Shed your winter Skin

I used to have a pet lizard – he was a Panther Chameleon, plum and green in colour ordinarily, orange when he felt angry or scared, and dark brown; the colour of the branches in his vivarium when he felt fed up- I think he wanted to hide from the world at these times (we all know that feeling).

He was a fascinating creature, who every so often started to look a bit grey, before going scaly all over and shedding his skin. During the shedding he would plod about his branches with crusty flaps hanging off him, he’d rub himself against the branches to release the old skin from his body. Sometimes I’d try to give him a hand and get a bit off for him- but he always looked a bit deadpan when I tried to do this (not that lizards can pull any other face)- but he was seeming to say to me: ‘Get off woman- I gotta do this on my own’, and sure enough- after a week he would be free of his old skin and as good as new- better than new in fact, his colours were more vibrant and his skin looked fabulous- he was worthy of a glossy magazine cover just after his sheds. (Although, Chameleo-politan never did get in touch!)

I take a look at myself and think of the lizard. The months of the year are flying by and we’ve had a bit of sunshine the past month. I put a skirt on in order to let my legs once again experience the garish light of day… I promptly swapped it for jeans. I’m not sure if it was the luminous glowing paleness of them that put me off (they were a shade of white that would make even Casper the Friendly Ghost jealous), or the fact that they seemed to be covered in scales- dead skin that resembled that of the lizard before a shed, crusty and lifeless. During the winter months I seemed to have forgotten about exfoliation and moisturising- I just wanted to jump out of the shower and get dried and dressed ASAP- back to a cosy state of warmth- and in any case- who was going to see my legs? They were in hibernation under thick trousers or 70 denier tights for goodness sake- and I didn’t have time for hidden beauty- my winter schedule has been pretty busy.

Time for action now though. As I investigate further I see that my legs are just the tip of the iceberg- my feet have hard skin on and my toenail varnish is chipped and worn, I can’t remember the last time I re- applied it, it would be disgusting to admit it may have been last summer- so I won’t.

My bikini line is let’s say ‘busy’- it looks like there’s a full capacity party going on in my pants and the venue is bursting at the rafters.

So it seems like I need a full body ‘shed and refresh’ from shaving or waxing, to exfoliation and moisturising treatments (not just treatments, but I need to re-introduce them back into my daily routine, a pedicure and manicure- my fingernails are long, but unkempt- how have I let this happen to myself? It was winter, not wartime- what’s wrong with me? I could also do with a facial, a hair re-style and new colour for summer. Not to mention some fake tan. I need to stop listing these things- I’m starting to want to turn brown like the fed up lizard who merges into his branches so he can’t be seen- hiding from the world…. It all seems very exhausting…it is fight or flight time now… but I choose life! Like the lizard, I realise I have to do it for myself, so I am settled and committed to the task.

Whatever your budget drop the excuses and get fabulous right now- we will do it together- I can’t be the only one who’s forgotten to take care of myself during the chilly months (that’s what I’m telling myself anyhow)! The winter of our discontent has passed- spring has sprung and summer is a mere cat’s whisker away- so get shedding.

There are squillions of DIY products out there to suit every budget, so get exfoliating, moisturising, waxing or shaving- whichever works for you. You can do a self manicure and pedicure, wax your eyebrows (with care- we don’t want to end up having to draw them back on, fortunately that trend went out with the arc), and colour your hair all by yourself if you’re poor. I wouldn’t cut your hair yourself, this could end up in disaster, I tried it once- my boyfriend finished with me and my mum grounded me. I was eight at the time, but I learned my lesson and never did it again!

‘But I can’t afford it Daisy!’ I hear you wail. Then prioritise! Make a sacrifice. Swap; for example; a single night out or take away, in favour of some yummy beautilicious products that will last weeks. Surely you’re worth it, just like Jennifer Aniston? Check out 100 Percent People’s ‘Your Body Better’ article for our top ten skin products.

If you can afford it indulge in some professional treatments- there’s nothing more heavenly than relaxing whilst someone pampers you with a manicure, pedicure, facial or massage. You work hard all year, and it’s probably a while until the longed for summer holiday you will take- so why not budget, save up or just splash out on yourself for once, and with the credit crunch still crunching away salons are doing some great deals on treatments at the moment. Men- this includes you too, overgrown nasal hair, unkempt locks, crusty knees/elbows/feet and scruffy ‘designer’ stubble are no longer attractive or acceptable- so let’s all shed our winter skin, and be our most fabulous selves!

Happy shedding!!