Ewa Michalak

I’ve been looking forward to ordering a few Ewa Michalak bras for some time now. Somehow, though, it escaped my notice that the non-padded bra styles don’t come in my size 😦 This is a big letdown for me: I really, really, really, really prefer unpadded bras.

I know some people say that padded cups don’t add bulk. But when I went from a Le Mystere Tisha bra to an Empreinte Zoe, I went down a whole shirt size. I saw the difference and also felt  much lighter and more free. Effuniak cups are, at least, much thinner than most padded or contour cups, and they are seamed, so I can expect good support. Still, I am deeply disappointed.

I am also a little concerned because I am have been scanning through photos on Balkonetka, and often very large breasts do not seem well-supported in Effuniak bras. I am seeing a lot of low breasts, but I am also seeing a lot of women in what appear to be the wrong sized bra.

I wonder f the nature of purchasing from Effuniak makes people more likely to keep a bra that doesn’t really fit? After all, we have the wait, and the anticipation, and if it doesn’t fit, a potential wait of more and more months.  I think some people might decide to keep their hard-won bra, even if it’s a bit big.

In any case, I will be ordering a few bras just as soon as I can figureout my size. Stay tuned!

Review: Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake Body Wash

This body wash was a free gift for my birthday, from Sephora. I love scented bath products, and the scent of vanilla is a favorite, so I was glad to get the trial-sized bottle. I’ve used it in the shower and bath for more than a month now.

This purports to be a 3-in-1 product: shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath. I tried it as a shampoo and wasn’t impressed. It was difficult to thoroughly spread the gel through my hair, and my hair didn’t feel clean after. I suppose it would do in a pinch, but I’m not about to replace my shampoo with it.

As a body wash and bubble bath, it does much better: the bubbles are long-lasting in the bath, which surprised me. In the shower, I find that this lathers well, and my skin feels soft after. I am also impressed by how the scent lingers: for some time after my shower, I could smell it on my skin.

The fragrance is interesting: it is not quite the scent of vanilla cake baking. It does have a nice, sweet starchy vanilla scent, but the tail end of that scent is a whiff of plastic. It actually smells very much like a new vinyl baby doll smelled back in the 80s. That’s not a bad smell, it’s sweet and definitely vanilla.

Would I buy it again? Probably not, but not because it’s not a good product; it IS a good product in my view. I don’t buy shower gels anymore, because of the waste factor; I am trying to reduce my plastic consumption, so I largely prefer bar soaps these days, as their packaging is usually recyclable cardboard.

If you want to give it a try, you can find Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake Shampoo/Shower Gel/Bubble Bath at Amazon.com.

Sized Out

My absolute favorite brand of bras thus far has been Empreinte. I have looked around and never found a brand as comfortable: Empreinte bras are really cut as though they were made for me, and the quality is truly top-notch.

As I’ve lost a band size, though, it appears that I’ve been sized out of Empreinte. My band size has shrunk but my cup has not, and Empreinte doesn’t carry styles in a size that will fit me now (full-cup bras are too much bra for me.) So, what is a girl to do? It’s very stressful to go looking for a new brand or style of bra that fits; endless trying on, inevitable disappointment: one can spend hours in a shop and still not find a suitable bra.

This is the cause of my current dilemma: right now I have only four bras that fit me, all of them various colorways of the Fantasie Savannah plunge (I have a lengthy review of this style coming.)  I’ve been out shopping a few times looking for a brand and style that will fit me, and thus far I’ve had no success.

I know I am more fortunate than many women: I live in a large city with multiple specialty bra retailers, and given time, I will surely find a bra that fits me perfectly. But in the back of my mind there is always a little niggling fear: what if I don’t?