How to Boost a Healthy Bust

Fashionable ladies know that sexy cleavage is always in style, and that sagging breasts can look really untidy. However, the boob game isn't always a sure bet - even when there are top stylists available to help make magic happen.

"Cosmopolitan Magazine" took a look at some top stars to see how they handle their bosom buddies. Even with the assistance of stylists and fab friends, dressing to accent a healthy bust is still a hit-or-miss proposition. Judging from pictures, it's all too easy to crush, restrict, or otherwise flatten a really great bust line.

Take Lauren Conrad, for instance. Her small, youthful breasts end up becoming lost beneath a tight, confining evening dress bodice that offers little support, combined with an non-supportive open halter neckline. In Cosmopolitan's opinion, "The wide straps [of her dress] press down on Lauren's breasts, making them appear uneven." The solution? Simple underwire cups, which lift and hold the breasts securely.

Also, never forget that the key to a healthy bust is good treatment and care of the breasts. This means regular breast self-examinations and mammograms - not just a drawer full of the latest Wonderbra. With proper dressing and good self-care, beautiful cleavage is just a moment's dressing away.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 
    
   2008 wishuponacupcake / Creative Commons

   Perform a breast self-examination every month right after your menstrual cycle to maintain breast health. According to the American Cancer Society, "an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women, [with] an estimated 40,170 women expected to die from the disease in 2009 alone." For instructions on this quick, painless procedure, check the instructions from the American Cancer Society in the links below.

2. If you're over the age of forty, get a mammogram every year during your check-up. A mammogram is a deep scan of breast tissue that enables doctors to see hard-to-feel lumps and growths.
   
   During the test, "the woman will be asked to undress from the waist up only and stand next to the x-ray machine. Two flat surfaces will compress one breast first, then the other for a few seconds." The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month website urges these simple tests as valuable preventative measures, so don't procrastinate.

3. Enhance your healthy bust with beauty products and treatments that brighten and improve the look of cleavage. Regular exfoliation with a gentle body scrub, along with removal of extra hair from the area, will lead to more luminous cleavage. Because the bust skin is sensitive, avoid depilatories, body brushing or harsh scrubs in this area; a good wipe with a washcloth will do just fine.

4. Make sure that your dress bodice fits your bustline. A too-restrictive bodice is common with strapless dresses, since women don't want a wardrobe malfunction while out on the town. A surfeit of boning, or lots of structure, will kill cleavage by flattening it like a pancake.
   
   Instead, do what Jennifer Hudson does - wear a dress with a flattering, looser bodice that allows a bit of movement and a maximum amount of natural curvature. Big and small girls alike benefit from a bodice that supports, lifts and separates, rather than pushing the ladies into submission.

5. Fake bigger boobs with some visual trickery. Ladies' Home Journal recommends a dusting of bronzer between the breasts: "Sweep a line of bronzer between breasts to create a shadow (the shadow that naturally occurs when you have cleavage). Be sure to blend so bronzer is nearly unnoticeable."

6. 
    
   2008 Sew Ripped / Creative Commons

   Wear the right foundation garments with your clothing, and get a proper bra fitting. An ill-fitting bra is one of the top reasons that breasts look awkward and saggy. Whether it's at Victoria's Secret or the neighborhood lingerie shop, a good fitting will put you on the right track for breast success. From there, it's easy to obtain a suitable conventional, strapless, or long-line bra to suit practically any outfit.

7. Add fabric to the bust area to make the breast seem bigger than they are. Do this by wearing gathers, pleats or ruffles around the bodice area. Jewelry also serves to increase cleavage. Dresses and clothing with a dark bottom half and light-colored top half also add some inches.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the tools of the trade to pump up the girls. Purchase lift tape to boost and secure breasts, or use a folded-up maxi pad under the breast as a cookie to lend fullness.
• Make sure that the nipples are covered when pumping up the decolletage. Often, in the quest for eye-popping cleavage, ladies push the envelope and end up showing more than they bargained for. Hide the nipples with sticky nipple flowers, or use plain bandages.

Resources

• Cosmopolitan: Get Sexy Cleavage - How to Make Your Breasts Look Bigger
• National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Breast Cancer Disease Information
• American Cancer Society: How to Perform a Breast Self-Exam
• National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Mammograms
• Ladies' Home Journal: How to Create Cleavage

[veronica1987]

on 10/23/2009 that is such a sexy photograph. totally hot!

[pieceofscrap]

on 10/23/2009 Love #5 ... it really works! Also, Strap Perfect .. the as seen on TV bra accessory does wonders ;)

[Joliedupre]

on 10/18/2009 Atlantis4569 - I looked at your profile and all of your comments are rude and abusive. This is obviously a job you've made for yourself - to leave abusive comments. Sad. I will flag every abusive comment of yours that I see.

[eggerist]

on 10/16/2009 great ideas!

[DiscountTickets]

on 10/16/2009 Very interesting article, so very well written.