First off, the Bella is gorgeous! The little yellow birds in the lace section are super cute and the flowery pattern and bright colors reminds me of summer and the beach. I love the design!
I'd heard Cleo bras gave an uplifted, up-front shape but WOW! It really puts everything front and center and slims out my figure under clothes. It really does give a lot of lift too, it's hard to believe this isn't a push up bra! The shape it gives is slightly pointed, but it looks like a very natural perky shape. So don't expect a perfectly round shape like some of the other Cleos give.
The ... band is a tiny bit loose on me but still firm since it doesn't ride up too much. This is because I measure for a 32 now, but when I ordered it I was very much a 34. I'd say it's an accurate 34 band, but maybe a tiny bit on the tighter side which works out perfectly for me but might require some breaking in from others.
The wires in the Bella seem very narrow and leave me with no empty space, something I thought I'd never find in a bra, so bravo Cleo! The gore doesn't lie completely flat, but that's not on the bra itself, my breasts are very close together and nothing short of a plunge lies absolutely flat on my sternum. I always have a little pucker where it curves outward slightly. It's not for lack of trying though, the wires in the gore aren't spaced out very much at all and are actually some of the closer ones I've seen.
I do get a slight quad-boob effect if I take very deep breaths or slouch, but it's very much minimal. This is likely from my more "well rounded" shape, I'm neither full on top or bottom. I really don't think it's something that going up a cupsize would resolve, the Bella has a pretty closed of top section from the stitching in the lace on the top of the cups.
Like most bras on me, the straps are too far apart, but this one isn't as bad of an offender as the Bravissimo Satine Floral Bra (LN119) was. That one's straps wants to end up under my armpits, the Bella only seems to be about an inch or so too far apart, so I'm not constantly worried about having to pull my straps back up. Still annoying, but better than my other bras are.
In all, I have a couple issues with the Bella, but the great far outweighs the slight annoyances. I very much recommend this bra, but I'd advise ladies with Full on Top shapes to try and find a place to try this one on. It seems very suited for Full on Bottom types.
EDIT:
After wearing it for a few more hours the gore progressively got further away from my sternum and started rubbing and leaving red marks on my cleavage. Adjusting the band to the tightest hook resolved the issue so I've decided to exchange it for a 32J and see if that's any better.
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Updated on May 13, 2013 Flag this