How to Prepare for Your Boudoir Session
You're booked. Now let's get you ready without overthinking the shit out of it.
You did the hardest part.
You booked the damn session.
Now your brain has probably moved on to the next batch of questions. What am I wearing? Do I need to go shopping? Should I practice posing? Should I wax? Do I need to get my nails done? What do I do with my hair that morning? Am I supposed to stop eating carbs and drink 97 gallons of water?
No.
Please don't turn preparing for your boudoir session into a six-week body improvement project.
You don't need to change your body before you get here, and you don't need to spend the next several weeks becoming “better at boudoir.” That's not a thing.
There ARE some things you can do ahead of time that will make your session day easier, though. So let's focus on those.
About 6–8 Weeks Before Your Session: Schedule Your Consultation
If you haven't scheduled your consultation yet, this is a great time to do it.
Consultations aren't required, but I highly recommend them, especially if this is your first session with Hype Girl.
Your consultation can happen in person or through Zoom with either me or my studio manager, Marcella. We'll walk through what your session day looks like, talk about what you're drawn to, start narrowing down outfits and aesthetics, discuss sets, talk about anything you're self-conscious about, answer questions, and give you some homework so you can continue figuring things out afterward.
You do NOT need to have everything figured out before your consultation. That's kind of the point.
Come with ideas if you have them. Save pictures you love. Tell us what colors you're drawn to. Tell us what you absolutely hate. Tell us you're completely fucking clueless.
We can work with all of that.
Start Thinking About What You Want This Session to Feel Like
Before you start buying lingerie, think about your aesthetic.
Are you drawn to darker images? Light and romantic? Leather? Lace? Flowers? Sparkles? Cozy? Dramatic? Girly? Edgy? Do you want more coverage or less? Are we going modest, slutty, or bouncing somewhere between the two?
You don't need to pick one personality for the entire session either. You have three outfits and three sets, so we have room to play.
And if you're reading this thinking, “Cool, Tiffany, but I have absolutely no fucking clue what my aesthetic is,” take our Alter Ego Quiz. It's a fun starting point for figuring out what kinds of moods, styles, and energy you're drawn to, and it can give us something to build from when we start planning your session.
This is also a good time to think about the parts of yourself you love and the parts you're less excited about seeing in photographs.
That doesn't mean we're going to hide everything you're insecure about. Some concerns can be addressed with wardrobe, some with posing, and some might not need nearly as much attention as you're currently giving them.
But I want to know what's important to you.
If You're Shopping, Give Yourself Time to Try Shit On
Please don't order all three of your outfits four days before your session.
Lingerie sizing is chaos.
A medium from one company can fit completely differently from a medium somewhere else. Bodysuits can be too short through the torso. Structured cups can fit weirdly. Something that looked incredible online might arrive and make you wonder whether they accidentally shipped you an entirely different garment.
Give yourself enough time to try things on, return things, exchange sizes, and figure out what you actually like.
Read reviews. Look at customer photos. Move around in the outfit once you put it on.
And don't decide an entire style isn't for you because one piece didn't fit.
Sometimes the outfit just sucks.
Boudoir Lingerie Shopping Guide
You Don't Have to Buy Anything
You are not required to go on a lingerie shopping spree just because you booked boudoir.
We have a Client Closet at the studio with a shit ton of options in sizes XXS through 6XL, including lingerie, bodysuits, robes, accessories, shoes, body jewelry, and statement pieces.
Technically, all three of your outfits could come from the Client Closet.
I still recommend bringing at least one outfit of your own that you already know you're comfortable in because my anxiety says, “What if you get here and hate everything I own?”
Bring your stuff. Raid mine. Mix the two.
We'll figure it out.
And Your Outfit Doesn't Have to Be Lingerie
Please don't force yourself into lingerie because you think that's what boudoir requires.
Bring the baggy T-shirt. Bring your partner's button-down. Bring your favorite concert tee. Bring the jersey, jeans, dress, sweater, crop top, swimwear, leather jacket, or weird fandom thing that makes absolutely perfect sense to you and nobody else.
Those personal pieces are often some of my favorites because they immediately make your session more yours.
A Couple Weeks Before: Start Gathering Your Shit
You don't need to have your suitcase packed two weeks early, but this is a good time to make sure everything you want actually exists and fits.
Try your outfits on again. If you bought new shoes or accessories, put everything together and make sure you still like the whole look.
If there are personal pieces you want to incorporate, start putting them aside so you're not tearing your house apart at 7:30 the morning of your session trying to find your partner's shirt.
If you're doing bridal boudoir, gather anything from the wedding day you might want to use, like your veil, shoes, jewelry, ring, or even your dress.
And if you're bringing ten outfits when we're photographing three? Fine.
I'd rather have options.
What About Body Hair?
Whatever you normally do is fine.
Seriously.
You do not have to shave, wax, sugar, laser, pluck, or otherwise remove a single hair from your body because you're doing boudoir.
If you like your body hair, keep it.
If you normally remove it and want to do that before your session, cool.
What I DON'T recommend is deciding that your boudoir session is the perfect reason to experiment with a brand-new hair-removal method three days beforehand. Your skin may have opinions about that plan.
I've already written an entire guide about body hair, shaving, waxing, sugaring, laser hair removal, timing, and Jacksonville-area options if you want to go deeper into it.
What About Nails, Tanning, Facials, and All the Other Beauty Shit?
Most of it is optional.
If getting your nails done makes you feel put together, get your nails done.
If you love having a tan, cool.
If you don't, also cool.
If you have a normal skincare routine your skin already loves, keep doing your thing.
What I don't want is for you to look at your boudoir session as a deadline for trying seventeen new beauty treatments at once.
This is not the ideal time to discover that your face hates a new peel or that your skin does not agree with a spray tan you've never tried before.
Your session is not a makeover deadline.
If you're wondering what else I recommend NOT doing right before your session, I've got an entire guide for that too.
The Week of Your Boudoir Session
This is usually when the nerves start getting louder.
Your job this week is not to transform yourself.
Keep doing normal human things.
Eat. Drink water. Sleep. Take care of yourself.
Please do not crash diet, starve yourself, dehydrate yourself, or suddenly start exercising like you're training for the Olympics because you're going to be photographed in your underwear.
Your body does not need a last-minute renovation.
At this point, we're just making sure you have what you need and you're not creating unnecessary chaos for yourself.
A Few Days Before: Pack Your Boudoir Bag
Do this BEFORE the morning of your session.
Your exact bag will depend on what we're planning, but here's a good starting point:
Any lingerie or outfits you might want to wear
Personal clothing like T-shirts, jerseys, button-downs, dresses, or jackets
Shoes you want to use
Jewelry and accessories
Bridal pieces if applicable
Any meaningful or personal items we've discussed
Anything from your consultation that we specifically decided you should bring
You can bring more than three outfit options.
Seriously.
If you're deciding between things, bring both.
We'll narrow it down at the studio.
The Night Before: Please Don't Have an Existential Crisis
At this point, there really isn't much left for you to do.
Your bag should be mostly packed. Your outfits should have been tried on. You know where you're going.
Try to get some sleep.
And if your brain starts whispering, “Maybe I should cancel because suddenly I have forgotten how bodies work,” recognize that for what it is.
Nerves.
You don't need to fix them before tomorrow.
You can show up nervous.
The Morning of Your Session
Your Full Experience typically starts at 9:00 AM with professional hair and makeup at the studio.
Our hair and makeup team provides what they need, so you don't have to arrive with a professional makeup kit or buy lashes specifically for us.
You also don't need to have your final hair and makeup look completely figured out. Inspiration is helpful if you have it, but our team can help you narrow things down while you're sitting in the chair.
For the morning itself, keep things simple.
Eat breakfast.
Wear something comfortable.
Loose clothing can be helpful because tighter clothes, bras, socks, and waistbands can leave temporary marks on your skin, but don't panic if you forget. It's not going to ruin your session.
Bring your bag.
Show up.
We'll handle the rest.
Do I Need to Practice Posing?
No.
Actually, please don't.
You do not need to spend the week before your session practicing your arch or figuring out your “sexy face.”
I'm directing you from your head to your toes, including your facial expressions.
I'll tell you what to do with your hands. Your feet. Your chin. Your shoulders. Your eyes. Your mouth. Your weird little fingers.
Your job is to listen and let me direct you.
That's it.
What If I'm Still Nervous?
You probably will be.
That's normal.
You can prepare perfectly, have the best outfits in human history, love your hair and makeup, and still have butterflies when it's time to start shooting.
I don't need you to eliminate the nerves.
I need you to show up anyway.
That's the whole courage-over-confidence thing.
You don't need to walk into Hype Girl feeling fearless. You need enough courage to walk through the door.
Once we start, I'm taking over the technical part.
What Happens When You Arrive?
We'll start with professional hair and makeup. After that, we'll look through everything you brought, try Client Closet pieces if we want, finalize your three outfits and three studio sets, and finish building our plan.
Then around 10:45 AM, we start photographing.
I pose you through everything.
We work through your three looks and sets.
We laugh. You probably ask at least once whether a pose is supposed to feel that weird. I tell you yes.
We typically wrap shooting around 12:30 PM and have you finished around 1:00 PM.
Then you go home while I start working on your photographs.
If you want the complete start-to-finish breakdown of what happens during a Hype Girl session and afterward, I've got an entire guide for that too.
The Beginner’s Guide to Boudoir
The Biggest Thing I Want You to Remember
Preparing for your boudoir session is not about becoming more photographable.
You're already photographable.
The preparation is just about making the day easier.
Give yourself time to figure out your wardrobe. Bring more options than you think you'll need. Pack before the morning of your session. Eat breakfast. Show up.
You do not need to practice posing.
You do not need to lose weight.
You do not need to suddenly become a lingerie expert.
You do not need to become confident overnight.
You already did the hard part.
You booked it.
Now let us take care of you.
Your Quick Boudoir Session Prep Checklist
If you skimmed this entire thing because your session is three days away and you just need somebody to tell you what to do, I've got you:
Schedule your consultation if you haven't already
Take the Alter Ego Quiz if you're still figuring out your aesthetic
Try on every outfit you're considering
Give yourself enough time for returns or exchanges
Bring more outfit options if you're undecided
Set aside personal pieces, shoes, jewelry, and accessories
Keep your normal body-hair routine unless you genuinely want to change it
Avoid experimenting with new hair-removal or beauty treatments immediately before your session
Pack your bag before the morning of your shoot
Eat breakfast on session day
Wear comfortable clothing to the studio
Arrive for your scheduled start time
Do NOT practice posing
Do NOT spend the week trying to change your body
Show up, even if you're nervous
That's it.
We'll take it from there.
