Everyone has heard of the coveted Push Up Bra. They’re featured by all of the top brands and are known to be the most prized bra in every women’s lingerie drawer. They may be known for their exceptional cleavage enhancement, but we love them for the hourglass figure they create! Read on to hear about everything you could ever want to know about push up bras.
What is a Push Up Bra?
All About Push Up Bras
It’s no secret that Push Up Bras help create cleavage- it’s literally in the name! This bra style lifts your bust upward and toward the centre of the chest. Push up bras are able to add 1 or even 2 cup sizes to the breasts by using support in the bottom of the cup to push the breasts higher and more together. The cups (half or demi shaped) usually contain air, gel, or removable pading to create this lifted look.
Push Up bras also utilize closely fitted underwiring to help achieve the same goal mainly by pushing breasts up. All of these additional things in a bra sound like they would be uncomfortable but push up bras do not sacrifice comfort for look.
They are often still comfortable and supportive while achieving that lovely cleavage line.
How Can a Push Up Bra Benefit You?
Many full-busted women believe push up bras are not an option for them. Us at Hourglass Lingerie are here to prove this common misconception wrong! Push up bras are for everyone; you just have to be cautious of the amount of padding in the bra.
Push up bras are categorized on a scale of 1-3 based on their level of angular padding. A push up bra with lots of padding (also known as level 2 or 3) are for women with smaller breasts as it does an incredible job enhancing the size of breasts. For women with larger breasts, the best option is to steer clear of heavily padded push up bras and look for a push up bra that offers a gentle, natural lift with less padding (also known as level 1). Not only will it offer a slight lift but it will also provide a surprising amount of support. Many women with full busts rave about how push up bras have helped relieve back pain from breast weight.
Our favorites at Hourglass Lingerie are the Parfait Lynn P13021 European Nude Super Push Up Bra and the Parfait Charlotte 6901 Leopard Brown Balconette Padded Push Up Bra.
When Should I Wear a Push Up Bra?
Push up bras hold a very near and dear place in our hearts as the first bra we turn to when going out.
Other instances where a Push Up bra is the perfect solution include:
- Deep V neck
- Low-cut top
- Formal attire
- Date night
- Girls' night
These aren't the only occassions when you can wear a push up bra. As we mentioned above, some women wear them on the daily to help alleviate back pain associated with breast pain. Additonally, if you are looking for a fuller, rounder bust appeal, a push up bra is the way to go!
When Should I Not Wear a Push Up Bra?
Although we love our push up bras, there are some occasions that we recommend choosing a different style of bra to best suit you! We recognize that every woman is built perfectly unique and deserves to be equally supported.
Some instances where we recommend an alternative bra style include:
- Women with wide-set breasts (over 3 fingers apart). This is because the padding is not in the right location for this breast type, resulting in discomfort.
- Any fitness purposes (A bra style that may be more sutied for you is a Sports Bra)
- Women post breast surgery (A Mastectomy Bra may be the best option for you)
- Women who are looking for a bra without padding or underwire (A Bralette may be the best option for you)
Otherwise the versatility of a push up bra makes them great for most other situations.
Push Up Bra Sizing
Sizing for push up bras can be a bit deceiving because of all the extra padding found in the cups. Begin with your normal cup size and adjust from there. You want to avoid cup spillage or the “quad boob” effect as well as also avoid gapping of the top of the cup on the breast.
Many women end up going up one cup size for push up bras to accommodate the extra padding in the cup. In any case, the only time a bra is uncomfortable is when it is improperly fitting. One may experience bra chafing or a poky underwire.
The easiest way to size yourself is to check out our Size Guide and read up on all of our tips and tricks. Or, if you would rather have the perfect fit without the hassle of research, call and schedule your free, personalized fitting with an Hourglass Lingerie fit specialist. We would love to help you and share our admiration for push up bras!
Bra Style Guide
Now that you've learned everything you could ever possibly want to know about Push Up Bras, why not learn some more? Our Bra Style Guide is the perfect collection of guides to every bra style on the market. Try something new, explore an old favorite, or step out of your comfort zone!
