Holiday sales are always great opportunities to revamp your wardrobe without breaking the bank. This year especially, online shopping is definitely the way to go. However, because you can’t look at a piece of clothing in person while online shopping, you may be a little anxious about getting your sizing right. No one wants to deal with the hassle of having to return and reorder a piece of clothing you ordered online. Follow these easy steps to put yourself at ease and make sure your sizing is correct for all of your online apparel orders.

Ladies, get your tape measure ready. Trust me, you’re going to need it. The first thing you need to do when purchasing clothing online is look at the sizing chart. Different brands have different size measurements; some brands run small, while others run larger, so it’s important you get familiar with a brand’s measurements before you make your purchase. Most brands in the United States use inches on their sizing charts, but if you run into a brand that uses centimeters, make sure the unit of measurement on your tape measure is also centimeters.

Depending on the article of clothing you are purchasing, you are going to need to measure different parts of your body. A common measurement for tops is your bust. When measuring your bust, make sure you are running the tape measure over the fullest part of your bust. You want to make sure the top you are buying offers your girls maximum comfort. Another measurement commonly taken for tops is your true waist. This is around your ribs and is typically the smallest part of your midsection. When it comes to pants, you have to measure your hips. For your hips, like your bust, you want to measure the fullest part of your hips. This is usually around your pelvis right where it meets your thigh bone.

When measuring yourself for clothing, take into account how you want your clothing to fit. Sizing charts provided online by a brand normally give you a range rather than one specific measurement for a clothing size. If you want your clothing to be more fitted, go with the smaller size range and the larger one if you want your clothes to fit a little looser.

When measuring yourself it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers. Though these numbers may determine what clothing size you wear, they don’t define you. Beauty comes in every shape, size, and color. Beauty looks exactly like you. As you delve into your online holiday shopping endeavors, try not to get lost in the numbers and remember that the clothes are there merely to enhance the beauty that lies within.