It’s been a gloomy old week in Melbourne. Weather-wise I mean. Grey and wet all the way, which leaves one feeling like you’re stuck in the middle of an endless English winter.
A bleak week in MelbourneWork-wise it’s been a different story. I’ve had a fantastic week. I’m settling in at smoothfm and starting to feel a little less like the new kid on the block.
Tropical paradiseBut with my new working hours and this dismal weather, I’ve started to hanker for a bit of sunshine. You know that feeling, when you start to fantasize about a holiday in a tropical island paradise?
Just looking at this picture makes you feel warmer, doesn’t it? You can feel the sun on your skin, the sand between your toes and the smell of sea-salt in the air.
I’d like to look like this please…
I’m also missing my regular gym work-outs and feeling a bit on the pale, bloated side. I did actually manage to summon up enough energy to make it to one gym class earlier in the week because the name appealed. It was a ‘Beach Body workout’. What could be better, I thought? A workout, plus I’ll start to feel all lithe and summery – fabulous!
No such luck. There was a lot of sweaty, hard grunt-work but in the end, I realized it would take about a hundred such classes to transform the white flabby shape in the mirror. However, the ‘beach body’ concept stayed on my mind and I started to think up ways to make this happen without all the hard work…
No one wants to look like an OompaloompaAnd then it came to me in a flash. Of course! All I needed was a bit of fake tan and I’d instantly feel slimmer and more summery! I’m not talking about some horrible orange smudged on goo – more like a light frosting of summer – an elegant, subtle tan that leaves you glowing instead of marching around town like an Oompaloompa.
And so, for your benefit (and mine!) I’ve given a few products a test run to help steer you in the right direction.
My fave product for a gradual glow
1. DOVE Summer Glow Nourishing Lotion.
This is the best of all the gradual tanning lotions I’ve tried. It’s easy to apply, dries relatively quickly and doesn’t streak Use the ‘Normal to dark skin’ colour for the best results.
Price: 400ml – $11.57 (larger bottle pictured)
Rating: 8/10
Duwop body foundation
2. Duwop Body Foundation.
You used to be able to buy this from specialty cosmetic store Mecca, although most recently I purchased this online through Amazon. This is a great product for when you get ready for a special night out and realise your legs look like white sausages. An instant remedy, but also washes off so no lasting benefits. Use a sponge to apply and it’s not too difficult to achieve an even finish.
Price: $24 – 120ml
Rating: 7/10
Pure Tan instant bronzer
3. Pure Tan Instant Bronzer
Like the Duwop Body Foundation, this is an instant fix for white skin. It also comes with a handy applicator mitt, however, it’s a little more streaky to apply. It still works, but takes a little more time than the Duwop. The other difference is that this is a more translucent liquid, leaving a more natural finish, whereas the Duwop can look a bit like heavy, pasty foundation if you apply too much.
Price: $23.95
Rating: 6.5/10
L’Oreal Sublime Bronze gel4. L’Oreal Sublime Bronzer gel
This is a favourite of mine for a deeper, lasting tan. It should be applied the day before a special event and it helps if you have a friend or partner who can cover the back region. It leaves a glowing, natural colour that lasts for about a week and is the closest result to a natural tan that I’ve found.
Cost: $16.76 150ml
Rating: 9/10
So there you have it. How to get a beach body without going to the gym or taking a vacation. It’s the quickest, cheapest way to get a holiday-pick-me-up and beat those summer-withdrawal blues. I bet you’re feeling better already!
I first posted this Blog FIVE years ago – on Boxing Day, 2012. To this day it remains the most popular Blog on my site in terms of ‘beauty tips’. And yes, I DO still use Careprost on my eyelashes. For those of you who missed the original, the information is still current and I’m still ordering the product through All Day Chemist.
This is the best product I’ve found to help with eyelash length – and I HAVE tried other much more expensive brands over the past few years – just in case there’s something better out there. But there isn’t. If you look at the before and after photos of my lashes, you’ll see proof it really does work.
I first learnt about Careprost when I was working as an MC at a charity function and was seated next to the keynote speaker – a young doctor who was speaking about the prevention of stroke. Not only was she smart and very attractive, I couldn’t help but stare at her eyelashes. Long, thick and dark – I could only assume she’d had extensions. Over lunch we struck up a conversation and, trying to be tactful, I asked what mascara she used. She told me the secret wasn’t her mascara, but a treatment she used nightly.
She’d been given the tip from another female doctor who, while researching glaucoma treatments, discovered a wonderful side effect of the eye-drops they were testing, was that all their patients had developed amazingly long lashes.
The product is called Careprost and can be ordered from an Indian on-line pharmacy called All Day Chemist. (www.alldaychemist.com) It costs only $11.00 and I’d recommend when first ordering, to spend the extra ONE DOLLAR buying the application brush as well. As the product is so cheap and postage isn’t, I’d also recommend buying there or four bottles at a time. The bottles are also quite small so it’s worth buying a couple at least.
CareprostCheck out these before and after photos of my eyelashes as proof of the improvement.
Tom and me, more than 10 years agoThis photo was taken when Tom was just a toddler and he’s now fifteen. So you would expect more than ten years ago, my lashes would have been a little bit fuller and longer than they are today.
Close-up of my lashes
Without make-up and mascara today
Now here’s a shot of my lashes today – even without mascara.
With mascara today
With mascara, it almost looks like I’ve glued on falsies – but I haven’t.
Use Careprost nightly
It’s just a case of dipping the brush into the tiny bottle each night, and wiping the fluid along the lash line.
Applying Careprost
Some say you shouldn’t brush the liquid UNDER the eye, as it may cause irritation, but I do the bottom lashes as well and haven’t experienced any problems.
Overall, it will probably take a couple of months to see a difference, but it’s worth it.
I tried having eyelash extensions once and found it not only expensive, but the tendrils drop off pretty quickly – not to mention the sheer horror of having to lie still for more than an hour to have them applied. THAT drove me crazy.
There’s one more thing. I do believe the mascara I use is one of the best on the market and also contributes to the appearance of longer lashes.
Kevyn Aucoin mascaraKevyn Aucoin mascara. It’s produced under the Kevyn Aucoin make-up line – Kevyn being a formally famous Hollywood make-up artist, renowned for his brilliance. It’s a bit more pricey here than overseas, but it’s practically impossible to buy it on-line, as Mecca have the sole rights to importing it into Australia. Which means you can only buy it at Mecca and it’s about $35.
Oh yes, and I’m also rather fond of the Kevyn Aucoin marketing strategy which spins a good philosophy.
Kevyn Aucoin advertisementSo there you have it guys – my Christmas gift to you – the secret to longer lashes! Long may yours grow.
(NOTE: PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR OR OPTOMETRIST BEFORE USING)
