I bought this to wear under a swimsuit which has zero support for my 42DDs. (I'm not exaggerating when I say zero. It was made in Japan (?) and I don't think DDs exist there.) It is not so much a bra as a tank that has a band below the chest. it works okay for the purpose I bought it for. However there is absolutely no padding. And the straps are just regular suit straps, so i doubt they'll keep the girls standing at attention for very long. There is decent 'lift' at least while dry. There is absolutely no 'separate'. It will be interesting what happens when I am in the water. But then, they will likely float on their own. The issue will be when I get out of the water and am trying to keep them from tripping me. I will say it does look cute under my black swimming suit. I wasn't sure as I've never tried wearing anything under a suit before. I wish I would have bought a size smaller because it may have provided more support. I just don't want to deal with an exchange.