St Ives Takes on Cellulite

Before I spout off on my latest fabulous product find, let me first relay a quick tale about the hazards of being a product junkie. On my way out the door to a meeting a few days ago, I grabbed what I thought was my Salud Spa Bar Body Mist and spritzed myself generously from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Then I noticed the smell. Oh cheese. I had covered myself and my bathroom — quite erratically I might add — with mist-on bronzer. A comedy of errors quickly ensued and while I was able to remove most of the self-tanner, I missed a splotch across the bridge of my nose that developed into a brown bruise later that day. I blamed it on Fight Club (that way I wouldn’t have to talk about it). Just goes to show that the life a glamour-puss can get very messy sometimes. Now on to other news … cellulite! Yuck. What kind of universe would curse womankind with this lumpy, bumpy mess that hangs out in our most curvaceous spaces? Infuriating. Anyway, there is hope. You can have it sucked out if you’ve got a few thousand bucks to spare, have it kneaded into submission by a talented spa therapist for a couple hundred dollars, or you can coddle and coo it away with affordable body creams and smoothing potions. The newest potions that don’t break the bank are the Cellulite Shield Gel Creme ($6.99) and Cellulite Shield Advanced Body Moisturizer ($4.99) from St. Ives. This two-step system calls on ingredients such as caffeine (known to stimulate the microcirculation), menthol (known to invigorate tired, sluggish skin while cooling) and green tea (known to attack the free radicals) to attack the bumpy outer layers of the skin. With diligent daily use of the citrus-scented duo, you should notice a marked improvement in skin tone and smoothness in a few weeks. It helps too if you vigorously rub down the targeted areas with a body polish a few days a week. This not only improves circulation to the areas but also allows the cellulite complex to penetrate the skin better. I like the St. Ives Collagen Elastin Body Polish In-Shower Exfoliating Body Polish ($6.99). It has a clean, fresh aroma and it works well in conjunction with the cellulite system to renew the skin, leaving it tight and dewy. They say to love your body, bumps and all, but I don’t buy that. Take your time and give your body some TLC and you may just love what you see even more (just be careful of mist-on tanning mishaps)! St. Ives products are available at most drug, mass retailer and grocery store outlets nationwide.