The warm season is upon us and Dubai's golden beaches couldn't look any more inviting. But before you get your SPF and swimsuits out, we suggest you take your eyes off this page and have a good look at yourself from top to toe. Chances are you won't find your body and face groomed enough to hit the beach with confidence. Read on to find out how you can go from drab to fab.
Body beautiful
If you've been guilty of skipping the gym over the winter months, we have the lazy girl's way to getting your body in shape. You can get rid of a considerable amount of water retention around the thighs and the abdomen with a salon body-sculpting massage treatment, which uses firming serum. An effective solution for fast results is to book a course of treatments over a short period. Meanwhile, at home, rigorously massage an anti-cellulite cream into your thighs. Use your knuckles in circular motions to stimulate blood flow and better absorption. And don't forget to drink loads of water. Although it might sound counter-intuitive, staying hydrated actually helps prevent water retention by tricking your brain into believing that there will never be a water shortage, so it shouldn't retain the fluids!
Book: Elemis Body Sculpting Cellulite and Colon Therapy, Dh540, 75 minutes, SensAsia Express Spa, Mall of the Emirates (call 04-3549228)
Buy: L'Occitane Amande Shaping Delight Firming and Resculpting Cream, Dh259, Sisley Sisleya Firming Body Care Anti-Ageing Concentrate, Dh1,595
Smooth operator
To look your groomed best in that new swimsuit, you'll also need to get serious about bikini-line management. By far, a wax is the best route to getting the cleanest bikini line as it lasts up to four to six weeks, as opposed to shaving, which leaves you dealing with re-growth every three days. For those with a low pain threshold, popping a painkiller before the wax can help reduce the pain. Look at getting the wax done a few days before you hit the beach to avoid any remnants of post-treatment redness.
But if a salon wax isn't really your thing, you can always DIY with a razor. Just make sure you get your hands on a good quality razor and a mild-pH shaving foam, which helps prevent any dryness. The new-age wet epilators are also great to use as they come with a special bikini attachment that has a shaver head. Unlike the way the epilation attachments work for the rest of the body, the shaver doesn't tug at the hair and is painless. Plus it's safer than a regular razor as it doesn't leave any nicks or cuts. Another simple quick-fix is a depilatory cream like Veet, which is easy to use and doesn't leave any telltale redness.
Although the downside of shaving or depilatory creams is that you risk quicker re-growth than waxing, it's difficult to beat their easy convenience.
Book: Head to toe wax, Dh290 or full legs and bikini line, Dh130; Tilia & Finn, Emirates Towers (call: 04-3861364)
Show off a tan
Fake it, even before you hit the sand. No one wants to head to the beach without that healthy-looking just-been-to-the-French-Riviera tan! Before you think about the golden tint, we recommend you pencil in a salon body polish/scrub treatment a day before to get perfectly smooth skin from top to toe. "The trick to making the most of your spray tan is pre- and post-tan exfoliation and moisturising," says Marie Moulds, distributor for St Tropez Middle East. "Give yourself a through body scrub before you go in for the tan - or the tanning salon will do it for you. And then after you've been spray-tanned, exfoliate every second day to get the dead skin off - this keeps the shade from looking uneven," she says. Exfoliating the skin sloughs off the oldest skin cells and gets it rid of rough and flaky spots, making your self-tan results even.
With quick sunless spray tans offered by Dubai salons, your dermatologist won't get on your case about sun damage. Simply walk into a salon offering a St Tropez body spray and you can get yourself looking gorgeously bronzed in 15 minutes. Besides salon sprays, tanning lotions also make it easy to do a self-tan at home - minus any telltale streaks or orange tints. If you plan to DIY, don't skip the patch test on your arm before you apply the self-tanner to your body.
Once you've got the glow you want, protect your skin with a tan-enhancing sunscreen. As Dr Hassan Galadari, professor of dermatology at UAE University says, "People commonly mistake tanned skin to be impervious to photo damage - but the tan is only a colour change on the outermost skin layer, so it's important to still protect it against sun's rays with an SPF-30 sun filter."
Book: N Style's Body Renewal Polish, 45 minutes, Dh150, N Style, various locations (call: 04-3398414); St Tropez Body Spray only, 15 minutes, Dh175; St Tropez Body Polish and Body Spray (two sittings over two days), Dh290; Essentials salon, Al Wasl Road (call: 04-3955909)
Buy: Clarins Délicieuse self-tanning cream for face and body, Dh185; Bioderma Photoderm Bronz SPF 30 Sun Spray, Dh87
Skin protection
Sun-protected skin is not only healthier but also stays looking youthful for years to come. "The sun has a cumulative damaging effect on the skin and every exposure to its radiation is remembered by the skin and reappears later as pigmentation," says Dr Radmila Lukian, dermatologist at Dubai London Specialty Hospital and Bioderma spokesperson. "When you are in your teens, the damage from sun exposure that happens at that age isn't immediately visible, but it will begin to show up at the age of 35. By the time you are 45, your skin will have signs of both photodamage and photoageing from your younger years.''
Despite awareness, one reason why many women still skip the sunblock is that it leaves an unsightly white sheen.
"Sunblocks containing titanium dioxide and zinc oxide physically block UV radiation by forming a white film on the skin and that's why they have a messy, white texture that can be difficult to wash off," says Dr Radmila. "But at the same time these physical sunscreens offer the best broad spectrum ultra-violet protection."
But if the white sheen bothers you too much, nowadays there are tinted sunscreens with high SPF. These leave no telltale white residue and work as a great swap for your foundation base, effectively camouflaging any uneven marks and pigmentation. Now you don't have an excuse for not sticking to a strong protection regime!
Also, remember, contrary to what people believe, the skin on your body is as vulnerable to photo damage as your facial skin. "The European Health Commission recommends you put 2mg of sunscreen per square centimetre of the skin (which is a quite a lot more than some of us actually apply) and it doesn't differentiate between the skin on the face and the body," says Shirin Kehaniyan, dermatologist at Eucerin. "The trick is to reapply sunscreen once every two hours, both on the face and the body, and whenever you think it might have got washed off," says Dr Shirin. And don't forget the delicate skin of your eyes and lips. Prep eyes for sunscreen first with a soothing, hydrating eye cream. And an SPF 15 balm is a must on the lips.
Buy: Bioderma Photoderm MAX SPF 50+ Ultra Fluid Suncare, Dh105, Eucerin SPF 50+ Tinted Sun Crème, Dh88
Get that sunshine glow
Going overboard with make-up is the worst mistake women can make when heading out to the beach. It's great to keep the rest of the make-up subdued and focus on facial bronzing. "For the base, a tinted SPF moisturiser would be good enough to cover up the blemishes," says Jill Peters, Dubai make-up artist. "For the cheeks, choose a shimmery bronzer in place of your usual rosy blusher." A golden rule to follow when you apply your bronzer is to sweep the brush over the areas that always catch the sun - cheek apples, forehead, nose and tip of chin. Jill recommends opting for lighter golden shadows for the eyes, and going for a waterproof version of your usual eyeliner and mascara.
Buy: Guerlain Terracotta Light Sheer Bronzing Powder, Dh252, Clarins Instant Light Blush in Brown, Dh106
Soothing after-sun care
Redness associated with sun exposure, or rosacea, is a common problem for those with light skin. Keep an anti-redness moisturiser handy or you'll be forced to face your office colleagues with visible rosacea after a weekend beach outing. "There is only one rule for after-sun care: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate…. both on the outside as well as inside the body," says Dr Radmila. To replace lost body fluids, drink loads of water and fresh juices. On the beach, keep a calming spritzer handy for after-sun moisture relief. It's also worth keeping a pack of skin-cleansing wipes in your bag to wipe salty sea water off your face before spraying your hydrating face mist.
Buy: Clinique Redness Solutions kit - Urgent Relief Cream, Dh198; Daily Protective Base SPF 15, Dh114; Daily Relief Cream, Dh262; Soothing Cleanser, Dh126
