Dare to Bare
Prolong your tan with oil
Maximise the life of your faux glow by smoothing on baby oil before hitting a cool-to-warm shower (avoid hot water as it can dry out the skin and make your tan blotchy). “The oil acts like plastic wrap around your skin and minimises exfoliation caused by the pelting water,” says Anna Stankiewicz, an airbrush-tanning artist at the Rita Hazan Salon in New York City. “The oil will wash off but your tan will stay put.” To maintain the colour further, reapply your tanner every three to four days, Leona suggests.

Beware of swimmer’s hair
Chlorine and salt all contribute to dryness and damage. Wet your hair under a tap before hitting the waters, and rinse it out again right after you leave the pool or sea. Even better, use a shampoo that effectively removes chlorine, salt and sweat like Aubrey Organics Swimmer’s Normalizing Shampoo  ($29.50, Essential Living) which contains organic corn syrup, citric acid and organic shea butter to clean out, smooth and condition the hair. Follow up with a rich conditioner like Asience Deep Nourish Conditioner ($6.95, pharmacies and supermarkets).

Go sheer when time is short
Drying time is proportional to the amount of pigment in your polish, says Nonie Crème, creative director for the Butter London nail care line in the US. This means a deep purple will take longer to dry (up to 30 minutes) than a sheer beige – which is good to go in about five. Try Sally Hansen Diamond Strength No Chip Nail Color in Sealed with a Kiss ($13.90, pharmacies), a sheer pink.

Text: Genevieve Monsma & Ng Mei Yan
Photo: Kevin Yang

Read this article in the July issue of Shape. Out now at newsstands.