The celeb slimming secret

Want to look five pounds slimmer in an instant? Hold in that bilbil that is such a problem for most Pinays? And not spend too much money doing it?

The celeb red-carpet secret for getting those smooth curves isn’t just diet and exercise but slimming shapewear, and while they rely on premium brands like Spanx, the good news for us everyday women is that we can now afford that blemish-free look as well.

Stephanie Mailhot of Spanx International was in the country recently to launch Assets Red Hot Label, the newest shapewear brand by Spanx. “Assets Red Hot Label is fun, fashionable and trendy, inspired by Spanx and created by the same people who design it,” she said. “We want more people to experience the magic of Spanx.”

Assets Red Hot Label has similar silhouettes to Spanx’s bestsellers but also features unique innovations of its own, like the Cami Bra, a slimming camisole that you can wear like a shirt without the additional layers of bra and girdle. Ingenious.

This sister company also offers a full range of shapewear in high-tech fabrications, from hosiery to bras, camisoles to bodysuits, with three slimming levels: “medium” for lightweight smoothing, “super” for a high level of slimming and shaping, and “ultra” for maximum control and the highest level of compression. And they all have hidden adjusters so you’ll never see bra straps, and double-sewn edges so the transition from shapewear to skin is virtually seamless. “We’re still looking after your VPLs (visible panty lines) and muffin tops,” Mailhot says reassuringly.

Best of all, Assets is a mid-tier brand, which means it’s more affordable than Spanx but has the same superior slimming capacity. Great pieces at a great value, in other words.

Here’s a quick guide to Red Hot’s key lines:

• Brilliant Bras – underwire bras that are so comfy you can wear them all day long, with back-smoothing microfibers that banish back fat and bulges. Top picks are the Cami Bra, which slims your waist and supports your bosom without giving you uni-boob; and the strapless bra, which won’t ride down and comes with convertible straps that you can wear a number of ways.

Slimming level: Medium

• Cheeky Control panties – with double compression on the tummy, these don’t cause bulges on your thighs, create no VPLs, and feature very sheer, sexy fabrication. The Butt Booster panty even has pads to make your behind look as bootylicious as J. Lo’s or Kim Kardashian’s.

• Featherweight Firmers – Mailhot says the Open Bust body shaper is very trendy today. You can wear it over your own bra and it’s made of a very lightweight, breathable mesh with built-in panty.

• Sleek Slimmers – This line adds fun fashion aspects like cheetah-print shapewear that’s tone-on-tone so it won’t be visible through your clothes. A retro-inspired design inspired by a Spanx bestseller comes with loops you can hook onto the side of your bra so it won’t ride down, giving you an allover smoothing effect.

Slimming level: Super

• Hosiery Body Shapers – Also inspired by a Spanx bestseller, these high-waisted styles are great to banish the bilbil. Made for everyday wear, they have built-in underwear, extra compression in tummy area, and a double leg band so they won’t cut into thighs.

• Top This! – This brand-new, innovative camisole could also be called the Anti-Muffin Top, with superior shaping built in, and a special feature at the bottom that allows you to anchor it to pants or leggings.

Slimming level: Ultra

• Focused Firmers – A seamless collection with targeted taming built in. Zoning levels provide more compression where needed most, whether tummy, hips, thighs, butt or love handles.

• Silhouette Serums – Trending well, these have the open-bust feature for allover shaping. The mid-thigh version makes you feel secure from back to butt; it even has a double gusset so you won’t need to take it off when going to the bathroom.

“You can’t just have one pair of shapewear,” Mailhot reiterates. Assets Red Hot is such that there’s a slimming solution for every problem or piece of clothing. “Our mission is to make the world a better place, one butt at a time.”

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In the Philippines, Assets Red Hot Label by Spanx is exclusively distributed by Rustan Marketing Corporation and available at SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, Landmark Makati and Landmark TriNoma.