VALENTINE’S DAY TO-DO’S: Look Better In the Buff
Feb 08, 2012 Posted by Corrie Shenigo
As the year continues to progress at unimaginable speeds, it recently struck me that that most romantic of holidays (after Groundhog Day, naturally) was just around the corner. Valentine's Day is nearly here and with it is the expectation of romance, a nice dinner and possibly a little something-something after. This being the case, it seemed fitting that someone would take pity on the body-conscious masses and point out a few handy tips and pointers to look and feel sexier sans clothes.
After all, it’s not just our precious facial real estate that needs attending to, we’ve got lots more skin than that! So if you’re planning on being nude, au naturel, disrobed, in-the-buff, uncovered, undraped, undressed and/or buck naked, let’s take a look at a recent article from Shape Magazine called, “Look Better Naked.”
The succinct title needs no explanation (Thank you, Shape Magazine), ‘cause hey, V-day is right around the corner, so there’s no room to tarry. Instead, let’s list a few of the biggest body confidence killers and then move on to eradicating them.
Mottled chest skin (gasp), ingrown hairs (good god), and arm bumps (eek) are some of the worst offenders to our delicate and naked sensibilities. So what does a gal do when these offenders come a calling?
MOTTLED CHEST SKIN: That perfectly tilted canvas just above your lady lumps is a prime target for sun damage and since most of us have been privy to the terror of burning your delicate décolletage you might be familiar with the crepey-ness and mottled brown spots associated with sun exposure. Your good doctor might have some terrific resources to help eradicate this little problem, but we’re in a rush here folks! It’s best to go for camouflaging the spottiness by mixing a few drops of highlighter with your foundation and smoothing it over the area. The light-reflective pigments will help create the illusion of airbrushing – like real life Photoshopping!
INGROWN HAIRS:
Yes, your all waxed, shaved and smooth as a babies bottom… but wait. What’s this? Ingrown hairs are the counterproductive by-products of most hair-removal devices and by-god they are annoying (and painful) as hell! “The curly hairs in your bikini area sometimes grow back into the surrounding skin.” The good Dr. Debra Jaliman, M.D., informs us. “Skin then grows over the hair, forming a tiny bump or cyst.” (Thank you, Captain Obvious, but now what does one do?)
For starters keep your obsessively compulsive picking fingers and tweezers off of it – (seriously, do you want an already ugly red bump to supersize with the help of bacteria?) The key is to exfoliate to clear away the cells that are clogging the follicle, which Jaliman suggests you do twice a week. Shape also suggests a magical AHA lotion to help prevent dead cells from piling up in the first place. Of course, Shape also suggest laser hair removal to effectively eradicate ingrowns—however, in the context of been-there-done-that, laser hair removal still caused this pesky problem. Buyer beware.
ARM BUMPS: There’s more to being nude than just looking the part, the skins texture is also key to body confidence, so don’t let rough red bumps on the backs of your arms (and possibly on your thighs, upper back and booty) ruin what should be a perfectly good night. Keratosis pilaris (KP) is the fancy scientific term for this common offender, and while it’s a completely harmless condition, it’s not really one that spells out sexy-time. KP occurs when keratin builds up in the hair follicles and then holds on for dear life, refusing to flake off as it should.
Never fear though, a combo quick fix of exfoliation and moisturizer will help smooth things over. Simply jump in the shower and again use a magical AHA product containing glycolic and lactic acids to help dissolve dead cells and also hydrate the skin. And if you’re in need of the big guns, ask your doctor about a heavier-duty prescription AHA cream.
Hopefully, these handy dandy little tricks will help you navigate your way through a sexy Valentine's Day. Oh... and... you're welcome.
After all, it’s not just our precious facial real estate that needs attending to, we’ve got lots more skin than that! So if you’re planning on being nude, au naturel, disrobed, in-the-buff, uncovered, undraped, undressed and/or buck naked, let’s take a look at a recent article from Shape Magazine called, “Look Better Naked.”
The succinct title needs no explanation (Thank you, Shape Magazine), ‘cause hey, V-day is right around the corner, so there’s no room to tarry. Instead, let’s list a few of the biggest body confidence killers and then move on to eradicating them.
Mottled chest skin (gasp), ingrown hairs (good god), and arm bumps (eek) are some of the worst offenders to our delicate and naked sensibilities. So what does a gal do when these offenders come a calling?
MOTTLED CHEST SKIN: That perfectly tilted canvas just above your lady lumps is a prime target for sun damage and since most of us have been privy to the terror of burning your delicate décolletage you might be familiar with the crepey-ness and mottled brown spots associated with sun exposure. Your good doctor might have some terrific resources to help eradicate this little problem, but we’re in a rush here folks! It’s best to go for camouflaging the spottiness by mixing a few drops of highlighter with your foundation and smoothing it over the area. The light-reflective pigments will help create the illusion of airbrushing – like real life Photoshopping!
INGROWN HAIRS:
Yes, your all waxed, shaved and smooth as a babies bottom… but wait. What’s this? Ingrown hairs are the counterproductive by-products of most hair-removal devices and by-god they are annoying (and painful) as hell! “The curly hairs in your bikini area sometimes grow back into the surrounding skin.” The good Dr. Debra Jaliman, M.D., informs us. “Skin then grows over the hair, forming a tiny bump or cyst.” (Thank you, Captain Obvious, but now what does one do?)
For starters keep your obsessively compulsive picking fingers and tweezers off of it – (seriously, do you want an already ugly red bump to supersize with the help of bacteria?) The key is to exfoliate to clear away the cells that are clogging the follicle, which Jaliman suggests you do twice a week. Shape also suggests a magical AHA lotion to help prevent dead cells from piling up in the first place. Of course, Shape also suggest laser hair removal to effectively eradicate ingrowns—however, in the context of been-there-done-that, laser hair removal still caused this pesky problem. Buyer beware.
ARM BUMPS: There’s more to being nude than just looking the part, the skins texture is also key to body confidence, so don’t let rough red bumps on the backs of your arms (and possibly on your thighs, upper back and booty) ruin what should be a perfectly good night. Keratosis pilaris (KP) is the fancy scientific term for this common offender, and while it’s a completely harmless condition, it’s not really one that spells out sexy-time. KP occurs when keratin builds up in the hair follicles and then holds on for dear life, refusing to flake off as it should.
Never fear though, a combo quick fix of exfoliation and moisturizer will help smooth things over. Simply jump in the shower and again use a magical AHA product containing glycolic and lactic acids to help dissolve dead cells and also hydrate the skin. And if you’re in need of the big guns, ask your doctor about a heavier-duty prescription AHA cream.
Hopefully, these handy dandy little tricks will help you navigate your way through a sexy Valentine's Day. Oh... and... you're welcome.