November is my birthday month. I would appreciate it if you would help me celebrate by spreading some light in the world. Join my Have a Heart Campaign team on Kiva, or find a charity that speaks to you and donate.
https://www.kiva.org/team/have_a_heart_campaign
https://www.kiva.org/team/have_a_heart_campaign
Good morning, Readers!
This piece is by deviantart.com user Hangmoon. I really love the energy of this piece. They have more great stuff. Click the image to go see it.
WARNING: FOLLOWING IS A SPORTS BRA REVIEW. I meant it when I said this one was for the girls.
This year, my long-suffering, much repaired, absolutely ancient Lululemon Ta-Ta Tamer sports bra broke beyond repair. It absolutely had to be replaced. There was nothing for it.
I hate bra shopping. I hate clothes shopping in general, because I never come out of it feeling good about myself, but bras in particular are a special kind of shopping hell. Oh let me tell you all the ways shopping for bras killed my self-esteem when I was little. Anyway, I hate it. That's why I didn't get a new one the first time my old one broke.
Alas, this time I was given not a single choice, and absolutely had to get a new one before my old one disintegrated entirely. Now, I'm not a small lady, and my chest is not a small one. However, my breast to rib cage ratio is a little on the unusual side, in that very few bras are ever made to that side. For the longest time, bras made for me came in white, black or tan, and hell to you if you wanted fun colours or designs. Sports bras for people built like me simply did not exist; not that ones that worked in any case.
Finding one the worked (mostly) from Lululemon was a damned miracle for me. It was an expensive miracle, but still. That bra served me for years and years. It wasn't without its problems, though. Namely, it didn't really contain the bounce as well as I would like, and the straps cut into my shoulders something fierce. Hello sore, red marks. And sore, aching shoulders and back.
So, it was with a great deal of sadness that I began researching sports bras for bustier women last month. It was days of reading reviews and watching ads and examining photos. I settled on one, which, while not inexpensive, seemed to satisfy most of their bustier purchasers. The bra I went with was the Ultra Run Bra from Sweaty Betty, a UK company that has expanded into North America.
Folks... Folks... I love this bra! I mean, as much as you can love a bra. It holds well, with very little bouncing (you know how much that can hurt, ammirite?), even while I was jumping. I decided to test the bra by going skipping, and found it incredibly comfortable. I used it during martial arts training, which can be quite high impact, and forgot it was there.
There was no back pain, either, which can often happen with a bad sports bra. Also, the straps are really well designed, and don't dig into my shoulders... unless they're twisted. Then it sucks.
Look, finding a sports bra for someone built like myself, with my cup to chest circumference ratio being one that bra makers simply do not cater to, is something of a small miracle. This bra is great.
Granted, it works by squishing everything together, resulting in a bit of uni-boob, which some wearers weren't fans of. Frankly, at my size, that's just unavoidable. And I don't care about it all that much to be honest. I'm wearing a sports bra because I'm training, not because I want to look fantastic. I'm working, and I need something that'll keep everything in place so there's no painful bouncing, or back pain, or other annoyances. This bra does it.
Let me say again: I did not have to double up on bras to jump or train martial arts.
I love this one so much, I went and ordered a second one in red. I'll keep my black one for martial arts stuff.
Sweaty Betty has a whole bunch of other sizes and kinds of bras, suitable for most everyone. Some even come in cool colours (my choice has black or red. I mean... can't win 'em all). Their sizing is really inclusive, and Victoria Secret could learn a thing or two from them, thank you very much.
I highly recommend them. If you want to check them out, you can do so here.
This post was not sponsored (but hey, Sweaty Betty, if you want to send me another bra, I sure as hell not complain). I'm just here to try and help a busty sister out.
Right, I'm going to do things with my day today.
Ciao!
I hate bra shopping. I hate clothes shopping in general, because I never come out of it feeling good about myself, but bras in particular are a special kind of shopping hell. Oh let me tell you all the ways shopping for bras killed my self-esteem when I was little. Anyway, I hate it. That's why I didn't get a new one the first time my old one broke.
Alas, this time I was given not a single choice, and absolutely had to get a new one before my old one disintegrated entirely. Now, I'm not a small lady, and my chest is not a small one. However, my breast to rib cage ratio is a little on the unusual side, in that very few bras are ever made to that side. For the longest time, bras made for me came in white, black or tan, and hell to you if you wanted fun colours or designs. Sports bras for people built like me simply did not exist; not that ones that worked in any case.
Finding one the worked (mostly) from Lululemon was a damned miracle for me. It was an expensive miracle, but still. That bra served me for years and years. It wasn't without its problems, though. Namely, it didn't really contain the bounce as well as I would like, and the straps cut into my shoulders something fierce. Hello sore, red marks. And sore, aching shoulders and back.
So, it was with a great deal of sadness that I began researching sports bras for bustier women last month. It was days of reading reviews and watching ads and examining photos. I settled on one, which, while not inexpensive, seemed to satisfy most of their bustier purchasers. The bra I went with was the Ultra Run Bra from Sweaty Betty, a UK company that has expanded into North America.
Folks... Folks... I love this bra! I mean, as much as you can love a bra. It holds well, with very little bouncing (you know how much that can hurt, ammirite?), even while I was jumping. I decided to test the bra by going skipping, and found it incredibly comfortable. I used it during martial arts training, which can be quite high impact, and forgot it was there.
There was no back pain, either, which can often happen with a bad sports bra. Also, the straps are really well designed, and don't dig into my shoulders... unless they're twisted. Then it sucks.
Look, finding a sports bra for someone built like myself, with my cup to chest circumference ratio being one that bra makers simply do not cater to, is something of a small miracle. This bra is great.
Granted, it works by squishing everything together, resulting in a bit of uni-boob, which some wearers weren't fans of. Frankly, at my size, that's just unavoidable. And I don't care about it all that much to be honest. I'm wearing a sports bra because I'm training, not because I want to look fantastic. I'm working, and I need something that'll keep everything in place so there's no painful bouncing, or back pain, or other annoyances. This bra does it.
Let me say again: I did not have to double up on bras to jump or train martial arts.
I love this one so much, I went and ordered a second one in red. I'll keep my black one for martial arts stuff.
Sweaty Betty has a whole bunch of other sizes and kinds of bras, suitable for most everyone. Some even come in cool colours (my choice has black or red. I mean... can't win 'em all). Their sizing is really inclusive, and Victoria Secret could learn a thing or two from them, thank you very much.
I highly recommend them. If you want to check them out, you can do so here.
This post was not sponsored (but hey, Sweaty Betty, if you want to send me another bra, I sure as hell not complain). I'm just here to try and help a busty sister out.
Right, I'm going to do things with my day today.
Ciao!
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