How to prep your décolletage: a beauty editor’s tips
And if you’re lacking a beautiful collarbone and shoulder? There are plenty of easy solutions, says beauty editor Lucia Ferrari, who adheres to Joanna Czech’s ethos that skincare should begin at the nipples and end at the hairline. “Whatever you’re doing on your face, take it down to the décolletage,” she says. “I use a retinol to keep skin that’s less than perfect looking a little better.”
She recommends Neostrata body lotion (£53, lookfantastic.co.uk) for those who suffer from keratosis pilaris, the “chicken skin” dots on the back of your arms. “I also find Embryolisse body lotion (£17.99, cultbeauty.co.uk) hard to beat because it seems to make skin just look better and is lovely on the shoulders and arms,” she adds.
For definition, Ferrari uses a Pilates Magic Ring (£16.99, amazon.co.uk) to tone her arms. “It takes four minutes every morning like piano practice,” she says. “I notice the difference when I don’t do it, it just keeps things a little bit less bingo wingy.”
And if it’s too late for all of the above, Ferrari has a great cheat for better-looking arms and décolletage: the By Terry Tea to Tan body spray (£22, spacenk.com). “It makes arms look a lot slimmer and doesn’t transfer onto clothing.”
If the full bare arm feels a little de trop for you, try draping a blazer over the top of your shoulders when wearing a strapless top, so you can see the sleek neckline, but not the arms. A tuxedo-style jacket works well over a formal dress.
Here are the best strapless pieces to buy now – and how to wear them.
The classic strapless dress
Tie your hair up, add some big earrings and blend a little highlighter across the top of your collarbones and shoulders. Throw a jacket over your shoulders if you feel self-conscious about your arms, or to take the chill off in the evening.