Welcome to The Director’s Cut, an interactive column featuring fashion, beauty and career advice from RGNN Director and Founder, @isabelevabohrer.
Let’s be real. If you’ve ever watched the GRWM videos on Vogue Magazine for the Met Gala or the Oscars, it takes celebrities hours, -if not days of prep in advance,- to get ready for events like these. And despite all the worst dressed drama, once they hit the red carpet, their legs are shiny, tanned – flawless.
For years, I’ve wondered how. And thus it was that I finally sat down to do the research, test out the products, and find a routine that I can recreate at home – without too much fuss. Come my birthday, and I decided to share it on TikTok. Wanna recreate the look? Here goes.
Before we even start…
This is not a workout routine. It is a beauty routine. Your legs will still be your legs. My personal recommendation if you want to get in shape is to double down on strength training, a healthy diet, lots of water, good sleep and reducing your stress levels. Easier said than done, I know. But strength training in particular has changed my life; as soon as you realize that lifting weights is natural spanx, you won’t ever go back to just doing cardio in your life (which I admit was my mistake for many years… I love you, elliptical, but you’re just not enough).
THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT
Technically, you could also do this a few days before the event, not just the day before. But my personal preference is to do it the day before so the tan is all fresh.
Step #1: exfoliate, and do what you gotta do, no hair
You won’t end up with shiny red-carpet legs if you don’t get rid of the hair first. Shave, wax, laser… pick your go-to and get it done before you even start.
Exfoliate. When you do this will depend on the hair removal method you have chosen; for example, it is generally recommended to exfoliate before shaving. Exfoliating will give you the basis for the next step: self tan (unless you are naturally tanned, which is clearly not my case).
For exfoliating, I simply use natural salt. I know, there are tons of beauty products out there to do the job but whenever I can find a natural way to carry out a beauty routine, I prefer that instead. I find that mixing a bit of salt with water in the shower does the job just fine. I have sensitive skin, so a smaller grained salt works best for me. Do not over-exfoliate, you don’t want to excessively break down the protective barrier of your skin. If your skin is turning red, then basically, you have done too much.
Step #2: self-tan, properly
I don’t like sleeping in self-tanners, so I use the St. Tropez Express Bronzing Mousse during the day (hence the word “Express”). Note: you could technically go outside and carry on your life, at least part of it such as errands, with this on. But I personally prefer to apply the mousse when I know I will be at home for a morning. Leave it on for longer and the more tanned you will get. My minimum is 3 hours to get a decent tan. However, one time I left it on for longer by coincidence, – 5 hours, – and the result was even better. It will last me about a week or so, depending on whether I shower a lot or go to the pool.
Before applying the tan, I apply Vaseline to areas that are particularly dry: my elbows, ankles, a little bit on my knees sometimes. I start with five pumps on my legs (the mousse comes in a pump format), then four pumps on each arm, four for the chest, four for the stomach and four for my back, and one for the face, applying it with a mitt. Any excess I will extend on my hands and feet. Shower it off and you’re done.
THE DAY OF THE EVENT
Step #3: how to make your legs look flawless
I guess you could self-tan on the same day of the event. But I don’t usually have time for all that in one day, so I self-tan before.
- If you are going out in the sun, apply sunscreen first. On my body, I use the Nivea SPF 50+ lotion (not sure if this is available outside of Europe). On my face, I have found that the La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 50+ gel cream (I have the SPF50, but it looks like they just came out with a SPF60 that I can’t wait to try) that does not give me a white cast.
- Make sure your legs are moisturized. You won’t get anywhere if you don’t do this regularly (and by that I mean daily, not just the day of the event). Moisturizing regularly will also help your self-tan last much longer. No wonder the Cerave Body Lotion has such raving reviews on Amazon, I have repurchased this countless times.
- Next, I use the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs, this will basically make your legs look flawless. My skin tone would normally be matched to a lighter shade, but I have found that I can use the darkest shade, “Deep Glow,” for even more tanned results. I have tried both the spray and the tube format of this product and have found that the spray works best for me.
- To blend it out even better, I use some more Cerave Body Lotion and slightly mix it in with the Airbrush Legs when it is already on my legs.
Let. It. Dry. The key to making sure the product doesn’t get on your clothes is letting it dry. Do your hair or make-up in the meantime.
- If you want to go all in, use a concealer (yes, the one you use for breakouts on your face) to touch up any mosquito bites, bruises, etc. that you might have. My go-to is the L’Oréal Infallible 24H concealer, I use the shade “328 Lin” in the summer. Covers up everything. You could apply it with your fingertips, but I prefer using a Shisiedo brush I picked up in Japan.
Step #4: get that glow
The number of products out there to get a glow, especially in the summer, is overwhelming. I read an article in Allure titled “The Drugstore Beauty Finds Rich Women Can’t Resist” – the article was published more than ten years ago and the recommendations are still going strong!
One tip was to use the Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Body Oil. Not only does this smell divine (and I don’t even love coconut), but it really does give you the most amazing body glow. A little goes a loooong way with this.
One drop for one leg and one drop for the other, and then use any excess on your neck. If you want to go all glowy, add another drop for your arms. You will see how one tub of this last for months and months, which really is a great deal for the $6.99 price tag. Again, let it dry, it dries quite quickly but if you don’t, you will smudge it on your clothes.
WHEN YOU COME BACK…
This took me another round of trial and error to figure out, so let me include the “get unready routine” as well. First, I like to take off a decent amount of product with a cotton pad and regular make-up remover before I even get in the shower. I love the Garnier Micellar Water, I use it for my face, it’s a great product for the price and gets the job done fast. I am even thinking of trying out the version for sensitive skin (I use the regular micellar water right now), especially for my face.
Then, time to shower… I recommend buying a set of black towels just for days like these. While most of the rest of the products come off with shower gel, it will make your life easier.
Add some more Cerave Body Lotion and now you can hop into bed – and check the photos that you took that night, aren’t your legs shiny? Wanna take it a level further? Sleep with Vaseline on your feet and they will thank you after you’ve been wearing heels all night. You’re welcome.
Questions or comments? Follow me on IG @isabelevabohrer or TikTok and say hi! See you soon!
