With the British summer not being much to shout about there is nothing like a golden tan to cheer us up however applying fake tan can be a daunting job and when it goes wrong can be disastrous! Applying fake tan is the best way to keep a sexy tan throughout the year so below are hints and tips to ensure you have the perfect tan as well as my personal favourites ......
Instant tan, once applied gives an instantly tanned look to your skin, perfect for a night out and washes off in the morning! Ideal for winter months as can just be applied to areas on show, however be warned this is NOT waterproof (few horror stories myself with this tan) so if it rains or your splashed with a drink you may end up with streaks. Personal fav is Rimmels Sun Instant Tan, which comes in three different shades and also a matte and gloss!!!
Whereas the gradual developing tan is waterproof and reacts with your skin taking about 5 hours to show but its best to do before bed and sleep in your tan to allow for its full potential. This type of tan usually lasts about 5-7 days before fading and turns your skin into a sun-kissed goddess. Most fake tans contain a higher concentrate if DHA to allow a deeper colour. After trying and testing my way through the majority of fake tans on the market I have finally found one that is easy to apply, the perfect shade for my skin and reasonably priced - Fake Bake Flawless!
During the winter months I turn to my good old moisturising fake tans to turn my greyish complexion to a subtle shade of brown. In fact I don't think these are moisturisers at all but a fake tan which is applied over a period of time. However these tans should come with a warning as if continuously applied without exfoliation they turn to a horrid shade of orange! I used to love the Body Shop Cocoa Butter gradual tan so you can imagine my horror last autumn when I trotted into Body Shop to only be told it was discontinued! I now stick to Dove gradual tanner moisturiser which gives a natural colour and fades like a natural tan.
How to apply the perfect tan:
Before applying fake tan always make sure your skin is prepped correctly by removing unwanted hair as tanning lotions can dye the hair, however wax or shave about 24 hours before you fake tan to ensure the skin has time to calm down. The picture below is my legs when I shaved them and then applied fake tan straight after, lets just say I didn't wear a dress that evening!
Exfoliate 24 hours before tanning and then again three days after applying your tan. This removes all dead skin and allows the fake tan to colour the outer layer of skin. From personal experience a good body scrub to scrub away tan is Soap and Glory Flake Away Body Scrub, and at only £6.00 for a 300ml pot how can you complain??
However once your tan has been applied only use oil free moisturisers such as Fake Bake Oil Free as it ensures your tan does not crack or come off in patches as it is actually the oil in moisturisers that does this.
Always apply moisturiser to dry skin areas such as knees, elbows and ankles before your fake tan application. When the skin is dry the fake tan soaks up more of the fake tan which then results in darker patches!
When applying the fake tan my advice is to always ensure your skin is dry and clean and the tan is applied bottom to top of your body. If you use a tanning mitt this may help with the application and a more even tan and stop your hands turning a lovely shade of stained orange. use a sweeping circular motion to rub in your fake tan to avoid streaking and use less tan on dry areas such as knees, elbows and ankles. Remember to apply a small amount of tan to the back to your hands and rub them together!
Finally, make sure your tan is fully dried before getting dressed, usually allow about 15 minutes.
Hope this helps xx
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