Welcome back,
I'm unsure if it's just me, but I thought finding a strapless bra would be quite an easy thing to do.
How wrong I was!
After buying some clothes for my summer holiday, I realised I needed to buy a couple of strapless bras to wear under some of my outfits and decided nude and black bras would be the best option. Since I thought this would be relatively easy, having had a virtual bra fitting (more on that on the blog soon) not too long ago, I ordered a few strapless bras in both nude and black from different companies.
Something to point out is that I do 99% of my shopping online, I have multiple health issues and am disabled, so trying on clothes in-store is a nightmare and something I avoid. So, all the bras I tried were bought online from various websites.
My Search Begins:
I tried multiway bras, bras with removable straps, and plain old strapless bras that don't come with any straps and all different brands including stores' own brands and prices, ranging from £12.00 up to around £50 for each bra.
So as you can see, I gave it a good test.
I bought all the bras in the same size at first and when the first lot of bras arrived I was hopeful I would find at least one because there were quite a few bras to try. How wrong I was, some of them were badly gaping at the top of the cup, some tight around my back and some loose around my back. After discussions with my daughter Alicia who helped me try the bras on, and online research, I decided to try the bras I liked the best out of a bad bunch in different back and cup sizes.
Unfortunately, when they arrived, none of the bras were right, although I had changed the sizes of the band and cups according to the bras I tried from the first package, they still weren't right at all and the main issue I had seemed to be gaping at the top of the cup.
As we get older, we lose breast tissue, fat and mammary glands from our breasts, meaning we don't have as much fullness at the top of our breasts, this was definitely the issue I was having, so it was back to the drawing board.
Several bras later, and still no luck, I was losing the will to live and had no idea what I was going to do, since not wearing a bra wasn't an option. I continued with my search and tried on many more bras but with each package that arrived, I felt less and less hopeful as nothing was right for me and I couldn't even try to modify any of the bras using "tit tape" or padding, I was at a total loss.
Finally, I May Be In Luck:
A few days later, I decided to have yet another browse online, I visited the Marks & Spencer website and had another look. While searching, I came across the Seamless Non-Wired Bandeau Bra, which came in 4 different colours, White, Black, Rose Quartz and Topaz. Rose Quartz is a pale nude, and Topaz is a deeper nude, and the bra was priced at £12.00.
The bras came in sizes:
Small - 8 - 10
Medium - 12 - 14
Large - 16 -18
Extra Large - 20 - 22
I ordered two sizes as I was unsure, so I ordered a large and an extra large in the shade Rose Quartz. To be brutally honest, I wasn't expecting much, I'd read the reviews, which were mixed but more good than bad and hoped for the best.
The bras arrived, the size large looked quite small but felt stretchy, so I tried both sizes on. The size large, which is 16 to 18, was difficult to pull down, I need assistance with dressing, and my daughter found it difficult to get it on and off me, so we tried the extra large one, which is a size 20 to 22. I wear a size 18 in clothes, and if it's sized in small to large, etc. I wear whichever size is 16 to 18, I've found it's usually large in most places.
I definitely felt the extra large was more comfortable and fitted the best, and Alicia agreed. The bra came with padding at the front, which can be removed if you prefer, I kept that in. The bra felt nice and soft and was very comfortable and gave me good support too, which did surprise me but I was so pleased, so much so, that I ordered another nude and two black and returned the size large.
The Wear Test:
I didn't have time to try out the bras at home before going on my holidays, so I just packed them in good faith and crossed my fingers that they would be ok, I took both of the nude and both of the black bras so had 4 in total.
The first outfit I wore one of the bras with was a maxi dress that had thin spaghetti-style straps, and it looked fine, I wore it for the full evening and it was absolutely fine, it didn't slip or roll down, and the pads stayed where they were, and it felt comfortable, and most importantly, I felt supported, and it looked fine under my dress. My dress was pale in colour, with a white background with pastel flowers, and the bra was invisible, even though it is a ribbed material, it didn't show at all.
I wore all 4 of the bras on holiday under various outfits, including strapless dresses and tops, one-shoulder tops and dresses/tops with thin straps, and they were perfect, all my outfits looked fine, and the bras were comfortable and supportive, they were perfect!
I plan to have a "holiday outfits" post on my Instagram soon, so if you'd like to check that out, keep an eye on my Instagram, which you will find HERE.
Overall:
I honestly cannot believe that after ordering and trying on over 50 strapless bras, I found one for £12.00 that is perfect for me and provides everything I wanted in a strapless bra, mostly comfort and support. The bras have been washed and washed really well, too. The pads do move around in the wash and can sometimes come out, but they are easy to pop back into place.
I can't recommend the Seamless Non-Wired Bandeau Bra enough, it's a 10/10 for me.
If you would like to try the bra, you can find it on the M&S website for £12.00 HERE and if the Topaz colour is the colour you need, that is on offer at the moment for £7.50 HERE.
Have you tried the M&S bra? Which is your favourite strapless bra and do you have a recommendation? Let me know in the comments below.
Thank you for reading
Zoë x
