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Beauty

9 Easy Ways To Erase Spider Veins, Firm Skin, and More Just in Time for Summer

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The countdown to the warm, sunny season has begun! But just as we anticipate the days spent lounging by the pool or beside the ocean, the body-baring attire it calls for can give us pause. That’s why FIRST found the easy remedies that nix arghs like belly bulges, cellulite and more. So whether you’re slipping into a swimsuit in four weeks or later today, you can don it with the utmost confidence using these summer beauty tips! Read on to…

Erase spider veins with a soybean oil rub.

The reason pesky purple veins seem to multiply each year: Long periods of standing, heredity and hormones weaken capillary walls, causing blood to leak and pool at skin’s surface. The fix? Rubbing legs with soybean oil. The oil’s antioxidants strengthen vein walls, and its vitamin K promotes healthy blood flow. Plus, massage boosts circulation for up to 72 hours, fading existing clusters and preventing the onset of new ones. To do: Rub a nickel-size amount of soybean oil like Mountain Rose Herbs Soybean Oil (Buy from MountainRoseHerbs.com, $7) onto legs, then place hands near the ankle and work in long, brisk strokes up to the thigh for two minutes per leg. Repeat three times a week to see results within three weeks.

Instant fix: tarte Shape Tape Waterproof Body Makeup (Buy from QVC.com, $39). It masks veins and can withstand swimming or sweating for flawless all day!

Boost a saggy bust with a cucumber ‘cream’.

Gravity and a loss of skin elasticity are to blame for the descent of our once-perky breasts. What can help? A mask made of skin-firming cucumber (studies show its vitamin A improves the production of elastin fibers, which can help reverse sagging), hydrating aloe and antioxidant-rich honey, which helps the chest appear even tauter. To do: Mix one tablespoon of grated cucumber, 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel and 1⁄2 tablespoon of honey. Rub on breasts; rinse after 20 minutes. Use three times a week for results in 30 days.

Instant fix: Brassybra (Brassybra.com). This adhesive “bra” is applied to breasts and pulls them up to lift and shape the bust.

Beat belly bulges with dry brushing.

The spa-inspired treatment that flattens the belly? Body brushing, says New York City dermatologist Debra Jaliman, MD. “The brushing motions act like a massage to help break up fatty deposits while promoting circulation to help expel the excess fluids and trapped toxins that ‘bulk up’ the midsection.” To do: Using brisk, clockwise motions, brush the clean, dry skin along the stomach with a dry brush like EcoTools Dry Body Brush (Buy from Ulta Beauty, $5.99) for two minutes. Repeat twice a week to see a noticeable difference in three weeks.

Instant fix: Freeman Beauty Happy Belly Firming + Smoothing Sheet Mask (Buy from Walmart, $7.52). The belly-specific mask’s peptides tighten skin on contact to temporarily trim optical inches from the torso.

Banish bat wings with an arm wrap.

What can tone up arms, no gym or diet needed? Wrapping them with a mix of sea fennel and coconut oil. Sea fennel is rich in iodine that absorbs into skin and increases the activity of fat-burning enzymes to target the stubborn fat that builds up in upper arms, says dermatologist Debra Jaliman, MD. And coconut oil’s hydrating lauric acid “plumps” skin for a less jiggly look. To do: Mix one teaspoon of sea fennel extract like Making Cosmetics Sea Fennel Extract (Buy a 2 ounce bottle from MakingCosmetics.com, $9.60) and 1⁄2 tablespoon of coconut oil. Rub on upper arms, then loosely wrap them with plastic wrap (it helps ingredients penetrate better), let sit 15 minutes; remove and rinse. Use twice a week for results in three weeks.

Instant fix: Bondi Sands GLO Matte One Day Tan (Buy from BondiSands.com, $16). When applied to the inside of the upper-arm area, the bronzer creates a slimming shadow that helps arms look trimmer.

Fade stretch marks with microneedling.

Shy away from anything that may reveal the skin tears that pregnancy and weight fluctuations left behind? A microneedle roller can help! Its tiny needles make small, painless “pricks” in skin, spurring collagen output in an effort to repair them and, therefore, stretch marks as well. Applying meadowfoam seed oil right after (its vitamin E aids in mending damage while moisturizing skin so marks are less noticeable over time) boosts benefits. To do: Roll a tool like ORA Microneedle Body Roller System (Buy from Dermstore.com, $90) over stretch marks in horizontal motions, only going over the same section twice. Right after rolling, rub a nickel-size amount of meadowfoam seed oil like Aura Cacia Meadowfoam Seed Oil (Buy from AuraCacia.com, $14.99) onto skin. Repeat twice a week to see results within four weeks.

Instant fix: Bali Body Instant Tan (Buy from US.BaliBodyco.com, $24.95). This spray tan gives skin an immediate sun-kissed tint that helps camouflage stretch marks of any color.

Diminish back rolls with a bentonite clay mask.

All it takes to achieve a smoother-looking back: slathering on a mask made of bentonite clay and lemon oil. Bentonite clay’s natural negative charge pulls out the positively charged toxins that build up and make the back look pudgy, says medical aesthetician Terrie Absher. And diuretic lemon oil flushes out excess toxins and water. To do: Mix 1⁄4 cup of bentonite clay like Sky Organics 100% Pure Bentonite Clay (Buy from iHerb.com, $13.56), 5 drops of lemon essential oil, and 3 tablespoons of water. Use a long-handled applicator wand like Vive Health Lotion Applicator (Buy from ViveHealth.com, $9.99) to apply the mask to the back; rinse after 15 minutes. Use twice a week to see results in 30 days.

Instant fix: Skinnies Instant Back Lifts (Buy from InstantThighLift.com, $19.95). The clear, skin-safe adhesive pulls skin taut so back rolls disappear.

Lift a droopy bottom with a matcha mask.

If you’re like us, you noticed that your backside headed south for more than just the winter! A mix of matcha and peppermint oil to the rescue. Matcha’s caffeine constricts blood vessels to tighten skin, and its amino acids encourage collagen production to tone a sagging bottom, says medical aesthetician Terrie Absher. And the astringent properties of peppermint oil’s menthol speed the derriere-firming results. To do: Combine 1⁄2 tablespoon of matcha powder like Starwest Botanicals Matcha Tea Powder Organic (Buy from Starwest-Botanicals.com, $50.25), 3 drops of peppermint essential oil and 2 teaspoons of water. Apply all over the bottom and let sit 10 minutes before rinsing. Repeat twice a week to see a noticeable difference in three weeks.

Instant fix: Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream (Buy from SolDeJaneiro.com, $48). Made with guarana, a Brazilian fruit extract that contains five times more caffeine than coffee or tea, the cream helps firm droopy skin for a perkier-looking backside stat.

Smooth cellulite with a ‘spicy’ polish.

Sure, it helps to know that 98 percent of women have cellulite, but it doesn’t mean we don’t still feel self-conscious about showcasing ours! What can help: a scrub made with sea salt, paprika, cinnamon and olive oil. Minerals in sea salt, like magnesium and potassium, sink into skin and stimulate the lymphatic system to flush built-up fluids and toxins that make cellulite more prominent. And paprika’s warming properties further promote circulation, while cinnamon’s cinnamamide boosts collagen production and olive oil’s squalene moisturizes so skin looks smooth and firm long-term. To do: Mix 1⁄4 cup of sea salt, one teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1½ tablespoons of olive oil. Rub on cellulite for two minutes; rinse. Use three times a week for results in three weeks.

Instant fix: Indeed Labs Nanoblur Instant Skin-Blurring Cream (Buy from IndeedLabs.com, $19.99). This blurring cream’s polymers “fill in” dimples, a smoothing effect that makes orange peel–like skin vanish immediately.

Firm a crepey chest with a hibiscus ‘soak’.

It’s possible to make the décolletage go from aged to amazing, thanks to hibiscus. Nicknamed the Botox plant, hibiscus is chock-full of anthocyanosides, antioxidants that firm skin and inhibit the breakdown of the collagen and elastin that keep chest skin crease-free and youthful, says aesthetician Elizabeth Donat. Plus, the plant’s mucilage locks moisture deep into skin’s many layers so it appears supple and taut in a flash. To do: Steep 2 bags of hibiscus tea in 2 cups of boiling water. Let cool, then saturate a washcloth in the liquid, wring out excess and place on the chest. Let sit 10 minutes; remove and rinse. Repeat twice a week to see results in 30 days.

Instant fix: Bare Republic Golden Daze Mineral SPF 30 Gold Shimmer Sunscreen Lotion (Buy from GoBareOutside.com, $14.99). Finely milled shimmer particles in the lotion ref lect light onto skin to blur crepiness, while its hydrating aloe plumps skin so the chest looks even smoother.

This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.

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