Your Beach Beauty Prep Timeline
THREE WEEKS TO GO:
Start Body Brushing
Despite what the sceptics say, body brushing is still one of the most effective ways to tone and smooth your limbs. It’s recommended we body brush all year round, but experts say that three weeks is plenty of time to see impressive results. Use Legology’s Lymph-Lite Boom Brush For Body every other day and try 30 seconds of long, firm strokes from ankle to hip for a real circulation boost. Another trick is to try your own self-massage by grabbing and rolling the skin using your fingers and thumbs for two to three minutes a day. Continue this in the run up to your holiday and you’ll notice a real difference to the surface and texture of your skin.
Invest In A Firming Cream
Alongside this, swap your usual body lotions for firming-and-toning formulas. While these won’t eradicate cellulite on their own, they will strengthen the skin alongside regular body brushing and give the appearance of a smoother, tauter surface. Not sure which to trial? The French, who seem obsessed by cellulite (peau d’orange), make the best creams for it. So, rub in Sisley’s Cellulinov Intensive Anti-Cellulite Body Care twice a day in the run up to your holiday. Its caffeine and red algae-laced formula gets to work plumping and refining lacklustre skin instantly. Or for something more affordable, look to Clarins for their Tonic Body Treatment Oil that firms and tones.
TWO WEEKS TO GO:
Prep Your Feet
It’s probably been a while since your feet saw the sun, so it’s safe to say they’re going to need more than a lick of paint to sort themselves out pre-holiday. As one of our most abused body parts, they need love and attention far further in advance than you’d think. The correct products used in the right way and order can make a real difference in transforming the feet. For instance, make sure you’re filing the feet when the skin is dry, before you’ve showered. This is because a soft foot that’s been bathed masks the areas that need treatment – you simply can’t see the dry skin or callouses in the same way. After this, make sure you soak the feet with moisture everyday for the two weeks pre-holiday. They constantly need hydrating, especially as the skin of the feet is 12 times thicker than that of the rest of the body. Try Ameliorate Intensive Foot Treatment or Elemis’ Treat Your Feet Foot Cream.
ONE WEEK TO GO:
Hydrate Your Limbs
Properly hydrating skin makes it looks smoother and more refined, so give yourself an easy head start by swapping your normal shower gel or soap for L’Occitane’s luxe, nourishing Almond Shower Shake. Its oil-come-milk formula moisturises on touch, but better still, spend a minute massaging it in to the skin while you shower. Bring the product up to body temperature in your hands before applying. It will be absorbed thoroughly and give better results all over.
TWO DAYS TO GO:
Exfoliate From Head To Toe
At this point in the process, your skin should feel soft and hydrated, but before you even get to the self-tanning stage, you need to give yourself a good scrub-down, and not with a body brush. Invest in a gritty, oily product like Rituals The Ritual Of Chado Body Scrub or & Other Stories Fornillo Body Scrub. These uplifting, heavy-duty numbers are the best of a new bunch. Spend time firmly working it in, then rinse or soak it off. It’s worth taking this step on occasionally in the lead up too, but two days before is essential for optimum smoothness, plus it brings blood to the surface for added glow and a feeling of lightness.
THE NIGHT BEFORE:
Get Tanning
The night before may seem a little late in the game but experts claim it should always be done as the very last step of your pre-holiday prep. This is because it lasts longer and should really only be applied when the skin is at its most conditioned. A natural-looking tan will make you feel more toned in a bikini and will disguise any imperfections. If you’re heading on a long-haul trip, try going a shader darker than you usually would as the darker the tan, the longer it lasts.
Three Of The Best New Self-Tans To Try:
Glow: Bali Body Watermelon Body Oil SPF15
Honey: L’Oreal Paris Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Elixir
Dark: Bondi Sands Dark Self-Tanning Foam
For Last Minute Mistakes: St Tropez Tan Remover Mousse
ON HOLIDAY:
Keep Your Glow Going
Spritz on Nip & Fab’s Glow Getter Body Oil, or Anastasia Beverly Hills Shimmer Body Oil onto your collarbone and other areas of skin that would naturally catch the most sun. This will give your limbs subtle definition and a beautiful, natural glow. To really amp it up daily, try slathering on Ultrasun’s SPF30 Body Tinted High Sun Protection every day. With nourishing antioxidants and a silky-smooth formula, it is guaranteed to keep skin protected, soft and supple throughout your stay. Plus, it’s fast absorbing and creates a believable glow from day one – no wonder so many experts rate it as their go-to summer buy.
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