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fashion & BEAUTY

Removing Hair Never Sounded So Sweet

Ripping eighth-of-an-inch hairs out of your legs for that super smooth feel isn’t every woman’s favorite beauty regimen to prepare for summer. Waxing your eyebrows is one thing, but it’s such a small area; your legs are a different story. But, there’s a 1,000-year-old Persian method that will take the sting out of hair removal: sugaring.

Sugaring involves using natural ingredients to remove the hair, and, though it is similar to waxing in that a paste is applied to the skin, it doesn’t attach to the skin and thus doesn’t make you cringe when 100s of little hairs are removed. Here’s a quick homemade recipe: add two cups sugar with one quarter cup of water and lemon juice. Then stir it, put it in a pan and bring the mix to a boil until it reaches 250 degrees. Use a thermometer as you’ll want to get the temperature just right. The solution should be soft. Now, once that’s done, powder your legs and then apply the paste, spreading it in the direction of hair growth. Use an unwanted piece of cotton fabric and firmly place it on the paste. Then pull it off quickly in the opposite direction of hair growth.

If you don’t want to become your own beauty supplier, plenty of options exist on the market to buy the sugaring solution: Touchme, www.touchme.ca ; Nads, www.nads.com.au ; and MOOM, www.imoom.com.  Though sugaring is like waxing but without the pain, it’s all natural and leaves out waxing’s other problem: the mess! Sugar is water soluble so it cleans up easy.

Prepare Your Weathered Winter Skin For Summer in the Spring

The constant stream of heated air rushing out of vents in February and March didn’t help your skin. With microdermabrasion, however, you can brush away the dead outer layer of skin and rejuvenate it for the summer. One way is to go to a spa where you can have a professional do the work for you. But, if you’re a do-it-yourself type girl, try out Nature’s Gate Organics Advanced Care’s Microdermabrasion Skin Refining System. This at-home product is easy to use and comes complete with a terrycloth head band, retexturzing cream, replenishing lotion and a natural-bristled wooden texturizng brush. All you have to do is apply the retexturzing lotion to your skin, securing any hair away from you face beforehand. Then rub the brush gently in a circular motion over your face for one to two minutes. Don’t use it for a prolonged amount of time in any one spot. After you’re done, apply the lotion. Some redness will occur for a couple minutes after use, but it’s temporary and will be replaced with skin you never thought you could have. Buy it online at www.natures-gate.com.

A Day at the Beach Equals a Day at the Mall

n As the weather becomes warmer and warmer, thoughts of relaxing days at the beach may be filling your mind. But there’s the catch: you have to buy a swimsuit. Not so relaxing. Lisa Curran, a Cape May native and swimsuit designer to stars like Penelope Cruz and Gwenyth Paltrow, has these tips for finding the perfect swimsuit for your body type. And, you may just want to try some of her suits too: they’re trendy, fun, and fashionable. You can browse her Web site at www.lisacurranswim.com

• Know your body. Know your proportions and be honest and true to yourself.

• If you have a tendency to gain wait in your mid section, try a higher leg and do not wear boy shorts. Also, a little higher bottom that might cover the tummy area a little will work well. Tankinis are always a good choice.

• If you have a larger chest, try not to buy your swimsuit to big. Try something that fills the cup but has smaller straps, since it will make you look more proportional.

• If you have a smaller chest, less is more and if you are looking to enhance, the jelly cups are always a good alternative. Avoid underwires and too much padding, too. Strangely enough this draws more attention to the small chest instead of enhancing what’s actually there.

• If you are a little more self-conscious and want a one piece, shirring and rouging always works well.

• If you like prints but don’t feel comfortable with an all over one piece print, many designers offer a trendy leopard print just as the trim, so it gives you a fashion edge without standing out too much.