The sun is shinin', the weather is sweeet... (sing it with meehhh). I love love loveee this time of year, and love the fact that I'm ditching the chunky boots and coats for sandals and sleeveless tops. The only problem is, I hate being pale and after a full winter of no sunshine I pretty much look like I've been moonbathing. I tan pretty well in the summer months, but until then I feel like I need to start getting bronzed up a bit, as lets face it, lifes just better with a bit of a tan. I've put together some fake tans in different formulas so there's one for everyone (& every budget too).
Before I tan, I always like to prepare my skin with a bit of exfoliation to make sure I get rid of any dry patches as we know tan seems to hang around them like a crazy stalker. I've had a couple of sachets of Cocoa Brown's Tough Stuff, and I like using this mainly because it's made by a false tan company so I know it's gonna be great at removing any stubborn old tan and really preparing the skin for the next bronze up! For the more sensitive skins, I'd recommend Beauty Lab's Peptide Tanning Pre-Tan Skin Polish* as it's a lot less harsh on the skin than a tough exfoliating scrub. It leaves the skin feeling super smooth and healthy without feeling as though it's been in a fight with a cheese grater (although I do love a good scrub to be honest). I couldn't write a bit on scrubs without mentioning one from Soap & Glory now could I? Let's be honest, they're the Daddy of the body scrubs and I adore every single one of them. The one I've been reaching for lately is the newest of my stash; The Scrub Of Your Life, a much lighter formula to the ones I'm usually used to in the big pots. It's more like the Beauty Lab offering in the sense that it's more of a polish/buffer than a tough scrub.
Once I've exfoliated, I like to moisturise with a light moisturiser on the areas where tan tends to collect (elbows, knees, knuckles, ankles). Then it's tango tiiiime (or hopefully NOT). I always use a tanning mitt as I find they help give a streak-free finish and keep the palms of my hands from looking ridiculous.
The Mousse
Mousses are my favourite kind of fake tan formulation as they're the least messy and the easiest to use as you can see where you've been and they sink in really quickly. Two really budget friendly versions that I've found work really nicely into a nice, natural finish are the St Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mousse (£4.99) & the Sunkissed Instant Self Tan Mousse* (£3.99). Both VERY similar in both price and formula. Obviously as with most fake tans, they do have that signature fake tan smell, but I've come to expect that now so it's not too much of an issue (though tell that to the hubby, ha).
The Lotion
Lotions, especially ones that are clear in colour and don't show up on the skin for a good few hours are definitely the scariest formula for me. I've had issues in the past where I've missed huge patches on my arms and haven't realised until it developed the next morning. Nightmareee in all honesty. However, if you're a skilled tanner and aren't afraid of a little challenge, then Beauty Lab's Peptide Tanning Lotion* (£20) is the one for you. It took me a good few goes to get this right, but the results are stunning. It leaves the most amazing golden glow to the skin, and doesn't smell quite as biscuitty as other fake tans I've tried. At £20 for 200ml it's certainly heading towards the higher end of the scale, but I think the results are certainly worth that if you can get the application right.
The Spray
St Moriz is such a popular budget friendly self tanning brand, and for good reason. Like I already said, I prefer mousse formulas, but if you're more into a spray-tan like application, then try the St Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mist (£4.99), it's a lovely, natural looking, streak free tan, but be prepared for mess. The first time I used this I just did it in the bathroom with no towels or anything down. Lets just say the souls of my feet were looking like Kel's insides. (who loveees Orange soda?)
Soo there ya go. You'll be ready for those summer dresses in no time.
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