Week 3, day 3.

I am so excited to be starting corset reviews! I will be posting reviews for several different corset styles from Mystic City Corsets, Orchard Corsets, Timeless Trends, Isabella Corsetry, Rebel Madness, and more. I know, for someone who just started wearing corsets on a daily basis and started waist training even more recently, I have a lot of corsets. But my love for this timeless garment runs deep. My corset is my armor, protecting me from debilitating anxiety and holding me through my grief at losing my father (I lost my mother in 2014, so I am also coming to terms with the loss of everything that came with my parents - Sunday dinners, shopping, all their grand-kids playing in the backyard, holidays, birthdays...I have always lived less than 2 miles from my parents, so you can imagine how huge it was to lose them.).

I am still having a fairly easy time with waist training. I love it. When I wake up in the morning and see the subtle changes in my body it motivates me to keep on going during the day. I have yet to cheat, and event though it's good to take a day off, I don't really like to. I usually work on seasoning newer corsets on my day off from waist training. That way I am still corseted, but not cinched down tightly.

I am hoping to have the first review posted tomorrow, starting with the MCC 68 from Mystic City Corsets. I will be sharing all the usual information, measurements, materials, construction, but will also be sharing my personal experience with not only wearing these corsets, but my first impressions, my feelings after seasoning is over, and any issues, discrepancies, or minor inconveniences. I feel that, especially for those of us on a budget, all of those are important. Although my experience may be different from others, I don't want to leave anything out. A corset is an investment, and I can't speak for you, dear reader, but I want to know what I am getting for my money. If I buy a $600 corset is it worth the money? How is the construction? Materials? What styles are there? How many bones? Flat steel? How much wear can I get from a $49 corset? Is it good quality even though the price is low? What should I expect if I buy a corset on clearance? Can I return a corset that doesn't fit/is damaged/is not what I ordered? I've asked all of those questions at one time. And even though I am by no means an expert, I am an educated corset enthusiast and the more information that is out there to help people looking into corsets for any reason, the better.

I also plan to start posting about Corset and waist training myths! There are so many!

Please let me know if there is anything that you would like to see here. I'm just starting out here and would love to know what kinds of information YOU want to see here.

Squishy Corset Hugs,
-Vixx

Things I am bad at....

Blogging on time. I am not good a that at all! Actually this past week has been so busy that I have barely had time to sleep. I have been getting to bed incredibly late, but have accomplished so much as far as the house remodel that I am perfectly okay with missing some sleep.

I have been faithfully following my waist training program that Ann (of Romantasy Exquisite Corsetry) designed for me, and managed to complete week 2 at 29.5 inches with no issues. In fact, while I was out on Tuesday, I needed to tighten my laces and accidentally closed my corset! Just 2 weeks ago there was no way I could've managed to close any of my corsets! I did not keep it closed since I do no want to go too fast, but it was exciting. Today is day 1 reduced another half inch, to 29 inches over my corset. When I started this program I wasn't sure that my body would budge past the 29.5 inch mark, but  it has become much easier. Lacing down is like home, I swear!

I have managed to lose a few pounds, but I tend not to focus as much on weight as I do on measurements since muscle weighs more than fat and as I build muscle from exercise, my weight may not change much for a bit. My body, however, is changing. I am starting to see it. My tummy is still soft, but almost flat as opposed to my round pooch. My hips look slimmer, people are commenting on my posture and saying I look good. Yay! Some days it is tough to resist the pull of a giant chocolate cake or berry covered cheesecake, but I manage. When I quit smoking years ago I learned that a craving usually only lasts for 5 minutes. If you can make it past that point, it will usually dissipate. I have been using that strategy to get past my sweet tooth. I'm sure that I'll lose more when I have my dental work done as well. That's another long story though, so nsuffice it to say that I have to have my entire mouth reconstructed due to an injury that happened when I was 7. It destroyed my developing adult teeth and my enamel will literally shatter at random. I am having a ton of crowns and implants done to fix this once and for all.

I am also starting corset reviews this week! I am going to start out with one of my Mystic City Corsets, so if you have been curious about MCC, keep an eye out!

Playing Catch-up

The past few days have been so busy that I have almost literally fallen into bed at night. I have been having issues with my work tool and it was related to a faulty Windows update, which meant spending a lot of time trying to find the right restore point. It also means working like crazy all weekend to try and make up hours. Also moving furniture around since I am getting all of my Dad's furniture. Fun stuff, lemme tell you. Moving things is not my forte. I gave up and hired people to do the actual heavy lifting. I still have to handle my own furniture as well as getting rid of a ton of older stuff in the house since I rented a gigantic dumpster and may as well take the opportunity to de-clutter. I have owned his house for almost 16 years and several friends have stayed here and left things on top of my own mass of stuff. My home is adorable, but it was designed by someone who was very drunk or something since it has no close space, drawers that can't open due to walls in the way, no bathroom storage, no kitchen pantry and very few cabinets. What little storage space I have is crammed full. Looking forward to making some room, finishing the remodel and buying a stand alone pantry!

So all of that is why I haven't updated the past few days, but in all honesty this first week wasn't hard at all. Maybe it's because I am more comfortable in a corset than out of one. I also found out that my back irritation is due to the fact that I am a bit bustier than I thought! I am, in fact, a 36DD. I have been wearing a 36D for years and just thought my bras weren't supportive enough. Turns out I have been wearing the wrong size on top of not enough support. I bought a few bras locally and ordered some from Her Room as well, and the minute I put on that gigantic DD cup bra, my back literally sighed. So much better. I'm only 5'6", and I'm built to be about 130lbs, so a DD cup is a lot of weight for my frame.

Speaking of weight, I have dropped down 4lbs! Seems like a small amount, but I'm trying to lose weight in a healthy manner and don't want to lose too much too fast. I am the same age my Mother was when she had her first heart attack, so I am really trying to make sure to stay as healthy as possible.

I will post measurements tonight, but I did measure my waistline last night (which was my day off so no corset) and I have lost a teeny tiny bit. I was measuring my snug waist at 33", and now its like 32 2/3". It's not much, but it's something. Even that teensy bit has boosted my confidence and given me hope. I have tried so hard to lose weight in the past, and since I am no longer a crazy active 21 year old that dances and goes out all the time, my metabolism has slowed and it's so hard for me to lose weight. I may have my doc check my thyroid just to be sure. In any case, this tiny bit of progress has renewed my hope. THANK YOU ANN (Romantasy) for being there for people like me that want to lose weight and waist train.

Ann has been a real inspiration to me lately. I have known her for about 2 weeks, but I love her positive spirit and willingness to share her knowledge. I am more than halfway through her book "Corset Magic" and it is fabulous! I'll save most of what I have to say for the review, but let me just say that Ann is not only informative, but she's funny too!

I am also working on what will be the review section of the blog. I only own 13 corsets at the moment, but my love for them is strong, so I tend to want to try new brands and styles. I toyed with the idea of sharing my experiences with certain brands and styles but was on the fence. Until Friday. I recently ordered a beautiful French Roccoco corset and a blue satin waist cincher from Timeless Trends. The waist cincher is what helped me decide to review. Right out of the package I noted extensive damage to the fabric, as if something had rubbed against it repeatedly for a good long time. Fully opened, the wear on the fabric was on all sides of the corset. One spot had a good one inch bundle of thread hanging out. The flat steels beside the grommets are warped badly on one side. When I dared to put it on, it became obvious that this cincher was seasoned to someone else's shape. Now I did get the cincher on clearance. However clearance does no mean heavily damaged and warped. Warped steels are not okay for wear. I sent a message but have yet to hear back. The return policy is 45 days, however I would have to pay to ship the cincher back to them, which I am opposed to since had anyone looked at this cincher prior to shipping, it would have been obvious that it was not up to par. I am fairly sad since all I wanted was a nice little cincher for work or just hanging about. I am hoping they make it right, otherwise I will never do busness with them again and will certainly share my experience on my nail polish FB page, which has tens of thousands of followers.

Today I am doing 6 hours at 29.5", which I think I can handle. I will update later tonight!

Day 5

Today is my second day laced down to 29.5" for 4 hours. I woke up this morning and decided to start my day by spending some time seasoning a new corset. And this corset is stunning, so I can hardly be blamed! However after sitting in it for 2 hours, I noticed that my back was feeling somewhat strained. I have several corsets that allow me to sit comfortably for hours, but this is not one of them. My MCC's are my fave's for sitting since they have high backs (one measures 15" along the back!) and are nicely seasoned. I don't have too many back issues, but I do have to watch my lower back due to a car accident I was in 20 years ago. Anyway, I removed that corset to go run some errands and did not change into a different corset since I thought I would be home soon. The combination of the sitting uncomfortably and breaking in a new bra (that I suspect doesn't have half the support that I was told, thus creating a lot of tension in my back) led to a sore back. It's still a bit tender, but I laced down for my 4 hours in my MCC-68 satin and damask underbust and my back yelled at me for a moment, then sighed in relief. Funny how that works. Now if I could just find a pretty bra that supports the girls without chafing, pinching, or resembling a surgical wrap. 

Had a horrible craving for greasy fries tonight but that quickly faded into nothing when I stepped in my scale and saw that I had lost 4 lbs! Wahoo! Ended up having a lovely veggie filled salad and some yogurt with berries and granola. Berries are my very favorite food. I could eat raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, anything that ends in berry all day long. Thankfully my corsets remind me that portion size is just as important as what I'm eating. 

So today has been about a 4. My back is a bit angry, but that's something I deal with carrying around veritable cantaloupes on my chest. It's nothing compared to what my hubby deals with daily and my corset has almost totally alleviated the soreness.

Hopefully I'll find time to share more than just my daily progress soon. So much to get done lately!

Day 4.

Increased wear time today! 4 hours at 29.5". It was much easier than I had anticipated, but I know that I will be challenged soon enough. It can't all be this easy. On a scale of 1-10, I think today rated as a 3. Only challenge was that I was wearing an outfit that made it difficult to use the ladies room. Note to self, silk fisherman pants may be gorgeous and comfy, but not all that functional when paired with a corset.

I have had no food cravings today, and I made it through my weak spot after Pilates this morning with no issues. My weak spot is what I call the hour or so after working out where I end up ravenous and can easily justify overeating. This morning I didn't feel hungry at all after Pilates, so whipped up a protein shake and crocheted a bit (Yes, I crochet. Expertly at that. I specialize in modern clothing and work in heavy, medium, light and lace weigh yarns as well as thread, which is a personal fave.) of a swing skirt that I'm working on. I also tend to munch while working, but have made sure I have nothing but healthy snacks on hand and have managed to barely munch anything while working. I had about a handful of shelled, unsalted sunflower seeds. Other than that In had a few slices of pear, and some granola throughout the day and yummy veggie rice for dinner. I am even down to a single cup of coffee a day! I am not sure I will ever be able to give it up entirely, so I am quite proud to be down to one cup as opposed to my usual 2 in the morning and 1-2 in the afternoon.

Felt so good this morning (despite a severe lack of sleep since Dex had a tough night and wanted mommy) that I threw in an extra 30 minutes of Pilates. Hubby says that I look like I am losing weight and my posture has changed dramatically. He is also incredibly supportive of my corseting and loves how I look while corseted. I mean, he loves me without my corsets, but it's wonderful to have some support at home. Ann is also a huge support and I cannot wait to get to know her better. I found her through Lucy's Corsetry, and I admire Lucy a great bit. However since talking with Ann almost daily, I have to say that Ann is who I admire most in the corseting world. As a matter of fact, I have to get started on her book "Corset Magic" tonight.

I will be doing a full review on "Corset Magic" here soon, but I definitely recommend her Corseting Primer "Corset Waist Training". For those of us just starting out with corseting, even if you don't want to waist train, this book contains so much of what we need to know to be safe and get the most out of our investment, and corseting is an investment! (Especially if you are like me and amass several better quality OTR corsets and plan on going custom in 12 weeks!)

Bedtime now. Lots to do tomorrow.

Day 3- or what happens when you accidentally save a draft!

Yup, this post is late. I wrote it on time, however I failed to hit publish and it merely saved as a draft. So here is yesterday's post. I'll post tonight's update before bed.

I am looking forward to tomorrow since I get to increase my wear to 4 hours at 29.5". 2 hours has been a bit too easy. It's literally when I feel the best. My anxiety is gone, I'm happy with how I look and feel, which is huge since I am not happy with what I see in the mirror these days. But waist training, pilates, yoga, and walks with my beloved Great Dane will certainly help. Anyway, difficulty was about a 2 today. Easy Peasy. I wonder if it's less challenging to me since I have been corseted around 6-8 hours a day everyday for a few weeks while seasoning my new corsets. Of course I am nowhere near as cinched when I am seasoning, I know better than to rush seasoning, just a thought.

Had my usual protein shake breakfast. I'm not much of a breakfast person, but can handle those. It also has a good amount of fiber, which is a bonus. Nibbled on bananas and pears throughout the day, as well as some unsalted, shelled sunflower seeds. Dinner was a lovely turkey salad that I could only manage about 1/3 of! I truly do prefer to graze over trying to eat an entire meal while corseted!

Managed to escape pesky cravings today as well. Let's hope that keep up.

Day 2

2 hours at 29.5" again today. Definitely easier than yesterday, even when sitting. 2 hours again tomorrow and then I increase to 4 hours on Wednesday. I feel like I could already increase my wearing time, but I don't want to go too fast the first week.

I think my biggest issue is food. Man, I am so used to instant gratification and heavy foods. I used to eat clean and when I had my second kiddo I just gave up. It was easier to eat on the go while running a business, working the business and raising two kids than it was to cook or to prepare meals ahead of time. Even though healthy food tastes so much better to me, I still have that crazy urge to just grab something quick and horrible for me

. I need to launch a full scale grocery store visit, but I did manage to snag some healthy snacks as well as dinner tonight. I had a lovely Cesar salad with white meat chicken for dinner. I munched on some yummy granola throughout the day, as well as some pears and organic bananas. Picked up more Almond Milk (was bummed that they were out of the Hint of Honey!) and protein shake mix and some fiber filled cereal (no sugary cereals for me anymore! I think I will hit the store tomorrow and see what I can work with. It doesn't help that I am an incredibly picky eater.

It feels good to be getting out more as well. I work from home, so I don't have to leave the house until we run out of food, haha! I'm kidding, I am just making a point to be more active since I could laze about half the day and nobody would bother to chastise me.

My 2 corsets from Isabella Corsetry arrived today and they are gorgeous. I ordered the Petite Josephine in a pink and blue floral on black, and the Victorian Underbust in Teal Blossom. Having a couple higher quality corsets has me itching to get one from Romantasy. Not that my MCC and Timeless Trends are bad quality...for OTR corsets they are surprisingly well made and fit better than expected. But even with just wearing these new corsets for seasoning the difference was marked. They are lighter, yet sturdy, and the minute I laced them on they were already clinging to my curves.

 Okay, it is bedtime for me. My eyes are droopy. To recap, today was about a 2 in terms of difficulty when laced in, but a good 8 when it comes to resisting the temptations of cupcakes and chocolate bars. At least I didn't give in!

Til tomorrow,