With Valentines Day and birthdays never too far away, men know that she will want a present, and it will have to be good. More and more men are starting to buy lingerie – Good Choice. However, you need to get it right AND avoid embarrassing yourself, but how? You don’t want to be seen picking ladies underwear off the rack in a high street store. You can’t bring yourself to go into a specialist shop because you are too embarrassed to admit you don’t know her size, and do you really feel comfortable telling the assistant that your lady has boobs the size of grapefruit or apples or melons?

The least risk option is to buy off the internet: no embarrassment; a good selection to choose from and you can always return the underwear if you do get it wrong. Check their returns policy though as some websites will not accept back items of an intimate nature – ie: briefs. Men’s Lingerie Buying Guides have been used to great effect by many male purchasers from all over the world. Here are my own top hints and tips to help men in their choice of lingerie for their partner:

1. Remember that she is the one wearing the lingerie! Many women prefer pretty, lacy, elegant lingerie to the naughty stuff you would prefer to see her in!

2. Cheap and cheerful usually means scratchy and uncomfortable and often found filed under B for Bin very soon after…

3. Go through her drawer and pick out some underwear that she wore recently and that fitted her well. Check the size labels and buy those sizes (eg; 32F, or 38G etc). BIG HINT: make sure you put her underwear drawer back as you found it!

4. For briefs and night wear, check her dress sizes.

5. Choose colours that compliment her eyes and hair colour and her skin tone - if unsure, you can't go wrong with black

6. Think about what the garments are for - if it is just for bedroom wear, choose items that you know may be a bit daring, but that you know you will both like.

7. If you really want to impress, choose quality, luxury garments – some websites will even gift wrap them for you.

8. If the garments are for every day wear, think about what sort of clothes she will be wearing it with.

- Is she naturally shy? Choose something in a skin tone. A white bra will show up more under a white blouse than one that is skin coloured. A little bit of lace or embroidery will make it more special.

- Or does she like to wear lacy, coloured underwear that can be clearly seen? Go for the more luxurious looking items - quality and fit count here, so make sure you buy her something that will look good if it is going to be 'worn to be seen'.

- Does she like her straps to be on show? Look for underwear that has decorative lace or embroidery both on the cups and the straps.

9. Don't choose something too over the top if you are buying for her for the first time. Choose something simple and classy and learn about her likes and dislikes for future purchases.

10. If you are still unsure, why not buy a Lingerie gift voucher? This saves your embarrassment (and your relationship) and this way you can both get to choose…

So, it is possible to buy lingerie without the red cheeks!