Tips from my weekly half-marathon clinic. This week Brava Boutique came to speak to us about sports bras. Here are some highlights.
- Apparently there plenty of women who wear two or three sports bras on top of one another to help control the bounce. This is not necessary, though, according to the experts at Brava Boutique.
- While you can’t have zero bounce, a well-fitted bra with the right support will control 80 percent of the bounce.
- Be wary of pull-on bras (and many racerback styles) as they just compress and they stretch a lot so often don’t offer enough support. A bra with hooks and eyes will provide greater support (some of the sport bras we checked out during the clinic even had underwire, which if fitted properly should cup your boobs and will not be uncomfortable during exercise). A front-closure bra, on the other hand, offers no room for adjustment.
- The level of support you need will vary depending on your activity–you need one with greater support for running, but can go with lighter support for weight training, for example.
- Help your sports bras last longer by handwashing them to remove all of the perspiration (which is what causes them to lose elasticity). If you must machine wash, wash in cold water on the delicates setting.
(This Action Arrow bra from Marie Jo Ntense, $142, is available in a hot pink shade and is super cute. And yes, it’s much more than I’d want to spend on a sports bra, too.)
April 15, 2011
When I can barely manage to wash my face every night, it’s unlikely that I’ll be diligent enough to use a cream specifically designed for pampering my lovely lady lumps. If, however, you’ve been looking for something to perk up your bosom, you may want to check out Lush Lovely Jubblies Breast Cream ($24) a rich concoction that contains tiger lily petals, meadowsweet and rose that promises to firm and soften (your boobies and skin respectively).
Something I do devote time to when it comes to my beauty regime? A pedi–the idea of leaving the house with naked toes? (shudder). And even though I’m only sporting high heels occasionally, my feet are always needing some TLC. And since salon pedis aren’t exactly easy on the wallet, I regularly take matters into my own hands with these essentials:
Burt’s Bees Cranberry and Pomegranate Sugar Scrub This exfoliating body scrub ($14.99)–which launches in September–gently sloughs to reveal fresh new skin. The fruit oils in the scrub can leave your feet a touch greasy so I make sure to clean the nail bed with some nail polish remover before applying polish. Warning: This product really looks and smells good enough to eat–you’ll surely be craving jam and scones after using this so be sure to have some on hand.
Tweezerman Pedro Callus Stone A gorgeous pair of heels don’t look so gorgeous when your the skin on your feet is all dry, cracked and callused. A little elbow grease and this Stone ($24) works really well at making your toes and soles worthy of those designer shoes.
And one of my current fave nail polish shades:the dramatic, deep blue Too Rich for You from Nicole by OPI (it’s part of their new Gossip Girl collection, which includes three other shades, $10.49 each, in stores now)–I may never have Serena van der Woodsen’s incredible blonde mane, but at least I can have her mani. 
August 10, 2010
Forget about lifting and separating. Elevating and compressing is what you want out of your sports bra especially if you’ve got a large chest, says a research study from University of Wollongong.
July 5, 2010
