If you wear a bra, you don’t need me to tell you how overly complicated shopping for one is. Between working out what size you are to finding a brand that actually stocks your size, particularly if you’re bigger busted, it’s one giant headache.

As someone with a bust size fluctuating between 36DD and 38E, I have spent years buying cheap and cheerful ones that didn’t fit, underwires which stabbed me during meetings at work and relishing the moment I could take it off as soon as I got home.

Part of it is a reluctance to splash out on pricier, more practical styles, always putting it at the bottom of my to-do list, while still holding out hope I’ll be able to wear decorative, prettier styles that are always modelled by slender, smaller chested women all over my Instagram feed.

With bigger boobs comes more limited choice and often you’re left with frumpy designs or plain white, black or nude shades. Going without a bra is not an option for me either.

So when lockdown started in March 2020, the idea that I wouldn’t have to wear a bra everyday was bliss and I fully embraced baggy hoodies and jumpers without the underlying back pain or shoulders left with red marks where my bra used to sit.

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However I stumbled across a bralette from shapewear brand Heist which has been like striking gold. My best friend is obsessed with their form-flattering tights and so when she saw the brand had begun creating bras and briefs, she was quick to share her excitement.

So on a whim, and let’s be honest, spurred on by lockdown boredom, I picked up a berry coloured set expecting to return it but honestly, it’s been life changing. Now, tight straps and ill-fitting cups are behind me, and I actually look forward to wearing it everyday.

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Heist the sheer bralette

If you’re unfamiliar with Heist, it’s a shapewear brand that makes tummy-control cycling shorts, bodysuits, high-waisted knickers and tights. However its sheer bralette is the greatest thing money can buy in my opinion.

Don’t get me wrong, £48 is still a lot for me to justify spending on a single bra, and typically it’s well above what I would ever budget. But I can hand on heart say, it’s the best purchase I made during lockdown, and I’d even go as far to say in the past few years, too.

Bralettes are typically a style I’ve usually found strictly reserved to smaller busted people, as they just just don’t provide the support or coverage to stop me getting backache or feeling overexposed.

This one is made from a lightweight membrane with no underwires or clasps you have to fiddle with, simply slip it over your head like you would a T-shirt. There’s no excessive padding to contend with either, it’s thin and lightweight but not flimsy. The longline design and thick band sits close to my ribs without constricting them and best of all, doesn’t bunch up underneath my boobs either (a common problem I find with other bralettes I’ve tried).

Providing light to medium support – you obviously can’t run up the stairs while wearing it like most bras – it feels secure and so comfortable, I genuinely look forward to wearing it.

While I know from experience that thicker straps help provide more support for bigger busts, another redeeming quality of this bra is that it has thinner straps that can easily be concealed under a sleeveless tank top, but there’s no worry about it not providing enough support to feel comfortable all day long. In fact I often wear it for more than 12 hours, and it’s so well-fitting that I often forget I’m wearing it altogether.

I like the sizing too, instead of being measured in cup sizes it comes in an extra small to an extra large, I’m a size 14 and I wear an extra large.

It fits so well that it has made a change to the way I feel about my body in a strange way. Having made me realise how ill-fitting some of my bras are, when I wear it, it looks great, I feel great and I have a much better day because of it. Turns out all I need for a self-esteem boost is well-fitting underwear.

I like to wear it with the matching sheer brief (£22, Heist-studios.com ), don’t ask me why but when I wear a matching set, even if no one sees it, I feel like I can conquer the world.

Everytime I wear it I want to throw out every other bra I own, and I’ve spent most of lockdown wearing it whenever possible – quite the feat considering no one is seeing me while I’m indoors.

It washes brilliantly too, just stick it in the machine and it emerges just as silky smooth and soft, with no bobbles or fraying.

I still remember the feeling when I first put it on and I’m so impressed with it I’ve already planned to buy it again in black next payday, as it comes in black, berry and sage green.

The verdict: Heist bralette

Despite wincing when I put in my card details to buy it the first time round, the Heist sheer bralette is easily the best thing I bought in lockdown. If you’ve ever struggled to find a bra that feels weightless but supportive, without being frumpy, this is like hitting the jackpot.

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For more gamechanger buys, read how this £3.99 wallet stopped our writer stressing about where to put my face mask

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This sheer bralette is the most comfortable bra I’ve ever worn, even throughout lockdown

Gamechangers: After years spent wearing uncomfortable designs, this seamless, clasp-free, non-wired bra is the best money I’ve ever spent

Heist the sheer bralette

The verdict: Heist bralette

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