SUMMER RULES!
…but shaving dramas don’t. Follow Venus’s four beauty commandments to hit the beach looking smoother than a swirl of Mr Whippy
Ah, the season of sun, sea, sangria – and endless beauty prep – is here. Whatever your shaving style, maintaining smooth skin for three months can feel harder than taking a flattering naturallight selfie. (Trust us, we’ve spent hours doing both.) Add sunburnt skin, sweat and swimsuits into the mix, and it’s preparation overload. But Venus is here to do the hard work for you: whether you’re off to a beach party or a big night out, follow these rules and you’ll be gliding through your grooming in no time.
FOUR STEPS TO FABULOUS
You’re busy women, we know that. You’ve got work to do, sales to shop and boxsets to binge on. So we asked the experts at Venus to give us just four beauty commandments to abide by this summer for gorgeous, glowing skin. Trusted by 120 million women worldwide, Venus is the world’s number-one selling female hair removal brand, and its experts know a thing or two about perfecting beauty regimes. In every area of your body… “Bikini-area grooming can be trickier than, say, your legs, as the skin’s more uneven and the hair coarser. To counter this, pull the skin taut,” says Venus Ambassador Dr Anita Sturnham. Got it? Now read on to nail your beauty routine from top to toe…
Keep strays at bay
Whether you whip it all off or keep things fairly ‘au naturel’, there’s one look we all want to avoid at the beach: stray hairs. Yep, 39% of women* say those little forgotten strands left lurking under arms, on legs or around the bikini line are their main source of summer-beauty stress. Thankfully, the new Venus Bikini Trimmer makes light work of those super-annoying stay-putters. Sleek, smart and compact, it has a 90°-angle head for total precision, AKA a solid close shave. Or, if you prefer to just neaten your bikini line, there’s a 5mm click-on ‘trimming comb’. Oh, and it’s battery-powered, so can be popped in your beach bag for on-the-go tidy-ups. Fuss-free fuzz removal? Sign us up. Venus Bikini Trimmer, RRP £22.49, Boots
“Bikini-area grooming can be trickier than your legs, as the hair’s more coarse”
“Don’t be tempted to prep skin with random beauty products such as shampoos or shower gels. This increases your risk of irritation”
Soothe skin
Spent one too many hours chilling on a sun lounger in your parents’ garden this weekend, and now worried about how shaving might affect your skin? Join the club! In fact, 38% of women* agree that sunburn is a top summer-beauty concern. So, to soothe sore skin before shaving, slather on Venus Satin Care Sensitive Skin Shaving Gel With Aloe. “Don’t be tempted to use random beauty products such as shampoos or shower gels,” says Dr Sturnham. “This increases your risk of redness and irritation.” Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Venus Satin Care Sensitive Skin Shaving Gel With Aloe, RRP £3.55, Boots
Scrub up well
We all know that exfoliation boosts your tan by removing dull, flaky skin. But did you know that shaving helps with exfoliation, too? Basically, shaving could help you attain, and maintain, a better glow, so it’s worth doing properly. Prep skin using a salt- or sugar-based scrub on your hand, or your normal shower gel on a body brush, and gently polish your skin. It’ll remove dirt, dead cells and impurities, so that your razor will be at its most effective. Cali-girl glow coming right up.
Shave like a pro
There’s no getting away from the fact that more regular shaving equals more irritated skin. And red and itchy so isn’t the look we’re going for this summer. A protective razor, such as the Venus ComfortGlide Vanilla Crème, which contains vanillascented flexible moisture bars with skin nourishing body butters and extracts of avocados, olives and kokum fruit, will help to keep skin happy when grooming. And with 29% of women* ranking shaving rash as being in their top five biggest summer beauty challenges, this commandment might just be the Holy Grail. See you at the beach! Venus ComfortGlide Vanilla Crème RRP £10.49, Superdrug