I apologize for not blogging about bras lately – not that I have a following here or anything, but you know… I’ve been a little depressed about looking at bras lately.  It has been really tight finance-wise being on a student-budget.  I’m looking forward to finishing class next month, and finally looking for a good job.

So, money crunches are never good for fashion! I started taking birth control (Tricyclen Lo) a few months ago, and as many people warned me, that comes with a bit of weight gain.  I gained seven pounds really quickly and shockingly.  I didn’t think it would be quite that much!  I’m assuming that it was combined with my deteriorating eating habits as well though.  (Can’t blame everything on hormones!)  Most of the weight went straight to the boobs so my clothing silhouette was suffering from major 4-boob action from my bra cups cutting into me.

I had to pull out some really ancient bras that I had from when I was 30 pounds heavier and had a much larger cup size.  They are really ugly full cup bras that make me feel like an old granny.  The back sizes were also way too large; if I had my sewing machine nearby I could have adjust that, but it’s at my parents’ place for storage at the moment.

(Warning: melodrama.)

I suffered for a few weeks under these conditions but when I was going through my closet, I found a pair of my smallest pair of jeans which I had to set aside after I started taking the pill.  I had noticed that my current jeans were starting to slip when I walked and I’ve been having to pull them up all the time.  I decided to see if I could squeeze into them.  And I could!  I was very happy.  There’s a tiny bit of muffin-top around the back of my waist, but hey, at least I can do them up.  I’m wearing them today with a looser blouse which hides that issue.

With that inspiration, I decided to try on one of my favourite Freya bras.  I was pleased to see that there was no longer a four-boob effect! I really wish that I had access to a scale because I’d be curious to know how much weight in the past few weeks.

But anyway, all this rambling is just to say that being able to fit into my cute bras again has been making me research bras again!  I just have to wait for cash flow!

I’ve added a few new bras over to the Bras for Sale page.  They are technically new in the sense that they have never been worn and still have their tags, but their older in the sense that I purchased them years ago!  These bras have been sitting in the back of my lingerie drawer receiving no love.

These were the first bras that I purchased after my first bra fitting.  I was so excited to order them after I found out my size.  I had purchased from American companies at the boutique after my fitting, and I was uneducated about the differences between US and UK sizing.  So, needless to say, the cup sizes were entirely wrong and I was horribly disappointed when the bras came in, looking ever so cute, but being nowhere near the correct size.  I kept them because my friend, who sews a lot, assured me that we could adjust them, so I kept them instead of exchanging them for the correct size.  We never did get around to the project, and so the return policy expired, and the the bras sat in my drawer until the end of time.

….Until now!

First up is the Freya Millie bra.  I’ve actually bought this bra twice, and both times it didn’t fit me.  (I have bad luck, but I’m tempted to try again sometime because I’ve now found my perfect size in Freya’s line.)  This one is soft pink in colour and is a size 38H (UK).  I’m listing it as $40US including shipping cost.  (I also have a black version of Millie in size 36E (UK) available, but it is lightly used.)

Secondly, I have the Kalyani Apple Bra up for sale.  It’s also a 38H (UK), and I’m listing it as $30US with shipping.  This bra is so adorable!  I wish I could own it in my size!

I’ve used the stock photos from Bravissimo because they illustrate the bras well.  I’m going to try to figure out a way to photograph the bras nicely… I have a mannequin but she’s probably only a 34C or 34D, which makes the bras look somewhat awkward.

In celebration of completing all of my exams for the 2007-2008 school year, I decided to treat myself to a bustier.  I’ve always wanted one!

I was having a hard time deciding between two of my favourites, Freya’s Eva (in Powder Puff) or Lola (in Truffle).

I was originally planning on purchasing Eva, but when FemaleFirst put the Lola line on sale, dropping the price by 10 pounds, my choice was made for me.  Another factor is that I already own Eva Powder Puff in bra form; did I really need it as a bustier too?  Really? Variation is good!

Brown and blue, very nice!  I love that colour combination.  The colouring on Lola stands out more to me compared to Eva. As cute as Eva is, there will always be other cute pink numbers like this out there.  I only own one brown bra I don’t feel too bad about spending the money; I own so many pink undergarments, I can’t even count.

I rarely ever buy the matching coordinates, typically only choosing the top half. But since I was getting a bustier, I figured that I should be complete in my irrational spending and buy matching bottoms. I like the look of the thong better, but I wanted bum coverage so I opted for the shorts. Why oh why are there no briefs available?  Sad face.

Hopefully I passed on all my exams to make the gift to myself worthy!  Otherwise, the set will end up being a consolation prize…

In the past I’ve always purchased from online retailers rather than stepping into the land of ebay auctions, but I found some bras that I’ve wanted for a long time and couldn’t resist bidding at the low prices – especially when combined shipping prices were still lower than what I often end up paying at regular retailers.  I did get into a bit of a bidding war for one bra in particular (Lottie), but I was still pleased with the final price.

After scanning the items at Curves Lingerie on ebay, I settled on the following bras, all made by Freya: Antoinette (Porcelain), Arabella (Sorbet), and Lottie.

Image sources 1+3: Official Freya Images; 2: Bravissimo

Spring 2008 led to the ultra cute Fondant colour of the Antoinette range, but as much as I love it, I’m still more of a fan of the black and white variation. I wanted it in my size since I first saw it, but I was slow to move, and my size was unavailable at the online shops I frequent because of discounted prices by the time I decided to order it.

I like the looks of Arabella, but the sheerness detered me from ordering it at full price anywhere. I normally wear a 34G, but I decided to up the cup to a 34GG so I could try out the slightly less sheer version of Arabella that exists only for sizes GG through J. The GG may end up being slightly large, but I figured that I could try it out fairly inexpensively through ebay, and if it doesn’t fit, I’ll try to resell it to recoup my losses. The new Purple Haze colour variation that came out this month is nice too, especially the contrasting colours of the ribbon details, but I’m not a huge fan of the base colour of the fabric. Purple Haze does seem more decorative while Sorbet looks really funky in comparison.

Lottie is a really sweet looking bra! I really want to get the matching briefs as well eventually; I’m just looking for a shop with cheap enough shipping. If I buy the panties on their own, sometimes the shipping is as much as the item themselves. Yikes! I may wait to find them for when I’m doing a larger order so it doesn’t seem like I’m wasting shipping money.

All three of these purchases are factory seconds, rejected from being sold at mainstream stores for one reason or another. The faults are apparently not obvious, but I suppose the only way to find out the definition of what is considered an “obvious” fault is to wait for the bras to arrive. I have faith because of their positive feedback that the seller has, and she had really good communication with me following my purchases, so I’ll happily wait for my package to arrive!

I thought of the concept for this blog back in February, and it’s finally open for public consumption!

I always thought that Bravissimo was very clever by incorporating the word bra into their business name, and I wanted to perform a similar feat when coming up for the name of this site.  Candelabra was the prettiest word I could think of that included “bra” and it automatically stuck.  As soon as the name was conceived, I had to go through with making the blog a reality!

I normally don’t do much branding or logo design with my blogs. Each new layout theme is generally very different, but I went for an alternate approach this time around. I drew a vector logo in Paint Shop Pro of a candelabra and a bra, and was so pleased with the outcome. I’ve incorporated that logo into the design of this site. Pink and almost-black make me extremely happy.

My plan at this point is to review the lingerie (good and bad) that I’ve collected over the years and talk about other random bra related topics. And of course, publicly dream about the sets that I wish I could afford but probably never will. Yes!