How to... fake tan (Part II)

Source: weheartit

I seem to have become something of a fake tan addict this summer. After a promising April in the UK when I managed to develop a pretty convincing base to my summer tan and topping up sessions in Ibiza in May and Valencia in June, a disappointing July and August in Britain has left me pale and pasty. So I have found myself faking it.

Sunny Valencia

Further to my previous How to... fake tan post and various other fake tan related posts, this post responds to the questions I've been asked and the knowledge I've acquired. These are my 10 top tips for tanning – the fake way:

1. Use a mitt or gloves. I haven’t personally used gloves as I tried a mitt first and love the results. I get mine from Boots – they’ve been on offer most of the summer and I only just realised but apparently they can be put in the washing machine on a cold wash – mine’s going in with my next delicates wash. Beats trying to hand wash it!
2. Use a gradual tan if you’re scared of the proper thing or have had a bad experience in the past.
3. Instant tans are a great quick fix if you want to wear a dress but your pins are pasty.
4. Mousse fake tans are generally lighter and less greasy than lotions.
5. Remember to fake tan your feet – I try to go all the way to the edges so that any line is almost on the bottom of my foot and therefore covered by any footwear.
6. Remember also to tan the backs of your hands. Often forgotten as they are inside a mitt or gloves. Don’t overdo it but a little tan left of the mitt is often enough.
7. Don’t wash the mitt straight away as you’ll wash the tan off your hands and leave it patchy!
8. Whilst most people recommend putting fake tan on at night I find it annoying having to wander around letting it dry, so instead I tan in the morning and let it dry before dressing as I dry my hair and put my make-up on – that’s usually enough time. Just wear a darker colour and nothing too tight. Saves getting tan all over your bed sheets too.
9. Either fake tan your face or use a bronzer – otherwise you’ll look sun kissed and ill at the same time!
10. Finally, do not put any shoes and socks on until the tan is completely "fixed" - and don't exercise or shower for a good 6-8 hours. Believe me, I speak from experience.



Source: weheartit



What are your top tips for fake tanning? Did I forget something?

Beauty Review: St Moriz Instant Self Tan Mousse

Last weekend, I wrote about my take on Instant vs Gradual vs Full-on fake tans. This week, I'm reviewing St Moriz's Instant Self Tan Mousse which brings all three together.

Now, until I tried this mousse, my new favourite tan had been St Tropez's Wash Off Instant Self Tan Mousse (you can read my review here). Until I tried this mousse. 



St Moriz's Instant Self Tan Mousse works like St Tropez's mousse, in that it instantly gives some sun-kissed colour to my legs when I apply it. But, unlike the St Tropez mousse, when it washes off when I shower, it leaves me with a lovely sun-kissed shade rather than the usual bare white colour. Granted, the colour is not perhaps as deep as some might like but being so completely scared by fake tans in general, this is a good things for me. It also allows for a build-up of colour, so you can apply again the next day, or leave it a day or two, depending on the depth of colour you desire. There is also now the St Moriz Instant Self Tan Dark Mousse which the lovely people at St Moriz kindly sent to me when they heard I had been converted. The Dark Mousse gives a deeper colour with just one application.

The brilliant thing about this tan is that you can apply in the morning, wait for it to dry, dress and look sun-kissed instantly. It smells like a lovely and light moisturiser when first applied and smells no different throughout the day.

St Moriz Instant Self Tan Dark Mousse: right leg (on the left!) with tan and left leg (on the right) without

Again, I would highly recommend using a tanning application mitt. For more tips on how to achieve a great self tan, check out my How to... fake tan post.

The lovely people at St Moriz also sent me their self tan lotion and bronzing powder to try out. I haven't managed to try either yet but will report back soon. Watch this space!

Best of all, the St Moriz Instant Self Tan Mousse is dirt CHEAP! I found mine in my local Savers store for £2.99 and on Amazon for just over £3 for a bottle.

Have you tried St Moriz's Instant Self Tan Mousse? Which fake tan do you swear by?

If you fancy some fabulous prizes - why not enter my 200 follower and 2 year anniversary blog giveaway - which ends later today?

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

BEAUTY REVIEW: Instant vs gradual vs full-on fake tan

Who doesn’t love a tan? Now, living in the UK it is difficult to get a tan without a little help from a bottle. I’ve tried a fair few fake tans in my time, my legs in particular refuse to change to anything from the bright white they naturally are. (I’ve reviewed a fair few on the blog, here, here, here, here and here.)

So I thought it was about time I did a little analysis on which works better, or worse:

Instant fake tan	Gradual fake tan	Full-on fake tan
Washes off	Fades gradually and evenly	Lasts up to a week
No missing ANYWHERE	Can build up which gives better coverage	I’m prone to missing bit – like the back of my ankle
Not so much choice of colour	Can build up or lay off – depending on desired depth of color	Different colour depths available
No smell	Standard fake tan smell	Strong fake tan smell
Instant	Develops gradually	Develops gradually

For me, I think I have come to realise that instant fake tans work best as I’m not really organised enough to apply my tan the night before and when I do, I often find I’ve missed the back of my ankle or something and have a glaring white mark! The weather is also so unpredictable that for 99% of the time, I don’t really need to have fake tan on because I’m all covered up, so it is nice to have the flexibility to just apply it on those days or nights when I want to expose a little flesh and want it to have a little golden glow!


Update: Which tans do I recommend? Well, personally I'm currently addicted to St Tropez's Wash Off Instant Mousse.

Which tanning method do you favour?


If you fancy winning some fake tan - among other fabulous prizes - why not enter my giveaway?

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

Beauty Review: St Tropez Wash Off Instant Glow Mousse

Last summer I reviewed St Tropez's Wash Off Instant Body Lotion. I've been using the lotion a lot on my legs this summer as they never seem to take on any colour and I nearly always end up with streaks when I fake tan - nothing to do with the tan itself but my application of it. But the lotion is quite thick and not only takes a while to rub in properly but also feels quite heavy on my legs for the rest of the day. This is fine my legs when I'm wearing a skirt but for my arms and decolletage, it is a little less appealing. So I decided to try St Tropez's Wash Off Instant Glow Mousse. And let's just say, I'm bought!

The mousse is light and rubs in almost instantly and feels light as a feather - or better, as I really can't tell I'm wearing it, apart from the change in colour. For most the colour will be too subtle - although it can be layered up to create a darker colour but this obviously detracts from the ease and speed appeal of the product. If you want to see the colour difference, here are my hands, the right hand (on the left of the photo) has the tan on and the other doesn't:

It definitely takes the white sheen off my skin and adds a healthy glow which will be great for all year round.

Tip: Just be careful when applying as it will turn your hand quite a muddy brown colour, so either make sure you have industrial strength soap on hand or use a mitt or latex glove to apply.

The best thing about instant fake tans? The don't smell!!

Next week I'm planning to do a fake tan special with an instant vs gradual vs all-out fake tan - let me have your thoughts below, or email me.

Have you tried an instant wash off fake tan? This one or another?

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

How to... fake tan

How to avoid fake tan hands!

I am a wuss when it comes to fake tanning. You should know this already, if you saw my Beauty Review at the weekend of Boots' Soltan Self Tan Body Lotion. But if not, I'll tell you a story and then you really will understand! (If you read the Beauty Review already, you can skip this part!!) Boots recently – I say recently, it was at least a month ago now – sent me their Soltan Self Tan Body Lotion to try out and it has stayed on my dressing table ever since – taunting me as I complain about my white white legs each morning. So I eventually decided it was time to suck it up and try out the tan. What was the worst that could happen? If I ended up with streaky legs, I’d just have to wear trousers for the next week. I’d get over it. I mean, you didn’t think I’d actually get up the guts to self tan my whole body?! Well, you can find out what happened by reading the Beauty Review. This isn't it. This is a "How to".

Of course, being the internet geek that I am, I turned to google for the top tips when fake tanning and here, I present my recommended reading:

• Marie Claire’s 10 of the Best Fake Tan Tips;
• Boots’ How to Fake Tan Like a Pro;
• The Daily Mail’s Fake Tan Commandments;
• Looking Fab at Any Age’s A Professional’s Guide to using Fake Tan at Home;
• Handbag.com’s The fake tan commandments;
• Top Tips for Faking It by Really Ree, over at her fabulous new blog for Hello! Magazine.

And now for what I have learned over the years:

- If you’re a wuss or a beginner or don’t want anything too obvious, I’d recommend trying a gradual fake tan. I have tried many of these, including the one that I have reviewed: Dove’s Summer Glow Body Lotion, I have also tried St Tropez’s Everyday and Garnier’s Summer Body. 

- For an instant fake tan – on those mornings when you wake up and decide to wear a skirt or dress, only to find yourself staring in disbelief sometime later at the horrible paleness of your legs against the rest of your body which has taken on a little colour in the sun – I would highly recommend St Tropez’s Wash-Off Body Lotion. If this is a bit dark, I have taken to mixing it with my normal body lotion and quickly apply that to my legs. Not only does it create an even tan, it creates said tan in less than 5 minutes.

- Moisturise, moisturise, MOISTURISE!!! It is true what they say - make sure you moisturise everyday anyway and then you are always fake tan ready. I love Boots No 7 Pampering Dry Oil which is like baby oil but more grown-up and spritzes on for more easy and less messy application. When you are fake tanning, a useful tip that I used and worked well: dot a little moisturiser on dry areas, like elbows, knees and ankles, to stop the tan absorbing too much and creating darker patches.

- Exfoliate. Again, it is true what they say. Exfoliate regularly to remove dead skin and your tan will be more even. Continue to exfoliate once you've fake tanned, to ensure that it fades evenly. I swear by The Body Shop's Body Scrubs.

- Use a mitt or gloves. Boots do a washable mitt and St Tropez do disposable gloves for applying fake tan and avoiding "fake tan hands". A must. I hadn't used a mitt before, but found it great, not only for avoiding the tell tale orange palms but also for buffing the fake tan and ensuring even coverage.

Are you a pro or a novice? What are your top tips for fake tanning?

PS. I have added a little poll in the top of the right hand column, if you have a spare second - please choose your response. Thank you.

BARGAIN OF THE DAY: St Tropez Wash Off Body Lotion

I absolutely swear by this fake tan for bright sunny mornings when I want to wear a skirt and have forgotten to fake tan the night before. I prefer to add a little to my normal moisturiser which stops it looking too unnatural and makes it easier to wash off my hands. Even better, St Tropez Wash Off Body Lotion is on offer on asos.com at the moment for only £6.36!!

Do you fake tan? Which brand do you use?