unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : shapewear

I think every girl wants to look her best whether it's on her wedding day or just going out for the day. All of us have some part of our body that we're not happy with but sometimes it's nice to get a little help if we can. Shapewear has come a long way over the years and could potentially make you look way thinner than you actually are. I say, if you can trick the eye into making yourself look thinner, why not?!  I happened to catch a re-run episode of Dr. Oz when he had Janie Byant who is the costumer designer for Madmen and some of her recommendations for shapewear that she uses on the show.

If you're more of a pear shape (more weight in hips and thighs) she recommended two products from Rago.  First is the Upper Body Extra Firm Shaping Long Line Bra ($44) and the Leg Shaper Firm Shaping ($37). Bryant simplified the names of the products on the show but I think these are the ones she showed. Both of these are the two images below. If you'd like to see some of Rago's products in action there are some YouTube videos of women before and after wearing different shapewear by Rago, here.

If you're more of an apple shape (more weight in the belly area) Bryant recommended Flexees Easy-Up Strapless Unitard from Maidenform ($38.99-$44). Ok, so if you're like me the first thing you'll think when you see the picture below is, "Why are there straps when the product is supposed to be strapless." Well, the straps are removable so I guess it's both. 

If you're in need of some help all around, Bryant recommended Bodysuit with Legs ($92, comes with or without an underwire) by Lipo in a Box (image below). This is supposed to suck and shape everything from the bust all the way down to the thighs.

Lastly, (or firstly?) the image at the very top of this post is shapewear recommendation from a different episode of Dr. Oz from Emme the plus-size model. She recommended the Flexees Ultimate Slimmer Wear Your Own Bra (WYOB) Torsette Body Briefer ($36) from Maidenform. She liked that you could wear your own bra while still getting be benefits from shapewear. You can check out the video from the episode, here.

Also, I'd like to include a short clip also from the Dr. Oz (I swear, I rarely watch this show!!) show that rather convincingly explains why you should always wash worn shapewear after every use. It's kind of gross but it's informational, here.

what i'm watching on hulu

Castle is one of my favorite shows on TV and I've been watching since the pilot first aired.  I love Nathan Fillion (sorry, hubby) and I enjoy the balance of crime scene mystery with comic relief.

Grimm is taking advantage of the fairy tale phenomenon on TV and movies.  It's a darker twist to the genre though which I like because the original Grimm fairy tales were actually quite dark.

New Girl stars Zooey Deschanel.  I can't decide if I like her or if she annoys me.  Probably a little of both.  Actually, Mark and I both like the character Schmidt the best.  His one-liners are too funny.

Once Upon a Time is created by two writers who were part of the staff that wrote for Lost.  It's very "ABC" meaning kind of cheezy and overly romantic but for some reason I keep watching.  I guess you could tag this as "Guilty Pleasure."

Lastly, The Voice.  Personally, I think it's one of the better singing reality shows (ie American Idol or The X-Factor).  I actually like the cast of star coaches and their friendly back and forth banter and I think the premise of the show is the best by far -  initially choosing a singer solely for their voice.

what i'm watching on hulu

The Glee Project. The show seems somewhat forced...trying to make a reality show that is pretty much like the TV show with similar personalities but I like how it gives the audience a behind-the-scenes look at how the TV show is made.

Barefoot Contessa. Gotta love Ina and her food.  It's a great show with simple and inspiring recipes and I love her mellow personality, no over the top butter content or bleached hair.

Castle.  Seriously, one of my favorite TV shows right now.  It's on hiatus for the summer like all the other shows but I still like to re-watch the old episodes and keep it playing on the background when I'm working.

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  I LOVE what Jamie is all about for this show.  It kind of works me up because this season he's dealing with a lot of red tape but it inspires me to eat better and feed my hubby better food.

The Voice.  I was pleasantly surprised by this show.  I thought it was going to be a total joke but the star judges actually are pretty intelligent with their guidance and it's a fresh take on the stale American Idol idea to finding new stars.

So You Think You Can Dance.  I really don't know anything about dancing but I am just so amazed that the human body can move like it does on the show and I really like the comradery between dancers.