Baring your body for Summer TV appearance

For most of us baring more skin in the Summer is a horrifying thought and especially for me as I was going the the July 4th Rehab pool party at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas http://www.hardrockhotel.com/ I researched products that would make me look as good as possible, in as short a time as possible, and here they are:







Eight Body Dry Brushing System + Moisturizer http://www.eightbodymoisture.com/

Silhouette Anit Cellulite Cream + Tonus B12 Draining Body Cream by Karin Herzog http://www.khusa.com/ to go direct to the product go to http://bit.ly/9UTo9H

Sampar Lift Me Up Bust Cream http://www.samparparis.com/

DDF Pedi-Cream http://www.ddfskincare.com/ also available at Sephora

Lorac Tantalizer Firming Body Bronzing Mousse http://www.loraccosmetics.com/ also available at Sephora

Days 14 & 15 at home mani's and pedi's

As the last weekend before Christmas approaches and many of you will be out partying and Christmas shopping, getting time to go to a salon for a manicure and pedicure will be near impossible and costly. Here is how to get salon results at home:


Manicure:

Firstly gather these things: A bowl with warm soapy water - ideally use a moisturizing liquid soap or bath foam, nail polish remover, cotton pads, a soft hand towel, a salon quality nail file (from most drugstores), a buffer, cuticle oil - Hand Perfection http://www.handperfection.com/ do a great one, hand cream - Carita Paris http://www.carita.com/ have a lovely one called Velvet Glove, an orange stick, a small angled eyeliner brush, base coat, nail polish and top coat - I love Rescue Beauty Lounges's http://www.rescuebeauty.com/ Tough Chic kit which has all these plus some really unusal colors, my favorite at the moment is Concrete, a pale grey which I've had loads of compliments on.

1. Start by removing an old polish you have on using good quailty remover and cotton pads.
2. Soak nails for a minute or two in the warm soapy water and dry gently with a towel.
3. Apply cuticle oil and let sink in for a few minutes. Using the orange stick gently push them back.
4. Dip again to remove excess oil and dry off.
5. Put a little hand cream on and massage in thoroughly avoiding your nails.
6. File nails into shape, for dark or unusal colors short and squared off looks best.
7. Buff lightly to get rid of any ridges and create a smooth surface for polish.
8. Apply the base coat and let dry for a minute.
9. Apply one coat of your preferred polish, let dry for a minute then apply a second.
10. Put on the top coat and let dry for a good ten minutes to avoid smudging.
11. Now dip the eyeliner brush in to remover and go around the edges of your nails and remove any excess without disturbing the polish.
    
    
    

Pedicure:


Using most of the above items plus a few extras: a bigger bowl of warm soapy water, an exfoliating sponge, kitchen towel (to divide toes) a foot file, nail trimmer, a pedicure cream DDF's http://www.ddfskincare.com/ Pedi-Cream is ideal.

1. Soak feet and scrub them with some extra soap and the sponge.
2. Dry off and file any rough skin with the foot file.
3. Apply the cuticle oil, let sink in then push the cuticles back as above.
4. Rinse off the excess oil and dry your feet.
5. Massage in the pedicure cream avoiding your toe nails.
6. Cut your nails if necessary and file into shape, do not round off as this can cause ingrown toe nails.
7. Divide your toes with strips of kitchen paper.
8. Paint on the base coat and let dry for a minute.
9. Add two coats of polish, leaving a minute between them.
10. Apply top coat and let dry properly.
11. Remove excess with the eyeliner brush.

Taking your time and doing all the steps above should leave you with a professional looking manicure and pedicure that will last you through the weekend if you are careful!

(Products provided by brands mentioned above)

Days 8 and 9....hands & feet

Sorry day 8 is a day late! I had 3 jobs yesterday and I was sooooo tired I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to write when I got home. So here are days 8 and 9 together!

Hands can be the first thing to give away your age. Most people make sure they look after their facial skin but neglect their hands, and considering the beating they get with the elements and just general use, they need looking after too! I suggest you start by changing from washing with soap to a moisturizing hand wash as soap can be very harsh and drying. Next twice weekly use an exfoliating treatment to smooth the skin - Talika's Kit Rituel Des Mains http://www.talika.com/ contains an exfoliating gel and serum that works to eliminate dryness and brighten the skin lessining age spots. I find it best to do this just before bed so the products have a chance to work properly.

Using a hand cream daily is also essential, try to use one every time you wash your hands. I like Hand Perfection Complete Day Cream by http://www.handperfection.com/ This was developed by an ex hand model and really works.

If your hands are really dry you could also try Hand Therapy Gloves http://www.talika.com/ These gloves feel strange (they were developed using post surgery healing technology) but after wearing them for half an hour the results are amazing! Your hands feel baby soft and there is no trace of greasiness. I wear them whilst watching TV!

There will be no point in taking great care of your hands and using all these treatments if you don't protect them from the elements, so during the cold weather wear gloves and if you are somewhere sunny make sure you put SPF on them too!

If you intend to wear sandals to any of your holiday parties you better start attending to them now! If you are anything like me they have been bundled up in boots for a couple of months now and need a little help if they are to make an appearance.

From today make sure you scrub them in the shower with a moisturizing body wash and exfoliating gloves, the body shop do great ones http://www.thebodyshop.com/ as does the Rescue Beauty Lounge http://www.rescuebeauty.com/ . Get rid of rough skin on the heels and sole with a foot file or ped egg while the skin is still soft from the warm water and then slather on a cream especially designed to eradicate the thick, dry skin like http://www.ddfskincare.com/ Pedi-Cream which softens calluses, soothes skin and cools hot,tired feet after a long day of Christmas shopping!

Another great thing to do, is to put a thick layer of foot cream (on clean feet!) last thing at night and then put some cotton socks on to help it absorb,without getting it all over your sheets.

Day 7....body care

Time to get down to a serious regime for baring your skin in your LBD!

Start by twice a week exfoliating seriously with a good body scrub such as Jurlique www.jurlique.com Body Exfoliating Gel for gentle exfoliation or with Sampar http://www.sampar.com/ Lap of Luxury Sea Scrub for a deep exfoliation that leaves you radiant. A good tip is to apply these to slightly damp or even dry skin all over before you get in the shower or tub.
After you've emerged from either, dry off with a warm fluffy towel and apply body moisturizer straight away to trap any moisture left on the skin. Good body lotions to try are Juice Beauty http://www.juicebeauty.com/ Green Apple Extra Firming Body Moisturizer which not only smells delicious, it sinks in right away and firms with continuous use. Another one I like is DDF http://www.ddfskincare.com/ Glycolic 10% Body Lotion - this helps exfoliate andy dry patches and leaves your skin silky.
If you want to use specific treatments for problem areas now is the time to do it, when the skin has shed it's dead layer and can absorb the active ingredients properly. For your bust area try Clarins http://www.clarins.com/ Bust Beauty Extra-Lift Gel to tighten and lift the natural bra area. If your concern is more to prevent a crepey decollete, I recommend Liz Earle http://www.lizearle.com/ Superskin Bust Treatment which is a great deeply moisturizing but non sticky serum, allowing you to dress right away.
If cellulite is your problem, massage daily with a cream specifically for that. Both Murad's http://www.murad.com/ Firm and Tone Serum (they also do a whole regimen with supplements) and Karin Herzog's http://www.karinherzog.com/ Silhouette 4% Oxygen give great results if used regularly.

Start now and have skin worthy of baring in your backless dress or mini skirt this holiday season!