White Linen in Wine Country + Summer-Ready Legs

From time to time, I have the opportunity to work with brands that I love and trust because they value my opinions and the work that I do here at A Side of Sweet. For this post, I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of #MC Millennial Central for Whish Body. I received a promotional item and Whish Body samples to facilitate my review. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep this blog sweet!

I can’t think of a better place to wear white than wine country! For Wishes in Wine Country last week, I wore white linen to beat the heat and stay cool in the bright sun. I never leave home without polarized sunnies to protect my eyes and sunscreen to protect my skin. This look wouldn’t be complete without summer-ready smooth legs. Check out my tips for shaving below.

All photos in this post were by the lovely lady below. Check out more of Sarah’s work (and recipes!) here.

Tips for Shaving :: Smooth, Summer-ready Legs

1. Get the right equipment: I trust the Gillette Venus razor to give me a close shave that stays smooth longer than other razors I’ve tried. For bikini situations, I like the Schick Quattro Trimstyle. It’s modeled after men’s beard trimmers and is idiot (me) proof.

2. Take care of that equipment: Did you know that you’re supposed to change your blade every 5 shaves? Razor burn and nicks happen when your razor is dull. Who knew, dull razor = more skin cuts?

3. Don’t shave dry skin: We’ve all been there. You’re in a rush, with your leg up on the sink frantically trying to get rid of the fuzz before a special occasion. Back. Away. From. The. Sink. Shave at the end of your shower when the sink is soft and moisturized. Shaving dry skin causes your skin cells to clog up your razor leaving you at risk for nicks. Not nice with that new miniskirt, trust me.

4. Exfoliate before shaving: Use a washcloth or body pouf to gently buff your legs before shaving.

5. Shave in the opposite direction of hair growth: For your legs, this is ankles up. For your armpits, this is every direction, as the hairs don’t grow in one direction.

6. Use an all-natural moisturizing shave: I recently upgraded my shaving routine with Whish shave cream. It has the strength of a men’s shaving cream but without all the harsh chemicals. My favorite is the pomegranate. I’ve talked about my desire to reduce unnatural chemicals in my life in the past, and Whish fits the bill. It is paraben free, sulfate free, and petrochemical free. Instead is has organic aloe and organic shea butter. Yum.

7. Reduce future hair growth: I use Whish Shave Savour Hair Inhibiting Gel to slow hair growth and decrease how often I have to shave. It’s moisturizing and soothing and leaves my skin silky smooth.

8. Moisturize: You’ve done the hard part – putting enough time aside to exfoliate and shave, now make sure your legs look their best with a good moisturizer. You may have caught me raving like a madwomen on my legs-for-days homemade whipped body butter. Do it.

9. Take advantage of the dark days of winter and wax: If you have the chance, wax. In the winter, when my legs haven’t seen the light of day for weeks (see: months), I always choose waxing over shaving. I buy wax and strips online and do it myself, which shaves a huge amount of money. I’ve been waxing for years, so it’s hardly even painful anymore (I swear!). When I first started, it was all about getting in the mood, ie: a glass of wine (just a glass, as alcohol is a blood thinner), ibuprofen (not aspirin, also a blood thinner), and some loud music. Count to three and rip off the paper strip. It’s like taking off an (extremely large) bandaid. If you wax regularly, you’ll find that hair grows back softer, slower and sparser.

Do you have any tips for getting a great shave?

Outfit deets: Dress: Boden USA (similar, on super sale!) | Clutch: Ferragamo (similar) | Sunnies: Ray-Ban | Earrings: Kate Spade | Watch: WeWood | Bracelets: Kate Spade, Madewell (similar), Thrifted | Loafers: J. Crew (25% off!) | Legs: Whish