The plus-size friendly Lilyette Enchantment Minimizer bra caught my eye for two reasons. First, it is an affordable bra that looks nice – it’s not often that we can find that combination in larger cup sizes. Second it looks a lot like my good ol’ mainstay, the Freya Rio Balcony Bra. It has a leg up on the Rio because although I love that bra to death, the perforated material means it’s not always the easiest thing to pair. This bra, on the other hand, is all kinds of smooth, and comes in a variety of colors.
Strap
The straps on this bra are set at a good distance from the shoulder, so there’s no slippage. They’re fully adjustable and made of a thick, comfortable material. At the end of the day, you won’t have the dreaded dig marks with this bra.
Cup and gore
The cup is comfortable and I feel it runs true to size. Those with less volume or those who can go up or down a cup might want to consider going down one with this bra. As is the problem with many bras of this style, there is a pretty prominent seam running along the center of the bra, which means it most likely will show through on lighter tops. This might not be the bra to wear with a skimpy summer top, but if you’re wearing it under winter or fall clothing, you should be fine.
The gore, the gore, the gore. For those of us with breasts that are ‘normally’ spaced or wide spaced, it will probably lie flat on your chest if you get the sizing right. If however, you are narrow-set, the gore popping out may be an issue.
Band/Sizing
Probably one of the strongest aspects of the bra is that it has a wide-winged strap on the back, a welcome surprise from a style in the affordable bra category. What this means for
you is a very seamless smoothing effect, and little to no appearance of back fat. As someone who has not been exercising as regularly as I should, this is a welcome feature. In larger sizes, it does come with 3 rows of hooks, but as I have griped before, 4 hooks seem more realistic for maximum support.
That said, the band feels very comfortable, and at the end of the day, it’s exactly in the same place that you started off with, no issues with it riding up.
The side of the bra where the cup meets the band doesn’t have any boning. A common way to provide support in this situation is to have a more substantial underwire, as is the case with this one. The result is that the sides are not as supportive as they could be, and given the slightly minimizing effect, the lack of boning means the shape isn’t as great as it could be.
Underwire
For me, as a 5’7”, wide chested 38-40, the long underwire is not a problem for me under my arms, even when the bra is at the tightest strap setting, but I could see how this might affect someone with a more narrow chest.
Under the breast, it feels comfortable, and the underwire housing is thick enough that I don’t feel uncomfortable pressure from underwire.
Feel
The material on this bra is great, it’s comfortable, well-made and breathable. Overall, the bra is very supportive with a lifting effect that doesn’t strain shoulders.
Overall Shape
The bra produces a nice, rounded look, however the seams do mean that for some breast shapes, it might feel a little pointy. The bra does minimize a bit, but does not minimize to the extent that I would expect a bra with the word minimizer in the name to do. The result is a natural look without too much flattening, though it does distribute weight to the sides a bit.
Best for
All-day wear, lounging
Can an affordable bra be perfect?
If you get your sizing right, this bra is comfy! I would recommend re-measuring yourself before purchasing this one, because your sizing in other brands may not necessarily translate to Lilyette. Overall, I’d give this a 4/5.
The center gore sticking out is an issue for me, but not so much that it outweighs the other positive aspects of the bra. You can’t wear it with absolutely everything, and it hasn’t unseated the Freya Rio as my go-to, but it is still a great, casual, affordable bra, and who could say no to that?