With heat waves in parts of the country, you might be rushing to the beach or pool, but feeling perhaps a little pale as summer has come a little earlier than expected. Even though pale trends have been seen on catwalks recently with skin, keeping the classic, fresh and youthful approach to the face, the body always seems that little bit more toned when tanned…
It’s time to body bronze and I certainly don’t mean lying in the sun all day, which of course exposes us to UVA (ageing) & UVB (burning) rays, I’m talking a simple self tan and not the stuff of oompaloompas!
Over the years I have tried many ways to get a tan and I think I have it pretty well covered, so read on to discover my tips for how to tan your body at home, including a few of my favourite body bronzing products.
The first thing you need to decide is how you want to tan. There are fake tans that can last up to a week, gradual tans that are built into moisturiser and then the wash off body bronzers. Some say they do not like the fake tans as it can leave marks or wears badly once it starts to fade, but like anything, if you prepare it well and look after it by moisturising daily, this will not happen.
Just as we prepare our face for foundation, we need to prepare the body for tan products. If you don’t moisturise, or use a primer of some sort and maybe haven’t exfoliated in a while, your foundation will not look as smooth as it can, same goes for a fake tan or body bronzer.
Applying a fake tan well can be a commitment, but when applied correctly, like a lot of celebs, it looks great and natural – most celebs have a weekly tan and always look great! It’s when we rush, no prep and wrong type of tan for our skin tones is applied it can be a disaster.
My top tan application tips are;
In general, try to keep your body moisturiser levels up if you are tanning regularly, the more moisture in your body, the longer lasting and smoother looking your tan will be.
- Exfoliate the day before you are going to apply your tan.
- Day of tan, don’t moisturise your whole body… Only moisturise the elbows, ankles, wrists/hands and knees – these areas are normally dryer and not as smooth therefore tan can grab on these areas and show up darker or patchy.
MB Pro Tip – Only moisturise your whole body if you want a lighter tan as it will dilute the pigment. - Either using a tanning application mit, a disposable glove or I always use my hands as I have more control and blend, apply the fake tan on the body, sparingly on elbows and knees. (I prefer to have a fake tan with colour through it, so I can see where I am blending for no streaks)
- Let the tan dry – most good tans state you can shower and go on as normal within the hour, but I prefer to really set the tan for as long as possible. Try to tan at night; therefore you can let it really develop, even sleep with it, and then shower in the morning.
MB Pro Tip – If you’re like me and love applying your tan or body bronzer with your hands, but hate the nasty brown hands afterwards, try some hair removal cream! By applying the hair removal cream as soon as possible after application, it strips away the tan/brown hand look – no one likes orange hands or feet!
So girls and guys, get amongst it and tan correctly this summer — t’s all in the prep to make sure you have no orange mistakes, moisturise those dry spots and stay even — click through for my favourite products for all your tanning needs.
