From Kim Kardashian to Demi Moore, just about every red-carpet body in Hollywood has had a little scientific help in toning up. Here’s how…

TRIED & TESTED

THE TREATMENT: Shrinking Violet Wrap

TIME: Two hours for first and last treatment (with measurements); 90 minutes for all others

COST: Dhs650 for one session (a course of five weekly treatments is recommended)

It started with UK socialites such as British glamour model Danielle Lloyd and TOWIE star Abigail Clarke posting images of themselves in cling film. Then the Shrinking Violet Wrap craze grew and grew, and has been causing a buzz across the globe, with leading spas adding it to their menus and promoting its natural inch-loss benefits.

The full-body treatment starts with being measured around legs, waist, hips, chest and upper arms. Marker pen is used to leave guidelines for post-treatment measurements, leaving you covered in ink dots, so it’s a little messy – best not wear white on the day of your treatment in case of
stray stains.

The body is then dry-brushed for a few moments and the lauded Shrinking Violet oil formula is applied before your whole body is wrapped in cling film. You may feel like a vacuum-packed chicken, and it can get a little itchy in there, but the oil feels rich and nourishing and smells lovely, containing juniper, lavender and cypress, plus the key ingredient, phospholipid. This combo is said to break down fat so it can be eliminated via the liver in a process known as lipolysis.

Clinics will ask you to abstain from alcohol, caffeine and fatty or processed foods for one to three days prior to the treatment, and some ask that you continue this diet three days after the treatment. In reality, you will could lose inches doing this alone, but apparently the purpose isn’t to fake results, but rather to get your liver in optimum shape to enhance the lipolysis.

Our tester lost a 2cm from each thigh and 0.5cm from some other areas, including the waist and hips. Tape measurements aren’t an exact science, and it’s hard to notice a couple of centimetres of fat reduction from anywhere – it doesn’t equate to dropping a dress size – but perhaps an entire course of treatments would have a visible effect, and ahead of a red-carpet event, when you need to squeeze into an extra tight LBD, this may be the quick-fix you’re looking for.

TRY THIS AT HOME!

Shrinking Violet products are available for home use. You can buy the Mrs Hippi Cellulite Oil in the UAE (overseas you can even get the custom jumpsuit to wear in place of the salon wrap). We like this idea as it’s more cost-effective and you can watch TV in the comfort of your own home while the oil works its magic – or just moisturise and go! The formula is gorgeous and you’ll love applying it to your skin.

The Nail Spa