Bra Review: Braologie Posture-Contour Bra (The Lacie) and Posture-Contour Mini-Vest

   

   Today I'd like to introduce you to a bra by a new lingerie with an unusual concept: Braologie. Braologie creates bras and posture lingerie that address specific problems: posture, migrated tissue as well as fluctuating sizes. I have been testing the Braologie Posture-Contour Bra (The Lacie) and the Posture-Contour Mini-Vest and would like to tell you about them.
     Interestingly, Braologie is involved in helping the client pick her size. You send them your measurement as well as photos of you in a bra, and they send a custom-made bra for you. The bra is unlabelled  In my case they got the size right, but in case when the don't I have heard that they have a good return policy and an awesome customer service.
   The bra came with a detailed instruction of how to put it on properly and how to scoop in that migrated tissue.
    What I also loved was that they ask for photos of the client wearing the bras and re-evaluate the fit and give post-fitting advice. Nice!

My breast type: currently my measurements are 68/80cm My breasts are tear-shaped (bottom-heavy) and rather wide-spaced; and broader at the root (I prefer wider underwires).

Posture-Contour Bra (The Lacie)

28-42, A-JJ and retails for $42.99 USD

 Aesthetics: 3/5

    Function precedes form in the Braologie Posture-Contour Bra. It is not bad looking as far as nude bras go, but it does look very heavy and built-up. Not exactly something that I'd wear on a date, ya know. I slightly regret not getting the Mix instead of the beige. The bra can be worn under snug tops, the only thing that shows through slightly is the boning on the sides. The lace is not of an expensive kind, but the bra is well-made and I expect it to age well.
    However, what the bra lacks in looks it makes up by the shape is gives to the breasts: lifted and rounded. It also gives an amazing cleavage! The high side wings with double boning smooth out any rolls if you have issues with that kind of thing.

   The gore is not as high as it looks, and I can wear the bra under all but the lowest-cut V-necks. However the sides are high, so it doesn't work under sleeveless stuff. The bra is available in black, beige and a black-beige mix.

Wearing the Posture-Contour Bra.

Fit: 5/5

     The cups are lined / thinly padded, with built-in pockets for removable pads, very similar to those in some Ewa Michalak bras. I love this feature because you can control how much cleavage you want, or minimise asymmetry. The cups have a half-cup shape and are shallower at the bottom, which lifts the breasts. This means there is no gaping on the top even though the cups are much more built-up than what I normally wear.
    Underwires and side wings go quite high up in the under-arm area, and this makes the bra perfect if you want to get rid of migrate breast tissue (aka armpit rolls). However they could be too high up for a petite or someone with high-set breasts.
    The underwires have a medium width, and are not very firm. The straps are comfortable, and rather broad. They are placed very far apart, which could be an issue for women with narrow shoulders. The center gore does lie flat for me.
    Now the band. The band is firm, stable and extra wide. It has three four-hook columns and comes with an extender with three more rows of hooks. I am wearing my bra on the biggest hook of the extender and it is quite snug but not uncomfortably so. I think that the bra will last a long time because I can get rid of the extender as the band stretches out.
    The Braologie Posture-Contour Bra is comfortable, nothing pokes or pinches. It is very supportive!

Comfort: 4/5

   The Braologie Posture-Contour Bra is pretty comfortable, I have not had issues with underwires pinching. The fabric is comfortable, and the bra feels very supportive. The insides are lined with cotton which makes it very comfortable to wear. However, the bra might be a bit much for hot summer days.

Summary:

   I highly recommend the Braologie Posture-Contour Bra for those of you struggling with armpit fat! This bra is the best thing yet for migrated breast tissue. I would not recommend it to petites and owners of high-set breasts, as this bra goes up really high in the underarm area.

Braologie Posture-Contour Bra (The Lacie) Stats:

Band unstretched: 56cm

Band stretched to the maximum: 71cm

Underwire length: 21cm

Underwire width: 13,5cm

(These measurements have been taken after appx. 7 wears :)

More reviews on (blogs, bratabase) 

Bratabase, FussyBusty

Posture-Contour Mini-Vest   

    This buts-free vest is meant to be worn on top of a bra. It pulls the shoulders back, smooths, and it lifts and presses the boobs together to give an extra cleavage.

    The Posture-Contour Mini-Vest is easy to put on, funnily I wore it back-to-front on my first try. It closes in the front and has three columns of hooks. It really does lift the breasts and pushes them from outside in, giving a spectacular cleavage valley. 

     The high sides and back are great to smooth out rolls, and I can see it's huge potential as a shapewear piece below tight or slinky tops or dresses. Especially the boning gives it advantage over conventional shapewear.

   I have not felt any discomfort when wearing the piece. It is snug, but in a nice way.

       The vest can theoretically be worn with any bra, but it didn't work for me with unlined cups like the Tango II, as the vest divided the cups into two. It did work with lined / padded cups like the Curvy Kate Tease Me.

   The straps are adjustable and widely-placed. Again, this piece might not be suitable for anyone whose boobs are very high up, as the vest goes very high under the armpits.

   I didn't notice dramatic changes in my posture, but the vest did remind me to keep my shoulders low and back. There are two pieces of boning on each side, which keep the sides smooth and push the breasts up and in, and the effect looks really good! Braologie carries several kinds of posture lingerie, so check out their site.

Wearing the Posture-Contour Bra and Mini-Vest.

    Anyone else has tried Braologie products? How did you like them?

The items reviewed were kindly provided by Braologie. The opinions are 100% mine.

Weekend Reads 27-04-2013

      Hi everyone, how did your week go? I have had a lovely one, full of spontaneous picnic dinners in my garden.
          My challenge didn't go too well, I worked on my paper for only three days. It's definitely not ready yet! For this week's challenge I will stop snacking between meals. It's a bad habit that is coming back!

   Here are the lovely links for today:

* Style: Finding the Right Neckline for Your Big Necklace

* Photography: 7 ways to look better in photos.

* More style: Wardrobe Oxygen interviews lovely stylish ladies in her a true fashionista series. Also, here is her definition of a true fashionista.

* Laugh: Messing with an English major

* Bras: That Bra Does Not Fit Her is a lovely new bra-fitting tumblr

* DIY: Did you know that you can stretch your jeans?

* Home: How To Track Down Elusive "Where Can I Get That?" Products

* Fun: 5 Everyday Things That Never Stop Being Awesome.

Non-cosmetic Favourites: Stuff I Love And Recommend

   There are a couple of amazing products that I wanted to share with you. They have nothing to do with cosmetics, but I just love them to pieces and would like to share them!

Fashion tape

   On Sally's recommendation I got it and I love it to pieces. It keeps bra and tank top straps from showing, low-cut tops from revealing my bra, belts from shifting. I have worn so many outfits that wouldn't be wearable without this little miracle! I got mine off Ebay, but I discovered it's also in the sewing supply section of Galeria Kaufhof.

Keep Cup

    I love to drink hot chocolate on the go, but feel so guilty about disposable cups. I have bought several non-disposable cups but one broke, another had a horrible plastic taste and the rim was too thick to comfortable drink from,  and a third didn't fit under the coffee machines. Then I discovered the Keep Cup. It is "barista standard" so it fits under all coffee machines, it is BPA-free. and is customisable! I had a lot of fun picking the colours. Now you can even add a logo on yours (I'm so jealous!). The cup doesn't have a taste, is light and unbreakable. I got the 227ml for 10,50€, even including the shipping costs to continental Europe it cost me the same as similar (but crappier) products in stores. Available at the KeepCup store.

High mAh batteries

   Typical rechargeable AA batteries ran annoyingly often out of juice. Once I ended up at the totally amazing Ulm cathedral with dead batteries. I went to a photography store and the guy recommended the Hähnel Synergy ones. I paid around 25€ for four, but boy, are they worth it! I'd say they last ten times longer than regular rechargeable batteries. From what I know this is due to their high mAh (mine are 2100 mAh). I'm never, ever going to use any other batteries for my camera. Another tip: if you do use rechargeable batteries, you should have an intelligent charger.

Purse Hook

    If you don't like putting your handbag on the floor (especially when you are on one of those high bar stools and the floor is like meters below), then you'll love this. This little thing lets you hang even very heavy handbags off the edges of tables. I see them in stores everywhere in Germany, but I have got mine "before it was cool" off Ebay. I highly recommend the ones that look like a little padlock when they are closed (with a loop), because you can attach them to the handle of your purse.

In-ear headphones

   Aaaah. You definitely need those. They shut out outside noise, and you don't have to turn up the volume when in a public space (not good for the ears!). I have the Creative EP-630 which is seriously good quality for less than 15€.

Washi tapes

   They pretty, they are versatile and they also come off really easily. I use them as labels, to colour-code stuff, to decorate stuff, to jazz up simply packed gifts... I'm totally addicted! My favourite is the kind that looks like white lace on a black background, I have decorated a lot of my electronics with it.

   What are the products that you totally love?

How To Care For Short Hair

   A lovely reader sent me this question:

"I have short hair by most standards, for a woman.  I want to take care of it well.  I was happy to discover that I use a fairly non-harsh shampoo (I don't use conditioner at all, except for occasionally if I'm in someone else's shower and try it out).  By the method you provide for shampooing, I find to be difficult.  With short hair, it's hard to wash the scalp and roots without getting it on the ends of the hair.  Additionally, if I did start to use conditioner regularly, I imagine it would be very difficult to get the conditioner on the ends while completely avoiding the roots.  How do I avoid this conundrum?  Are there separate hair care techniques for short-haired people?  Do we just not need to take care of our hair as rigorously as longer haired people (since there's less of it to deal with)?"

    Shorter hair definitely needs a different kind of care! The good news is that short hair is easy to take care of. Here is how to go about it

    Short hair is usually much less damaged than long hair. It doesn't get damaged by rubbing and tangling around bag straps, scarves and hair elastics. And any damaged parts grow out and are cut off quite often. So theoretically short hair has a high chance of being perfectly healthy. In practice, I have seen women with short but damaged hair, probably due to harsh shampoos, dyeing, straightening  and lack of conditioning.
Short hair tends to be less dry and sometimes it can be oily (because the scalp oils have a shorter distance to travel). Another issue is styling, because short hair often tends to stick out in all directions.

How to take care of short hair:

* Use a gentle shampoo
   Pick a shampoo that is sulfate-free (no SLS or SLES). An aggressive shampoo will dry out the hair and scalp, simultaneously stimulating it to produce more oils. Owners of very short hair usually don't need to use the conditioning-only method or the condition-wash-condition method, simple shampooing is enough.

* Conditioning:
    Even short and healthy hair needs conditioning once in a while: once a week or a fortnight. If you feel that conditioner weights the hair down, try either using a light product, like a leave in; or try to condition before washing. If you need extra moisture, a hair mask works well. You can also oil your hair before washing, once every 1-2 weeks, for extra softness, shine and protection.

* It's a bad idea to go to sleep with wet hair.
   Long hair is heavy enough to stay straight, but short hair will be pressed into all possible directions. Also, change your pillowcases to satin, this will minimise damage from your hair rubbing around when you sleep.

* Avoid drying your hair on the hottest setting or straightening it.
   Both do huge damage to the hair. Be gentle while brushing/combing the hair, and don't do it when the hair is wet.

* Get regular haircuts
     Short hair needs to be cut every 4-6 weeks to look good. This is because individual hairs grow out at a different pace, and a grown-out style can often look unkept.

* Styling:
    I'm not an expert hair, but generally it is important that the styling product doesn't weight down the hair. Use only small amounts of the product; or try applying the product only on the ends. If you do use a lot of styling products, don't forget to clarify from time to time.


    Any of you short-hair owners have extra tips for keeping your hair healthy and beautiful?

Weekend Reads 20-04-2013

Grains of sand from a beach in Maui, magnified ~150 times, taken by Gary Greenberg

      Hi everyone, how have you been? I've just come back from a local dance festival where I did a Farro and a Flamenco class. The Flamenco was accidental, I meant to try African drumming but it was full, so I found myself wearing a bright green full skirt and dishing out beats with my heels. Fun!
    My last challenge went well, and I worked in my garden almost every day. I did most of the stuff that has to be done, and I am so thrilled at how everything is growing and blooming. I'm totally in love with my garden.
    For this week, I want to spend one hour everyday writing a piece for my university. I have been procrastinating finishing it since autumn, and if I wait around any longer it will be very embarassing to hand it in so late. Anyway, I hope that after putting in an hour everyday I should have the content ready till the end of the week (it will still need to be reviewed, corrected and polished.) Wish me luck discipline!
      To those of you who are also doing weekly challenges, so share yours in the comments! It can be anything you like, small or big, hard or fun!

Onto this week's links:

* Style: Confessions of a fashion addict. Still don't know what to think about this. It's... just so extreme.

* Home: A guide to Buy It For Life kitchen essentials.

* Home: The Death of Hi-Fidelity laments about the fact that people choose looks over aesthetics when setting up their home theater audio system.

* Body: The Pros and Cons of Working Out. I so agree with the hair part!

* Makeup: 3 Ways To Curl Your Eyelashes Without A Lash Curler

* Body: Revealing the Korean Body Politic. A really interesting piece about women (and their boobs) in North Korea.

* Wow: This photo of female medical school students in 1885 is amazing.

* Funny: MS Office, analog edition

* Book of the week: The Now Habit is a must read for all of you procrastinators out there!

The rope braid plait is very easy and looks cute!

My Best Green Tips for Earth Day

    Because Earth day is coming up, I wanted to list a couple of smart and not-so-obvious tips from me to be more green. Hope they inspire you!

* Read reviews before you buy stuff. This will help you avoid stuff that breaks quickly or simply isn't suitable for you, and then ends up in the landfill. It is also vote for quality and durable items and against crappy quality. For beauty items I like to check on Makeupalley, for other stuff Amazon. There are of course also amazing local review resources (in Germany I recommend Pinkmelon, Öko Test, Stifung Warentest and Testberichte.de).

* Making crafts with wine corks and plastic bottles isn't going to save the earth. I mean, it's cute and all that, but it's really low impact for that much time and energy and I feel like it's just a quick way to lessen the guilt. How about avoiding non-recyclable plastic bottles altogether (or maybe even giving up bottled water) and buying organic wine ?

* Carry cloth bags / totes / shoppers. The plastic / paper bags you get from the store are not only bad for the planet, they also make the wearer look cheap. And the ones from higher-end stores with logos simply look gauche.

* Bea from The Zero Waste Home just published her book: Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste. I read the beginning of it at the preview on Amazon, and found it deeply interesting. For many people, a minimalistic lifestyle emerges out of thriftiness or a generally alternative lifestyle. But Bea and her family had it all and were living the American dream and it was the search for fulfillment and happiness that got her down the path to zero waste. On a side note, as an European it is really hard for me to imagine living very far away from cafes, libraries and culture!

* Recycling isn't all it's cracked up to be. Refuse, reuse and compost whenever possible.

* Get a watt-hour meter. It is a small and cheap device to monitor how much electricity the appliance is using. It goes in between the plug and socket. Compare the numbers to the electricity usage of energy-saving models on the internet. I found out that my old fridge guzzled 300€ worth of electricity a year, and the new one just 30€!

* If you're not buying fair trade chocolate, you are most probably supporting child labour.

* Beware of green-washing. Compostable plastic is not really green in practice. Neither is the The Body Shop, soy, bio-diesel.

* DIY and repair skills are green, even if it's just darning and knowing the proper way to glue stuff together or a pot of herbs on your windowsill.

* Consider BIFL, aka Buying It For Life: choosing durable, practical and well made products that you won't have to rebuy continually. Obviously you can't BIFL nail polish or T-shirts, but you can choose a hair dryer, comb or brush, cooking pot, vacuum cleaner or snow boots.

* How and with what ingredients a company produces their products has much more impact than any social projects it claims to be involved in. Just do the math.

* Biking is fun.

* There is always a something you can change right now to lessen your ecological footprint on the earth that is neither expensive not difficult. Do it, right now.

* And finally: our wants and addiction to comfort isn't always the most important thing in the world.

And just to end things on a positive note, here is a cute guy for you:

Washing Hair With The Condition-Shampoo-Condition (CSC / CWC) Method -- An Alternative To Co-Washing

The perfect washing method for owners of oily scalps and dry lengths.

   I don't conditioner only wash my hair anymore. In the beginning it worked really well, and helped to revive my dry hair. However once my hair became more moisturised, co-washing started weighting my hair down. I think there are two reasons for this: one, I don't have a lot of access to light-weight conditioners (mostly because I only buy low-price organic stuff). Another, the co-washing method works best for curly hair (which is naturally dry) and my hair is not curly. I am a true wavie, and most owners of wavy hair have to modify co-washing to suit their much less dry hair.

    Enter the CSC method: condition, shampoo, condition. In this method, you cover the ends of the hair with conditioner before applying shampoo, to protect them from the drying effects of the shampoo. Hair ends are usually much drier than the roots and scalp. The CSC method will moisturise your hair much more than regular shampooing, but not as much as co-washing. Other effects include the hair being easier to detangle and the scalp being less greasy.

How to wash your hair with the conditioner-shampoo-conditioner method

1. Apply conditioner from ears down on wet hair. For this step you can use less-than-perfect conditioners that you want to get rid off. You can also use a masque (also a home-made one) or oil. Don't rinse off.
2. Apply a small amount of shampoo only on the scalp. The shampoo should be SLS free, and preferably pre-lathered. Massage the scalp with your fingertips.
Rinse off the shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo will flow down the lengths of your hair, and  wash it very gently. However if your hair is really dry, try to avoid the shampoo on your hair length -- rinse with your head hanging down, and hold back your hair length, then gently rinse off the conditioner off the lengths.
4. Apply conditioner from the ears down, keep on for 5-30 minutes and rinse off. For this step use your favourite conditioner that agrees with your hair.

   All of this is actually pretty easy and quick (obviously apart from the time that the second conditioner stays on your hair, but you can use that time for internet / other bathroom stuff). Obviously the choice of conditioner can make or break this method, so experiment with a couple of different products if this method doesn't work for your hair at first.

   Do you CSC-wash your hair? What effects do you see? Also, which products do you use?

Sew Your Own Custom Bra Tutorial -- Sewing Supplies

   This is the second post of the Sew Your Own Bra series! Today the lovely Amber will be telling you all about the tools that you will need. 

   Hi all! Today's post is going to just be really simple... supplies! I will be covering the sewing supplies that you need on hand to make your bra. Some I feel are needed and the rest are nice to have but not absolutely needed. It really depends on what you're able to get, ultimately it's going to be up to you.

The list:

A) Sewing machine. It doesn't have to be a super fancy one by any means; as long as you can adjust the stitch length, do straight and zigzag stitches, it'll be fine! There are two types of zigzag stitches.. a basic one step and then a three step zigzag. My sewing machine only has a basic one step zig zag, and it works fine.

B) Iron & ironing board (not shown). To gently press your fabrics. There's typically various settings on the iron for different fabrics; with synthetics you'll want to use a lower heat setting. The ironing board can be a larger one, a wall mounted or tabletop one. I've even used a towel on my table as an ironing surface in a space saving pinch!

C) Tracing paper. Basically any paper that's semi-opaque will work, I prefer freezer paper (as shown), or grease-proof paper. Basically it's a roll of paper often found at grocery stores and is commonly used to wrap things up to put them in the freezer. One side will be plastic-coated and the other side will feel like.. paper. I prefer not to cut out my pattern pieces -what if you want to make more later?- and it holds up really well as cut out pattern pieces. In addition, when I sew, I like to trace the pattern, and then iron my fabric flat and gently press the plastic side down onto my fabric; this prevents the pattern pieces from slipping and sliding around. It does not leave a residue, and the pieces will be re-ironable a couple of times! It's an affordable alternative to the tracing papers found in craft stores. If you don't plan on using this method for your pattern pieces, you may be able to get away with not using an iron during the process.

D) Pencil. For tracing of course, and making changes to the pattern pieces.

E) Seam allowance gauge. This is an awesome tool to have, especially if you need to make some adjustments to the pattern or pieces. And of course to check your seam allowance and even needle placement on the machine.

F) Fabric scissors. I prefer scissors with a slanted handle; this makes cutting fabric while it's flat much easier. They don't have to be expensive or fancy; as long as you use them just for fabric cutting they will be sufficient. Some crafters will take a strip of fabric and tie them to the handle to label them as fabric scissors.

G) Flexible measuring tape. This will be very handy to have so you can of course measure yourself! Aside from the obvious measuring your underbust and breasts, you may need to measure the length for straps and other parts of the bra.

H) Seam ripper. If you find that you may be needing to undo your stitches, this is a very handy tool to have. And let's face it.. even the most experienced sewist will need to use a seam ripper at some point in any project. Just be careful not to loose the little cap that comes with it like I did.

I) Fabric Chalk/Marker/pencil. This tool in particular uses a wheel at the tip to dispense the chalk. If you plan on marking directly on your fabric, you may want to consider purchasing one of these or something similar. There's actually quite a variety of tools and ways to mark fabric out there. Pencils, pens, even carbon copy paper and a wheel. Whatever method you use, it's important that you always do a test mark on a scrap of the fabric. That way before you work on the actual pieces for your bra, you'll be sure the marks can be removed safely without damaging the fabric. Various ways will include air drying, wetting or even in the case of chalk, just brush it off.

J) Ballpoint/Ball point/Jersey needles. These needles are slightly different than typical sewing needles. While still sharp like standard sewing machine needles, the tips are slightly rounded, so when you sew, the needle pushes between the knits in a stretch fabric, versus puncturing a hole that can potentially cause runs. There are different sizes; I would shoot for something like 70/10 or 80/12. The finer the needle, the less likely it will cause runs in your bra materials. As you can see, more often than not you can get a variety of sizes on one package.

K) Sewing Pins. These come in all sorts of styles. I prefer pins with a colorful end; this ensures that if they drop on the floor, you'll be able to find them by looking rather than stepping on them.

L & N) Hand sewing needle and contrasting thread. This is just to hand baste certain steps.. the contrasting thread will enable you to see your basting stitches better and it'll make it easier to undo them once you're ready to do so.

M) Thread. There's no set brand of thread you have to use. However, when you're working with synthetic fabrics, it's very important to use 100% polyester thread. I personally feel that you should match thread to material (cotton fabrics call for cotton thread) however this is kind of one of those things where you're more than likely going to get a different opinion from different people. My preferred brand of thread is called Gutermann; it's a quality thread that's fine and very strong. It comes in a TON of colors, so you'll hopefully be able to find a match to your bra fabrics. The spools are somewhat small though -unless you can get a match with one of their larger ones- so I would advise to buy two spools. I made the mistake only buying one spool for my second bra I made and I very nearly ran out of thread at the end. Not fun! The spools pictured are the smallest sizes of spools that Gutermann produces.


   And here are some additional tools that I personally find helpful; they aren't really needed per se, but I do find that they make the process a bit easier.

O&P) Self-healing mat & Rotary cutter: These are typically used by quilters in conjunction with a quilting ruler to quickly and accurately cut quilting fabrics out. Even when sewing garments and other items such as bags, I prefer to use the rotary cutter and mat to cut my fabrics out.. it goes quicker for me, and I don't have to worry about the fabric displacing from the pattern pieces and not getting a close to perfect cut. It takes practice to cut this way, but it really saves time. I would recommend getting a smaller sized rotary cutter; such as 18mm or 28mm (this is the size I use). The smaller the blade the easier it will be to go around the curves of the pattern pieces. Just be careful where you place your fingers; I've cut myself quite a few times not being careful!

Q) French curve ruler: This is another tool that is nice to have but not exactly necessary. This is helpful for those situations where you need to shorten/elongate a pattern piece and would like to create a nice smooth curve on your pattern piece. (And yes, the end of mine is broken off, woops!)

Here are some tips in obtaining the "tools of the trade":

    If this is going to be the first time you'll be purchasing a sewing machine, I highly encourage you to be mindful of your budget! Don't feel like you need to spend a ton of money on a sewing machine. There are options! Ask a relative; maybe they have a sewing machine that's collecting dust and they would be happy to let you have it. Also, try looking on your local classified listings, or craigslist. Sometimes the machines are older; but the older machines are typically workhorses and are quite durable; although they due tend to be heavy. If you are going down the used machine route, I would ask when the last time the machine was tuned up. If it's been more than a year, I highly recommend also searching for a local business to have your sewing machine serviced prior to using it. That way if there's anything that needs to be adjusted or calibrated, you won't have any surprises when you sit down and try to sew with it for the first time. If you plan on buying a brand new machine, search for local sewing machine shops and go in and take them for a test drive! The nice part about this route is that they will sometimes offer classes to teach you how to use your sewing machine which may prove to be beneficial. Again, you don't need anything expensive or fancy, so don't feel like you have to spend a lot. And of course, read up reviews. Don't let a salesperson pressure you into buying something you don't really need or can afford. If you have a friend or relative that is a sewist, maybe have them come along and help you shop; they can give you hopefully helpful advice and insight.

   I couldn't resist throwing this in: my sewing workshop ladies all swear by Pffaff sewing machines (thrifted, of course), since they are easy to use and unbreakable. -- Eternal*Voyageur

   In regards to the other stuff, shop sales! Use coupons! And even check on ebay! Sewing is one of those hobbies that can get expensive pretty quick with the initial investment, so I try to save money every way I can without sacrificing quality. You can actually get some of the tools in a package deal. I've seen many times these kits that come with a sewing gauge, seam ripper, a pin cushion with pins, measuring tape and a wheel of sewing needles and sometimes they'll have scissors. If you can grab one of these, awesome!


   I hope this was informative and helpful. The next post planned will be how to shop for the actual materials that are needed to construct your bra!


And there you have it! Feel free to do some revisions, and if you feel anything needs clarification or elaboration, feel free and let me know!

Makeup Basics: Bronzers -- How To Choose And Use

   You might associate bronzing powder with faking a tan, but it is much more than that. Bronzing powder is a fantastic and versatile product -- it can sculpt features and add colour to the skin. It's one of my most-used cosmetics (after foundation and concealer).

   When you have applied foundation, the skin looks even, but it can also looks very two-dimensional (flat) and colourless. If you have ever had a drawing class and learned shading, you can see how adding a bit of shadow can make things pop! Bronzer sculpts the features and at the same time adds a bit of colour to the complexion.

How to choose a bronzer

   A lot of bronzers on the market are useless --- to orange, with vulgarly sparkling bits. A good bronzer for everyday use should not call attention to itself, because it is meant to create an illusion.
    The most flattering finish is definitely matte. A satiny finish is flattering only on smooth skin as it brings attention to imperfections. If you prefer something with sparkles, they should be as fine as possible.
    Knowing whether your skin tone is warm or cool can help a lot in choosing the right shade. If you are cool, a warm bronzer will not look right on you. You need a neutral to cool bronzer. Sparkly bits that are silvery look better. If you want to add warmth to a too cool skin tone, you can choose a lighter, peachy-brown.
  If you are warm, you should try neutral to slightly warm shades. Stay away from bronzers that look orange or red, or you will look like a carrot. Too cool shades can look dirty, but then again is really rare to find bronzers that are very cool. If your skin has olive tones, try ochre browns. Shimmery bits that are golden look better.
   A bronzer should be 2-3 shades darker than your skin. It should not be much darker than your summer tan. If you are a makeup rookie, a lighter shade will allow more room for error than a dark one.
   You can also use a dark shade of foundation / powder as a bronzer.

Some recommended bronzers:

Cool and neutral:
Everyday Minerals Winter Bronzer
Bobbi Brown Bahama Brown Stephane Marais - Bronzing Powder
Estee Lauder - bronzer-goddess
Sweetscents Bronzer
The Body Shop Honey Bronzing Powder, Light Matte
Lumiere Ambrozia
Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder, Natural
e.l.f. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder Matte Bronzer
Physician's Formula - Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Powder ( Translucent or Beige)

Warm:
Benefit Hoola
Dr Hauschka Bronzing Powder
Flormar Pretty Compact Blush On P115
Lumiere  Nude Wet 'n' Wild - Ticket to Brazil
NARS Casino, Laguna
Flormar Moisac Compact Powder 601
e.l.f. Blush and Bronzer Duo
Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder - Bali Brown and Aruba

   I prefer bronzers in stone, or powders (like the mineral ones). I don't like pearls because I never know which colour I'm going to get. On the image above you see the bronzers that I use.

Which brush to use

   The flat brushes that come with bronzers are horrible. Bin them and get a fluffy blush brush! I like blush brushes that are sculpted in some way (like the Everyday Minerals Dome Blush Brush) because you can use the broader side for bigger areas and the edge for smaller areas. If you have a hard time finding the hollows of your cheeks, you can get an angled blush brush (I have this one).

How to apply a bronzer

  There are basically two ways of doing this: one is to add a sun-kissed touch to the skin and the other is to contour the face to give an illusion of sculpted features and slim down face areas.

   For the sun-kissing technique just apply a dash of bronzer to the places where the sun would naturally touch your face and tan you first: forehead, cheeks, nose chin. This is nicely described here.

   For the contouring method I love to use the "3 or E technique": You basically draw the figure of three on the side of your face.  I sweep the color from the temples, to right under the cheekbone, and then curve back down to the jaw line. The bronzer should go below the cheekbones not above! You can adjust this method to work with your face shape  I like to use a little bronzer under my jaw line and under my chin to hide my double chin.You can dust the tiniest bit of bronzer onto your chin and the
  You need a matte bronzer to for this, because sheen or shimmer will work against what you are trying to achieve. If you want, you can use a shimmery bronzer only on your cheekbones. Another tip: if you can't find the hollows of your cheekbones, suck your cheeks in.

Face chart via

This lady demonstrates  the 3 or E method of applying bronzer:

   You can adapt this method to work for your features. For example if your forehead is narrow but your jaws are wide, apply more bronzer on the jaws and less on the temples. Here are some tips on using bronzer according to your face shape.
   Some women use bronzer only below the cheekbones, but that usually doesn't look very natural if the bronzer is only on one spot (to avoid this you should dust the sides of your face or the bridge of your nose very lightly).
   If you are using a blush, here is how to make it work with bronzer: Apply bronzer first, then blush. If your blush is dark you can use it below the cheekbones in place of a bronzer or on top of it. This is especially true for shades that are brownish. Lighter blush usually goes above the bronzer, that is on the cheekbones / cheek apples. (If you are wondering about the difference between blush and bronzer, in a pinch a bronzer is nude and sculpts the features, whereas blush is coloured and adds colour to the face.)

   You can also use bronzer on your collarbone and to enhance your cleavage (a dash in between your breasts). For that matter, I have also used bronzer as an eyeshadow.

   About the application: load very little of the bronzer on the brush, tap of the excess. You can test out the intensity on the back of the hand. Apply the bronzer with light strokes, as if you were dusting the skin. It is always better to apply a very light layer and build it up. Generally, less is definitely more when it comes to bronzer!

    That is all for now! Do you love bronzer as much as I do or not? Which is your favourite bronzer?

Reader Bra Metamorphosis 32B to 30D + What A Too Tight Band Looks Like

     The Bra Metamorphosis is a series of posts that show photos of women before and after finding out their correct bra size. If you'd like to share your before and afters and inspire women to re-measure themselves, do contact me!

   This reader metamorphosis is especially interesting because it illustrates a rarely-seen phenomena -- a too tight band.

  D's measurements are:

Band (Break the Tape, exhaled): 26"
Band (Snug, exhaled): 27"
Bust (Standing): 32"
Bust (Leaning): 33.5'

    She started out wearing badly-fitting 32B's. In a quest to find the perfectly fitting bra, she tried out a 28F which didn't work. She says "The bra was from Change, a 28F is what the lady put my into.  The cups are too wide for my body, close to quickly on the top and thus she kept upping my size and overall flattens me out. " She made this thread on Bratabase with the photos, asking for help, and she got a lot of helpful advice (do check out the very insightful comments!). The cups are too big, but the too tight band pulled the cups wide and flat which disguised that fact.

    On the basis of Bratabase advice, she got this 30D La Senza Hello Sugar Front Closure Bra:

  The band seems to be the right size! There appears to still be a little bit of migrated breast tissue there, which will go away after diligent scooping and swooping. I'd also recommend trying a soft (not moulded) bra, since moulded bras often mask imperfect fit.

   If you are wondering how much you should be able to pull the band away from your body, well it kinda depends on how hard you pull. If I pull on my bra band with determination, I can fit up to five fingers between it and my torso (that's a similar distance as on the picture). Obviously this is often less for brand-new bras.

    Any comments or questions for D? I'd like to thank her for sharing her metamorphosis with us. If you'd like to share yours, I'd love to have you! The "contact" button is on the top of the page.

Weekend Reads 07-04-2013

      Hi everyone, how did your week go? I am feeling down because of the cold weather and lack of sunshine. I am happy about the Easter holiday being over -- I'm looking forward to Yoga classes and theater rehearsals!

   I want to get back to my weekly challenges. This week it will be getting my garden ready for spring. There is a lot to be done: from pruning which I have been postponing because of the snow, to raking the moss of the lawn, to tidying up the beds to planting some new plants I got! I will have to work a bit every day this week if I want to get everything done and not collapse. Wish me luck!

   Now, on to the lovely links:

* Happy: Put your money where your happy is. Amen. I'm going to make a running list of that!

* Style: When to save, when to splurge. I don't agree on hosiery though, because Falke stockings last and last.

* Fun: These photos of 1900 and 2013 Paris are fascinating!

* Beauty: how to find  feminist beauty products

* Body: 7 tips my dentist wasn’t meant to tell me
posted on april 4th, 2013

* Food: I loved 100 rules of dinner

* Movie of the week: The Girl Who Leaped Through Time is an endearing anime about a schoolgirl who accidentally gets the power to time-travel. I especially loved the main character Makoto, for her awkwardness and tomboyishness.

I love Kate Bush's music, especially this song:

Review Of Sweetscents Minerals: Foundations, Eyeshadow, Bronzer, Correctors And More

      A while back I ordered some samples of  Sweetscents Mineral foundations. I made some swatches and photographed them for you. It's the best I could do at this time of the year, I have been waiting for months for some kind of bright daylight  but the only few times we had that I was busy. Now it's April and snowing, so I'm giving up!

   For those of you who haven't tried mineral makeup yet, here is why it is totally awesome.

The swatches are in the same order as the sample baggies

Foundations: 

   The website makes it pretty difficult to chose the right shade so I based myself on the reviews in forums. Fortunately Joan was really nice and sent me much more samples that I ordered (plus, samples of green tea minerals, eyeshadows and more)! I have to mention that the samples are very generous, so it's totally bang for your buck.

   Sweetscents foundations smooth out the pores and give an even look to the skin. They are also really good at absorbing oiliness. They are low-coverage and don't hide much imperfections. If you don't need much coverage you can use them as foundation, they don't need a finishing product. If you do need more coverage, they are great to layer on top of (or mix with) heavier mineral foundations to get that pore-smoothing effect and extra oil absorbing powers. I was using them as a foundation and wasn't happy because I do need more coverage, but then I started experimenting and see that they work really well as a finishing layer on top of foundations. Another great thing about them is that they stay smooth all day long and don't gather into lines, so they also work well as a primer for foundation.

      The normal foundations are almost matte and light coverage, and come in warmer and cooler shades. The "Glo" minerals give an even lighter coverage, and give a luminous effect; there are no sparkly particles so the glow is subtle and natural looking. 

   The best match for my face were Beige Glo and Perfectly Tan. However I noticed something peculiar about Perfectly Tan: it turns orange when it gets into contact with water. I use water to seal my mineral makeup and give it a natural look, and was pretty surprised to see the very orangey shade on my face. Even if you don't use water, the sweat of your face will make you look as if you have been to the solarium after a few hours. So I use Beige glow. Beige matte is darker than beige Glow and kinda orangeish. Warm Olive is decidedly warm, Bisque is one of the lightest I tried. Tan is the darkest. 

   The white gold shadow is very hard to photograph. It is a white tone with a gold sheen, somewhere in between the swatch and the colour you see in the baggie above. 

Eyeshadow

   Sweetscents mineral eyeshadows are extremely easy to work with, they glide on so smoothly and are a dream to blend! Also, they are highly pigmented so the colours are true: what you see on the packet is basically what you get on your skin.  This blog has also a couple of swatches that demonstrate the intensity of the pigments. Anyway, this was my first time using mineral eyeshadow and I was really pleasantly surprised! They are absolutely superior to conventional eyeshadow except for the convenience a hard-pressed pallette brings.

Face and Body Glow and Bronzer 

    I wanted to add swatches of the Starstruck face and body glo and the Bronzer glow. Starstruck is a shimmery powder which can be used to highlight the face, or decollete / collarbone. It is whitish which delicate sparkle, delicate enough to be used during daytime.
    The bronzer also has sparkle in it, the shade is neutral on the warm/cool scale. As you can see, it is not meant for skin tones much paler than mine.

Coloured Correctors

   I got the green and the yellow one. They are very light (as opposed to heavy) and very "powdery". They are easy to use on moisturised skin, however they are too dry for dry skin.

   If you are interested in more stuff from Sweetscents, here is my review of Sweetscents Green Tea Minerals.

  As I mentioned before, the layout and not exact photos on the website can be a turnoff, but it is totally worth ordering some samples. Joan is really nice and you can always mail her your questions.


    Have you tried anything from Sweetscents? How did it work for you? Do you have a favourite brand of mineral cosmetics?

How I Found Out I Was A Deep Autumn (Colour Season Theory)

via

   I was asked:

"I follow you on pinterest I have noticed your interest in deep autumn colours lately and the whole thing about colour harmony came back to me. I never had a colour analysis and I don't quite trust myself for a self-made one, so I was wondering, if you went through an online analysis  if you could share your experience and maybe write a post about it? I'd love to hear your take on the subject!"

   First, a few words about why finding your colours can be so important: the right colours will make your skin look great and flatter your face (which should be the focus of every outfit). Your best colours will make you look vibrant, healthy and awake and make you eye and hair colour pop; whereas the wrong ones will sap the colour out of your face and make it look dull or sick. Here are some celeb examples of right and wrong colours.

   Colours and how they work with your skin is a complex thing. Every person can wear almost any colour -- when they find the right tone for them. I used to think I can't wear orange, because I thought that orange was a colour. It's not, it's a name for a group of colours. Orange can be cool (pinkish) or warm (yellowish), each of those comes in depths from light to dark, and each one of those combinations can be clear/saturated or muted (mixed with grey). Chances are only a certain kind of orange works on you and another shade looks terribly. Here is a lovely explanation of it all.

   The season theory is a very helpful guide to finding your colour. Now, the season theory used to be a rather clunky thing until it evolved and subdivided each season. Do read about it, it's fascinating! I recommend this site for a quick overview and this blog for extended reading.

My colour journey

    Now, I am pretty horrible at seeing myself objectively and identifying my skin tones. I couldn't decide whether my veins were greenish or blueish or if I looked better in silver or gold. I'd have liked to "get my colours done" professionally, but I chose to scrimp and go the DIY way instead.
    I think I started out by asking on a forum which shade I was. I have dark brown hair and eyes and I remember that they fought bitterly over whether I was a deep autumn or a winter. I leaned towards winter myself, mainly due to the pinkish colour the broken capillaries gave my skin. I'm quite bad at judging colour swatches next of my skin, so I found a photo of myself where the colour of my skin looked close to that in real life and painted over the background in photoshop Gimp to a cool green on one copy and warm green on another. I then asked friends on Facebook which green made me look better (they went with the warm).
   The breakthrough came when I started shopping around for mineral makeup and ordered samples of warm and cool foundation from Lumiere Minerals. I was clearly warm, a discovery which has made dressing and makeup much easier! And it clearly meant I am a deep autumn. Another breakthrough came when watching Gossip Girl -- I realised that Leighton Meester's skin, hair and eye colouring was almost exactly like mine -- both paler and tanned. And she's a deep autumn. I really recommend finding a celeb that has the same colouring as you have (even if she is dyed, like Leighton). I have bought several shades of blush based on what Leighton uses, and they have worked well every time.

   Another thing that works pretty well is draping fabrics (anything in your wardrobe and linen closet) around your neck like a bib and taking photos with self-release in good natural light. When reviewing the photos later, you will recognise your "good" colours because they will make your eyes come alive, and the face will be the first thing you see (not the fabric).

via

   Now I am busy with making a colour palette that I can take shopping with me. I have a poor visual memory so I have a hard time remembering visual shades. If you have a nice printer, I really recommending printing off several colour palettes from your season. If not, you can do it like me -- I asked for a colour chart from a hobby supplies store and cut out the colours I needed and glued them together. You can also use paint samples or fabric swatches, if that's what you have handy. Of course you can also buy ready-made swatches too, some of them look really good.
    I thought that basing myself on my season's colour palette would restrict my choice of colours, but in fact the opposite happened -- I have opened up to a lot of colours that I haven't even thought of trying on before, like mustard, camel or silver pine. I also have another rule: I obey the colour looks only on the top part of my body (where they make my face look brighter and healthier), and on the bottom half I can wear whatever colour I want.

   I know that one's best colours can differ a bit from the standard colours of one's season. That's why I'd love to get a proper colour analysis done some day. And by some day I mean when I can afford it / find something affordable, because right now I have other spending priorities.

   Another tip: colours that already exist in our body are the ones that flatter us the most. Your eye colour, the line around your iris, the colour of your moles, your hair tone(s) and your lip colour are shades that will flatter you when worn. Make use for them, even if they are not in your season's palette.

Explanation of the 16 seasons

Sew Your Own Custom Bra Tutorial -- Your Questions Needed

   I know that many of you have thought about sewing your own custom bras because often it can be so hard to find something that fits; or, just for the fun of it! Today I present to you a very talented lady who makes her own bras and is generously going to share how she does it. The bra in the picture above has been made by her, isn't it a beauty? And the one she'll be creating for the tutorial will be even prettier. And Amber assured me that sewing a bra is not as hard as it sounds! This is the first post of the Sew Your Own Bra tutorial which will teach you how to make your own custom bra. 

   Hi all! My name is Amber and I wanted to thank Eternal Voyageur for inviting me to do a series of guest posts on bra making. I've been sewing for most of my life, and I've sewn stuff from clothes, to toys, to bags to quilts! I've always enjoyed sewing as a hobby and I'm always looking for a new challenge. Last November, I came across the bra fitting community on reddit and I had a revelation; I was wearing the wrong sized bra! I've had a ton of roadblocks and difficulties with finding the the right fit with wire width, cup depth, proper band snugness, the list goes on and on! I participated in a sew a long where I learned the basics of sewing up a bra, and I got hooked on sewing bras. There's nothing wrong with buying bras off the rack but unfortunately, not every bra out there is going to fit breasts perfectly. Sometimes, we have unique sizing situations that can't be addressed without alterations, and it's sometimes harder to make adjustments to a ready to wear bra rather than sew one up from the beginning. I was invited to share my sewing knowledge combined with bra fitting, so here I am! I am going to do my very best to make this as simple and painless as possible; so those of you who will be using a sewing machine for the first time will be able to follow along with the ladies who have been sewing for years. 

   For this particular tutorial series I will be showing you how to make a 3-piece cup constructed bra, and I will be covering many topics including (but not limited to):

-Basic sewing supplies that are needed, and where to get them.
-Discussing various patterns, where to obtain them, and of course where to shop for your actual supplies.
-Tutorial on how to make adjustments to underwire length.
-Making alterations to the pattern pieces before using them to cut your fabrics.
-How to sew the pieces together, and to troubleshoot some fitting issues.
-Adding Elastics and the final hardware, and making final adjustments to fit.

   That's just the beginning; I heavily encourage you to ask questions! I am planning on answering your questions on the most relevant post, so if you don't see your question answered right away, hang tight! I will try my best to answer each and every question to the best of my ability.

   So ladies, ask your questions in the comments, and stay tuned for the first part of the tutorial!