What A Woman Wants And Needs - The Belvia Bra

Don't get my wrong I love being a woman, I love being able to play with make up, and nail polish, and having a choice everyday of wearing a skirt or trousers, and their is no question that our shoes are prettier, but there are two things that make me hate being of the female persuasion. You can probably guess the first one so I won't even go there ;) but do you know what else I hate - Bras!!

OMG what an uncomfortable piece of engineering - there is nothing that gives me greater pleasure than taking it off at the end of the day! I'm not small up top so I need wiring and plenty of support to keep my puppies under control, which sometimes makes me feel as though I'm wearing a suit of armour, and don't get me started on all those hook and eye fastenings - you need to be a contortionist to put the damn thing on (or take it off ;) especially when I have bad day and I can't lift my arms in the air.

OK I might be exaggerating just a tiny bit but their not fun there and despite some amazing advances in bra technology the majority of us still feel better when their free. If your addicted to shopping television like me though you'll have seen a lot of presentations and infomercials on so called comfortable bras, I was pretty intrigued by the whole idea, so I when was offered the chance to give one these babies a try of course I said yes.

From the expansive JML stable comes the Belvia Bra. Claimed to be the most comfortable bra in the world, the Belvia Bra features no hooks, wires or seams. All you do is buy according to your chest size and the bra will mould to your shape, giving you an almost invisible finish under your clothes, without any rolls or bulges, and without digging in and causing grooves or sore patches.

First of all you need to work out your size, don't worry there is no cup sizes are back widths to negotiate, it's  just a simple S, M, L and XL depending on your chest size - I went for an XL because of my D cups but I probably could have gone down a size but it doesn't really matter - Then you pick your colour, the original shades were beige (nude), black and white, but they have also recently introduced 3 pastel shade in blue, pink and purple (more of a lilac shade). I was sent the basic and ever useful white - I've wimped out a bit here and instead of seeing my assets I chose to photograph my bra on my ever willing assistant, my ebay model "Lola"

You can see straight away the basic structure of the bra - it resembles a sports bra but don't be fooled this isn't meant for sport just comfort. It has wide ish straps, a rounded v neck at the front and a low rounded back. The bra is made of just one piece of fabric so you get no scratchy seams, or ridges. The fabric feels super, super soft and smooth, and is a polyamide, elastane mix. It washes at 30 degrees, and it came out the machine the same as it didn't stretch or loose it's shape. Remember there are no fastenings or hooks and eyes, so all you do is just pull the bra over your head, or if like me you have problems with your arms simply step into it and pull it up. I was actually surprised at how easy this was to put on, in the past with slimming pants and so I've had to stretch them first but this went on really easily.

Despite the fact that the Belvia Bra is made from just one piece of fabric, you can see from these pictures how the knit and the density of fabric has been altered in certain areas to provide more support. You can see a change in density and a ruched design in the centre and around the cups to provide shaping and lift, and you can also see a difference in the banding on the base of the bra and around the straps.

Was this bra comfortable? Oh yes, I could barely feel as though I was wearing anything. The fabric was very smooth, and soft against the skin, nothing dug in and nothing rubbed or moved - it looked almost invisible under clothes, and you could see no wiring or fastenings. It did provided a little bit of support due to the construction but this is a light support bra so with my D cups I did feel a little lacking at times. According to their website you can wear two bras for extra support but I think next time I would probably go for the large for a more snug fit. For me the Belvia Bra was great for days when I'm in the house and not going anywhere and I want a bit of support without being uncomfortable or constrained. I also found it really useful to wear at night for bed especially at the time of the month where you can feel a bit sore and uncomfortable up top - it really gave that bit of comfort and support that I needed without anything digging in. If your smaller up top I think would a great for everyday wear, if your a bit bigger like me you might need a bit more support on a daily basis but this is still something that you could find a use for either at certain time of the month, or on those I need to be comfy days. The Belvia Bra retails at around £12.99. For more information, or to purchase or find stockist information please check out the JML website. and you can also find out more by following Belvia on twitter If you have any questions please leave me a comment I love reading what you have to say xx

(The Belvia Bra Was Provided For Review Purposes)