The Best Confidence-Boosting Summer-Body Buys

While we may have a cabinet full of acid-based face peels, the focus has remained on grainy scrubs for body care. Fast but superficial, they buff the surface to polish skin – unlike chemical peels, which lift dead cells and work at a deeper level to improve your complexion’s overall condition. Admittedly, the choice of acid-based body peels is currently small (but growing), yet one standout formula is U Beauty’s Resurfacing Body Compound. Comprising a mix of glycolic, mandelic, phytic and lactic acids, together with hydrators and retinol to refine pores, it works like a premium face cream to leave dull, flat-looking skin plump, glowing and polished. Also good is Tata Harper’s Resurfacing Body Serum, which uses a blend of AHAs, plus peptides and vitamin C, to treat a plethora of issues in one go. You can use it daily to reduce dullness, crepe-like texture and an uneven skin tone.

When something works brilliantly on our face, we want exactly the same results for our body. Cue Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare’s DRx SpectraLite BodyWare Pro, which – like his famed LED masks – utilizes collagen-inducing red light (good for improving skin on hands, chest, stomach or knees) and breakout-clearing blue light (ideal for problem chests or, with a bit of dexterity, backs) to target specific areas. Be consistent and you’ll see results; research shows red light is good for sleep, too. To boost results even more, apply a hyaluronic acid-rich serum or moisturizer after using your LED device – it really helps to enhance hydration and support the skin’s renewal process. Consider using a targeted formula depending on where you’ve applied your mask. Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Super Anti-Aging Neck and Décolleté Cream targets pigmentation on your chest (which is often more sun sensitive) while hydrating and firming at the same time.

Adding a bit of color and sheen instantly makes you look better. The skin below the chin, in particular, can comprise a mix of textures and tones (think dry, super-dry or oily), so using something that unifies them immediately makes you look more finished. 111Skin’s Rose Gold Radiance Body Oil is a deeply hydrating yet lightweight oil with golden pigments for a blurring effect that works. I mix it with body lotion for my arms and legs, then apply it neat to highlight my shins and shoulders. However, the one shade can be limiting, so Westman Atelier’s silky Lit Up Highlight Stick is a great alternative. Available in Lit, Nectar and Brûlée, it delivers the prettiest, dewiest hit of iridescence to face and body, and works for most skin tones.

It may be old-school and dull, but dry-body brushing works. It was Dr.Barbara Sturm who originally inspired me to make twice-weekly brushing part of my routine: “When I do it, I see the difference in tone and texture in just weeks,” she told me. Body expert Nichola Joss (famous for top-to-toe beauty Oscar prepping for her A-list clients) makes the process fast and fuss-free by using small, round brushes – one in each hand (using two halves the time it takes) – to work briskly up the body before a shower or in the shower. Equally effective to get sluggish lymph moving is having a ‘Scandi shower’ (alternate warm- and cold-water shower jets over legs and hips) a few times a week, and spend time every day massaging in a nourishing treatment oil or lotion. Natura Bissé’s C+C Vitamin Body Cream is packed with vitamins C and E and rosa mosqueta oil while La Mer’s The Reparative Body Lotion is spiked with caffeine to help deflate heavy, puffy thighs and calves. For added firming, try Sisley’s Sisleyä L’Intégral Anti-Âge Concentrated Firming Body Cream, focusing on areas in need of tightening such as arms, inner thighs and stomach.

Depending on your preferred texture, these are three of the best:

1. Augustinus Bader’s The Body Lotion offers the perfect consistency for virtually every skin type and – like the brand’s famous skincare – sinks in quickly to deeply moisturize, without feeling too rich or heavy.

2. Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Super Anti-Aging Body Serum delivers all the benefits of her coveted Super Anti-Aging Serum for the face, from the neck down. Packed with hyaluronic acid and peptides amongst other heavyweight ingredients, it delivers a softer, smoother skin texture and a more even tone in a weightless texture.

3. U Beauty’s The Super Body Hydrator has the same cosseting, creamy texture as the excellent Super Hydrator, and works beautifully to treat dry, dehydrated skin, fast – leaving it looking and feeling velvety-soft.

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