Powderroom
The Sunday Age
Sunday July 1, 2007
A journey north calls for pre-trip preparations, writes Natasha Hughes.
Queenslanders must get a chuckle out of this time of the year: they're privy to a free comedy festival as all the pasty southerners converge for fun in the sun. Victorians are instantly identifiable. The shorts look so wrong grasping weary winter thighs, the Shrek feet are foul. And just as the bikini starts to feel comfortable and the logical attire for all social situations, we leave.The holidays have begun so the situation's urgent if you're more pudding than tutti-frutti. "Nothing says 'up here from down south' more than dry, scaly legs and body untouched by colour," says George Gougoulis, Lancome's national skin-care expert. "A little preparation goes a long way." This, of course, means that messy, tedious business of exfoliation. Good products make it tolerable; use them on damp, not wet, skin (scrubs such as Pure Fiji Coconut Sugar Rub, $55.50, and Inspa Soothe Salt Glow, $35, work better than any loofah or brush). Gougoulis also polishes his feet (with Lancome Resurface Microdermabrasion Body, $85). "I put cling film over it and thick socks on and do my packing, then rinse. It's the time-poor substitute for a pedicure." Just add colour.Then the beach body. Moisturise, moisturise and "if you can't tone it, tan it", says Tony Baumann, of Mecca Cosmetica, using the fake stuff, of course. There are some brilliant niche brands and some good-enough supermarket ones, but I always favour the middle ground; the established names give reliable, believable results. Clinique's Self-Sun Body Quick Bronze, $30, browns the skin immediately then further develops; Shiseido's Brilliant Bronze Tinted Self-Tanning Gel, $40, leaves a shimmer; Lancome's Flash Bronzer Mousse ($52) gives a streak-free hue and Clarins' Self-Tanning Instant Gel, $40, is pleasant smelling and easy to use. Piret Elmassian, general manager of Clarins, says for best results apply only a small amount of self-tanner with quick, light, sweeping motions. It is a common misconception that if you look tanned, you won't burn, according to Alison McBurnie of Clinique, but self-tanners don't contain sunscreen.Leave the house for the airport with skin hydrated and lips balmed (Perfect Potion does luscious ones for $11.95). A sunshine destination is no place for polished make-up but it is an excuse to try the latest northern hemisphere summer colours. Most brands release theirs at the end of the month but available now, in limited editions, are Clinique's Fresh Bloom Spring Collection (light and natural), Chanel's Summer 2007 Collection (sun-kissed and glossy) and Azuree Soleil, Tom Ford's last collection for Estee Lauder (sultry plum). Skin that has not seen the sun is especially prone to damage but you know the rules by now. "No one exposes their skin to the sun any more," says Mecca's Baumann - at least not Melburnians on holiday. Surely?nhughes@theage.com.au
© 2007 The Sunday Age
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