I don’t know about you, but suddenly it seems that everyone on my instagram feed has jetted off to some fabulous far flung location, enjoying cocktails on the beach or posting snaps of hotel rooms with TVs in Bath Tubs (Yup I’m looking at you Hayley!). It’s got me super excited about my first foray into the sun in just a couple of weeks time, but at the same time I realised that I really should start prepping myself to get bikini ready! Yes I know, a couple of weeks?! Haven’t really given yourself a great head start there have you Josie… Luckily there are an army of products which I can rely on to get my skin looking clear, smooth and tanned…
One thing that I do before escaping to the sun is switch my cleanser for something extremely gentle and lightweight – anything too strong in the lead up to holiday makes my sensitive skin less able to tan and I end up with a bronzed bod and pale face – never a good look! So as of today I’m using the Vichy Purete Thermale Fresh Cleansing Gel which has a gel formula and is incredibly lightweight. It gives a fresh and ultra clean feeling to cleansed skin but you can feel that it’s gentle and soft on the skin. Something I’ve recently been obsessed with is using anti-pollutants in my skincare, and the formula of the Vichy Cleansing Gel contains Purisoft which softens the effect of hard water (if you live in London you’ll know what havoc this plays on skin!) as well as Moringa which helps to cleanse the skin of pollutants and excess sebum and dust. It’s ideal for giving city skin a deep yet gentle cleanse so that you’re fresh faced and ready to tan! It’s currently on offer on Escentual so the perfect time to stock up!
A similar product, and one which i’ll be taking away with me on holiday is the Vichy Purete Thermale Beautifying Cleansing Micellar Oil (longest name ever) – it’s also lightweight and gentle like the gel but the oil consistency just makes it a more luxurious cleansing experience, turning from oil to a milk as soon as the water touches your skin. Again the formula will gently rid skin of sebum excess and dead skin cells but also the Camelia Oil moisturises and Vitamin E gives antioxidant protection – so it’s perfect for cleansing and nourishing skin after a day in the sun!
A product which is ideal for introducing into your daily routine before holiday is a multitasking, firming and toning body lotion, such as Nip + Fab’s Body Slim Fix. With promises to improve the appearance of your body contours for a firmer, slimmer appearance, it’s definitely worth a try! I’ve been using it for two weeks now and while I can’t say that I’ve suddenly transformed into a Victoria Secret Model I have noticed that the skin on my thighs is looking noticeably smoother after applying the lotion to that area in particular each morning and evening. To make the most of your routine, using a scrub on a regular basis can also help boost skin’s circulation to improve firmness – so I’ve been matching the lotion with the Nip + Fab Circulation Fix Body Scrub. It’s designed for post-workout but I don’t take this big tube to the gym, instead using it just when I shower at home in the morning – the formula is very grainy so skin is polished and invigorated after use which I absolutely love! Plus of course it makes the perfect prep for tanning!
The last product which I’ve tried out from this range is the Nip + Fab Post Workout Fix Cooling Muscle Gel – it does what it says on the tin and is ideal if you’ve been working on one particular area of the body and feel the burn the next day! I’ve been applying it to shoulders as well before bed – I tend to carry way to much stuff on a daily basis and I find that the gel makes me forget about the aches before I drop off to bed.
For more mature skin, a product with active ingredients is ideal for giving skin a little lift before that Summer holiday. I recently tried out the Rodial Zero Gravity Body Serum from their Cougar Skin range, and although I’m probably not the target customer for this product in my early twenties, I have been really enjoying using it and hoping that it will maintain some youthfulness in my skin! If you are concerned about skin needing a lift then the Body Serum works to increase levels of collagen and elastin in skin so any crepeyness is improved, and fine lines and wrinkles on the body and reversed with retinol. The ingredients also work to improve skin tone and give a more youthful, bright complexion – perfect to get you bikini body confident!
The final step in getting Summer body ready is of course the tan! The most exciting part and the product that makes the most difference is definitely the fake tanning, and before I jet off in a couple of weeks I’ll be using the . I leave it on for 3 hours to get a lovely deep tan, after scrubbing skin the day or morning before tanning. I find the mousse formula is the easiest to use and it’s easy to swipe over the body using circular motions, because you can see exactly where you’ve already tanned. I use a mitt to ensure that my hands don’t end up with orange palms, and then when I’ve finished, i’ll remove the mitt and press the backs of my hands to my inner thighs and roll them to ensure that the backs of my hands pick up a little tan.
