How to use boob tape for any neckline

Boob tape does one thing a bra cannot: it goes wherever the dress needs it and nowhere else. It lifts, it holds a neckline flat, and it does both without an edge that shows. It also takes ten minutes the first time and two after that. Here is the method, then the pattern for each neckline.

Before you cut anything

Skin clean, dry and bare. No lotion, oil, deodorant or self-tanner on the chest. If you plan to wear nipple covers, they go on first; tape never goes over the nipple directly. Round the corners of every strip with scissors so the ends do not catch on fabric and lift.

How much to cut

The Body Tape is 6 cm wide on a 5 m roll. For lift, a strip runs from under the breast to the collarbone or shoulder: 20 to 30 cm depending on your frame. For a neckline hold, 8 to 12 cm. Cut before you peel; the backing comes off in one piece.

The lift, step by step

1. Put the nipple cover on if you are using one.
2. Peel the backing from the bottom end of the strip only.
3. Anchor the bottom end under the breast, at the crease, angled slightly outward.
4. Lift the breast with your free hand to where you want it to sit.
5. Peel the rest of the backing as you run the strip up and press it flat toward the shoulder or collarbone. The strip should be taut, not stretched.
6. Hold your palm over it for ten seconds. Repeat on the other side and check the mirror for symmetry.

One strip per side is enough for an A to C cup. For D and up, use two strips per side: the first as above, the second angled a little further out toward the armpit. For more lift than tape alone gives, put The Sculpt on first and tape over it; the insert carries the weight and the tape holds the position.

Deep plunge

The lift pattern above, with the strip angled inward instead of straight up, so the two sides pull toward the center. Add a short horizontal strip across the sternum, under the neckline, to keep the fabric from gaping. Tape is the answer here because an adhesive bra has a clasp that would show.

Backless dress

Lift strips on both sides, run toward the shoulder rather than the collarbone so nothing sits in the open back. If the dress is also low at the front, this plus The Sculpt is the whole solution; see What to wear under a backless dress.

Strapless top or bandeau

Here the job is holding the fabric, not the breast. Cut two short strips, stick one edge to skin just above the breast and the other edge to the inside of the top. Press. This is the fix for a strapless neckline that creeps down during the night.

Wrap dress or button gap

One short strip, folded so it is sticky on both faces, between the two layers of fabric. Cut it lengthwise if the gap is narrow.

Taking it off

Never dry, never fast. In the shower, let warm water run over the tape for a minute, then peel down slowly from the top. Out of the shower, work a little oil under the top edge and peel a centimeter at a time, pressing the skin down with the other hand as you go. Any residue comes off with more oil. Give the skin a night before the next wear.

Things that go wrong

The end lifts. The corner was square, or the strip was stretched. Round the corners and lay it taut.

It will not lift enough. The anchor was too high. It has to start at the crease under the breast, not on the breast.

It shows at the neckline. Angle the strip further out and trim the top end shorter. Nude, Cocoa and Black are there so the tape matches skin or fabric, whichever the neckline exposes.

It hurts coming off. It was pulled dry. Water or oil, always.

Start here

The Body Tape on its own for the neckline jobs. The Starter Duo, which is The Sculpt plus The Body Tape, for lift and hold together. The Sculpt Round for the covers that go on first.