Saturday, July 31, 2010

Summer Secrets: Great Summer Legs

The perfect accessory to your bikini's, skirts and dresses is undoubtedly a pair of great summer legs.


But how do you achieve that???

Especially after covering them up in winter, they need some serious maintenance, and here's how you do it:

Step 1: Exfoliating
First, you start by giving your legs a good scrub. This way you get rid of your dead skin cells, make your skin glow and feel soft and it also makes your tan look better and last longer!

Scrub your body in circular motions for a few minutes to get rid of your dead skin cells and to improve blood circulation.

These are the scrubs I like to use on my legs:

* Sugar Babe: Lush)


This is a very coarse sugar scrub.
It does a great job at making your skin soft and smooth but if you don't like coarse scrubs, this one isn't for you.
Sugar Babe leaves a hydrating layer on your skin, but not greasy at all, just soft.
It has a soft, sweet, mild flowery scent (Ylang Ylang and Mimosa) that reminds me of clean baby's, and there's a red core in the center of the scrub.
Instead of taking the whole scrub with you in the shower, it's better to smash it up and put it in a jar. If you don't, a lot of your precious Sugar Babe will end up in the drain :(.

*I give Sugar Babe 5 stars, because it's simply perfect.*

*A Sugar Scrub (Lush)


This one is also coarse.
You use it in the same way as Sugar Babe, but the smell and effect of A Sugar Scrub is different.
A Sugar Scrub smells green (there is Vetivert in it) and is supposed to battle cellulite.
This one is more invigorating than Sugar Babe, but Sugar Babe is definitely more hydrating.

*Sugar Scrub get's 4 stars, because it isn't very hydrating.*

*You Snap The Whip (Lush)


You Snap The Whip is a coarse scrub with pumice in it. Though it isn't as coarse as it used to be, you still need to be careful not to scratch your skin if there happens to be a bit of pumice in it that is a bit too large. If you're careful there's nothing to worry about, and it's actually a very good scrub.
The pumice exfoliates your skin and the nourishing Cocoa Butter and Organic Macadamia Nut Oil hydrate your skin and leaves it non-greasy but extremely soft.
You Snap The Whip also makes you smell like berries :D (it's scented with the same fragrance as "The Comforter".
I usually cut it up in small blocks (± 9 or 12 blocks) and take only a few of them with me when I shower. If you don't, YSTW will only last for 1 or 2 showers.

*You Snap The Whip deserves 4 stars, because it's not always scrubby enough and sometimes too scrubby.*

*Smooch! sugar scrubs (Villainess)


My favourite of the Smooch! sugar scrubs that's in the regular collection, is Ginger Snapped.
This is a spicy one that smells like Speculaas cookies (it's a Dutch cookies).
You can smell cinnamon, ginger and other spices in it.
Every Smooch! smells different and also has different scrubby things and different effects.
Ginger Snapped has brown sugar to exfoliate.
You can scrub gently with it, if you want, but it can also be a coarser one if you scrub harder.
Ginger Snapped also has a warming effect.
It releases a rush of warmth on impact to open pores and soothe skin.

*Ginger Snapped Smooch! is a perfect scrub and therefore get's 5 stars.*

*Pure Coconut Oil Leg And Body Scrub (Inecto)


This is a mild scrub that still scrubs enough to be useful.
It smells like coconut, which gives me a summery feeling, and the coconut oil makes your skin hydrated and very soft.
What's also great about this scrub, is that it comes in a tube, which makes it perfect to take with you on a holiday (or to the gym) and it's easy to use when you are in a hurry or when you have a small bathroom.

*Inecto Coconut get's 4 stars because it isn't very scrubby, but it does hydrate well and it comes in a handy tube.*

Step 2: Shaving

To have smooth, touchable legs, you need to shave away those hairs.
Essential is a good rasor with 4 blades (I always use a rasor by Gilette) and a good shaving cream.
It's better not to use a shaving foam (like from Gilette) because they usually dry out your skin.
The best option is a shaving cream, but a hydrating shower gel or even a conditioner will work if you don't have anything else.

My favourite shaving products:

*Dirty Shaving Cream (Bnever)


Sadly, Bnever doesn't exist anymore, but lucky for us, Lush will start making it soon :D.
This is a true shaving cream, but better than I had expected..
After trying Ambrosia by Lush, I was reluctant to try this one, but this is actually the best shaving product I have ever had!!!
Just put a royal amount of this on your legs and start shaving, it's that easy!
Dirty Shaving Cream doesn't clog your rasor, it makes shaving easy because the rasor glides over the skin and it's extremely hydrating (but not at all) greasy.
I actually don't need a body lotion after this one (and I always need to use body lotion after showering).

*Not suprisingly, Dirty Shaving Cream get's 5 starts for it's perfection!!!*

*A Jelly (Lush)


Just take any Jelly by Lush, and put it in the blender.
With this substance it's easy to shave.
One blendered jelly provides enough *Shaving cream* for weeks, though it also depends on how often you shave.
The special thing about the jelly's is the Carrageenan Extract, which is extracted from Irish Moss Seaweed.
This amazing extract makes skin really soft somehow (and your hair too, if you wash it with it).
A blendered jelly makes your hairs soft, which makes them easy to shave, and it also makes the rasor blade glide over your skin.

*A blendered jelly is a perfect shaving cream, so 5 stars is the reward.*

*Fluffy Stuff Foaming Cream Soap (Grumpy Girl)


I have this product in 2 scents: Hot Tranny Mess (Lush's Rock Star dupe) and Girly Girl (Pink Sugar dupe).
These scents are both very sweet and delicious.
Fluffy Stuff is a very fluffy cream soap, that is highly fragranced and makes your skin really soft.
It foams a bit, which makes it easy too wash with and it's great for shaving.
You just grab a bit of the Fluffy Stuff and spread it around your legs and shave.
It makes the razor glide over your skin and it's easy to shave with this.
This product also makes your skin soft after shaving/showering and the scent lingers for a long time.

*Another 5 star product, Fluffy Stuff Foaming Cream Soap!*

Step 3: Moisturising.

After exfoliating and shaving it's time to hydrate your skin.
You can use a light body lotion or body milk, but if you really want great results and super soft legs with a glow, you're gonna need something stronger than that.
It's best to use a very hydrating body lotion or body butter or even a massage bar or oil if you want it very shiny.

My favourite body butter was from a brand called "The Secret Garden" which doesn't exist anymore.
Among my favourites are also a lot of limited editon body lotions by Lush.

These are my favourites (that can still be bought):

*Dream Cream (Lush)


This is probably one of the best body lotions ever.
It very hydrating and calming, it's even said to help relieve skin problems like excema.
Chamomile an lavender calm irritations, reduce redness and banish blotches.
It has a lot of other great ingredients in it: Rose essential oil, oat milk and olive oil, amongst others.
When I use Dream Cream, my skin is completely hydrated and soothed and way less blotchy (which is a necessity when you are baring your skin in summer).
It also gives a sheen to my skin, which makes it look healthy.
Dream Cream smells a bit herbal, like lavender and other herbs, but the scent doesn't linger, so you can use it if you don't like herbal scents.

*I actually want to give this one more than 5 stars, but since I can't I'll stick to just 5.*

*Crème Anglaise (Lush)


Another great moisturiser by Lush.
Like Dream Cream, Crème Anglaise isn't a light body lotion.
It's more of a highly hydrating body lotion.
This one smells strong and sweet of honey and vanilla amongst other things.
It's made from some of the finest ingredients available, which makes it more expensive, but it's definitely worth the price.
This one hydrates and calms well, smells great, and gives a nice healthy glow to your skin.

*Another 5 star product, Crème Anglaise!*

*Goat's Milk, Shea Butter & Honey Lotion (Grumpy Girl)


This body lotion is bit like a balm.
It hyrates well, makes your skin very soft and is highly fragranced (you can choose the scent you want from the list, including Lush dupes).
The difference between these body lotions and the ones by Lush, is that these doesn't give a sheen/glow to you skin.

*Goat's Milk, Shea Butter & Honey Lotion get's 4 stars, because it doesn't give a glow to your skin.*

*Whipped! (Villainess)


A whipped body butter that matches with a Smooch!.
My favourite Whipped! would probably be Ginger Snapped Whipped!, because of the scent.
This whipped body butter is very hydrating but not oily (usually body butters tend to be a bit or a lot oily/greasy).
This product does give a sheen to your skin, even though it isn't oily.

*Whipped! get's 4 stars.*

*Body Butter (The Body Shop)


The Body Butters by The Body Shop are hydrating, but not greasy.
They are like a body lotion, but more solid (if that makes any sense).
These body butters are not very greasy but hydrate well and they come in a wide variety of scents, my favourites being: Almond, Raspberry, Passion Fruit and Blueberry.
The scents linger for a long time, especially the raspberry.
It gives a nice sheen to your skin as well, which is great for nice summer legs.

*These Body Butters get 3,5 stars, because they have less natural ingredients and more chemicals.*

*Rice-Ginger Body Lotion (Suhada Nature)


This brand is only available once a year.
In december you can buy it at Lidl supermarkets, so you have to buy enough for the whole year ;).
This one smells strongly of ginger (which I love), it's a real invigorating scent.
This body lotion is just as hydrating as Lush's body lotions, which is rare for such a cheap products (it costs under 5 euro's).
Like Lush's body lotions it also gives a great sheen/glow to your skin, which I love.

*Rice-Ginger body lotion definitely deserves 5 stars!*

After exfoliating, shaving and moisturising you are ready to expose yourself to the world.
If you want, you can also use a shimmery product on your legs, to make them glow even more.

Lush can be bought here (UK) and here (NL).
Villainess can be bought here (USA) and here (NL)
Grumpy Girl can be found here
The Body Shop products can't be ordered in The Netherlands, but they can be ordered here (USA)

I know I've rated the products high, but that's because I wrote about amazing products today, my favourites!

I hope this article is helpful to you all.
Have you got any favourite products that give you great summer legs?
Let me know if you do!

Until next time,

Freya

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