FASHION + BEAUTY
BEACH-READY LEGS
( and the rest of you too )
RIGHT (* CROSSES FINGERS AND TOES *), NOW THAT THE SUN IS FINALLY SHINING , IT ’ S TIME TO EMBRACE YOUR SUMMER WARDROBE , WHICH GENERALLY MEANS DONNING SHORTS AND SKIRTS . WHILE WE MAY ALL WANT SCULPTED SUPERMODEL LEGS THAT TRAVEL FROM ANKLE TO APPARENTLY ARMPIT WITH NOTHING BUT A MUSCULAR SHIMMER EN ROUTE , NOT ALL OF US HAVE THEM . AND THAT IS ABSOLUTELY FINE . THERE ARE WAYS AND MEANS OF PREPPING YOUR LEGS FOR THE SUMMER SEASON , SO THAT WHEN YOU DO PUT THAT PAIR OF SHORTS ON , YOU TURN TO THE MIRROR AND THINK : ‘ DO YOU KNOW WHAT ? THOSE WILL DO NICELY .’ WE ’ VE PUT TOGETHER A FAILSAFE BEAUTY ROUTINE FOR YOUR LEGS THAT ’ S EASY TO FOLLOW AND WILL LEAVE YOU PROUD TO SHOW OFF YOUR PINS . BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
STEP ONE : HAIR REMOVAL
Firstly , if it ’ s been a while since you bared your legs , take a deep breath before you reveal them in all of their ‘ winter / spring / summer-coat ’ glory and accept that hair removal is a must . Shaving is a cheap , quick , and , if you ’ re handy with a razor and can avoid unsightly nicks , pain-free option here . There ’ s all manner of razors out there in today ’ s market – silver ones , multiplebladed ones , oldschool Bic disposables ( lethal : not recommended ), even pretty pink ones – and a great call is the Gillette Venus Swirl . The first Gillette women ’ s model to include ‘ FlexiBall ’ technology , it offers a really close shave and adjusts to the contours of your body well too . ( www . boots . com , £ 11.99 )
STEP TWO : EXFOLIATION
Once the hair ’ s gone , it ’ s time to think tanning , but not before you exfoliate , a stage that ’ s essential for getting rid of dry skin and paving the way for that smooth and shiny leg look that we all want to achieve . An oldie but a goodie , Clinique ’ s Sparkle Skin is the body-exfoliating equivalent of an ice-cold plunge pool . Best used on dry skin , it ’ s got a sturdy , non-sticky consistency , which won ’ t melt from your hands before you get a chance to rub it in , and its gel-like formula contains botanical ingredients and lots of menthol , so it ’ s seriously invigorating and cools the skin as it exfoliates leaving your legs glossy and glowing . ( www . clinique . co . uk , £ 24 )
If you prefer the depilatory cream route ( they ’ ve come on a long way since the unforgettable chemical stench of Veet ( née Immac ) made us all feel as though we were somehow perming our leg hairs off ), try a Skin Doctors ‘ hair no more ’ hair removal pack . An easy two-step system that finishes with an inhibitor spray to saturate the hair bulb , preventing hair from growing back fast , it ’ s easy-peasy , effective and doesn ’ t smell like burning flesh either . ( http :// skindoctors . co . uk , £ 17.30 )
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