Dept. 01 → Aisle 1 · Shapewear
Shapewear for loose skin: Honeylove vs Skims vs Spanx, worn for six weeks.
After fast weight loss, the clothing complaint nobody warns you about isn't size — it's texture. Fabric that used to skim now catches. The internet's answer is shapewear, and the internet is also full of people selling it to you. We spent six weeks and $612 of our own money wearing nine garments across three brands, through office days, a wedding, and one very long flight.
The short version is in the box above. The longer version — including where each brand's sizing chart quietly lies — is below.
Honeylove SuperPower Short
The only garment we tested with actual boning — it holds smooth through a 12-hour day where the others surrender by dinner. The trade: you will feel it, and getting it on is a two-minute commitment.
- Strongest smoothing of the nine
- Boning that never buckled or rolled
- Survived a wedding and a red-eye
- Priciest per garment
- A two-minute wrestle to put on
- You will not forget you are wearing it
Fit note: order your measured size — the boning does the work, and sizing up defeats it. Their chart ran true for all three of our testers.
Last verified 2026-06-12. We bought this at retail.
Skims Seamless Sculpt Mid-Thigh Short
The one we kept reaching for on ordinary days. Compression is moderate but even, the fabric breathes, and the size chart was the most honest of the three — order your measured size and it fits.
- Most comfortable across 8-hour days
- Honest size range, XXS–5X
- Fabric that breathes on a flight
- Moderate smoothing only
- Waistband relaxes by month two
Fit note: the most honest chart of the three — order your measured size and it fits. Mid-transition, that means today's size, not the goal size.
Last verified 2026-06-12. We bought this at retail.
Spanx OnCore Mid-Thigh Short
The budget answer, and a good one: roughly 80% of the Honeylove effect at half the price, and it goes on sale nearly every month. Size up one from the chart — theirs runs a full size small.
- 80% of the effect at half the price
- On sale almost monthly
- The most colors in the test
- Size chart runs a full size small
- Rolls at the waist by hour ten
Fit note: size up one from their chart — it runs a full size small. If today's price looks high, it very likely won't by next week.
Last verified 2026-06-12. We bought this at retail.
The Verdict — Cut Along the Dotted Line
Buying one: Honeylove for an event, Skims for a life. Buying on a budget: Spanx OnCore, sized up, on a sale week. Whatever you buy, buy your measured size in this size, not your next one — shapewear you're shrinking out of is the one garment not worth tailoring.
Asked at the counter
Does Honeylove run true to size?
Yes — their chart ran true for all three of our testers. Order your measured size; the boning does the shaping, and sizing up defeats it.
Does Spanx OnCore run small?
A full size small. Size up one from their chart. It also goes on sale nearly every month — if the price looks high today, it likely won’t next week.
Should I buy shapewear in my current size or my goal size?
Your measured size, today. Shapewear you are shrinking out of is the one garment not worth tailoring — buy for the body wearing it this season.