Having small breasts can be a blessing and a curse.  I should know, I'm a 32B at the moment, but that can fluctuate. I love the fact I can walk around without a bra, but it can make fitting into some tops and dresses tricky.

I don't have time to blog nearly as much as I'd like, but this morning I thought I really should do a little blog about this, so the styles for small breasts and bigger breasts to give more information.  The more information you have the better! I like to empower you to be able to find the style/s you need, but to also I am here whenever you need of course.

First the main thing to stress is sizing and styles are not science. We are all different, with different shaped breasts and what works for one may not work for another.  The other thing to remember is the huge difference a band size can make. A 30A is incomparable to a 40A for example.  Going up each band size adds volume to the cup, so physically they are entirely different in size.

So, with that in mind, let's delve in to some options.  

Let's start with options for small cups.  If you have a small band and cup size, there is little room in the cup for us to work with. This means we can only add a very small amount if we want to stay the same cup size, and that will mean style 1 is the only option.  If you are happy to head up a cup size or two, this opens us up to styles 2, 3, 6, 8 and even 9a.  I can't cover all cup sizes here in this little blog, but using my size as an example, I can comfortably fit style 1 in.  For most of my bras, especially the ones that aren't the best fit to begin with and have a little room, I can fit style 2 in and get a great result. The same for style 3 and sometimes style 8, but in many of my bras, she shows a little above the cup as my cups are small.  I don't mind that as the result is nice and smooth when dressed, but that's not for everyone.  You can always check the dimensions of the styles on the product pages, but do remember they bend in the bra, so you can get a style that is 1 or 2cm bigger than your bra cup.  Style 6 is not an option for me in my normal sized cups, but when I try with a C cup, I get a nice result for many brands, and it's the same for style 8, but I do look bigger with this one as it cups my breasts all over boosting my side profile☺

That is the next thing to consider, brands and the cut of the bra.  They are not born equal, so if you are looking for a long-term great look, I'd absolutely recommend that you find a bra that works perfectly with the enhancer that you like, if you don't already own one.  The result will be the perfect combination for you, and you get will reward you over and over. 

For bigger band sizes to mine, so say a 36" band, you will have more room in your cup and find you need a little more to get oomph.  For you, style 3 is great for a smooth subtle bra filling, styles 6, 7, 8 and 9 are all good options too.  You can narrow it down easily by first working out how you feel you would like it to sit in your bra. If you would like it with a smooth natural breast cupping, then styles 3 and 8 are best.  If you would prefer it sits low in the cup, giving you a boost up for a bigger look, then styles 6 and 9 are great.  The next thing to consider is how big you want to go.  Style 6 is the smallest of these style 9 sits low, is bigger but is also softer so this can mean a little less push.  That will be fine for your needs as if.  If you only have very small breasts, you will not have much to push up, so we want instead to go for something that blends and gives you a boost.  This is why style 7 is not the best, as she needs a big more breast to work with than us smaller ladies have.  If you have around a 36B you should be ok, but smaller than that, you are better with other styles.

If you are a 36" band and looking to move up to a bigger cup size, you will need a bigger enhancer, so take a look at styles 10 and 12.  

If you are a 38" or bigger, the best options are style 9b and style 12.  We need a bigger enhancer to make a noticeable boost in your bra. Style 9b is great to help will filling out those bras a little, but if you are bigger than a 38" band, you will probably find you need to go straight for style 12. We need that extra volume.  If you are looking to move up the cup sizes, we will be best to take a look at the smaller breast forms that I offer, to get the volume you need. I hope to add even bigger enhancers in the future for this.  Style 11 should work well if you are a 38B or bigger, but again, if you are smaller than this, there will not be enough volume for us to boost using style 11. 

Hopefully that information gives you a little more to confidence in what to look for and how they work.

You can see all the breasts enhancers here, and contact me if you need advice 

Oh yes, oh yes!

Do you love a sale? Of course you do...and I love giving you one.  Here, for a limited time, is a sale on my large voluptuous breast forms.  It's a great time for you to grab that bigger pair you've longed for, treat yourself to an early Christmas present or give subtle hits for a love one to treat you.

I will be gradually adding these silicone superstars to the sale page over the next week, and it will be the breast forms in the bigger sizes of 600g, 700g, 800g, 900g and 1000g.

I'm here to help if you'd like to talk through sizing as always. 

I've got two new products heading your way!

The first, my Boob Bolstering Breast Lift Tape, is now on the site and I'm really excited about it.  

There are quite a few occasions with wedding dresses, low-cut tops and plunge bras, where there just isn't enough support for your breasts, let alone one of my lovely breast enhancers.  This can be a big problem and a real confidence shaker for you. 

I've pondered this for a while, and alongside the adhesive techies at my tape factory, we've developed this magnificent tape. It is a stretchy fabric tape with spandex that can support, hold, lift and shape, and best of all, be used over an enhancer.  It's just finished it's manufacturing run and arrived ready for you, so I've popped it on the site, but I will be doing a little explainer video and getting some images done so that you can see just how it can work with my breast enhancers.

The possibilities it offers for all those hard to work with outfits are very exciting.  It will be able to lift your breasts, with one layer, whilst also supporting the enhancer to boost you further. If you add a dress over the top with some support for the enhancer to push against, even if plunge etc, then you will be able to get fabulous results.  It will also enable so many more breast enhancer options for your strapless bras, which can struggle with the extra weight without shoulder straps to help out. If we add the support of the tape over the top, with a tailored taping to stay hidden under the dress or top, you will be able to rock much heavier breast boosting styles for those big events and nights out. 

Take a look at my boob boosting Breast Lift Tape Here:

I wasn't done there though...

The second new product is my new Rambunctious Rabbits breast lifting and nipple covering rabbit ears! Use them however you need...as your racy rabbit breast lifters, reliable rabbit nipple covers, or refuse to limit yourself and use them as both!

Shaped to help cover erect nipples and give lift and shape, they are fabulous for bikinis by the beach, lightweight tops, tight dresses and can also be used with my boob tape for the ultimate in shaping!  I'll be getting them written up and added to my store asap. 

  XXX

Hi everyone.

Just a little post as I've had a message on my site and emails about my family emergency.  It's certainly been a tough few weeks for me.  We all go through difficult times, and when you come to me for help, a lot of you are feeling very low or struggling in your lives.  Many of you have been feeling progressively low, some have had breast surgery, some have lost hope of feeling better.  You share with me, and are open and honest with your troubles.  I try to help you all as best I can and hope that even just by talking to me and hopefully finding options for your breasts, you can feel better.   You often tell me it/I've helped, and that is so wonderful.

I write this now as I find it's sometimes helpful to know we are not alone in suffering. It's part of being human and tough times affect us all.  I'm suffering at the moment and finding things tricky, so I thought I'd share. I want my blog to be informative and uplifting, but also real.  This is me, Jo, the little shop owner who is having a tough time and being open with you, and that is no bad thing I think.  If you only like happy blog posts, skip this one.

My first woe was recently when a young teenager riding his scooter out between two parked cars without looking, onto my car as I drove up the road.  It was such a shock and so frightening, for us both, with the ambulance, police all in attendance and me being interviewed and breathalysed.  My daughter was in the car too, but luckily everyone was OK.  It did result in a hefty car repair bill, as my entire front headlight was smashed on the passenger side and the front bumper had to come off.  It was really frightening, as for a long time I wasn't sure if he was ok, and the Police started quite forceful with me in case I had been driving dangerously, so it made me feel like I was guilty of something. It was all OK after, as I came home and reminded myself that the boy was ok, that I hadn't done anything wrong, it was just an accident and the light is just money. 

Next was a flood in my house.  The stop-cock managed to burst off in my daughters room.  The pipe burst and when the stop cock has been pushed off with the pressure, my panicked mind took a while to work out how to stop the water jetting into the room.  I was trying to reapply the stop cock with the full however-many-bar-of-pressured-water, until I suddenly remembered it can be turned off in the street.  It didn't fully turn off out there, but enough to stop the flood.  A week of taking up flooring, running dehumidifiers, replacing flooring and repainting damaged walls etc, and it's all ok.  It just took a LOT of time and some more money.

Next was a fox attack in my garden. I was silly and I had let my lovely chickens out on the lawn with me, as they have been enclosed since December due to Avian Flu.  I just wanted them to have some freedom and some sun, and I forgot that it is the time of year when foxes are terrible. I'd never had one come into my garden though, just before midday and try and snatch one in front of me.  It took me and them completely by surprise.  I scared it away and grabbed them, but one was too injured as it had snapped at her.  After a lot of nursing and time, she still had to be put to sleep.  It was so utterly upsetting, especially as she was my favourite, I had a £200 vet bill without the happy ending and I am racked with guilt.  If only I hadn't let them out with me.  I cried a lot for 2 days, mainly from the shock and guilt. 

Now it's a family member that is very unwell.  It's so upsetting and worrying and eclipses the other things, which is as much as I can say about it here.  I'm trying to keep going and do all I can to keep my mental health in-tact, and it's a little too raw at the moment.  We all need to do what we can to process our stresses, grief, financial worries and remember that things will not always be so bad.  I'm trying to do that right now, and remember that life isn't always this difficult.  I've read a bit about it and what I am doing is called "active coping".  The other type is "passive coping", so keeping things more hidden away.   I do talk to those around me, express when I am having good and bad moments of mental health and they do the same, which is absolutely invaluable. Writing this is part of my active coping. 

Not everyone has a support network though, and using mine a lot right now reminds me how lucky I am. If you are going through a tough time and you feel alone or just that you need to vent, do email me.  I'm not a counsellor and I don't know the "right" thing to say, but I can listen if that's what you need.  You can write me your struggles in complete confidence to me.

On a more positive note to round off, when things have calmed down in my life I'll look to doing some write-ups for things that can be done when stressed in case it helps someone.

xxx

For the next in my series of Feminist Icons, I'd like to write about a lady I read about recently in my National Geographic magazine.  It's so nice to be able to discover stories of confident, empowered, game-changing people who have been able to help carve a better future for women, and share them with you here.  I love it :)

Nellie Bly was an American pioneer of investigative journalism and was born in Pitsburgh in 1864 as Elizibeth Jane Cohran.  At 21 years old, she wrote a letter to her local newspaper to rebuke an article entitled "What Girls Are Good For". The newspaper was so impressed that they hired her, go Nelly!  She was born Elizabeth Jane Conran, but preferred to use pen names Orphan Girl and Nellie Bly, and grew up experiencing hardship after her father died when she was 6. Money was difficult, and her Mother married and then divorced an abusive man, which helped start a fire inside Nelly to succeed in journalism and call attention to the difficulties that working-class families faced in their daily lives.

Life as a journalist at the Pitsburgh Dispatch wasn't all she dreamed of, having been restricted to writing for a segregated women's section of the paper.  Nellie could have accepted this comfort of employment, but instead she decided to make a shocking move for the time, and head off to Mexico alone to work as a correspondent.  It is this move, that I love about her the most, as she was willing to risk herself in order to further her skills, find new stories and report on things that were being hidden from journalism. During her time there she wrote about the exploitation of peasants, and by whom they were being exploited, and it was this that ultimately forced her hand to leave in order to avoid arrest from the authoritarian government. 

Of to New York Nelly went, in a time that its creative journalism was booming.  Nellie's first assignment for the New York World involved her getting herself committed to an asylum in order to write an undercover piece about conditions there. "How will they get me out?" she asked, "First get in" was the answer.   I'm not sure that's an assignment I would take, but Nelly was undeterred and managed to get herself certified as "demented".  She soon realised that institutions were overcrowded (built for 1000 but housing 1600), understaffed (only 16 doctors), employed ill-trained and brutal staff, and had horrific conditions. The patients were not only mentally ill, but also immigrants unable to communicate and the extremely poor.  Nelly was appalled by the fact that no women were given the chance to prove their sanity and that that government felt it was acceptable to keep women this way.  She resolved to change all that. 

After 10 days, Nellie was released thanks to the paper's lawyer, and her article shocked the public and triggered a grand jury investigation.  This led to increased funding and improved conditions, so it's undisputable that Nellie's risk paid off.  As one of the first undercover journalism examples, let alone by a woman, Nelly has paved a way for writing that aims to penetrate layers of shielding and prompt education and change.  For this I really do want to honour her.  

Her following articles always included her name, showing how popular she had become, and included "Nellie Bly Buys a Baby" and "Nellie Bly Tells How It Feels to Be a White Slave".  For the time, Nellie was boundary pushing and this continued when at aged 25, Nelly travelled around the world in 72 days in order to break Phileas Fogg's fictional record of 80 days.  She became America's first celebrity journalist, but made sure all knew that she embarked on the trip after her newspaper thought it a better job for a man. She showed them

After marriage and a journalism hiatus in order to run her husband's company, Nellie returned to writing after moving to Austria and became the first woman journalist on the front during World War I .

On her return to America, she continued to write and use her column to help people find work and housing.  Nellie never gave up on the hope that her writing could help improve the lives of those who are fighting, in life as well as in war, and struggling with the challenges they are faced with and others are ignorant to. 

Nellie died in January 1922 of pneumonia, and was 57 years old.  Her life was rich, varied and boundary pushing, and I hope she felt beyond content at all she achieved. Female reporting and investigative journalism was forever changed by her determination and willingness to risk herself, with newspapers unable to claim that a woman "could not do it".   Just ask Stacey Dooley.

 xxx

I hear such amazing stories of customer journeys that are inspiring and thought provoking for me.  Recently, I realised that these stories are too important to not be shared, and I have asked a few customers if they'd like to guest post here.  I have been very lucky that they have agreed and many found it to be cathartic and fulfilling,  and often it brings hope that it will help others.

First up is Paige, who has come to her trans journey later in life, and who's journey of self-discovery is really blossoming.  Hopefully her story will inspire you, and if you are moved by anything you read, please do get in touch if you need support.  

From Paige:

I did, I really did!  I even made a video...

I'm not a big fan of anything, in particular, bar Harry Potter, but  thought I'd share a few of my latest finds in case you are looking for a new book or TV show to enrich your weekend!

Books:

The Greatcoats series, by the Canadian writer Sebastien de Castell.

 There are 4 books in total and I really liked them :) 

Genre: They are Three Musketeers style set in a fantasy world with fantasy elements.

Pros:  Simple easy reading with a full plot, a sense of adventure, and a moral compass.  Personally, I really enjoyed the strong female characters.

If you like audiobooks, then Joe Jameson who has narrated them all is amazing. He is a character actor, so brings each to life with their own voice.

Cons: Some of the dialogue was a little samey. 

TV Show:

Alone

I've really taken to this and watch it with my 12-year-old daughter. There have been 7 seasons, and although it is only on top TV packages in the UK, I have seen it popping up on Amazon prime TV, etc. 

Genre: Real-life survival. 

Synopsis: It's a competition, but not like any I've ever seen.  It has 10 competitors who are dropped in the middle of nowhere, literally on their own, and have to survive as long as possible in order to win. They are not dropped off somewhere idyllic, they are put somewhere super hard to survive.  These are people that teach this stuff for a living or live quite self-sufficiently in real life. The early seasons were on the overgrown Vancouver Island, but they have also had Mongolia and The Antarctic for season 7, but I'm yet to watch that one! 

Pros: It's facinating to watch people adapt and survive, try and preserve their mental health whilst being alone. We are naturally social beings, so seeing how they manage to overcome the obstacle of being alone as well as feeding themselves and running low on energy is so interesting. It doesn't glorify the hunting that they have to do but shows what is necessary to survive.

Cons: I love the show but I should imagine it is quite hard for some vegetarians/vegans to watch. There is some killing of animals for food.

Movie:

Official Secrets

Genre: Real-life drama/thriller with Keira Knightly.

Synopsis:  Based on the true story of Katharine Gun, a whistleblower at GCHQ, it focuses on the lead up to the Iraq Invasion.

Pros: I found it captivating. Great performances from Keira and Matt Smith

Cons: From what I read it is factually quite accurate, but any movie needs taking with a little pinch of salt. Not that this is a "con" really. I loved it!

Do let me know if you have any recommendations for me!

 xxx

The question of padded bras is one I get asked a lot, so I thought I'd pop a little blog post here as a help guide.

Padded bras are great, they offer shaping an contouring to help give you a boost, but they are not without their issues.  They can generally only add up to 1 cup size, but many bra companies claim more than that. It's often a little misleading, as what they are refering to is the boost the more padded bras can give to a 30AA bra, so a relatively small amount of padding is needed to get them up to a 30B cup.  For a 38" bra however, a lot more padding is needed to get from an AA cup to a B cup. It's all about the volume, and there is only so much a padded bra can do and only so much oomph it can give. This oomph will also fade over time as the bra is worn and the fabric and foam filling stretch and squish.

This is where my breast enhancers can really help. You can choose the size you'd like for the boost you'd like, and interchange them with different bras. I can boost you from half a cup size all the way up to 3 or more cup sizes for many sizes. 

The big thing to remember howeever, is that that using breast enhancers with padded bras will often not work. If you have a simple padding all over, or a very small shaping inside the cup, you should be able to get great results, but if not you will probably find you have problems. This is simply becuase they are both trying to do the same job, giving you the same boost from the same place in the bra. The padding of the bra can push the enhancer away from where it needs to sit, giving you a rather uneven and possibly uncomfortable look.  

Breast enhancers thrive in a smooth cup on the inside of the bra.  It can be a full cup, t-shirt bra, lace bra, lower cut bra, balconette style etc, and depending on the style and shape breast enhancer you go for, it should do the job perfectly for you in a normal bra. If your bra has some more defined shapping inside the cup however, you may find that buying a normal smooth bra to work with your enhancers gives you the great look you are after and opens you up to all the posibilties of the various breast enhancer styles and shapes. Given a nice smooth bra, my enhancers can boost you up or out in exactly the way needed to give you great results.

If you need any advice at any time, just get in touch.  

It's one of my help guides, but it's so important that I fel that I should remind you all:

YOU MUST MEASURE YOURSELF TO CHECK YOUR BRA SIZE REGULARLY!

How often really does depend on your circumstances and body shape, but make sure you do it at least every year just to check. If you are losing or gaining weight, or if you've changed your exercise regime, you will need to do it more often.  You can start right now, by looking closely at the bra you are wearing right now, checking all the key areas to be sure that it is fitting and working for you as it should.  A bra who's elastic has given way due to age will be just as inefficient as if you wearing the wrong size, so make sure you keep an eye on the age of your bras too. 

Let's get on to what you need to do:

The most common mistake is women wearing a band size that is too large, and therefore not offering the support it should. 

This is how to make sure it is correct:

Step 1: Grab yourself a nice soft tape measure with inches on (preferably not a rusty steel rule from the garage)

Step 2. Underbust Measurement - Run a tape measure all the way around your body just underneath your breasts and take a measurement in inches. Make sure the tape measure is horizontal and snug. Your arms should be as down as you can make them.If this measurement is an odd number, try the two sizes around it, For example, if you measured 31 inches (78.7cm), you should start trying on bras in a 30" and 32" size. If it was an even number, start with that size band and see how you get on. Every bra is different, but this gives you a starting point. NOTE: Some bra fitting guides and calculators will tell you to add four or five inches (10 to 12.5cm) to your underbust measurement, but this is outdated advice. The "add four" method was popularised by Warners in the 1930s when bra design was in its infancy and it simply doesn't work so well with modern bras.

Step 3: Since everyone's breasts are different in terms of shape (even between your own breasts), the most accurate way to determine your cup size is by using your current bra size as a starting point. If you don't have an existing bra, take a look at the sized cups for your band and give the one that you feel will be the best a try.  The cups are sized relative to the band, so if you were to try a smaller band size but keep the same cup size, the cups would be too small - if you go down a band size you need to go up a cup size. If you decide to go up a band size, then to maintain the cup size you will need to go down a cup size. 

Step 4: Put the bra on around your body first doing it up on the LOOSEST SETTING. The elastic in the bra will loosen with age, so you need to be able to tighten it through it's life. It should always start on the loosest hooks. Wiggle your breasts into position, yes wiggle, it works! Tighten the shoulder straps so that they do not dig in and hurt, or slip off the shoulder easily. The band around the body should be taking the main weight of the breasts.

Does the bra really fit? Things to check:

Does the bra feel tight around the body? If so, good! It may feel too tight, but this is because we are used to wearing bras that are too big for us. It should feel tight, but not dig in. You should be able to get 2 fingers side by side between the bra and your skin, and it should have a little bit of give. Check that the weight of the breasts is well supported so the shoulder straps are not digging in at the top. It should of course feel comfortable.  

How about the cup? Are you well contained in it?! You need the cup to hold you in nicely, without the breast spilling over the top.  We also don't want a gape. Some bras will give a little gape and that is more down to the shape of the cup or the shape of your breasts, but this should only be a small gape. Any more than that, and it's not supporting you enough.  You also need to be sure that the underwire follows the correct curve of your breast. Make sure that your breast does extend beyond the underwire under your arms, and if it does, it means that the cup is not big enough for you or that the shape of the bra does not work for you.

They are all the key points. The main thing is to be honest with yourself.  Many fashion bras are designed for a night out, and not everyday wear.  Go for those pretty bras, but also make sure you get a bra / bra with enhancer or breast form combination that works for you with full support for everyday use. Your breasts and back will thank you for it when you are older.