This whole breast form series originated when I started looking for better breast forms. Many of you have noticed my breasts look a lot better lately and have written to ask which ones I bought. Here's the answer, in the form of a review and with some tips thrown in, just in case you get the same kind I did.
I bought the "Aphrodite" breast forms from Divine. What an upgrade! If you are used to what I called "cheap Chinese Crap" in part 1 or some other version of the "silicone balloon" breast forms, these will blow you away. The shaping is incredibly realistic, and the ability to glue them to your body opens up many new fashion styles. I am very pleased with them, and Dom de Luxury is also. We are both impressed by the extra realism these lend to transformations. The nipples are beautiful, realistic, and gorgeous. Some loving craftsmanship went into shaping the breast. The breast forms come in a beautiful box with great inserts to keep your breast forms looking amazing. There are also some 'extras' included, like Skin Tac wipes, some cleaner, and an antiperspirant.
Divine has also been great about post-purchase support, which they handle (very discreetly) via Facebook. They answer very quickly, and their answers are always good. I also want to give a shout-out to The Glamour Boutique, which is where I made my purchase. Not only did they have the best price (by quite a lot), they have been outstanding in the support department. The people at Glamour Boutique are great. If you decide to buy something, I recommend them. Tell them Pammy de Lux sent you.
Positioning Tips
With the silicone balloon breasts, I never found gluing a viable option, so I was stuck with wherever the pocket-bra designer decided breasts belonged. With these breasts, you can put them anywhere. Decisions, decisions, right? If you do any drawing, you probably notice that beginning artists draw women's breasts too high on their bodies. From pictures I've seen of how gender-fluid men place breasts (found browsing around the net), this tendency also seems to carry over to attaching breast forms. Aphrodite breast forms adhere surprisingly well, at least for a few minutes, with no glue. So you can experiment with positions and when you find one you like, use a makeup pencil to mark where you want them to go. I like to angle the outside of the breast form slightly upwards, towards my armpit. The 'nipple line' should be below your armpit but slightly higher than your 'natural' nipple position. Once you place them, try many views: front and sideways, with your arms raised and lowered on both sides and the front view. The breasts should look natural in all these positions. Don't freak out! Nature has provided ample variation in real breast placements, so there is not just 'one' right position. You will be fine if you are in the ballpark.
Glue and Bras
Don't try using these with your old pocket-bras. Get new ones, or use glue. Or a combination. If you are going to glue, Divine recommends Hollister 7730. I suspect other silicone adhesives would also work, but I haven't tried these yet. The only one tested by Divine is the Hollister (no longer true: See postscript from Divine at the end). I have successfully used the Hollister, but I have some reservations. It's a "spray," but it produces a narrow, focused stream rather than a "spray." That makes a nice, thin, even coating of adhesive across the back of the breast form unattainable. I find I use too much, which makes it pool. My efforts to spread these 'pools' out evenly weren't successful. The polling doesn't seem to affect the attachment, which was very strong, but it does affect my pocketbook. However, I have improved with practice. All silicone adhesives are expensive, and Hollister is no exception. I have found good prices for it on eBay (around $19 a can).
Method for Attachment
UPDATE: I now have a better method for attaching Aphrodite breast forms, which you can read here. I'm leaving this material because some might prefer this method.
Divine gives a method for attaching the forms inside their box-top, but I must confess I don't follow it. They suggest you lie down for 30 minutes after attaching the forms. I do not ever have time for that. Instead, I use a very tight-fitting bra. It looks like crap, but I never wear it except for attaching the breast forms. Here is my modified system, which has worked great so far:
- Shave your breast area (if necessary). I recommend doing this the night before.
- Put the bra on, but leave it around your waist
- Position the breasts the way you like them on your body.
- Mark lightly along the top of the breast so you can put it back where you want it after applying the adhesive.
- Remove the breast, then use the Hollister spray to put as thin a film as possible on the back of the breast form. I have found that leaving the bottom 'uncoated' provides a more realistic 'jiggle' to the form.
- Set a timer for 5-minutes.
- Clean the area on your skin to be glued with alcohol.
- Use an antiperspirant liquid (not cream) over the area to prevent it from sweating. (UPDATE: It is better to apply the antiperspirant the night before. See Sweat, Oil, Makeup, and Prosthetics.)
- When the timer goes off, take two Skin Tac wipes, and rub one over each breast.
- Wait about 30 seconds, then position the first breast. Do it carefully, as the edges can 'fold up,' which won't make it look realistic. Try to get them as flat and smooth as possible against your skin.
- Do the same with the second breast, then pull the bra up and over the breasts, holding them tightly to your skin. You might want to press a few times more against your breast.
This has worked very well for me, with no failures. I leave this bra on while I finish my makeup and other stuff, usually about an hour or so. When I'm ready to put on the real bra or dress, I take the 'adhesive' bra off and put it in the Aphrodite box to use again next time.
Removal and Cleaning
I initially tried the Hollister remover to remove the breast forms. I didn't have a good experience with this stuff. It does help you get the breast forms off, but I found it completely ineffective for removing the glue from the forms or my skin. I used "Goo Gone" which worked, but I started worrying about the medical consequences to my skin. "Goo Gone" hasn't been cleared for human use. I now use "Super Solv" from telesis, but I still get mail from people who use "Goo Gone" with no bad effects. If you do use "Goo Gone," get the 'original formula, gel' which comes in a spray dispenser. (Also, see comments from Divine at the end of this article). Whatever you use, cleaning the adhesive off after each use is important.
For cleaning the forms, once you run out of the soap that comes with the forms, I find a mild dishwashing detergent to be excellent. Let them air dry and then store them in their box.
How Realistic Are They?
While these breast forms are an amazing upgrade, and I can not praise Divine enough for the care they make them with, you are not going to get 100% realism. The shape and nipple are amazing, but the color of the forms is limited, and even with a lot of care, the edge does show and makes the breast look a bit 'attached .' Being careful when you put the forms on and also using some makeup along the edge of the forms and on the tops (if you are showing cleavage) can help, but I, at least, have not achieved perfect realism. Divine recommends blush, but I have found that a dark contour or bronzer, ala Amanda Lepore, suits me best. Divine recommends using makeup remover to get the makeup off the form, and I find that works perfectly.
Should You Buy These?
Should you buy these? I can only say that I have been more than happy with them. They were expensive but worth every penny. Be realistic about what you are getting, and you will probably be happy. Some good news is that they plan to start including more shades, similar to what "RealBreast" does. I asked about Air Brushing, and they said they have no current plans for that. I hope that, if they do add an airbrush option, that would be available to people like me who already own their forms. If you are thinking of making a purchase, you might want to wait a bit to see if the new shades suit your skin tone better. UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2022: Several years have passed, and the Devine Breast Forms are still available in the same old colors.
Postscript: Divine Comments
Divine Collection, the manufacturer of the Aphrodite Breast Forms, sent the following (very interesting) comments on this article.
In terms of Hollister, it is definitely pretty chunky... kind of gross, actually! What I find works really well is spraying a puddle of it in the middle of the breast form and then pouring some rubbing alcohol on top. Then you can use your fingers to break down the chunks and spread it all over the back of the breast forms, right to the edges, and let the rubbing alcohol evaporate.
Another customer told me that they're spraying Hollister into an airtight container, letting it sit for about 10 seconds, and then wiping it up with a Skin Tac wipe to spread it (and the Skin Tac Wipe) on to the edges of the breast forms to get a better hold with less mess. That's definitely an option, too!
"We haven't fully tested Goo Gone on our forms, although we do actually have some in the studio! We'll have to experiment a little further, but I don't think it should cause any problems with the forms (but can't guarantee that yet!). We do try to do some pretty intense adhesive testing before we recommend anything, and we recently confirmed that the Secure Silicone Adhesive from Factor 2 (B-400) can work with our new formula of Aphrodites, too."
"Good for you for mastering the contour powder to blend the edges! Not many girls are comfortable with makeup to do it, but it creates that wow look!"
Thanks for reading!
I hope this has been helpful. I'm always happy to get good suggestions and nice comments. Feel free to write me!