Fashion & Beauty Tips

The perfect outfit requires the perfect foundation. Even the most toned figures need help, and chances are, under every cleavage-baring, smooth-flowing clingy dress is a push-up bra and shaper working overtime.

Choosing the right underwear is a basic part of dressing for your figure and ensuring that your clothes fit your body the way they should. Here are a few of my favorite undergarment secrets to keep you looking and feeling fabulous.

Visible Panty Lines

The dreaded VPL acronym — visible panty lines. Whether you’re wearing a fitted dress or pants, visible panty lines can completely ruin your entire look taking a sophisticated ensemble and making it appear trashy. There are several ways to ensure that VPL never happens to you. The most common undergarment for combatting panty lines is the thong. However if your thong has seams you can be caught with thong lines. To prevent this, opt for a seamless thong if you’re comfortable wearing them.

If you find thongs uncomfortable a seamless boy short is great. It gives you coverage that is comfortable without being visible through your outfit.

It’s also important to remember to wear the right color underwear. If you are wearing a light colored bottom or top, opt for either nude colored underwear that matches your complexion or underwear that is exactly the same color as your outfit. The only thing worse than VPL is completely visible underwear so always do a quick mirror check to make sure your underwear is not visible through your clothes.

Shapers

Shapers are a great way to visibly slim the body and also create a smooth silhouette when wearing body-hugging fabrics. Shapers come in all sizes from extra small to triple extra large because they can benefit women of all sizes. Whether you want to appear firmer and narrow your waistline or simply smooth out subtle rolls on your slim figure, a good shaper is a necessity for your wardrobe. One of my favorites is Spanx because it is slimming yet lightweight which makes it comfortable to wear in our warm climate — even during the summer. Shop around and see what works for you. Modern shapers are nothing like your mother’s girdle. Comfortable, effective and with many sexy options available as well, they do wonders for you figure and your confidence in no time flat.

Bra Wars

Many of us have been unknowingly wearing the wrong bra size for years — myself included. On a whim I had a professional bra measurement done this weekend only to find that I had been wearing the wrong cup size for years. When you have a few minutes this week measure yourself to determine your correct band and cup size. Wearing the right size bra increases comfort especially when you’re going all day or from day to night. It also ensures that your clothes look their best on you when you have the right support from the right fit.

Apart from wearing the right size, it’s also important to wear the right bra for your garment. If you’re wearing a racerback top or a halter top, invest in a good strapless or convertible bra designed for these cuts. A regular bra with visible bra straps completely ruins the flattering cut of these pieces and takes away form the overall look.

Here’s a guideline for measuring yourself to determine your correct bra size. If you have a friend or partner that can help you that’s great as well because it is best to have your hands down while the measurements are being taken. All you’ll need is a soft measuring tape and remember to wear your most comfortable bra when taking the measurements.

Finding your band size

Measure around your chest, right below your breasts (where the bottom band of your bra lies). Take this measurement and add five inches. If you measure yourself at 30 inches add 5 inches to make 35 inches. Since bra bands come in even numbers, round up to 36.

Finding your cup size

Take another chest measurement, this time around the fullest part of your breasts. Take this number and subtract your band size. For instance, if you measured yourself at 40 inches, subtract 36 inches to get four inches. The below chart will show you your cup size.

If the difference is less than 1 inch this means a AA cup.

1 inch = A cup

2 inches = B cup

3 inches = C cup

4 inches = D cup

5 inches = DD cup

The key ingredient in a flattering outfit is proper fitting underwear. It’s an investment that will last you years, and immediately improve the way you look and feel in your clothes.