too short. So far, they are quite comfortable.
The only thing I've noticed is the back straps tend to squeek inside the ring that they attach with to the band. But I'm assuming that will loosen up with wear & washing.
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

Edit:
After wearing this for a month or so now, two issues have come up that were not immediately apparent.
First, the side 'boning' (which is plastic) is now too flexible and curls inward on both its' top and bottom edge. This creates a bulge under the arms that wasn't there when the bra was new.
Secondly, I am now finding the underwire cuts in under the arms VERY painfully by the end of the day. Again, it wasn't like that when it was new. (But I have put on a couple of pounds, so maybe that's all it is.) So, I'm wondering if by stretching the underwire a little more open if it will be enough to once again be comfortable. The wire is very stiff, so we shall see...
The band has stretched 'some', but not enough to warrant going back to my optimal 32DDD/E.

Second edit: after a weight loss of only 5 pounds the side boning is no longer an issue. Also, at some point I noticed the front straps had become creased just above the cups, near the Tail of Spence. Since the strap is attached very simply onto the cup with no hidden seams or trim toppings, I moved each strap inward by 1/4", which lessens the total spacing of the straps by 1/2". Not that I had problems with them sliding off, but now it is more comfortable. And as a bonus, it even gapes less!
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Nude colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Feb 23, 2018 Flag this