Every woman should have lingerie nearest to her skin color as a foundation for white or the sheerer pieces in her wardrobe. For most brands, this is a Nude or a darker shade usually called Tan - but nothing else in the middle, or on the other side of the spectrum towards Black.
As with most women of colour, Ade Hassan couldn't find anything out there nearest her skin tone... so she designed her own line of intimates - Nubian Skin. When I walked the aisles of Salon International in Paris earlier this year, Nubian Skin stood out with the most refreshing collection of neutrals that I had seen in my 5 years of visiting lingerie trade shows.
The Nubian Skin line carries four brown skin tones - Cafe Au Lait, Cinnamon, Carameland Berry. For her opening collection, she offers a basic t-shirt bra, a lace bra and strapless bra with matching briefs and thongs. And very thoughtfully, she worked with cosmetologists and make-up artists to find the closest foundation colors for each shade of brown offered.
Cafe Au Lait is the the lightest shade. As it name suggests, it is a milky brown. It matches Bobbi Brown "Warm Honey", Lancome 06 Beige Cannelle, Estée Lauder Rich Caramel 5W2, Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in Amber and Chanel Perfection Luminar 50.
Caramel is the medium-light shade with gold and orange highlights. It complements Bobbi Brown "Golden", YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Beige 70, Estée Lauder Double Wear "Toasted Toffee", MAC Matchmaster 7, Smash Box Studio Skin 4.1, Bare Minerals "Warm Tan/Golden Tan" and Revlon Photoready 010 Caramel.
Cinnamon is the medium-dark shade with red-orange undertones, just like the spice. It works with Mac N8/N9/NW45/NW47, Iman Earth 3-4, Bobbi Brown "Warm Walnut", Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint in Beige 80 and Nars Macao.
Berry is the darkest shade with deep red lowlights. It goes well with Mac NW50, Iman Earth 6, Blackup HC 14, Laura Mercier "Espresso", Bobbi Brown Espresso 10 and Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint in Beige 90.
These foundation colors are, of course, just suggestions and there are even more make-up brands out there now offering darker color palettes. If you have found a Nubian Skin tone matching your favorite foundation color, let us know so we can add it to our list and help other gals out there.
Shop our new mobile friendly store for your Nubian Skin fix - always free US shipping with a minimum $50 purchase. And if we receive your order by 3pm on a weekday, we mail it out the same day!
As a NuBra retailer for over 8 years, one of the most common questions
I am asked is - Which type of NuBra
should I get?
First and foremost, I should state that there is only one maker of the
authentic NuBra - Bragel International Inc - in Pomona CA. They hold the US patents for the adhesive bra
with a middle clasp. Their patents are also registered in several countries so all
authentic NuBras are made in the USA.
The only exception to this is the NuBra Ultralite which is a very thin
fabric NuBra that has been licensed for production in China for a private
label. All other "NuBra"
adhesive bras made in China that are being sold online are fake. I explain the
differences between an authentic and a fake NuBra in this video.
There are two types of NuBra based on material - silicone and
fabric.
Silicone NuBras
Bragel makes 3 basic styles which are made of 100% high quality
silicone - NuBra Original, NuBra Lite and the 3D Contour.
I will be illustrating the difference between the Original and the new
3D NuBra. (The NuBra Lite is a
lightweight version of the original NuBra but I don't recommend it as it has a
pasty opaque color that I personally think looks unnatural and does not
complement any skin tone.) The NuBra Original has wider and deeper cups than
the newly released 3D Contour bra as you can see in
these side-by-side photos.
Top View
Side View
If you are looking for a silicone bra with enhancement by a cup size,
I highly recommend the 3D NuBra. Released in 2013,
the 3D NuBra is the updated version of
its original silicone bra. The cups were
redesigned with contoured edges that more naturally blends with the breast to
provide a more comfortable and seamless fit. It is available in cups A, B and C in Nude
color.
In 2015, Bragel released the 3D Underwire that has stronger
support with the addition of an underwire so that it can fit up to a cup D.
Beach NuBras
These are specialty silicone NuBras without the middle clasp designed
mainly for use under swimwear. The NuBra Beach are triangular
shaped pads that provide a perkier look for the breasts under a bikini top.
These are safe to use in the water - but wear these with care so that sand and
other particles do not get into the adhesive area. Note though that the Beach
has thin pads so it DOES NOT provide any size enhancement.
For size enhancement, use the NuBra Beach 2. These are
teardrop shaped pads that are thicker and can be placed on any part of the
breasts as needed to get a better fit under swimwear. These pads can also be
used to balance uneven breast sizes and to fill in lumpectomy areas.
NuBra Beach 2 cups
Fabric NuBras
Fabric NuBras are made of polyester with polyurethane foam and a
medical grade silicone adhesive. There are 3 basic types of fabric cup NuBras -
Feather Lite, Super Padded and Seamless.
The Feather Lite has lightly padded
cups that provide NO size enhancement. It comes in various colors but only Nude
(link) is made in cup sizes AA to E.
Black is available in cups A to E.
All other colors are made in Cups A to D with limited availability.
The Super Padded has fabric cups
with thicker padding and provides enhancement by one cup size. As this was
originally designed for petite ladies, it has slightly smaller cups than the
Feather Lite and is only available in cups AA, A and B. It comes in 3 colors -
Nude, Tan and Black.
Super Padded cups
The Seamless NuBras are very
lightweight fabric bras with laser cut edges so there are no seams that will
show under tight fitting garments or clingy fabrics. It has no padding so it provides no size
enhancement. The styles under this line
are the Seamless, Seamless U, Seamless Push Up, Seamless Underwire and Seamless Airy.
The Seamless Push Up is the most
popular as it has built in molded pads for even better cleavage enhancement. It is available in cup A to D in 3 colors -
Nude, Tan and Black.
Seamless Push Up cups
The Seamless Underwire has built in underwire support for users up to a cup E. It is available in cups A to E but I recommend its use only for cups C, D and E as smaller cups really do not need underwire support. (Wearing tip for larger busted ladies: Before placing the cup on each breast, bend slightly forward so that each cup "catches" the breast. Adjust the placement of each cup so that it is even on each breast, then fasten the middle clasp. Doing this ensures the most comfortable andsecure fit of your NuBra.)
The Seamless Airy is the most
lightweight and most breathable of the NuBras as it has less silicone adhesive. The silicone adhesive is placed in stripes along the length of the cups so there are areas with no adhesive where sweat can go through for more comfort during its use. This does not affect the strength of the adhesive as long as the skin is properly prepared before use
(Pre-use tip: Make sure the skin is dry and clean with no perfumes, oils and lotions before use. For humid weather, wiping the breasts with rubbing alcohol right before use ensures a sweat-free surface for the silicone adhesive to securely adhere to). My NuBra has stayed on through humid summer days in DC and even through a night of dancing!
Seamless Airy cups
The Seamless U is a NuBra with
the most minimal coverage. The shape of the cups are longer for coverage along
the lower parts of the breast but higher along the sides. This allows secure
placement of the fabric cups while providing maximum cleavage under deep plunge
outfits. The Seamless U comes in 3 sizes
- XS (for AA/petite A), S (A/B) and L (C/petite D). Bragel also sells it in XL
packaging which is just the L (Large) cups packaged with the NuBra extenders.
This allows use by larger cup (D/E) or band sizes (38 and up).
Seamless U cups
I also prepared the following video showing the different NuBra styles that I think most NuBra newbies will find helpful.
Some Final Notes on the Wear and Care of your NuBra
1. The NuBra is NOT for use
with sensitive skin, sunburnt skin or skin with sores or cuts. NuBras are made
with a skin safe medical grade silicone adhesive but not all skin types may
react favorably to an adhesive. If any irritation
occurs, please discontinue use.
2. NuBras should NOT be used
with sagging breasts. Sagging breasts need support with bras that have straps.
(Bragel also produces a line of Invisible Breast Enhancers that provide push up and size enhancement but
these are made to be worn under bras or garments with built in support.)
3. NuBras are NOT recommended
for cup sizes F or larger or for band sizes greater than 42. NuBras are
actually designed for a 34 band size. Having said that, the adhesive nature of
the bra allows for a range of fit. NuBra
extenders are available to provide a more comfortable
fit for band sizes 38 and up.
4. NuBras should be cleaned AFTER
EVERY USE. Use the NuBra cleanser or a mild cleanser
to clean the adhesive area gently, rinse with warm water and then drip dry. Never use bar soaps as the wax will actually
clog the adhesive and not allow its tackiness to regenerate. The secret to making your NuBra last for
several uses is in its proper use and cleaning.
