Did you know that some ramp models live off only orange juice and “maybe four-five nuts” the day before a big show? Or that Raveena Tandon went on a pure popcorn diet for the pole dance in Aks? Or that Kareena Kapoor fasted furiously for three days before shooting a song sequence for Mujhse Dosti Karoge, just so that her stomach would look washboard-flat in an itsy-bitsy red choli?

Looking your gorgeous best on every occasion sure isn’t an easy job. The pressures before the numerous D-Days — a super-hot date, a bikini holiday by the beach, your best friend’s engagement... — make you pray for a magic potion that transforms your look at the last minute.

Well, GoodLife gets some experts — Getafix, sadly, could not be reached — to share some trade secrets to get you gorgeous even at the last minute. Here’s how to get ready within a tight timeframe — seven days, two days, or even with hours in hand.

One day to go

Diet do

Single-day makeovers don’t permit a breakfast, lunch and dinner spread, but little sips and bites through the day can keep you going. So fuel yourself all day with energy-releasing drinks like wheat-grass juice and alpha-alpha juice and munch on five almonds. Sprouts are permitted while gorging on fresh fruits to fill up your stomach does just fine. These will bring vitality, too.

so, keep sipping on jasmine tea or peppermint tea. “These will help cut down water retention and make you feel light,” says Delhi-based nutritionist Shikha Sharma.

Work it

Swimming, says fitness guru Preetom Mukherjee Roy, “is the sure shot feel-good workout for any big day”. This refreshing exercise gives you a great cardio session and the increased blood circulation lends your face a happy glow.

Follow up with a quick five-minute session in the jacuzzi and finish off with steam.

For non-water babies, schedule a power-walk outdoors and feel the endorphins take over.

Beauty buzz

For starters, says beauty expert Bridgette Jones, select your outfit the night before, “even if it means trying 20 outfits in the dead of the night after a long, hard day”.

Try and snooze during the day and in the evening drop in to your neighbourhood salon for a flattering hairstyle — poker straight, scrunched, curled, blow-dried — whatever you know looks best on you.

Ditto for make-up. One day isn’t the smartest time frame to experiment with your looks, so no last-minute facials (for risk of a nasty reaction) or haircuts, please.

Finally, indulge in a luxuriously fragrant bath because “being beautiful isn’t just about how you look; it’s about how you feel”.

And yes, a great smile is your most dependable tool — last minute or not!

Two days to go

Diet do

On the first day, stick to brown rice idli or poha and feast on vegetable juices and soups. On the second day, follow the ‘one day to go’ diet chart. Steer clear of refined foods and dairy products these two days. Watching what you eat for any two days is obviously not going to make you lose weight but will surely rid your system of puffiness and excess water.

Work it

On the first day, go to the park for a long walk and then follow up with some freehand exercises. Focus on TAG (thigh, abdomen and gut). Some exercises that will work them well are abdomen-crunches, hip rolls and side-leg extensions.

On Day Two, hit the swimming pool and top up with some toning exercises — this time in the water. Use the water’s resistance and do some freehand exercises like jogging and abductions. Take support from the railing and do a few sets of rear leg extensions and leg extensions to complete the aqua workout.

Beauty buzz

Schedule a hair spa appointment on the first day or even a colouring job, not as much for the colour as for the gloss. And while you are at the salon, treat yourself to a manicure and a pedicure.

On the second day, concentrate on relaxing. Keep yourself free from salon appointments and indulge in a home massage. Try olive oil with a drop of lavender essential oil. Exfoliate your body with a grainy scrub and moisturise generously and get ready for the big day.

Concentrate on feeling good and you’ll end up looking even better!

 

Seven days to go

Diet do

“Seven days of strictly eating the right food can have far-reaching visual results,” says Shikha. This plan, however, is not about starvation. Instead, it shows how small lifestyle changes can help keep the bulge at bay. The key: avoid white rice, flour and semolina.

Begin your day with a glass of wheat-grass juice and any cereal-based breakfast like porridge or poha. For lunch, have a regular meal of rotis, vegetables or meat and curd. Dinner time is what really requires some dietary changes — skip the cereal and fill up on steamed vegetables, grilled chicken or fish.

“This seven-day plan has sufficient minerals and vitamins,” assures Shikha.

Work it

“Nobody can lose any weight during the first seven days of a workout schedule but yes, one can’t rule out the feel-good factor. And who knows, maybe someone with a decent fitness level can show some difference on the scale,” says Preetom.

A seven-day workout plan, he says, should focus on TAG and ideally be a light circuit-training programme. Mix cardio, weight training, resistance training and some freehand exercises involving all the muscle groups and repeat the sets.

For example, do one set each of tricep, bicep, shoulder and hip exercises combined with bouts of cardio thrown in between.

Beauty buzz

Target to achieve a clear and glowing complexion. Not that difficult, since skin keeps renewing itself. Bridgette suggests you start by drinking more water. Basic skin care is also a must, so make sure you cleanse, tone and moisturise morning and night.

Seven days are quite a handful so there is no end to real-time pampering. Treat yourself to a rejuvenating skin brightening facial to beat environmental stress, business pressure, illness or lack of sleep.

Rethink your make-up strategy and learn and practise what suits you best. Incorporate your day one and two plans and feel nothing short of a superstar.