When it comes to shapewear, modern offerings provide so much more comfort and versatility compared to the girdles our grandmothers grew up with. Today’s most-loved brands smooth and sculpt our bodies while championing empowerment and body positivity, proving that we can have it all while looking and feeling our best.

If you’ve browsed shapewear options recently (either for your wedding, for someone else’s, or just because), you’ve no doubt heard of Honeylove and Shapermint, two brands with loyal customer bases and a unique approach to fit, functionality, and design.

I was curious to see how they stacked up against one another, so I did what anyone else would do in that situation: bought pieces from both and took them out for a spin.

If you want to know which brand came out on top, you can jump down to The Verdict near the end of the article. Before we get to that part, however, I’ll tell you all about my experience and everything you need to know before you buy.

Key Comparisons Between Honeylove and Shapermint:

First, we’ll take a quick look at both shapewear brands to see how they compare to one another side by side:

Specs:	Honeylove	Shapermint
Shapewear Variety	Bras, underwear, camis, tanks, shorts, bodysuits, limited clothing	Bras, underwear, camis, tanks, shorts, bodysuits, waist-only, hosiery, swimwear, limited clothing
Pricing	Mid to high	Low to mid
Size Range	XS to 4X	XS to 4XL
Return/Exchanges	30 days on non-clearance items; free within US	60 days on non-clearance items; free
Limitations	No strapless, maternity, or waist-only options as of this writing; not all products carried in the entire size range	Carries other brands that may not be consistent; not all products carried in the entire size range
Shipping	Free within US on orders over $100	Free on orders over $70 if you’re a club member (which is $4.99/mo.)

It’s clear that Honeylove has a higher price point and fewer options in terms of shapewear variety, but there’s something to be said for doing less and doing it well.

My Experience With Honeylove Shapewear

I bought the Low-Back Bodysuit, SuperPower Shorts, and Crossover Bra with matching briefs from Honeylove.

I am head-over-heels in love with the Low-Back Bodysuit because it fits like a dream, isn’t too difficult to get on, and somehow manages to provide full support while also feeling as though you aren’t wearing anything at all.

How? I wish I knew. I was stunned by how comfortable it is and I’m already planning to buy at least one more.

It took me about 30 seconds to get the Low-Back Bodysuit on all the way and in place. That feature alone makes this piece my absolute top choice of everything I tried, from any brand.

And even if you’re large breasted, as I am, the soft-cups provide full coverage. I was honestly surprised by that. Full disclosure: I ordered an XL, which probably helped with that.

The compression on the bodysuit is not quite as strong as the next shaper I’ll talk about, but for everyday wear, it’s The One.

The SuperPower Shorts from Honeylove offer the highest compression of any shapewear I’ve worn but that comes at a cost beyond the price: 

It takes a LOT of effort to put on.

I spent about five minutes wriggling, jumping, shimmying, and pulling that shaper short on, despite it being the correct size. I’m not kidding when I say it gave me a workout, and I seriously worried that I was going to damage it in the process. It’s built of strong stuff, that’s for sure.

Once it was in place, the SuperPower Shorts were very effective at smoothing and slimming, and surprisingly comfortable, at that. 

Still, I already know I’m going to reserve those for special occasions or dresses that absolutely need the highest compression underneath. This is shapewear that requires mastering the open gusset for bathroom trips because you’re not going to want to pull it down until you’re taking it off for the day.

Finally, the Crossover Bra and matching brief are stylish and provide full coverage with excellent support. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the bra since I typically only wear underwires; I’ve longed for a soft-cup bra that works on my figure and I’ve (finally) found one!

The bra has thin pads in each cup but those are easily removed. (When you wear a 38 DD, you don’t need extra bulk up top.)

The briefs offer very light shaping, but nothing more. That’s not a bad thing, though. They smooth gently, but provide all-day comfort and no VPL, which is what I want in a pair of underwear.

Pros & Cons of Honeylove

Pros:

• An interactive quizlet helps customers to select the right size when shopping online
• The support/shaping level is provided with each product listing so you know ahead of time how constricting it’ll actually be
• Sizes range from XS to 4X, although many products max out at 3X
• Shipping is free on orders over $100 within the US
• Provides 30-day returns/exchanges for free on all products (aside from Final Sale/clearance)
• Underwear and shapewear with a crotch have a hygiene sticker across the gusset that you remove yourself. (Note: if you send the product back for a refund or exchange, that must be left in place when you do.)

Cons:

• Has a higher price point compared to Shapermint
• Does not currently offer strapless or waist-only shapewear, and no maternity support options
• Some high-compression options, like the SuperPower Short, are HARD to put on.

My Experience With Shapermint Shapewear

I purchased the Open-Bust Shaper Slip Dress, All Day Every Day High-Waisted Shaper Shorts, and Essentials Waist Trainer from Shapermint. I was not disappointed with any of them, although most did not provide the same level of compression as Honeylove.

The waist trainer is the one thing that Shapermint did better than Honeylove although it’s quite by default since the latter doesn’t currently offer one. Thankfully, you don’t have to do the shimmy-shimmy wiggle-yank dance to get into the waist trainer because it wraps around your midsection and closes through hook-and-eye clasps, just like a bra.

With three hook settings, you can customize the fit with less or more compression based on your needs.

The material is soft and thick, yet breathable, and it’s honestly the most comfortable waist trainer I’ve ever worn. 

It’s a good option when you want to achieve a tighter hourglass shape beneath a dress and offers more compression compared to a waist cincher.

The other two products I tried from Shapermint were the Open-Bust Shaper Slip Dress and the All Day Every Day High-Waisted Shaper Shorts.

Both were comfortable and extremely easy to put on, but neither offered the level of support that Honeylove’s shapers did.

They smoothed my curves and felt great under clothing, but they’re best for light shaping or everyday wear, rather than special occasions or formal dresses that need more support and definition.

And the Open-Bust Shaper Slip Dress, although comfortable, made my thighs rub together because of the tight design of the skirt portion:

Yes, it looks like a cami when you take it out of the package but I swear it turns into a slip dress when you put it on:

Overall, my shopping experience at Shapermint was pretty good… until I reached the checkout process.

That’s where things actually got annoying.

So you know how you get to an online store’s checkout page, enter your shipping/billing details and all that good stuff, right? When you click “place order” you expect the order to be, well, placed.

Not so, at Shapermint.

I went through not one, not two, but THREE upsell pages, one right after another:

You’d think I’d have been done with the upsells at this point, but you’d be wrong because along came a fourth:

Not cool, Shapermint. Not cool at all.

Not unless club membership gets me out of the upsell process during checkout. Then, I might consider that monthly fee as being worth it.

(I seriously hate being upsold in a way that accuses me of not liking to save money, or implying that I don’t enjoy free shipping and exclusive stuff if I choose not to take part.)

Pros & Cons of Shapermint

Pros:

• Lower price point compared to Honeylove
• Overall sizes range from XS to 4XL but not all products do
• Free returns/exchanges for 60 days
• Offers strapless and waist-only shapewear options, along with maternity support products
• My package came with a little insert that included a sheet of stickers!

Cons:

• “Free” shipping is only available to club members (which costs $4.99 per month)
• Carries many other brands beyond Shapermint, so products may not be consistent in sizing or quality
• At least when I checked out, there were pages of upsells to navigate through before I was “done” with the ordering process.

The Final Verdict

Overall, Honeylove won my personal Battle Of The Shapewear, hands down.

Yes, the price point is a little higher compared to Shapermint, but the quality is also higher.

(Oh, and they also don’t try to upsell you a bunch of times before your order finally gets submitted. Boy, did that chap my you-know-what. I might forgive Shapermint for that one someday… but not today.)

Particularly if you’re looking for shapewear with firm to heavy support or compression, Honeylove is the first place you should look. They offer a great range of products and one thing I really appreciated during the shopping experience is the fact that the shapewear is modeled on bodies of all sizes.

No matter the shape, all bodies are celebrated at Honeylove and that’s a company (and mission) I can really get behind.