Let's cut to the chase: being the owner of a pair of boobs can sometimes be more trouble than it's worth.
If you're on the itty-bitty end of the spectrum, you're in a constant battle to fill out your bra and look like you have something up top.
Meanwhile, as the cup sizes climb into the FFs and GGs, any activity more exuberant than a brisk walk can turn into torture.
Frankly, nobody really has it easy — with the possible exception of a few perky C-cups in the middle.
We are all constantly struggling to find the right bra. Nine times out of 10, you don't even know your real cup size!
And if you need to find a bra that's backless or strapless? Forget it.
At least, that was the case until a new trend appeared. Recently, "magical" stick-on bras have been everywhere.
Strapless and backless, with a lace up the middle, the new miracle bra claims to give you an extra cup size while showing off your assets to advantage in any strappy summer dress.
But does it really work? Three LittleThings employees (myself included) decided to find out.
The Bra
If you're on social media, chances are good that you've run into this bra.
Touted by celebs and influencers as the "magical" bra for extra support and cleavage (minus the straps), this adhesive bra is having a major moment.
Here's how it works:
- The wearer peels off the plastic and sticks the bra on, attaching the padded cups at the outer edge of each breast and then smoothing inward.
- Once it’s tightly sealed into place, you cinch the drawstrings in the middle, which pulls your “girls” together and gives you major cleavage… at least in theory.
Lots of different manufacturers make a version of this bra. For our experiment, we chose the Lalabra from Bobo Kiss, available on Amazon.
You can get it in an A, B, C, and D cup, with no band sizes.
They are rewearable, but for the purposes of this experiment, we each just wore the bra once, for the duration of our normal, 9-hour workday.
The Guinea Pigs Becca
I'm Becca, an Associate Editor here at LittleThings.
I call myself a 32B, so I'm testing out the B cup size. If I'm being really honest, I'm probably closer to an A.
I haven't worn an adhesive bra since high school, when I tried one out at a dance. It ended up around my waist, so I'm hoping for a better experience this time around.
Kate
Kate is a Staff Writer at LittleThings, and has previously brought us some intrepid bra-based journalism.
She went to a professional to get her bra fitted for the first time, where she learned that she's actually been wearing the wrong cup size this whole time.
Kate gamely volunteered to try out the C cup adhesive bra.
Ana
Ana is the Associate Trends Editor here at LittleThings.
She has also written about cup size in the past, sharing her experiences and advice about getting breast reduction surgery.
Ana went from a 40H to a 38DD less than a year ago, and offered to try the adhesive bra in a D cup.
She was totally on-board for trying out the sticky bra, but warned us that it might not be sturdy enough for her bust.
The Experience Becca
This thing is seriously weird to put on.
It is insanely sticky (the packaging says it's "medical grade adhesive"), and if you don't place it right the first time, you might be out of luck until the next time you wear it.
Sadly, I did not get the cups precisely where they needed to be (and I was too chicken to pull it off and try again), so one boob ended up a little higher than the other.
Once the cups were in place, I tugged the drawstring, which pulls the cups together. Then, I hoped to magically see some cleavage.
I did notice an immediate impact, but I'm not sure the change would be obvious to anyone other than myself and my boyfriend.
If you can't see a difference, there was a gentle valley where I normally have more of an "adolescent boy" look going on.
I do think I would have seen a bigger impact if I had better leveled the cups.
I also noticed with appreciation that I was still left with plenty of clearance on the sides, meaning that this bra would be suitable for a backless cocktail dress or strappy top.
I threw on a tank top to wear to work and made my morning commute. The bra wasn't leaving any super-visible lines under my top, and I felt pretty confident that no one on the subway could tell that anything unusual was going on under my shirt.
Still, I had to adjust my commute. I normally walk about a half-mile to work, but decided to take a different subway to minimize walking (read: sweating) in the summer sun. Sweat can mess up the adhesive.
By the time I got to work (pictured above), I was pretty comfortable with the bra, though I did notice that my rack was looking distinctly lopsided. Oh well.
Kate
Kate explained that the bra definitely felt a little weird going on. She describes it as "similar to a normal sticky bra, but less malleable."
The bra has firm silicone cups, which makes it a little different from the chicken cutlets or nipple shields that women typically use for the same purpose.
She also explained to me that the bra felt like it dragged her bust down before she laced up the drawstring, rather than giving it the promised lift.
One she tightened the laces, she noted that she definitely had new cleavage, but didn't necessarily notice the "perkiness" the bra promised.
In fact, in her experience, it had the reverse effect: Instead of supporting her bust by pulling together and up, it pulled together and down, giving Kate a little less lift than she might prefer.
Kate adds:
After putting on a shirt, I noticed that my boobs did appear much larger than normal.
This was thanks to my new cleavage. What I will say about the cleavage is that it's different than a push-up bra because there is pretty much no support.
It pushes your boobs together, not up. This made mine look creepy and long, especially when just wearing the bra.
After getting a few dirty/unwanted looks on the subway, I buttoned up my over-shirt.
Ana made it clear that she was not loving the bra first thing in the morning, emailing me, "Already not a fan of this."
As she notes above, the bra really didn't offer her that much coverage from the side. While you definitely want a little clearance if you plan to wear the bra with a very specific outfit, the bra wasn't really doing it's job for Ana.
She notes" "I don't think I had the right size. I knew the second I saw it, when I pulled it out of the box, that it wasn't enough. Not enough coverage. I had no idea how it was going to get it to stick on."
She adds:
My commute was fine, for the most part. My train was late by 10 minutes, and it was really hot, and I was not comfortable during that.
But then I sit on the train for 40 minutes.
It was more walking from the train station when it was really hot that was uncomfortable.
Ana observes:
I don’t feel like it helped with any lift either, which is what I thought is what it’s supposed to do.
It's not "up" like it's supposed to be. It's a weird pulling effect.
Looks like we were all disappointed on the "lift" front.
Conclusions> Did The Bra Work?
Becca: As a bra, it definitely worked. It protected my boobs and concealed my nipples. But it definitely didn't give me the promised cleavage and support I was hoping for. I also think it might have worked better if I had placed the cups more evenly to begin with.
Kate: I do think it worked, but it's definitely not an everyday bra. It didn't give me the lift I was expecting.
Ana: No way. I guess it helps with the cleavage, but I also think that a tight T-shirt does, too.
Would You Wear It Again?
Becca: I would wear it under the right circumstances. Most of the time, I can get away with no bra, but if I had a specific dress that wouldn't work with an ordinary bra, I would definitely give this another shot.
Kate: I would only wear this with a top or dress, or to a special occasion that gave me no other option.
Ana: If they had bigger sizes, for sure.
Would You Recommend It To A Friend?
Becca: I would recommend it, with a caveat. I think this is only worth it for a not-too-busty person who makes a lot of daring fashion choices.
Kate: If a friend was in a situation where they needed a no-show bra and wanted some cleavage, I would definitely recommend it. However, I would include the "it's not comfy" caveat. This is definitely an example of fashion over function.
Ana: I would if they were under a C. But I would also recommend looking around at a few other ones and seeing what has the best coverage and wearability. This is better for a night out than it is for day wear.
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