Update on Bras also a great quote.

My Deco arrived within 3 days - pretty impressive! Thanks ebay seller and Parcel Motel! I'm waiting until my Ada arrives now. (it was shipped Thursday but you know weekends and the post!)

I'm pretty pleased with my Deco though!

Also this from The Pervocracy:

Men feel about their penises, I imagine, the same way you feel about your breasts.

No, actually, I have this thing called a vagina, thanks.
Breasts are important erogenous zones for lots of people (including me!), but equating breasts with penises is depressingly common, and seems to stem from two wrong-headed ideas:
1) Things that stick out are the important bits!  Vaginas are all hidden away and mysterious, and thus couldn't possibly be an important part of a person's sensuality or body image.
2) The stereotypical heterosexual man finds breasts more attractive than vaginas.  Therefore, women must find their own breasts absolutely fascinating.

Finally something expresses exactly how I feel about breasts. :)

Future Reviews hopefully coming up! / Tips for Irish online shoppers

Let's hope they arrive now!

I have been stalking E-bay, and yet I couldn't find anything of value. Then I accidentally went onto E-bay.co.uk - founds loads for ultra cheap stuff. So, typical me, I couldn't find it again. What had transpired that I was looking at stuff that the sellers would only ship to the U.K.

So... I thought back to my friend's 'Parcel Motel' t-shirt (his boyfriend's sister enters a competition of theirs and she won t-shirt... and a Wii!).
So I looked them up. Basically, Parcel Motel gives you a Northern Irish address - then they courier it down to the Republic for E3.50! The parcels are stored in a 'motel' and they text you when they arrive! Also you get two free deliveries... but I think the value isn't that bad because a lot of E-bay sellers charge 2 euro or so within the U.K. and 6 pounds to go abroad.
Some places don't ship abroad at all but have free U.K. delivery which means I'm paying E3.50 for a package from abroad which is about average for me. Also pretty helpful because I have nowhere packages can be left outside my home.

Anyways check them out!

http://www.parcelmotel.com/

:)

So I have paid E20 for two great Freya bras! I'm pretty excited, so here they are:

The Freya Ada

The Freya Deco

Bra Review: Gorgeous at Debenhams Soft Comfort T-shirt Bra (1500108092) 30G

This could be seen as a lead on from my post on Debenhams because I'm going to post a little review on this bra... beige thing... I purchased there for the pricey sum of 5 euros. Speaking from my knowledge of the Irish full-bust market that is pretty damn impressive. In fact they have quite a few of them still floating around in there... though I might grab them first.

Looks:
This bra really has nothing going for it in the looks department. Nothing. Perhaps that it's smooth under clothing could be a plus. The cups are weirdly stretchy but it doesn't sacrifice support so I found that very helpful for my larger left side.

I tried wearing it under a thin cotton white vest... (with the most oddly placed pocket ever... it was a mirco-pocket right on the boob) I can attest that the colour is close enough to my skin tone that it blends.

Feel:
This bra wins here - it deserves its title of soft. I could nuzzle this bra as if was a cuddly toy. I never realised how comfortable soft fabric is. My mother noted that it looks quite warm! Suitable for the climate then? 

Shape:
A bit of a meh it's not that uplifted but it does give a perky look overall. It was somewhere between rounded and pointy... the compromise bra? It doesn't flatten or squish and even my larger left breast fits quite well in the cups. Sadly the look is very east-west. Urk. EDIT: Okay this bra is now the worst ever. So bloody east west, it's like my breasts hate each other and are sulking by getting as far from each other as they can...

Fit:
The.gore.will.not.tack. Very annoying. So this bra doesn't fit really. However the bending (since the publication my Bratabase review) seems to be have helping a bit. It stays in place on the tightest hook even without alteration (which I plan to do... perhaps it will fix the gore or if that doe not work I will sew it together). EDIT: I altered the bra... still not great.

Straps/Other features:
The top half the strap is a 'comfort strap' and I agree. You can remove the second half the strap which is a little thinner than Freya fare. This bra can be a multiway, though I'm dubious if it's that a good idea as this bra doesn't seem like one anyone would risk flashing. The bra came with an extra strap. I don't know if it was supposed to come with two or whether it is supposed to be a halter strap (again with the chances of this bra getting a flash I don't see why). The choice to change the second half of the back straps means that I doubt anyone would find that the straps would not fit your height! It's a pretty clever idea actually.

Conclusion:

This bra was a fiver and while I usually like to get a very good value for money (just an hour ago I was in Tesco's clearance musing over the ethics of taking 60c steak (I know right!) from someone's basket. No, I didn't go through with it) I will admit that this bra is fine for what it is but it probably should be skipped by those who want something a little more decent. I can see why it didn't sell straight off.

Finally, a link to my Bratabase review: http://bra.pe/RBsG/

Also shout-out to my first follower: http://brajunkie.blogspot.ie/

The Lingerie Adventure in Dublin! Introduction!

Bra Shopping is my most beloved activity and I am on a mission to create a Dublin catalogue on them! I l love Dublin - it a beautiful, and handily one of the most compact cites in the world. You could walk from Ranelagh to Mary Street in an hour, easy. Most of these locations are really near each other and prices should always be compared. However, to my knowledge there is no real comprehensive list - with reviews and directions!
 
After giving a brief taster on the last two posts I have decided to go bra shopping so you don't have too! ... so get forwarding the funds to my PayPal Account!

I have catalogued them into North, Southside (i.e. which side of the river they are on - no this isn't a Southside prejudice to the Northside or whatever, it's for ease of cataloguing them... :) ) and Suburbs!

Note 1: I have yet to visit Peaches and Cream and Intimate Lingerie.

Note 2:

This list is not comprehensive (yet!) so expect updates!

Southside:

Bramora on Earlsfort Terrence - Review - Directions - Website
Peaches and Cream on South Anne Street - Review - Directions - Website
Marks and Spencers on Grafton Street - Review - Directions - Website
TK Maxx in the Stephen's Green Shopping Centre - Review - Directions - Website
Intimate Lingerie on Tara Street - Review - Directions - Website

Northside:

Debenhams in the Ilac Centre, Henry Street - Review - Directions - Website
Marks and Spencers on Mary Street - Review - Directions - Website
Arnotts on Henry Street - Review - Directions - Website
  
Suburbs:

Cupcakes Lingerie on Main Street, Ranelagh, D6 - Review - Directions - Website
Debenhams in the Frascati Centre, Blackrock, County Dublin - Review - Directions - Website

The Lingerie Adventure - Southside Part 1: Grafton Street

(Note: I wrote this several months ago before starting this blog and yes, most of the facts seem the same from checking these shops recently too!)

Today I decided to go less personal than a boutique and check out TK MAXX and Marks and Spencers.

Vital Stats:

Name: TK Maxx, Stephen's Green Shopping Centre
Location: Stephen's Green Shopping Centre - in through the front doors, up the stairs and on the left wall. Go in until until you see that the shop is shaped like a T. Go right along the wall. The lingerie is about 2 shelves back.
Website: http://www.ilac.ie/stores/debenhams/
Sizes Available: They have a surprisingly good collection, in fact I'd call it my secret. However, caps at FF. No 28s, just 30s and a very small bra rack.
Brands I noted (note too that I have strong bias towards full-bust): Selections will vary. A lot. As TK MAXX sells whatever the designers offload on them, don't hold out for a style you like in your size, it is completely lucky dip. Freya, Fantastie, Wonderbra, Mimi Holiday, Damaris, Parfait.
Ordering Service: Nope. If it's not in your size, you're stuck.
Price: Well, here is always a 30FF bra in there, usually for a 1 euro! Less than a tenner. By far the cheapest.
Fitting Service: Non-existent.
Summary: Okay, the tiniest size range and the best price... You could spot me as the confused girl grabbing the biggest bras she can see! I think wearing the one euro bras it on the tightest setting can be justified when it's that cheap, eh?  I saw Freya knickers in there today and a tiny bra, but sadly no 28GG/Hs marked down to a euro under the horrible old lady Triumph and gel padded numbers. I can live in hope! Also in the picture... that screen's long gone. Maybe I should take my own picture!


Name: Marks and Spencers, 15-20 Grafton Street.
Location: Just walk down Grafton St. It's unmissable!
Website: http://www.marksandspencer.ie/Grafton-St/STORE%2012%20Grafton%20St,en_IE,pg.html
Sizes Available: Meh... clearly stuck in the Plus 4 mentality. 28 bands have been phased out... 30A - 40G (They say GG, but they skip FF so ignore that. 30GGs are never there either. Urgh.)

Brands I noted (note too that I have strong bias towards full-bust): Their own brand selection.
Ordering Service: You can buy onlin with free in-store collection!
Price: Average. Between 20-30 - their sale rank has vanished recently though!
Fitting Service: The worst. AVOID. Keep your breasts away from them.
Summary: Utterly depressing people get fitted in there... *cough* me *cough* If you avoid all that their stuff isn't horrific. That said I loathe how they have such a large section of horrid minimiser style bras. Just stop.

As a bonus! (Aren't you so excited!)... I have decided to do a little review of Marks and Spencers!

As they have a full bust girl on their marketing campaign poster outside (Rosie Huntington-Whitley) and I have seen 28 backs in there in the past, I will be honest... I had to be a little optimistic.

I have to say I was surprised to see their Limited Collection (designed to fit into an extended outside of the ridiculous 34A - 36DD range people cram themselves into). I thought they had phased it out, as I was in their Blackrock Store. This time, however, they were without 28 backs. What a step back! But they do have a decent size range - 30-40 DD-GG (in reality to G as they don't stock FF).

I decided to try the largest size I could find that didn't have a band I could loop around me twice. So I decided on a 30G(FF) and a 32G(FF). I wasn't hopeful. I was hoping I'd find 28's marked down somewhere.

You may want to sit down for this bit.
Sitting comfortably?
It was a very pretty bra.
It was actually quite a (long list of adjectives here): a saucy, monochrome, leopard print, moulded plunge number. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of such bras but I have a friend who would die of happiness in such a sexy number, so I tried it on in spirit of her ways.

Here it is from their website. I should be the model (though I'd demand one made in a 30GG(G))! No need to Photoshop the cleavage like that. I actually looked good in it without need for electronic trickery! ;)

Well, she would have loved it. I don't do these bras because I'm not a cleavage or moulded girl and the fact they never fit me right, I have to say this was very successful. I had perfectly round breasts that seemed to hover. The low plunge shape still remained supportive (I wouldn't want to run it it, but I could walk) while giving me, yes, me, perfect cleavage. I loathe cleavage. It screams to me, horrible squashing bra. Well, that didn't happen in this bra. The breasts just touched, but didn't smoosh.

Over a t-shirt, I noticed that I had tiny quadboob in my left boob. However, this isn't a t-shirt bra. I think this bra is for vest tops and such numbers, though the fabric was visible through my yellow vest. I think it was look rather sassy under a black vest with a matching pattern. The straps were a tad worrisome as I'm a fan of wider straps, though they didn't dig into me.

I decided 24 euro was pretty good value, so I went out to ask if they had any 30GG(G) available, as I can't exactly purchase a bra that's that much bigger than my measurements. I wonder if this mythic 30GG (I couldn't find a single one in the shop) would have made the bra much more supportive. The women in the shop just suggested I go up a band size from a 32G(FF)... Serious madness. If they had half a chance I bet they'd squash me into white, matronly 34DD. This is why I'd rather support (terrible pun) boutiques that actually offer a decent fitting.

Their website doesn't mention the existence of this bra in 30GG(G) bra. Whether it's sold out or unavailable remains to be seen. Nonetheless, if you are a 30-40 DD-G cup, a large range of these sizes are accommodated in  in M & S Grafton Street. It didn't exactly set my soul on fire.

The Lingerie Adventure - Northside Part 1: Henry Street's Offerings Part 1

I love Henry Street - you know it's the finest shopping street in Dublin because you have to navigate through swaths of people to get anywhere in it. There is a true balance between (as Wikipedia phrases it) "the Ilac Shopping Centre [with its] many interesting and lower budget shops" (which is an odd thing to say it has an Debenhams!), and then just odd little spots like super extravagant Arnotts and the adorable fabric shop, Hickeys. Oh and it has loads of shoe shops. Not to mention the library in the Ilac Centre. And Iceland (also in the Ilac Centre). So to stop myself fawning over my beloved Ilac (I saw an ad for it on TV and squealed!).

The Ilac Centre also houses Debenhams, which I am going to crown the best place to shop for bras in Dublin.

Vital Stats/Dating Profile:

Name: Debenhams, Ilac Centre
Location: Henry Street
Website: http://www.ilac.ie/stores/debenhams/
Sizes Available: I have seen from 28A to 30J and I'm sure they have more! Loads of 28 backs (the only place I have seen them on shelves! Sadly, 28s but only to G.
Brands I noted (note too that I have strong bias towards full-bust): Gorgeous, Freya, Fantastie, Wonderbra, Gossard, Shock Absorber.
Ordering Service: Yes.
Price: Very cheap - some bras are 5 euro reduced. Many Gorgeous bras are 25 or so. Everything else is standard enough though they seem to have good sales!
Fitting Service: Dire. Avoid!
Summary: Heaven for DIY fitters... the staff have never tried to help me! I'm just tiny girl with the giant pile of giant bras. I think they know me in there. Oh er! Erm! Shout-out!

The store is beautifully located where you can see a the Spire dramatically in the background of the picture (stolen from GoogleMaps oh er!)... shame about the lingerie section being up three flights of stairs.

Name: Arnotts
Location: Henry Street (right across the street from the Ilac!)
Website: http://www.arnotts.ie/aspx/homepage.aspx
Sizes Available: I don't know much about the smaller sizes, but a lack of 28 bands, 30 bands are rare enough. Mainly larger bands, but there are larger cups. There were 36Js.
Ordering Service: Yes.
Brands I noted (note too that I have strong bias towards full-bust): Fantasie (so much Fantasie!), Freya, Panache, Shock Absorber, Simon Perle, Wacoal (I have never seen Wacoal until now!)
Price: Sadly, not competitive, about 45 euro for a Panache Andorra. Not shocking, but even with their sale on out of my budget. No 28 backs anyways.
Fitting Service: Seems okay - I overhead them fitting a 34D into a 30F and she sounded surprised that her straps weren't falling down. Sadly I can't personally vouch for it. On the whole it doesn't sound bad! :)
Summary: Expensive but a pretty store with brands I haven't spotted elsewhere in Dublin - sadly no Cleo or Masquerade.

What a luxurious shop - the changing rooms are a beautiful silvery grey and massive (with two giant mirrors), with a transparent chair. I think I'll take a picture next time! It screams luxury! Arnotts has changed its design since Google Maps' picture.

Their is another lingerie shop on Henry Street - Marks and Spencers. They also have a store on Grafton Street - which I will discuss next!

How To Stop Bra Straps Falling Down!

Before I was fitted into my bra size (based off something crazy like my measurements), New Look were the only shop that actually had bras that were unpadded (sometimes), not designed for old women and I could squeeze myself into (sometimes). I had a balonette that was deep pink that wore until it fell apart. The straps were always falling down - because the bra was far too small and it was so old the straps had forgot what elasticity was.

I remember I was after this guy and the most common thing he used to say to me always arrogantly, (except perhaps concern over how I knew his schedule off my heart!) was: "your bra strap is down again".

Were you looking another girl's bra straps.. not that I care about that anything... (Me when I was 16)

I wonder if he thought that I was trying to seduce him with my weird and tattered pink and purple straps. In a fit of frustration I used overweight baggage tape to hold the straps together.Yes. Overweight baggage.

This is the most frequent bra fitting problem I see. In fact, my friends have asked me to fix their bra straps, because I am the mysterious lingerie expert and that's where my skills lie. Every time I suggest they should also tighten the back. The ALWAYS whine that makes no sense and make it worse.

Actually, tightening the bra straps makes the problem of loose bra straps worse.

Yes! A bra is a system - every part is linked. Here's the real solution.

A bra's back should be tight. Really tight. Think how tight a bra should be and forget that. Tighter. Very tight.

This keeps the straps in place. When a bra is too loose (i.e. all my friends bras) the back crawls upwards. This makes the straps rise of the shoulders. When you tighten your straps, the bra back crawls upwards... then your straps fall down.

The solution is to tighten the back of your bra. Well, this isn't usually enough. The solution is a bra that is much larger in the cup and tighter in the band. Try tightening your back band and then tightening your straps. Then scoop yourself into your bra. Are you everywhere from Cork to Derry (think that was a metaphor)? Yeah, that bra is wrong.

A second reason is that cup is too small. Coupled with loose bands, the weight of the breasts drags up the band... and the straps fall down. Those friends would refuse to believe their breasts weigh anything because they believe they have no breasts... errr no. I've seen you trapped in clothes because of your breasts just like me... ;)

I know some people have sloping shoulders, and yes that does effect bra strap security. But when I refitted my mother and my best friend they both told me their bra straps mysteriously stopped falling down.

Anyways, if you want to learn more check out the Bra Matrix and My Wife is Busty Fitting Guide. I won't be making my own fitting guide because I believe these two are great and I don't think at the moment I can do anything better. But I implore you to check it out! You WON'T regret it. Overweight baggage tape is not something that can look cute with a frilly dress. Go on. Go on.