Summer calls for a stripped-down beauty routine. Trade in your mascara for (mostly) naturally long lashes, your complex whitening trays for an easy bright smile, and your sun-ravaged skin for a beautifully bronzed bod.
Smile Brighter
Getting that mouth full of pearly whites just got a lot less complicated. Gone are the bulky trays and ill-fitting strips of yesteryear: Crest Whitestrips has introduced its Advanced Seal fit that doesn’t slip off. $38. Target
Bring On the Brooke Shields
Wax your lower extremities all you want, but leave your brows alone. When it comes to those face-framing patches, thin is definitely not in. “Over the past several years, the eyebrow trend has been gradually moving toward a fuller, less defined brow,” says Leah Simon-Clarke, owner of Extrados. “We want to help clients achieve a more natural look that, when shaped properly, can take years off one’s appearance.” 3100 W. 50th St., Mpls., 612-920-0227; 824 E. Lake St., Wayzata, 952-473-0423; 4279 Sheridan Ave. S., Mpls., 612-920-0051
Wax Off
There are only 90-some days of summer, so why waste any of those sunny minutes shaving your legs, bikini line, and underarms? pH Orem Skincare in Minneapolis’s Warehouse District has some of the best waxers in town. And since the typical wax lasts four weeks, it only takes a few sessions to keep you hair-free all summer long. A full leg and bikini wax starts at $86, $18 for underarm. 718 Washington Ave. N., Ste. 302, Mpls., 612-339-1905
Perk Up Your Peds
Ivy Spa Club’s Peaceful Pedicure is just the thing for dry and winter-weary soles. Once you’re comfortably laid back in a zero gravity chair (with an eye pillow and calming neck wrap), a soothing beautification of your toes begins: aromatic moisturizing, foot mask, massage, and of course the requisite pumice and polish. Bliss! $80 for a 60-minute service. Hotel Ivy, 201 S. 11th St., Mpls.,612-343-3131
Dump Your Mascara
A funny thing happened on the way to treating glaucoma: Patients and doctors realized the eye drops had a welcome side effect—longer, thicker, darker eyelashes. Leave it to the pharmaceutical companies to quickly repackage the potion (with FDA approval) and give it a girly name: Latisse. We tried it—swiping it across our lids for two months—and not only did it work, but the results were pretty amazing. $120 for a one-month supply. Skin Rejuvenation Clinic, P.A., Southdale Medical Center, 6545 France Ave. S., Ste. 234, Edina, 952-920-6545
Get the Good Stain
High humidity and sultry temps make most makeup cake and flake, but even the warmest of days are no match for Benefit’s Benetint cheek and lip stain. Long loved by beauty editors for giving a natural flush, Benetint’s kiss-proof and waterproof product is the original stain—and still the best. $28. Sephora, five metro locations, including Rosedale, 651-697-6577
Fake It, Don’t Bake It
Start by letting the professionals bronze your entire body, then you keep up the color with sunless tanning cream (we like the foolproof Jergens Natural Glow, available at drugstores). The Body Bronzing Treatment at Sanctuary Salonspa begins with a full-body exfoliation to gently remove dead surface skin cells and is followed by a precise application of body bronzing cream. Two applications (a day apart) are recommended for long-lasting results. $75. 995 Prairie Center Dr., Eden Prairie, 952-949-1313; 16506B W. 78th St., Eden Prairie, 952-253-4500; 5615 Manitou Rd., Tonka Bay, 952-474-4412; 1201 Harmon Pl., Mpls., 612-333-0300
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