Every women wants to look her best for special occasions and that means looking great in a dress or skirt. Sometimes you need a little help to smooth your your tummy or shape up your thighs. With that in mind, makers of intimate apparel have invented shapewear to help you look great in everything you wear. While shapewear can improve your look, the wrong shapewear can do just the opposite. Make sure you look great with these terrific tips for buying shapewear.

• Take a Good Look: Look in the mirror and decide what part or parts of your body will benefit most from shapewear. Are you trying to smooth your thighs and tummy or just your tummy? Taking an inventory and finding out what body parts you want to slip down and shape up will help you guide your search and make sure you invest in shapewear you needs and don’t waste money on shapewear you don’t.



• Get Fitted: When was the last time you were professionally fitted to your approximate bra size. Most women will think back to a time when they first started wearing a bra. If you find your self in this demographic you are in need a fitting. As you mature your body changes and it’s not the same as it was ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago. Getting fitted will help you find shapewear that is functional and fits comfortably.



• Ask Your Self Why: Why are you buying shapewear? Most women buy shapewear to help them fit into a dress or for a special occasion. The reasons behind purchasing shapewear should guide your search. Keep in mind the length of your dress or the cut of your top.



• Buy the Right Size: Many women make the mistake of buying shapewear in a size to small in hopes that it will make them look smaller. In a perfect world this would work, but in reality, it can be defeat the purpose of shapewear, which is to smooth out areas like your tummy, butt, or thighs. Shapewear that is to small will cause the dreaded "muffin top" effect, meaning your skin will have no where to go except up down and out causing your body to bulge in all the wrong places.



• Take it Back: If it doesn’t fit, don’t’ keep it. Like I mentioned earlier, shapewear that doesn’t fit right wouldn’t look good, so if you buy shapewear online or in store and once you try it on it doesn’t fit right, take it back. Never keep shapewear in hopes that you will fit into it or that it will alright if you wear it a particular way or with a certain dress.



• Go for Quality: When it comes to shapewear you will want to choose quality over quantity every time. Sure you may find some cheap shapewear but the best stuff will often cost a little bit more. While you may be shelling out a few extra dollars for quality brands, it is money well spent. Quality shapewear will last longer, be more comfortable, and look better.



• Take Care of Your Shapewear: The key to extending the life and function of your shapewear is to take care of it. When at all possible hand wash your shapewear by hand to prevent extra wear added by the rinse cycle. As with most delicates you will want to avoid machine drying at all cost to prevent wear and maintain the shaping quality of your shapewear.