Optical Illusions

Style – 1 December 2014

Leading into swimwear season we are all looking for ways to achieve Victoria’s Secret’s level of bikini perfection. But what many might not realise is that even those heavenly bombshells employ a few cheeky tricks of the trade (and of the eye) to look beach ready.

Victoria’s Secret lead body makeup artist Katie Quinn is in charge of making sure the angels are runway ready and reveals that a contouring tan technique is the secret to taking those bronzed bodies to the next level.

Contouring is a must-have trend for the face, but this same technique can also be used on the body.

A contouring tan strategically blends extra colour to shade areas of your body that you want to visually diminish, and highlight areas that you want to be noticed. ‘This gives a natural, sun-kissed, sculpted effect’, explains Quinn.

Seeming almost too good to be true, woman with drive put this technique to the test to see if a simple trick of the eye could really shave inches off your waste and tone your stomach.

At the ultra-chic Miss Fox salon in Melbourne, tanning expert Katie took us through the process of the St Tropez Finishing Suite. Using an airbrush she applied an even coverage of tan all over but would then go back over the contours of the body to create shading. She explained that every contouring tan is tailored to the individual depending on their body shape and the areas that they want to accentuate. Just to be safe, we got the works.

Katie shaded both sides of the legs, particularly concentrating on the thighs to give the illusion of slimmer pins. She also shaded the undersides of the arms and the sides of the waist. Extra colour was added across the shoulders to accentuate the collarbones, and under the chin for a more sculpted jawline.

Katie also contoured the stomach by airbrushing either side of the belly button to create instant abs. She then shaded the lower outside area of the bottom to give a little lift, and between the cleavage for magical cup size increase.

We were very impressed with the results. The contouring was not overtly noticeable but instead subtly blended into the tan. To anyone who didn’t know about our tanning secret, it just looked like we had a new glow and were pleased to receive several compliments at events over the weekend.

Considering that this treatment generally costs the same as a regular spray tan, we would definitely recommend requesting contouring at your next appointment. You will be surprised at how this subtle trick of the eye will give you the confidence to strut your stuff this summer, whether on the runway or at the beach.

Visit: http://www.missfox.com.au

The St Tropez Classic Bronzing Mist with contouring costs $55 and only takes 15 minutes.