This morning I got my ankles out, cropped trousers and brogues. It won't be long before were digging out our shorts and summer dresses cue a whirlwind of panic. Heres my must-have list of products that will take your legs from unsightly to lovely in no time.
Start exfoliating, like, now. I recommend Clinique's Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliating Cream, £18.50. Its heavily granulated and has a refreshing menthol fragrance which cools tired legs.
Add to your arsenal Dead Sea Genuine Bath Salts, £6.99, which you can buy in a big box from Boots. Put a handful into your bath with essential oils (I like lavender if I'm bathing before bedtime). The salts draw out all the toxins, pretty powerful stuff.
On top of this you will need to body brush in long upward sweeps from your ankle to your waist every morning and night. This will boost circulation and force the toxins up to the liver and out of your body. If you do both of these every day for a week, plus drink copious amounts of water you should notice a drastic change in a short space of time - ideal pre-holiday.
The Moisturisers
Decleor's Baume Slim Effect, £41, is so powerful at removing toxins that if you slather this on before bed, you will actually need to get up at night to use the bathroom. I didn't believe it until I tried it and awoke at 4am (I never do) desperate for the loo.
For a purse friendly buy try Johnson & Johnson's reformulated 24 hour moisture extra rich body lotion, with contain extract and oils it leaves your skin baby soft for just £2.99.
If moisturising is a bit too high maintenance, visit the Avon website and buy yourself the Skin So Soft Original Dry Oil Spray, £5 (it's on offer at the moment for a tiny £2). You can spritz this over damp legs when youre still in the shower - super time saving. The oil penetrates open pores for soft, sheeny legs in no time.
The Tan
A healthy tan will hide a multitude of sins including broken veins and blemishes. The three best tanners I can recommend for the job are -
Decleor's new Self tanning Milk, £22.50. It's a gradual tanner than can be applied neat or mixed with your body lotion and looks very natural.
Tantastic's Instant Tan, £20, is a liquid tanner. Its by far the easiest tan I have used and as long as you don't moisturise right before application you'll be totally streak free and able to get dressed pronto.
For special occasions, add shimmer to your tan. If you work the sheen up the front in the middle of your shins and thighs your legs will actually appear slimmer. J-Lo's tip, apparently.
My top three are St Tropez's Skin Illuminator, £15, which gives a pretty pinky-purple sheen; Benefit's Body So Fine, £24.50, which is a favourite on shoots for evening out skin tone and imparting a pretty, subtle scent; and Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess Body Oil, £26, which gives a soft sheen and has the most amazing coconut scent (on counter at House of Fraser from 29 March).
The Exercises
Sorry, but all manner of lotions and potions won't completely do the job. A little exercise will go a long way.
James Duigan, Elle 'the body' Macpherson's trainer (www.bodyism.com) recommends this regime for legs:
But to get the most out of your leg exercises James advises Burpees, theyre best if you really want to smash calories. Begin in a squat position with hands on the floor, then kick feet back to a push up position. Immediately return your feet to squat position and repeat this for 10 reps."
If you do a couple of rounds of these, four times per week you should really notice a difference.