Full disclaimer first – I worked at SmartPak while they were developing SmartSlim.  Of course, I had absolutely 0 to do with the development of the product (the person who did is really, really awesome by the way) and didn’t do any original product testing or anything like that.  I’ve just known about SmartSlim for a long, long time.

So it’s surprising that it took me over 5 years to try one.

When it was first a thing, I wasn’t showing at all.  When I did start showing again, I was wearing these $40 old trophy hunter TS breeches that I got at a consignment shop.  They are the older style, thick fabric and a true mid-rise and have a lot of breathing room once you wear them for 10 minutes.  So I didn’t want to cough up the $40 for SmartSlims, because I am cheap like that.

Then I got a new pair of TS breeches for Christmas, and I set them aside just for showing and special occasions.  They are new and lovely and I tried them on a week before the show and went eep!

Technical fabric.  Tight, technical fabric.  Cellulite and flab everywhere.  Amazing breeches, but not as forgiving as my older pair.

So I did the smart, rational thing and rush ordered a SmartSlim Ultra to arrive before the show.

I ordered exactly what the site said for my measurements, and when I opened it up from the package I was a little terrified.  The waist was maybe 1/3-1/2 the size of my actual waist.  It looked like I ordered a child’s pair of dancing tights. Even so, I forced tried them on with some minor difficulty.

And holy jeebus.  I pranced around the house with the SmartSlims and my breeches on and felt like a million bucks.  Remember how I wrote about the time Elvis gave me a permanent “ass tumor”?  SmartSlims made it disappear.  Joking around, I smacked my butt in front of my husband and he said with some shock, “Wow it didn’t even jiggle.”

It. Didn’t.  Even.  Jiggle.

So I wrote them to school in, and decided that yes, I could ride a horse just as well with a non-jiggly ass as I could with a jiggly one.  I gave them a wash and then wore them for the show the next day.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.  The ones on the left (pink shirt) were taken about a month prior, and the ones on the right at the show.  I assure you that I did not lose any weight in this time period (I wish!).  Maybe it’s just me, but I see a huge difference.

Mmhmm, yes please.

Overall I was extremely pleased with this purchase. It gave me more confidence and I feel like helped my overall “look”. If you are someone who wants a confidence boost with your breeches, buy these. If you are someone who is very whiny about comfort, then don’t.

That isn’t to say that they aren’t comfortable, because they are, but it’s a compression garment. It compresses. It’s tighter than your breeches, for me especially around the waist. For me the feeling I got from them far exceeded any discomfort, and I did get used to them very quickly – but yes, they’re tight.

Also, they’re slightly hotter than just breeches. I mean it’s an additional layer, how could it not be? However the day those show pictures were taken the high was 107. Did I pass out because I wore SmartSlims? Absolutely not. Were they a smidge hotter than just wearing breeches? Probably.

So really this depends on your desire for that extra oomph and thinness versus your comfort level. I think most people are going to feel great in these, especially if they have a little (or like me, a lot) extra jiggle and want some help.

Overall? A++ Will get more pairs for two day shows.

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