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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