Every once in awhile, a Hollywood trend comes into our lives and we just can’t live without trying it. Think: juice cleanses, contour makeup and SoulCycle. Thankfully, we’ve stuck with one of the three – hello, expensive gym memberships.
Always on a quest to look our best, we jumped at the chance to try the Hourglass Waist Cincher by Amia, a product similar to the corset-style garments worn by names like Kim Kardashian to get her signature curve-happy figure back post baby.
It was easy to follow the sizing chart online, an we elected for a simple nude version, as we planned on wearing it under our clothes, not over the top, sexy schoolgirl style.
The garment makes big promises – reducing our waist by 1-4″ immediately, and “increase thermal activity and perspiration in your core,” which, over time, is supposed to give you an “edge … toward reaching your goals.”
On the day the garment arrived, we donned with a skirt-and blouse combo to head to a conference. Despite the boning, the shapewear did bend somewhat, allowing us to sit (albeit less than comfortably) in the car. Despite the cool temperatures, our midsection began to sweat almost immediately. In some ways, the warm, firm pressure against our stomach was a blessing – we certainly weren’t tempted to reach for the afternoon break cookie table, and instead stuck to bottled water to cool off. As we walked around, it held our core in (much like a ballet barre class) and we felt confident in our newly enforced good posture.
The product is high quality – a mix of cotton and rubber with sturdy hook-and-eye closures that really would be best if someone else put them on. We had a 15-minute session of sweating and swearing trying to close all of our hooks.
While standing (so long as we weren’t eating) the garment did its job, reducing our waist size by about 2 inches and essentially functioning like a well-worn pair of Spanx, albeit slightly less comfortable and a lot hotter.
Six hours in, and we felt like we’d sweat out at least a pound or two. Thankfully, our silk shell was loose enough that nobody but us could see – we wouldn’t suggest pairing this under a form-fitting outfit, as you’d be able to see the corset’s hook-and-eye closures.
But by the time we hit our car for the ride home, we’d had enough – pop pop pop went the cinches, one by one. We could finally breathe (and eat normally) again.
For several days, we repeated the process. Overall, days that required standing and networking went fine – we could walk, shop, and move normally, albeit a bit sweatier than usual, and we loved how sculpted our newly-defined waist looked. But for days where we were working on deadline, it wasn’t exactly a favorite – we felt like our problem areas were overflowing from top and bottom, and, even with good posture, we felt uncomfortable. And forget about going to the gym – we were sweating enough just standing there, no way were we about to embark on a spin class or weight session with this baby under or over our Lululemon gear.
After a week, we saw some results – be it a result of the increased perspiration and decreased calorie intake or just a perceived flattening, we’re not sure.
Would we don a waist-trainer again? Sure, for a big night out or a diet reminder – it even functioned as a nice back brace for days when we spent most of the time on our feet. While we haven’t yet had a baby, we can certainly see the value in “strapping it all into place” post partum as well. But probably not on an everyday basis.
Celebrities who use these on the regular, we applaud your dedication.
{Image via Kim Kardashian West Instagram, product sent as a trial from Amina. Opinions are my own}