Coco, who tans Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum in addition to many of the Victoria's Secret models, says that wearing a darker tan is like wearing a darker dress: Darker is always more slimming. "A faux tan can camouflage or mask any skin flaws or body abnormalities which could give the appearance of looking lopsided, choppy or square," says Coco. Not only will a sunless tan make you look healthier in general by way of glowing skin and evened out complexion, it can also be customized to accentuate muscles (tanning more in specified areas and less in others), which "creates the illusion of a longer, leaner, look," explains Coco.
Next: see how to apply self-tanner to make you look leaner
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Define muscles with self-tanner
Follow these simple steps to create muscle definition using self-tanner:
Step 1: Exfoliate your entire body in the shower with a loofah and shave all areas of the body you usually remove hair from.
Step 2: Moisturize dry areas of your body, typically around your feet, ankles, knees, hands, wrists and elbows with a light layer of lotion.
Step 3: Put on latex gloves and liberally apply self tanner (browse the highest rated self-tanner here) with long, soft strokes to your entire body. Keep in mind it's better to apply too much than too little, as the missed areas will give you a "streaky" uneven look.
Step 4: Shower about eight hours later to reveal your bronzed glow and to remove leftover cosmetic from your body. Then grab your self-tanner again and use a gloved finger to "paint" in lines where they naturally occur on your body.
On your abs: flex your muscles and paint down the center vertical line of your abdomen from just below your sternum to your belly button and repeat down the sides of your obliques (those lines that are normally visible on athletes).
On your arms: hold one arm out and flex your muscles. Paint a line of self-tanner between your bicep and triceps. Repeat on the other arm.
On your legs: apply an extra coat of self-tanner to the entire insides of your thighs and a bit more to the outer parts, leaving the middle section without as much tanner.
*If you were a bit too heavy handed with any of the above applications, you can always use a dry loofah to buff away lines after you have showered.
If you are weary of tanning yourself, make an appointment with a professional salon to get a spray tan. When there, ask them to create muscle definition for you -- and don't be embarrassed, they hear it all the time.
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Contour your body with makeup
While the self-tanning method to getting a faux toned body works wonderfully, if you aren't a self-tanning enthusiast you can still use makeup to create or enhance the same body contouring effects. Just know that these tips won't stand the test of time or work for a day at the beach, but they will work to make your body appear more toned and leaner.
Makeup artist Dean points out that you can use gel bronzer much like a self-tanner to create lines and muscle definition on your body. Start by making sure you are able to see the areas of your body you will be exposing that day (so obviously if you're wearing a long sleeve mini dress, you'll only use a bronzing gel on your legs). Next stand under an overhead light, as this will allow you to see where the natural shadows exist on your body.
On your arms: hold one arm out and flex your muscles. Use a gel bronzer like Laura Mercier Bronzing Gel, $38 and paint in the sideline between your bicep and triceps using a foundation brush to blend. Repeat on the other arm.
On your chest: Using the foundation brush and gel bronzer, paint into the shadows around your clavicle bone.
On your legs: Put on high heels, as this will naturally flex your calf muscles, and paint the shadows created under your muscles again with the gel bronzer and foundation brush to accentuate them.
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Slim down your face with makeup
You can also use makeup to contour your face, giving it an all over slimmer look, says Dean. Below are his face-thinning tricks.
To create a more defined jaw line: Stand under an over head light and look straight into a mirror (don't lift your chin). Apply a foundation or powder (check out the highest rated powders here) that's one to two shades darker than your natural coloring to the under side of your jaw with a large powder brush, tracing the lines of your jawbone. Don't use bronzer for this as most contain shimmer that will standout and look unnatural.
To create defined cheekbones: Use a the same powder or switch to a bronzer to brush up the undersides of your cheekbones with a contouring brush. Use a slightly upward vertical stroke (as opposed to the horizontal stroke or circular stroke we use to apply blush to the apples of our cheeks) when you sweep under the roundest part of your cheeks.
Bonus tip: If you have big, full cheeks, avoid wearing light shimmery blush -- it will make them look even fuller.
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De-bloat Fast
If you have a party to attend next week or a beach day planned in a couple days, there are easy ways to quickly de-bloat your body. Borden shares what foods to eat and drink and what to avoid with every ounce of your "I need to look hot this weekend" body.
What to eat and drink:
*Take a digestive enzyme with each meal, which will work to help rid the body of bloat and help you digest your food. Borden says that enzymes like Digest Gold by Enzymedica, will help to get rid of any blockages in your digestive system making you feel less full and preventing gas buildup.
*Vegetables like dark leafy greens (broccoli, spinach, kale) and celery.
*Lean proteins like salmon, white fish and chicken, but don't add salt. Also, grill your meat, it's one of the leanest way to cook protein.
*Water, water and more water, drink 100 ounces to be safe. Add lemon to some of those ounces to flush sodium out of your system.
*Watermelon, oranges, grapefruit -- basically any fruit that has a high water content.
What to avoid:
*Anything that comes in a can. Preserved foods tend to either pack a huge salt punch or have added sugars.
*Red meat
*Fruit juices
*ANY carbonated drinks like soda, diet soda and sparkling water
*Dried fruit
*Corn and anything made out of it, like popcorn
*Starchy vegetables like potatoes and yams
Don't worry, we know. We know how hard it is to get to the gym as often as you'd like. We know it's easier to push that elevator button instead of walking up those three flights of stairs at the dentist. We know "Bagel Fridays" at work have you bummin' because you just can't seem to resist the cream-cheesy goodness that calls to you at your desk. And we know that for once you want to wear a bikini to the beach without having to tie a sarong covered in turtles around your butt. Like we said, we know. What you don't know, but are about to find out, is that you can make your body look thinner and more toned with some sneaky and super smart makeup, hairstyle, nutrition and quick fitness tips. Skip to see them now.
Are we suggesting the best way to fight body fat is with foolery? No, of course not. Can we all sympathize with having a hectic agenda that doesn't always allow us to pump iron on a regularly scheduled program? Why yes, of course we can. Should our less-than-perfect time-management skills or love of Pinkberry be punishable by thicker thighs or a belly pouch when swimsuit season is upon us or we have a wedding to attend? Well, that depends on whom you're asking. We happen to think not, so in an effort to comfort you (and admittedly ourselves), we went to the top experts in health and beauty to get the secrets to shedding excess bloat (fast!) and making your body look more toned with beauty tricks.
Here's who we called on: Makeup artist Landy Dean and hairstylist Katie Seguin from the Marie Robinson Salon in New York City, celebrity fitness and lifestyle expert Ashley Borden, and tanning expert to the stars Jimmy Coco, for proven ways to make your face and body appear like you didn't cancel your last two personal training appointments. Don't be confused, this is NOT the lazy girl's guide to getting a better body, meaning, you'll still need to hit the gym and eat sensibly to get into great shape. These tips won't magically turn you into Giselle BUT your body will look more toned after exploring these health and beauty tips to feign a better body -- think of them as smoke and mirrors.
