A BRITISH SUMMER will enjoy a series of false starts. For half the
population, at least, the season kicks off when women choose to expose their
pins. Like the silent alarum that makes all ants swarm on the same day, so
there comes a time when womankind realises that it’s time to shed the 60
denier in favour of flesh. Ladies, that hour is upon us. Hannah Betts
advises.
EPILATE
No other form of hair removal is as simple, lasting and economical. Unlike
shaving, the hair grows back bunny soft. The shorter the sprouting, the more
effective the process. For the cost of a single waxing session, you can get
a mode of removal that will last years. The science stuff involves tweaking
hairs out between rotating blades. The first run-in with the device can feel
bracing. My tried and tested choice is the Philips Satinelle Massage model,
but all manner of such instruments can be had from Boots, and they are a
particular bargain on Amazon, where my chosen number appears half price at
£24.99 (amazon.co.uk).
EXFOLIATE
Exfoliating your backside and thighs encourages a more gung-ho attitude
towards their exposure. Exfoliators are much of a muchness, although you
need a good grit-to-gunk ratio to really get in there. Names to conjure with
for robustness include Clinique’s Sparkle Skin (£16.50, clinique.co.uk)
and Origins Modern Friction (£27.50, origins.co.uk).
MOISTURISE
The scaliness of women’s legs is a source of constant wretchedness. For black
girls and older women this can prove especially testing. Palmer’s Cocoa
Butter provides a much loved and inexpensive remedy (£3.19, Boots). For
those yearning for more modernity in their salve, a gloss is recommended.
Nuxe’s Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Use Dry Oil is the favourite of continental
beauties (£12, musthave.co.uk).
Aromatherapy enthusiasts will relish the fragrant take from the British
brand This Works (skin-deep dry leg oil, £32, thisworks.
com). Bargain hunters can achieve their sheen with Normandie Body Gloss
(Tesco, £4.97).
SELF-TAN
I believe we need to learn to live with the skin colour we were born with, and
if this means wan, so be it. However, most women will be happier reducing
their limbs’ pallor. Avail yourself of a bog- standard gradual tanner
(Boots, Nivea, etc), or invest in Clarins Radiance-Plus Self Tanning Body
Lotion, an idiot-proof, honeyed glow, full of hydrating vitamins (£24.50,
0800 0363558).
CELLULITE
The cellulite buster that has everyone talking is Dior’s Plasticity
AntiCellulite Corrective Gel (£31, Boots). Use must be obsessional, morning
and night, but devotees claim inch loss. Caudalie’s Contouring Concentrate
should help water retention in the thigh and lower down the leg (£22, caudalie.com).
Women who are prepared to sport the aesthetically challenging “workout
footwear” MBT trainers deserve all the advantages it brings, reputedly,
significantly toned legs and stomachs (from £129, swissmasai.co.uk).
Aware that some of us find such clompiness challenging, Marcia Kilgore, the
founder of Bliss Spa, has launched the Fit Flop, with a cunning
multi-density midsole designed to tone thighs, calves and glutes (the bum
muscles). They come in red, black or blue, sizes 4-8, but are currently sold
out (£36, www.thefitflop.com)
(Read the Cool
hunter's article on the Fit Flop and a tried-and-tested
review of Earth trainers, a shoe that purports to tone your bum.)
PEDICURE
The most public-spirited thing a woman can do for the limited period in which
her feet are on show is to secure a monthly professional pedicure; men, too,
should they insist on baring their soles. After all, we’re only talking of
May to September: a mere five outlays to make the world a significantly
better place. Between appointments, take the DIY route: either filing your
nails straight across plus subtle varnishing, or something more ambitious.
Nonie R. Creme, the manicurist to the stars who paints toes for the Jimmy Choo
campaigns, advocates the “drunken pedicure”. She says: “Apply a base coat,
paint nails without fretting too much about daubing the skin, add top coat
and let dry overnight. Next morning, wipe Vaseline over your toes, clamber
into the bath, and work around your nails with an old toothbrush. And,
voila, impeccable feet.”
I’ve tried all manner of fancy foot files and among my favourites is a chunk
of pink pumice from Boots. DDF Pedi-Cream is a satisfyingly hardcore option,
boasting an 18 per cent glycolic content that also makes it a whiz for
knackered knees (£30, skinhealthspa.co.uk).
A friend who harbours a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder about the
softness of his soles tells me that there is no finer salve than Neutrogena
Foot Cream (£4.99, Boots). A less obsessive, but older and more footsore,
friend favours L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Foot Cream (£15.50, uk.loccitane.com).
BLAST THOSE VEINS
Thread or spider veins can be eliminated with laser treatments: short-term
pain for long-term leg loveliness, from £200 for 15 minutes at Harvey
Nichols Beyond Spa (harveynichols. com).
It’s worth having a patch test first, and the beautician operating the laser
must be registered with the Healthcare Commission; check at healthcarecomission.org.uk.
Bigger, varicose veins are also common; one person in five sports them.
Removal usually involves surgery and a day in hospital.
SPF IT
Skin cancer is the UK’s most common cancer, with 100,000 new cases a year.
Melanomas are its least prevalent but most aggressive form, killing 1,800 of
its 8,000 yearly sufferers. Women tend to sprout melanomas on their lower
legs, men on their backs. See your GP if you are worried, and look out for
new moles, or moles that are itching, bleeding or have increased in size.
Consider a trip to the Mole Clinic (themoleclinic.co.uk)
and remember that your pins are not as hardy as they seem. Wear at least an
SPF 15 and top up regularly. Nivea Sun Moisturising Spray SPF 30 makes for a
powerful and convenient spritz (£11.99, Boots).
WIMP-OUT OPTION
If all else fails, take solace in the notion that leggings worn with skirts
are still a passable option for summer 2007.
The leg workout Whatever shape your legs, they can be improved with
exercise, says Gabby Logan. With the right routine, shorter pins can look
longer and fat ankles and cellulite can be minimised. If you do the
following exercises at least four times a week, you should start to see a
difference within a month.
CALF RAISES
Good for toning and strengthening.
Lowdown Stand facing a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart and
extend your arms at shoulder height. Place your fingertips on the wall to
steady yourself and engage your pelvic-floor muscles (as if you are trying
to stop peeing). Rise on your toes, then lower, taking one second for the
rise and one for the descent. Tighten your bottom as you rise and control
the dropping of the heel to the floor. If your core muscles are strong, you
can move away from the wall and put your hands on your hips.
Gently does it 20 repetitions (reps), twice.
Feeling adventurous 30 reps, three times.
Superfit Stand on a step, so that your heels hang over the step, and
when you lower, go lower than the step. Do 30 reps, three times.
SQUAT
Good for Shaping thighs. If you rise on to your toes at the end, it
will help calves.
Lowdown Keep your head and chest up – don’t lean forward – stick your
bottom out as you bend your knees. Keep your arms by your side and as you
lower your bottom into the squat raise your arms up in front of you to
shoulder height. Return to the starting position, making sure that you
finish off the move by squeezing your bottom muscles tightly. To make the
exercise harder rise on to your tiptoes at the end of the movement. Only do
this if you can rise up without wobbling all over.
Gently does it 10 squats with arm movement, twice.
Feeling adventurous 15 squats, three times.
Superfit 15 squats, three times, rise on to toes at the end of the
move.
LUNGE
Good for thigh muscles and your bottom.
Lowdown Start in a standing position with your feet together and your
hands on your hips. Step forward with your left leg about two feet and lower
your right knee to the ground. Just before it touches the ground, return to
the standing position. Repeat eight times on the left leg and then eight on
the right.
Gently does it 10 lunges on each leg.
Feeling adventurous Do two sets of ten on each leg.
Superfit Do two sets of ten on each leg while holding weights in your
hands.
TOP TIP
Remember always to stretch before and after exercise. This not only loosens
the muscles but also helps to get the circulation going.
Follow Gabby Logan’s exercise programme on timesonline.co.uk/dietandfitness
