Self Tanning Tips

I filmed a little video for IGTV today on my self-tanning tips. You can watch it here.

I am not much of a sun worshipper these days. I find it so dehydrating and aging, I have seen the damage that the sun can do first hand (my mum has had skin cancer) I also find I get unbearably hot in direct sunlight so I end up retreating to the shade.

BUT I do like to look tanned, so I am a regular self-tanner. I tend to do it in the morning, so that I can let it develop during the daytime and wash off any excess before bedtime. I find if I do it before bedtime it can develop unevenly depending on my sleep position and I also hate what it does to our white bedding.

There are a few products that I rate.

1. Vita Liberata 2-3 week Phenomenal Mousse – £30 It’s worth shopping around as sometimes Boots and Superdrug have offers. I have also found this in TK Maxx before. I really rate Vita Liberata as a brand. I love their Beauty Glow for the face and I couldn’t live without the Body Blur for those days when you haven’t had time to fake tan. Watch out though, I find Body Blur isn’t great for very hot days as the product does come off on the clothes you are wearing.
2. Bondi Sands – £14.99 – A slightly less expensive brand that delivers a gorgeous golden brown and has a lovely coconut/beachy fragrance. I usually buy mine from Superdrug. They also have a tan eraser that is worth having in the bathroom cabinet.
3. Isle of Paradise – £20 for bottle and mitt from QVC – I will mark this as AD as I selected this product as part of my paid partnership with QVC. This is vegan and cruelty free. It delivers a very natural looking tan without any orange tones (I call it a dirty brown on my IGTV. That’s meant in a good way!) and isn’t heavily fragranced. It’s enriched with avocado, chia seed and coconut oils and so it gives your skin moisture as it tans. It comes in three different shades and I use medium.

The day before tanning I make sure I exfoliate well. I find dry brushing the best way to exfoliate my skin. I use this brush (£4.49) on dry skin and always brush in upward strokes towards the heart. (This is also good for lymphatic drainage.) Then I make sure I lightly moisturise all the dry areas so that the self-tan doesn’t cling. That’s feet, ankles, knees and elbows. ALWAYS apply the mousse with a mitt – this gives you a nice even application and saves your hands. But don’t forget to wash them anyway once you have finished. Let it dry completely before dressing (usually around 5 minutes will do, but you will feel when it’s dry) and don’t expose the skin to water for 4-6 hours.

Happy Tanning!