When the summer arrives (finally!), we love having a gorgeous tan! The safest and easiest way to achieve that fabulous glow is with fake tan.
Avoid exposing your skin to the sun’s harmful UV rays and pick up a bottle of your favourite fake tan. It can give you that sun kissed look year round, without the risk of damaging your skin.
To achieve a flawless and natural-looking tan without streaks or blotches follow our top tips.
1. Exfoliate 24 hours before
It’s important to exfoliate 24 hours prior to tanning. This will remove any dead skin and create the perfect base for your tan application. Remember to pay extra attention to very dry areas like your feet, ankles, elbows and knees.
We recommend the Bellamianta Luxury Exfoliating Glove Or Sosu Luxury Exfoliating Mitt. They are specifically designed to buff away dry skin, helping to create a soft, smooth canvas for a layer of fresh tan.
2. Remove hair 24 hours before
If you choose to remove your body hair, make sure that this is done 24 hours before you tan. If not the tan is likely to sink into the loosened pores, creating dark spots and an uneven finish.
3. Avoid deodorants and perfume
Deodorant and perfume can create a sticky layer on our skin’s surface, preventing the tan from adhering. Some fake tans can also turn green so it’s best to avoid them all together before applying tan and while it develops.
4. Moisturise before tanning
Make sure your skin is well hydrated before applying fake tan as it can often cling to very dry areas. Use a moisturiser daily leading up to tan application, then moisturise very dry areas, such as elbows, knees, ankles, feet and hands, 2 to 3 hours before tanning. This will prevent the skin from absorbing excess tan and looking patchy. Our favourite moisturisers include Cerave Moisturising Cream, Cerave SA Smoothing Cream or Clarins Moisture-rich Body Lotion with Shea Butter – for dry skin.
5. Always use a tanning mitt
For a flawless, streak-free tan (and tan-free palms of your hands!!), always apply fake tan with a Tanning Mitt. It helps to evenly distribute and blend your tan, ensuring a flawless finish every time. Try the bBold Microfiber Applicator or Bellamianta Luxury Tanning Mitt.
6. Tan your hands & feet last
We recommend you tan your hands and feet last, using any excess product on your mitt – there is no need to add any more pumps of your tan!
When tanning your hands put them in a claw-like position to stretch out the fingers and sweep the mitt from the top of the wrist over the hand and fingers to your nails. Then, gently press the mitt using a tapping motion over your knuckles, fingers and hand making sure you have not missed any spots.
7. Allow the tan to dry before dressing
Allow your tan to dry fully before dressing. When getting dressed, opt for something loose and dark to avoid your clothes rubbing against your skin or showing any marks.
8. Use cool water to wash off your tan
After allowing your tan to develop for the recommended time indicated on the bottle – usually 4 to 8 hours, use a slightly cooler water than normal when washing it off in the shower. Resist the temptation to use scrubs or soap as it can fade your tan – just rinse until the water runs clear.
9. Maintaining your tan
Now that you have that perfect, bronzed glow, make it last by moisturising regularly with your favourite moisturiser.
10 Choosing the right tan
It’s important to pick the right tan for your skin. For dryer skin, we recommended you opt for a serum or lotion (there are some mousses that will help hydrate your skin – ask in-store for recommendations). For more experienced tanners, mousses and gels are best. They provide a longer lasting tan and a stronger colour overall.
Using a face tan is the best option when tanning the face. As the skin on our face is very different to the rest of our body, a specially formulated face tan is recommended. They typically come as a serum or drops and can be applied with your hands or makeup brush or even mix with your facial moisturiser and you’ll be good to glow!
Some of our favourite tans include Bellamianta Tanning Mousse, Vegan Tan Self-Tanning Mousse, Bare by Vogue Face Tanning Serum and Sosu Dripping Gold Drops of Gold.
