Handful bra review and giveaway

Ever wondered what you can do to avoid being mistaken for a twelve-year-old boy (unless you are one) during a race? Maybe you're one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to worry about that, but for the rest of us, there are Handful bras. I had only recently discovered padded sports bras a few months before I won a Handful bra online (thanks again, Running with Spatulas!).

Handful in white

First, I don't think I'll ever go without padded sports bras again. When you combine a traditional sports bra with a sort of clingy sweat-wicking shirt and a cold morning, the results can be awkward. But as I once learned from a Victoria's Secret sales lady, "Some people want that." I'm not one of those people, so I was super happy to figure out that padded sports bras existed. Plus after four kids and nursing them all, there was a lot of deflation, like worse than the Euro.

Handful in pink

So by this point you get that I'm not well endowed. It's not a problem that I'm normally worried about, but sport bras have a tendency to take whatever a small-chested gal might have going for her and make it disappear. Even padded sports bras can smash you flat. I like that Handful has the gathering in the center of the bra to promote a more natural looking chest line and less of a uni-boob. That feature probably helps big chests even more than it does flat ones, but I still like that it makes a more natural chest contour.

This is the only bra, even of the several padded sports bras I own, that I will keep on when I change my clothes after a workout. Usually I completely change everything because I'm a sweaty mess, but if I'm in a time crunch, this bra works perfectly all day. If I had more of them, I would probably wear them all day regularly. And now that I think of it, it would have made a great nursing bra.

Handful in nude

If you don't need pads or if you're one of those people who "want that," the pads are easily removable. I also loved the directions on the Handful pads. Easy to read and use. I still have a hard time figuring out which way is up with my Lululemon bra pads. And you can see in the picture below that each pad gives you a little added boost with extra padding at the bottom. I also read online that some people put more than one pad in at a time. I go with the single, but that has got me thinking about buying some extra pads for dates with my husband. Also, this is an approved mastectomy bra.

The opening for pad insertion is pretty wide so you don't have to contort your hand into a pigeon claw to get them in and out. 

The bras also come with a perfect little mesh bag for washing your bra. Even if you don't want to take your pads out when you wash, the bag is nice for catching any pads that work their way out during the wash cycle. I always wash my workout clothing in a separate load with cold water and lay it out to dry. That junk is too expensive to get ripped to shreds on a toddler-shorts zipper.

When I run, especially long distances, I like to use my bra as a backpack/purse/storage closet/trash can. The only problem I have with Handful is that with the v-line at the chest, I can't store as much. If I were creating a Handful marathon bra, it would come up slightly higher in the front and maybe even have some pockets for more junk. Edit: The people over at Handful gave me a great idea. Use the insert pockets for storage on long runs. I'm definitely going to try this.

One last note on sizing, I used the sizing chart to measure for my bra, and it worked out well, giving me a comfortable fit. It fits sizes 32A to 38C+, so you aren't required to look like a twelve-year-old boy to buy it.

And what about if you want to try it for free -- today is your day. Thanks to the Handful crew, one awesome reader will get to try a bra in their choice of size and color.

To enter: 

In the comments of this post, tell me your favorite sports bra for running.

For bonus entries (make sure to leave a separate comment for each so I can count them all!):

* Follow (or already follow) Yo Momma Runs via Google Friend connect. Leave a comment telling me you do.

* Follow (or already follow) Yo Momma Runs on Twitter. Leave a comment telling me you do.

* Follow Handful on Twitter. Leave a comment telling me you do.

* Like (or already like) Yo Momma runs on Facebook. Leave a comment telling me you do.

* Like Handful on Facebook. Leave a comment telling me you do.

* Share this giveaway via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or your blog. Leave a separate comment for each share!

I'll pick a winner (using a random number generator) on Friday, June 29th. 

And three of their bra colors (nude, pink and cocoa) are on closeout sale for $24, so if you want to try one out, this is a great sale. The regular price is $42.