When I was given the opportunity to review the Vanity Fair® Modern Coverage Collection of Bras and Illumination® Underwear, I was excited and nervous. New bras and I haven't always gotten along. My first post-baby, post-breastfeeding bra-shopping experience was not a pretty sight. I hadn't successfully breastfed for as long as I'd hoped, and I was struggling to make peace with my new figure. I went into the whole experience feeling, quite literally, deflated. I visited a nice department store for a proper fitting, and while my mom wandered the mall with Jude in the stroller, I tried on what felt like every bra in the store. When the poor sales gal came to check on me for the twentieth time, she found me in tears.
I had somehow imagined that a new great fitting bra would magically make me feel better about a body that felt very different from the one I'd had prior to getting pregnant. The bras all fit fine, but my state of mind was such that they only seemed to accentuate the negative body-image I was so stubbornly stuck on. (I don't think the fluorescent lights were helping either.) I ended up going to a store that sells their bras by promising that you will look like an impossibly thin super model with even more impossibly ample breasts. I bought two very padded push-up bras and have been wearing that style ever since.
The Vanity Fair® Modern Coverage bras are lightly lined and designed to complement one's natural shape, not transform it. The first thing I noticed when I tried them on was how comfortable they were. The second thing I noticed was how much I liked how they looked or, rather, how I looked in them. A lot has changed since that hideous shopping day. My body hasn't changed drastically, but my body image has. I have learned to love my body for all the amazing things it can do. Now I treat it with the respect it deserves: no more restrictive diets, grueling workouts or harsh words. I can honestly say that I've never felt better about my body, stretch marks and all. So why was I still wearing the high-heel equivalent of a bra every day?
The Vanity Fair® Modern Coverage bras are great for every day. They lift and have a nice smooth, non-pointy shape under clothes. The Modern Coverage bras have a lower neckline which means you are supported without worrying about your bra showing under a deep V-neck tee (my current uniform). Plus the sides are designed to lay nice and flat, no dreaded back fat. My favorite is the Vanity Fair® Front Close Underwire Bra. The straps have this awesome little clip, so you can link them in the back; no more visible bra straps in a racer back! As for the underwear, they are much cuter on, but you'll have to take my word for it. The Illumination® Hipster would be my favorite: great fit and no visible panty lines. However, I also really liked the Illumination® Hi-Cut, very cute in a vintage kind of way.
Now the really cool part. You have a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card courtesy of BlogHer. Here's how to enter: Visit the Vanity Fair® page on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me which bra you like the most.
SWEEPSTAKES/GIVEAWAY RULES
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 9/10 - 10/7.
Be sure to visit the Vanity Fair brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers' reviews and find more chances to win!
