It’s mid August, and if you’re anything like us, you’ll undoubtedly be panicking about last minute bikini body baring. So whether you have just a couple of days before you hit the departure lounge, or weeks, we show you how, with just a little beauty insider knowledge you can boost your body confidence for good.
Last Minute Figure Fixer
Everyone has their problem areas – but when it comes to body baring, a sleek silhouette is the key to confidence, so much so, that rarely do I venture towards a beach or, for that matter, a bikini without having first been mummified in one of the fast-acting and super-effective, Elite Universal Contour Wraps. Although, sadly, the body smoothing, contouring and toning results are not permanent, for your first foray into a semi-nude-in-public state since last summer, it offers the body confidence boosting you need for those first few days of exposure.
After an initial measuring session where there therapist notes your measurements across areas of the body – from ankle and thigh to waist and arm – a warm clay paste is smoothed over the wobbliest areas and plastic straps are velcroed across the stomach and legs. Heated clay-soaked bandages are then wrapped and layered around your limbs and over your stomach. Helped up onto the treatment bed you’ll then be hooked up, via the plastic bands, to a toning, shaping and cellulite-blitzing device, which works – along with the mummifying process to draw out toxins, rid the body of excess fluid, smoothing and minimising cellulite. A relaxing 35 minutes ensues, where, enveloped in a heated blanket, pulses of varying time and frequency blast into the deep tissue of your legs and stomach for an added hit of toning and tightening. An hour later, unwrapped and dried down, you’ll be re-measured to startling results (for me it was a total of 6 inches lost), and slip back into your clothes feeling and looking instantly trimmer. Skin feeling and looking, tauter, tighter and toned. Not bad for an hour of snoozing. And believe me when I say that this will become a pre-event ritual.
Elite Universal Contour Wrap at Oskin Holborn Circus, £90. Or locate your nearest salon at www.universalcontourwrap.com
Long Process, Lasting Results
If you have a bit more time (and this treatment can take up to six months to fully take effect) then Lovelite Ice, the new Hollywood style lipoglaze, could be the answer to fatty deposits on tummys, thighs and hips. The treatment, already popular in the US, is now making an appearance on UK soil through LoveLiteUK. Otherwise known as Cryotherapy, the treatment works on small and stubborn areas of fat actually ‘dissolving’ it away over a period of time without surgery and little pain. Most people find that they notice a difference after about 2 weeks although for me, it took effect almost immediately. Your fatty area (in my case my stomach) is sucked up into a vacuum suction cup and then the temperature of the area reduced considerably to -5 degrees. This literally freezes the fat cells which in turn crystallise and ‘die’. They are then absorbed into the body and flushed away via the liver.
As a treatment, it is somewhat daunting but having been talked through the whole-process beforehand I was put at ease and thankfully any side effects were minimal. It’s a bit uncomfortable when the machine is first applied but this sensation soon stops and throughout the process, which takes an hour, you really don’t feel very much at all. When the cup is removed you are left with an incredibly strange, square, frozen shape on your stomach but this is quickly massaged away, the super-painful and almost nauseating part. Two hour-long sessions were needed for my stomach (a fortnight apart) and now over a month later I can really start to see the effects. My stomach is definitely flatter and the stubborn fat is slowly disappearing. I almost can’t believe it! Side effects included localised tingling, slight cramping and bruising but nothing unbearable or permanent. I have had to continue to be careful about what I eat and have tried to get in some exercise – this isn’t a treatment that will work if you are still lazy and overindulging, but I must say it does appear to be working.
LoveLite Ice Lipoglaze, from £500 per hour long session, is available in Harley Street though they are looking to roll it out throughout the UK. Follow Donna and Debra on twitter @loveliteuk to find out more or contact them via the website to ask questions. Alternatively email info@loveliteuk.co.uk, www.loveliteuk.co.uk