"The best decision I ever made was getting laser hair removal," says Aqualillies member Deirdre Barnes, who is also a full-time dancer and choreographer. The other members of the synchronized swimming entertainment company, who spend several days of the week practicing and performing in suits with sky-high cuts, agree. It's cheaper than waxing, and it lasts much longer. Barnes, who has light skin and dark hair, says she initially got about six sessions for each body area, but now only has to do a touch-up once a year.

And dark-skinned water nymphs, fret not. In the past, laser hair removal only worked on those with light skin and dark hair, but Aqualillies member Alysha Young, who is biracial, says that laser hair removal works for her darker skin, too, although she has to get about six sessions a year to maintain. Find a trained laser technician who operates an Nd: YAG laser, and your skin should be safe.

Photo by Jill Greenberg

Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde" said it best: "The rules of hair care are simple and finite." But following the most basic of these rules (don't over-wash it) is impossible for someone who spends her days in the pool, sea and sun. Barnes, right, who has dyed fiery red hair, has to be extra careful before and after swimming so that she doesn't strip her already-fragile hair of its notoriously hard-to-keep color. Here's her recipe for keeping the color in and the chlorine out:

-Put coconut oil in your hair before getting in the water. It acts as a barrier and locks in moisture.
- Rinse your hair immediately after you get out of the water to clear out the chlorine.
-Skip the shampoo and co-wash with a cleansing conditioner. (She likes Macadamia Natural Oil Cleansing Conditioner.)
-Once a month, do a vitamin C treatment, which, Barnes says, removes chlorine buildup. Just add a teaspoon of vitamin C powder (she finds it in Trader Joe's) to two cups of water and drench your hair in it. Immediately follow with shampoo and conditioner.

Deirdre Barnes of Aqualillies, photographed by Amanda Rowan Imagery

Sweating or splashing off your eyebrows, cheekbones and/or lips is a real fear when you're wearing makeup to the beach or pool. Barnes, a former Cirque du Soleil performer, told us her secret weapon for sweat-proof makeup in and out of the water: Makeup For Ever Aqua Seal. It's a waterproof liquid converter that you mix with your makeup to transform it into a waterproof version. It's made for any kind of eye makeup -- glitter, loose pigments, pencils and regular shadow -- but Barnes uses it for anything, from lipstick to foundation to blush. To make her makeup extra unbudging, she tops things off with a few spritzes of Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray.

How do those Gillette ladies do it? Long, lean, perfect legs without a single blemish, cut, bruise or mosquito bite? Since it's probably Photoshop, and that's not helpful in real life, we got Barnes to spill her secrets for perfect pool day legs. The secret, it turns out, is a product called Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. "It makes your legs look like you're wearing tights," says Barnes. As a dancer whose legs are always getting beat up, she says it's great for beach and pool days when you'll be exposing a lot of leg, but notes that it's not waterproof. Since going to the pool doesn't always mean getting in the pool, we'll keep this spray can in our tote bag nonetheless.

Are you the girl who declines pool party invites because you're afraid a little splish-splash will ruin the delicate state of your curly hair? Young, right, has type 3b curly hair and feels your pain. "With curly hair, you don't want to wash it too much, because it'll get really dry. But I have to wash it, because if I don't, the chlorine will break it right off," she say. What's a curly-haired girl to do after a day in the pool? "Use a little bit of shampoo, and a whole lot of conditioner," says Young. And never, ever use a towel on it. "I will not touch my hair with a towel. I use paper towels or let it air dry," says Young.

To give her hair extra protection against chlorine and water, Young sprays it with a heat protector to lock in moisture before getting in the water.

Alysha Young of Aqualillies, photographed by Katie Parker Photography