My Own Version of GTL: Gym, Tan, Laundry

Posted by Kathleen

on August 19, 2010

Like everyone else, the Jersey Shore is my guilty pleasure TV programming for the summer. In my defense, I can’t help it! I am from New Jersey, so it’s practically required viewing. I completely blame Pauly D and the Situation for causing words like grenades and landmines to creep into everyday vernacular.

Besides hailing from the Garden State, the Jersey Shore cast and I have another thing in common, a shared appreciation of GTL: gym, tan, laundry, although my definition varies differently from my NJ counterparts. Gym: I don’t aspire to look like a juicehead, but I do want to tone and work on problem areas. Tan: I’m naturally fair-skinned to a hue that would be repellent to Snooki, but even I aspire to get a sun-kissed glow for the warmer months. Laundry: There’s no smell I love more than fresh laundry detergent. Check out my own favorite GTL picks for this summer!

1. Gym – So I’ve talked about Tracey Anderson before, but I’ve added a few of her favorite moves to my gym routine this summer, using these DailyCandy videos as inspiration. These videos caught my eye because Anderson performs the moves slowly (something she doesn’t frequently do in her videos) so that Jordan from DailyCandy and us everyday folk can replicate them. Also, she has a set of 4 videos that specifically target those dreaded problem areas: love handles, bat wings, abs, and butt. Deceivingly, the moves are much harder than they look and you can totally “feel the burn” when your perform them. Don’t feel bad if you can’t do many reps of these when you first start out! As Anderson cautions, the moves are definitely harder than they look so it’s best to start slow with a few, really good reps.

2. Tan - I’ve tried many varieties of bronzer throughout the year, but I always return to my faithful Benefit. I use a mix of Dallas and CORALista, first using a touch of the rosy bronze Dallas to give me a “just-exercised” post-workout glow to highlight my cheekbones, and then the subtle coral pink of Coralista to add some brights onto the apples of my cheek. I love that the Benefit bronzers are so finely milled that one simple swipe of each is enough for my entire face, so that a box can last for months! Dallas is one of those lovely products, like NARS Orgasm that suits every skin tone, with its neutral mix of bronze and rose tones.

3. Laundry - A revolutionary solution to washing your delicate lingerie and thin stockings that doesn’t involve hand-washing or even rinsing is Soak, a fiber care liquid solution that you can use to for your most fragile-fibered clothing. As the name suggests, you wash your clothing by pouring a teaspoonful of the Soak solution into a sink of cold water. After immersing the clothing in the liquid for 15 minutes, drain the sink and gently wring out the water. All of the clothing’s dirty elements will be left behind in the water or evaporate, having gently and lightly removed from the threads. Using Soak saved me ton of wear and tear on my stockings, which despite my best efforts, always wind up tangled in a messy web after I take them out of the washing machine. Soak comes in 4 different scents, including Unscented, and Aquae, Citrus, Flora, and Celebration.

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