The Hollywood Touch

What do you do to get ready for a night out on the town? Of course, there’s the obligatory shower, shave (or wax – ouch!), blow dry and, after setting your ‘night look’ makeup, popping on your outfit and heels, you’re out the door, right?

If only it were that simple for celebs whose night ‘on the town’ or down the red carpet takes looking your best to a whole new level. What would you do if looking your best is not only expected but mandatory?

I’ve always likened the experience to the beautiful woman on the street/model on the runway paradigm. A woman on the street, looking her best, will always be admired. A model on the runway, or on the cover of your favourite glossy, no matter how beautiful she is, will be pulled apart. As humans we always tend to look for the flaws of those that are placed on a pedestal, or in the public eye.

With that in mind, would you then still consider it fair to jab and sneer at the various extremities celebrities go to in the hopes that they will look their best for the moment the cameras will shower their flash bulbs upon them?

That being said, thanks to the likes of reality TV and our craving for all things voyeuristic, it seems the pavement nowadays has become akin to the red carpet. Is it then fair to say that it is almost expected of us to attempt to look our best? In a world where CEOs, financiers, editors, models, builders, office workers, waiters, retail staff, have become the new celebrity – what is left for us folk who, unlike the A-list crew cannot afford a personal chef, trainer and last-minute nip and tucks?

PEARLY WHITES

“You will always look and feel better once you fix your teeth,” says Dr Mark Levi, principal dentist at The Smile Shop in Sydney.

His secret weapon of choice behind the blindingly white smiles of many a celeb and mortal is the new Philips Zoom Light-Activated Whitening System.

Exclusively available from dental practitioners, Philips Zoom incorporates Philips’ new advanced LED whitening technology that is proven to whiten teeth up to eight shades in just 45 minutes. Zoom teeth whitening was made famous by popular US TV show Extreme Makeover, which featured Dr Bill Dorfman, the inventor of Zoom. Those who have experienced the white and bright effect of Phillips Zoom clock up to four million and counting.

Four million and one – if you include me.

THE PROCEDURE

“Just relaxxxx,” says Dr Levi as a squishy substance, akin to chewing gum is fastened around my lower teeth. The doctor is fixing me up with a pair of new mouth plates. The plates, in this instance, are made from a soft plastic as opposed to seaweed. Mucky substance stuck in throat factor? Zero. These moulds are then used to shape the very thin film of plastic that will later be given to me for whitening top ups post procedure.

“We’re aiming for a boring experience,” says Dr Levi as he covers my teeth with a spray of topical anaesthetic before he proceeds to wrench my mouth open, clean my teeth and inspect the damage years of avoiding painful whitening treatments has left on my chompers.

If it was a boring experience he was after, it was certainly a boring experience that he got. You are positioned in the dentist’s chair, with your mouth open, as the doctor applies the whitening agent. The light of the Phillip’s Zoom is placed directly onto your teeth as you sit and wait to be basted with whitening agent every fifteen minutes. As the anaesthetic wears off you may experience a degree of sensitivity, especially if you are a brush Nazi like myself.

Once the session is over you are asked to take a glance in the mirror where a set of white, and I mean gloriously white teeth, are staring back at you. You are given, what I like to refer to as, the teeth anti-staining diet and sent home with a little Nurofen to take the edge off the sensitivity. Before you flinch at even the slightest touch of discomfort, let me tell you - compared to other whitening methods – this is a walk in Disneyland. By the next day you will pain free and beautifully white.

Philips Zoom is available at dental practitioners nationally. For further information call 1800 621 448.

WHERE’S MY HERVE LEDGER?

With a blinging bright smile ready, let’s not overlook the downfall of many a gown-toting celeb - the ‘pretend pregnant’ paunch. No matter how flawless their makeup and hair may be, how many times have we read in various goss mags of how this actress, or that model was believed to be preggers due to possibly eating a serving of pasta the night before?

Enter i-lipo.

No, it’s not an app that burns your fat. I-lipo by chromogenex, is a nifty little laser that uses low level laser technology to stimulate a fat-releasing cascade within the treatment area. The promise? Inches off the waistline immediately and measurably after only a single session.

“Basically the best way to explain it is, as opposed to removing the fat cells as you would with liposuction, or freezing and killing off the cells, i-lipo turns grapes (your engorged fat cells) into sultanas.”

Now, before many a sceptic throws their handbag at me, defiant that light cannot reduce fat, think about it. We have been using laser for years to remove our excess hair. We have laser-corrected our pigmentation and scarring, even removed the odd freckle or two. Why couldn’t a specific fraction of light be used to shrink fat cells?

I-lipo, launching on our shores in October, has had many a proven result in the United Kingdom, America and South Africa. It has helped women overcome their post-baby bumps, and helped dieters remove their problem areas that just won’t go – no matter how many gruelling hours you clock up at the gym. The laser can be used on your stomach, hips, derriere, and arms. Consider it the ‘work-out’ that finally shifts that pesky bulge.

What i-lipo won’t do is help you lose weight or forego exercise. In fact, post session, you are encouraged into a round of cardio that will help ‘sweat out’ the fat and not let the manipulated cells ‘settle.’

It is also not a substitute for a breast reduction.

THE PROCEDURE

And so, I am asked to remove my boots to have my stomach measured up before the 20 minute session. I am then asked to lie on the bed as four plates are strapped to my stomach. The sensation is the tiniest wave of warmth over the treatment area, almost as though you were sleeping comfortably with an electric blanket. If I were to indulge in a full program, which promises one-two dress sizes slashed off your hips in a month, I would be partaking in two weekly sessions over the month. Results are claimed to be maintainable indefinitely, so long as you stick with a proper diet and physically activity.

The plates are soon removed and I am asked to be re-measured. The results were an astounding four centimetres off my hips. I spent the afternoon racing to the gym before the fat cells settled back on my hips.

With teeth whitened and paunch obliterated I am ready for my red carpet, street path runway moment – somebody bring me an Herve Ledger and a glass of champers! (Make that a vodka tonic with a twist of lime – the model’s choice if I want to keep this paunch off for good.)

For further information: www.chromogenex.com

IMAGE: Salma Hayek is always red carpet-ready.

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