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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Tried and True: How to work a summer body and get the perfect tan!

I will not bore you all with the old "Summer's coming up, etc." introduction because for some of us, summer's already knocked on our doors and all those days of telling ourselves we'll start working out tomorrow suddenly come to back to haunt us. (and by us, I mean me.) You change into your swimsuit, and suddenly you can spot a million flaws about how you look, and you feel like it's too late to fix them!

NOT TRUE. 

There are plenty of short term things you can do to get yourself beach ready. I personally turn to these things whenever I have an impromptu beach day.

Most important factor in being beach ready?

smooth skin. Nobody on this planet wants to see un-cared for legs on the beach (not to mention some other parts), and the absolute least you could do is to make sure they're silky smooth and ready to pick up a tan.

STEP 1:
Exfoliate, always. Take your favorite scrub, along with a loofah, and scrub the living hell out of your arms and legs. I like Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush, because it does the trick for me (not to mention, it smells great).


STEP 2: 
Shave! Just beware of ingrown hairs. They can be the most annoying thing ever. What you want to do is shave a day after exfoliating (especially those of you with sensitive skin) and make sure your razor is super-sharp and has a moisturizing agent attached to it. I personally don't like to use shaving cream, because it's too foamy and I cannot see for the life of me what I'm doing. That's why those soap bars attached to the razors come in handy. This one by Schlik is AMAZING. Take my honest word for it. I don't think I'll ever be buying a different razor after having great results from this one. It also has calming aloe for those of you with sensitive skin.
It's called Schlik Intuition Naturals.
STEP 3:
Moisturize. All that exfoliating and shaving will only result in mayhem for your skin if it doesn't retain a proper level of moisture afterwards. I would personally invest in a more natural-based product that's worth the price, just because drugstore products are often drying and irritating because of the consistency and chemicals involved. The thicker the consistency, the better (even if it is summer). I like these body butters from Korres because for some reason, I find they work great with shaving. I always have smooth skin for weeks up to a month after shaving because these body butters maintain the skin's moisture so well (when used daily, of course).
STEP 4 (optional):
Well, if we're speaking in technicalities, all of these steps are optional. Anyhoo, bring on the instant sun! Normally, I'm all for the natural. However, I'll be honest with you guys, I like the effect a spray tan has on me more than I do for natural tanning. (The fact that UV rays are super bad for your skin plays a fairly big role as well). I just feel like if you buy a good spray tan product, it could give you a healthier glow as opposed to the dull shade of darker brown I turn when tanning in the sun. I also prefer hitting the beach/poolside with a tan. That;s where self-tanners come in handy.  My skin is medium-toned to fair, but I do tend to go brown in the sun as opposed to burning. Tanning gives you the effect of appearing slimmer, and when done in the sun actually burns calories! I personally cannot go through a single summer without having my fair share of attempts at achieving the perfect tan, whether it's through product or sun rays. What I eventually called my holy-grail tanning routine, is as follows:

Before sun/Without sun:
Apply self-tanner generously all over smooth skin (make sure steps 1, 2, and 3 are done first!) with a tanning mitt or your hands. Try not to put as much tanning product on your knees and elbows, and blend with vigor (you don't want to look like you have giraffe spots by the end of this!) Wash your hands well afterwards, and repeat this entire step until you achieve the desired shade. I like this one by No 7, found in any Boots drugstore. It gives amazing color and contains vitamin E, which is great for the skin.


During sun exposure: 

I know this might be irrelevant, but ALWAYS apply sunblock on your face. Trust me, it's in your best interest. As for the body, apply any sun tanning product and lay on your back for 25 minutes, then rotate to laying on your stomach, and repeat for maximum 2/3 hours. Always wear sunglasses and a hat, just so you won't feel dizzy while laying in the sun, and make sure some good music and a cold drink is handy. This range by Lancaster is an amazing multitasker for tanning and getting rid of stubborn cellulite.

Hope you guys found this guide useful! Happy tanning :)


Lots of Love,
Taibah xx


3 comments:

  1. great tips, am going to have to tan up for the summer!

    beautyandtheb1.co.uk

    B xx

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  2. Great tips, thanks for sharing! I usually only do fake-tanning to save myself the wrinkles though :)
    Kristina xx
    http://www.modeofstyle.com/

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  3. Such great tips! The exfoliation part is so important, I once didnt and BAM - orange spots. Not cute hahahhaah

    xoxo Bree
    The Urban Umbrella
    http://www.theurbanumbrella.com

    ReplyDelete