How to use boob tape

Tape is the only option in this category that is cut to the outfit rather than chosen from a shelf. That is its advantage and its difficulty: nothing about it is idiot-proof, and the removal is where people hurt themselves.

What tape does that a bra cannot

A moulded piece comes in a fixed shape. A plunge that runs below the sternum, a one-shoulder cut-out, an asymmetric drape — no manufacturer makes a cup for that. Tape follows whatever line you have, and it holds by tension across the skin rather than by a cup.

The trade-off is that it has no give. Once it is on, it is on until you take it off.

Patch test first — every time

Put a small piece on the inside of your forearm 24 hours before the event and leave it. Do this even if you have used tape before; skin changes, and so do batches. If there is redness, itching or heat, do not use it.

Tape is not for sensitive or broken skin, for skin that has been waxed or shaved in the last 24 hours, or for anyone pregnant or breastfeeding without asking a professional first.

Preparing the skin

Clean and dry, with no moisturiser, no oil and no fake tan still developing. Then cover the nipple with a silicone cover or a petal before any tape goes near it — tape directly over the nipple is how people end up with a genuine injury on removal. Our Sculpt Round covers are made for exactly this.

Three lifts, three directions

Tape lifts in the direction you pull it, so the direction is the whole decision.

• Straight lift, for a strapless or square neckline: anchor under the breast, lift the tissue up with your other hand, and run the strip up and over towards the collarbone.
• Cleavage, for a plunge or a sweetheart: anchor at the outside of the breast, push inward, and run the strip diagonally towards the opposite shoulder. It is the inward pull, not the upward one, that creates a centre line.
• Side support, for a deep armhole or a one-shoulder: short strips from the outer edge towards the sternum, overlapping by about a third.

Round the corners of every strip with scissors. Square corners catch on fabric and peel.

Rules while it is on

Do not stretch the tape to its limit — around 70 per cent of its stretch is where it holds without pulling the skin. Do not layer more than two strips over the same patch of skin. Do not leave it on for more than about eight hours, and never sleep in it.

Taking it off

In a warm shower, with the water running over it for a minute or two first. Then peel slowly, parallel to the skin rather than away from it, holding the skin taut behind the strip with your other hand. Oil or conditioner along the edge helps.

Never rip it off dry and never do it quickly. Everything unpleasant people report about tape comes from this step.

Afterwards

Skin will be a little pink; that is normal and settles within the hour. Moisturise once it is dry. If there is any broken skin, leave tape alone for a fortnight.

If tape is starting to feel like more trouble than it is worth for your usual necklines, an adhesive piece probably covers you: see sticky bra vs adhesive bra.