I have to say even though I don't mind being pale, it doesn't leave me feeling the most confident during the warmer months. So that I am not hiding in the corner, making sure no one sees my pale bod, I fake tan. I don't do it for others, although I am sure I could blind people with my paleness, I do it for myself. I rarely feel good in skimpy summer clothes or bikini's so I do everything I can to make sure I am happy to be laying next to the pool in my smallest swimwear. A tan is a big part of this and probably the most time consuming part. I take my time getting my body ready for a tan as you do not want your first tan of the year to look patchy and uneven. As I have a holiday coming up soon, a hen party, I need to get prepared and part of this is tanning. I am on a strict budget this month after an extravagant March and a make up heavy start to April, therefore I can't afford a spray tan so I'm going to have to do it myself. I thought I would take you through all the steps and all the products I use to get my tan as even as possible.
My prep for a tan begins a few weeks before, especially when it has been a long time since I last tanned. Winter has happened since my last tan and lets just say I have definitely let go of my lotion/cream routine. Usually I am really good with moisturising but after a rough couple of months at the end of last year, pretty much all self care went out the window. I have been getting back into it recently but the damage has been done. My legs started to resemble the dragons from Game of Thrones and I had the dreaded dry patches on my elbows that I constantly spend my life fighting. My skin overall had never been that dry or dull looking so some major work needed to be done. I started off with an easy product, the Lush Body Conditioner in Buck's Fizz. It has the most uplifting scent and it can be used in the shower so whilst it was bloody freezing I didn't need to leave the scolding hot temperature of my shower to cover myself in a freezing cream. Nope none of that. Instead I could apply the body conditioner to wet skin, leave it to soften my skin and wash it off. It leaves my skin feeling softer and smelling amazing. The Body Conditioner was my entry level moisturising product but I knew I needed to move on to the harder stuff.
As the weather has become slightly warmer, when I say that I just mean bearable, I can now use products outside of the shower. This is the stage of prep I am currently at. If you read my blog regularly then you will know I have been using the Sol De Janerio Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. I have been covering my body in it over the weekends to try and nourish my skin whilst hoping it is going to work on any cellulite on my bum and thighs. At the moment I can't see a massive change to the cellulite but I can feel a difference to my skin, it is much softer. Even though this is a cream, it absorbs very quickly so even if I am going out on a weekend, I can apply it and put my clothes on relatively soon after.
During the week I have been using a lotion. Don't think because it is a lotion, it works any less because this is a super charged lotion. It is the Ameliorate Transforming Body Lotion. I actually got this as part of the Marks and Spencer Beauty Advent Calendar last year and at first I dismissed it but then I heard Nic from Pixiwoo talk about it and I decided to give it a go. I thought this was a Marks and Spencer own brand but it isn't, it is stocked by Harvey Nichols and Cult Beauty. Nic from Pixiwoo talked about how she used it on her kids and it helps with the small bumps on the back of their arms which left me wanting to try it for myself. I have quite an uneven and textured chest which I wanted to sort out before I started tanning and I also thought this lotion would help with the extreme dry patches on my elbows.
The reason I say this is a supercharged formula is because it contains an AHA formula. The particular AHA used in this formula is Lactic acid. Essentially Lactic acid helps to dissolve the keratin bonds that hold dead skin cells, in a way it helps to resurface the skin. As my skin has been struggling with dryness and dead skin I thought this would be a great time to test this product out. I have to say I have been left really impressed by the results of this lotion. My skin has been a lot smoother, softer and looks better already. This sinks in quickly which is why I like it for during the week, although it does leave a film over the skin which does linger. Not only does it leave a film but it isn't the best smelling lotion. To me, it smell like a prescribed medical cream. The scent does linger but if I am only going to work it can be masked by perfume, also it is worth it for the results.
After I've started using body creams and lotion, I then feel ready to bring in the scrub. The Ameliorate lotion starts off with a mild exfoliation and the scrub takes it up a notch. There are two scrubs I alternate between when it comes to tan prep and it all depends on how close I am to applying the tan. My ultimate favourite scrub is the Jo Malone London Vitamin E Body Scrub, it is tough on exfoliation but gentle to your skin. I use it on dry skin so it is very abrasive and wash it off in the shower. If you want a scrub which you genuinely feel a difference after using it, this is amazing. It is super expensive but this really does get your body prepped. As this is an abrasive scrub, I only use it once a week. Plus I don't use it too close to tanning as it does leave an oily residue once you've used it. The sugar dissolves as the water hits and because of this it leaves a film on the skin. Due to this film it definitely affects how the tan takes, making sure the colour doesn't settle as well and also causing it to go patchy so I stop using this a week before I tan. This Vitamin E scrub is the initial scrub I use to prep my skin.
The scrub I use closer to when I am planning to tan is also from Jo Malone London and it is the Geranium and Walnut Scrub. This is much more gentle than the Vitamin E scrub and can be used everyday. I use this scrub up until a day before I am ready to tan. It has fragments of the walnut shell which acts as the exfoliant but means it doesn't melt away like the Vitamin E scrub does. This leaves your skin smooth and helps with dry skin as well. Unlike the Vitamin E scrub, this one doesn't leave a residue which is why I use it up until I tan and I also use it as part of my aftercare, once I have tanned. It is important to exfoliate once you've tanned so that it doesn't end up looking like scales. One thing I don't particularly like about this scrub is the smell. It is a little too earthy for me, there aren't any sweet notes but that is fine as the results are good.
In addition to the inclusion of body scrubs, I continue to use my body cream and lotions. Once my skin seems prepped and it is before the event I am heading to, I apply my tan. My tan of choice is the Bronzing Mousse from St. Tropez. I have been using it for years. I find the St. Tropez tan gives the best colour and I find it easy to apply. I just squeeze some onto a mitt and rub it in long, sweeping motions. I usually do my arms first and work my way down my body. I never tan my face as I worry it will go wrong so I just apply extra bronzer to get my face looking the same as my body. Once I've applied the tan, I use body cream on problem areas such as: my wrists, ankles, knees and elbows as I know I am likely to get patchy on all of these areas and the body cream prevents the tan from settling too much on these areas. I apply my tan before I go to bed, wearing long jammies and wake up a thousand shades darker. Taking care of your tan doesn't just mean prep, it does also requires aftercare, so I continue to scrub (not as often) and use body cream until I want to get rid and then I use the Vitamin E Scrub and start again.
A tan is not a Summer necessity but it is something that helps me feel more confident and if I can do something that makes me feel better, you can bet that I am going to do it. When I first started tanning, I was a mess. I had no real clue what I was doing so it has taken me years to get it down to such a fine art. Some of the products I use are quite expensive but I think tanning is something you can't mess with, you have to treat it with respect.
I hope this has helped anyone thinking about tanning this Summer and please let me know any tips or tricks you have for tanning in the comments or on twitter @SophaaRambles
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