These are the tools and techniques that will transform you from winter-ravaged to summer-ready in no time…
BEST FEET FORWARD
If your soles are suffering a build-up of dry skin, an electronic file is the fastest way to buff them back to life.
“Immerse feet in warm water to help soften the skin,” advise nail experts Ange and Vernice Walker. “Next, use the Scholl Velvet Smooth Wet & Dry Foot File while your feet are in the water, or take one foot out at a time, and use the device on the heels and balls to exfoliate dry skin. Remember to be light-handed and keep the device moving.”
If you’re heading straight out, finish with a generous slather of moisturiser – like the Conditioning Foot Cream For Happy Feet, from Margaret Dabbs’ new collaboration with M&S. Or, if you’ve got time, pull on a pair of Starskin Foot Masks, and let them work their exfoliating and moisturising magic for an hour.
Scholl Velvet Smooth Wet & Dry, Foot File, currently reduced to £44.99 from £59.99 (www.boots.com)
Bare Feet by Margaret Dabbs Conditioning Foot Cream For Happy Feet, £7.50 (in store June 16; www.marksandspencer.com)
Starskin Magic Hour Exfoliating Double Layer Technology Foot Masks, £9.99 (ASOS.com)
HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
At-home hair removal may seem like a bit of a faff compared to a salon visit, but it’s actually really easy, especially on legs, and once you’ve mastered it (and realised how much money you can save), you’ll never go back.
New Veet Professional Warm Stripless Wax takes just one minute to melt in the microwave and comes with a smart spatula that tells you when it’s at the perfect temperature.
“Apply hot wax against hair growth, ensuring that you cannot see the skin through it and always add slightly more wax to the end you are pulling off to create a tab effect that is easier to grip,” says hair removal guru Arezoo Kaviani. “Ensure you pull the skin taught as you remove the wax – the quicker you pull, the better your results will be.”
And for top-ups or taking away on hols, wax strips are good quick-fix when there isn’t a microwave handy.
Veet Professional Warm Stripless Wax, £14.99 (www.boots.com)
Parissa Wax Strips Face & Bikini, £8.79 (www.boots.com)
SAY NO TO MICRO
For years, we were told microbeads were essential for sloughing away dead skin, but it’s now been established they’re really bad news for our oceans. (Too small to be processed by sewage plants, the minute particles end up in the sea, and the stomachs of turtles, whales and other marine creatures.)
So for your pre-summer exfoliation, choose a scrub that uses natural ingredients, like sugar, salt or ground nut shells – just as effective but kind to the environment too.
Lush Buffy Body Butter, £11.95 (www.lush.com)
Melvita L’Or Rose Refining Scrub, £15 (www.melvita.com)
Goldfaden MD Doctor’s Scrub, £65 (www.spacenk.com)
USE A FIRM HAND
Following a thorough scrub session, a sculpting serum will help target those areas that could do with a bit of toning.
Using clever ingredients, like ginseng, algae and plant oils, these creams help firm and hydrate. Massage in using circular motions, to boost circulation and maximise their effectiveness.
This Works Perfect Legs Sculpt & Shine, £28 (www.thisworks.com)
Soap & Glory Ab Fab Skin Toning Tummy Serum, £12 (www.boots.com)
Transformulas ArmLift, £36.95 (www.transformulas.com)
HOW GLOW CAN YOU GO?
For the finishing touch, add a hint of sunkissed glow, without going full fake-tan.
They may look dark in the bottle, but bronzing body oils use pigment and finely milled golden particles suspended in oil, so they spread easily and aren’t at all streaky.
If you don’t want any colour at all, a shimmering body lotion will take legs from pasty to healthy in an instant.
TempleSpa Goldentini Body Oil And Glaze, £25 (www.templespa.com)
Rosie for Autograph Summer Rose Shimmer Body Oil, £15 (www.marksandspencer.com)
Label M Diamond Dust Body Lotion, £19.95 (www.labelm.com)
TRIED AND TESTED
Our testers sharpen up their skills with a trio of eyeshadow pencils…
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yogurt, £5 (ASOS.com)
3/5
Estee Lauder Magic Smoky Powder Shadow Stick in Cool Ash, £18 (www.esteelauder.co.uk)
4/5
New Cid Cosmetics i-smoulder Smoky Eye Pencil And Shadow in Azure, £18.50 (www.newcidcosmetics.com)
5/5
BUY IT NOW
The Queen isn’t the only one celebrating her 90th this year, it’s also nine decades since the iconic Weleda Skin Food (£9.95; LookFantastic.com) was launched. If you’ve never tried this model and celeb favourite, you’re missing out. The thick, balm-like moisturiser works wonders overnight, especially in summer for sun-parched skin.
BEAUTY BULLETIN
MEET YOUR MAKE-UP MATCH
SMALL PACKAGES
STEAL OF THE WEEK
To mark the Queen’s 90th birthday in June, M&S is launching the Summer Beauty Box. Spend £40 on beauty, clothing or home between June 9 and 13 and you can purchase the box for just £10. Worth £120, the impressive stash is packed with more than a dozen minis and full-size iconic products, perfect for trying out new brands or taking away on hols (www.marksandspencer.com).
