The first time I wore false tan was my mum and older sister's idea! I must of only been about 9, and I had a dance competition the following day. All I can remember from this hysterical evening was standing in the bath, positioned as if I was playing Stuck In The Mud, while they sprayed me with orange mist. I thought it was all fun and games and couldn't wait to look glamorous the next day on stage, until I woke up with what can only be described as orange zebra stripes all over me. My brother, who is more like my dad, told us he was 'disgusted' and left the room. Us three were curled over laughing! The 'tan' didn't go down too well on that occasion!
Since then, our tanning skills have came a long way, and me, my mum and sister love to tan each other, whether it be spraying one another, or doing each other's backs! We have tried out a million and one different tans and formulas over the years, but my all time fave has to be St. Tropez mousse.
To begin my routine, I will always have a shower first, and shave my legs if necessary. After this, I will apply my favourite moisturiser, which at the moment and for a while now has been Pure Coconut Moisture Creme by a brand called Inecto. I always do a full body moisturise, paying more attention to dry areas such as my knees, elbows and ankles. Without this, it is as if the tan literally flies to dry areas, and refuses to move, leaving you with orange knees, elbows and feet; awful!
When the moisturiser is soaked in completely, I use a disposable glove and a couple of pumps each time and rub the tan all over the area. I don't worry about the tan being perfect at this point, but just let it sit on my skin for a minute or two, so maybe do this to one arm, then while the tan is sitting on the skin, do the other. Then I go back to the first arm with a tanning mitt/buffer over the glove, and literally pat the tan until it is one smooth layer and is the same colour all over. The colour develops over time, so sometimes you will be a little more brown than desired, but don't worry, it will wash off when you get a shower!
With St.Tropez, I personally feel it dries quite quickly, maybe in about half an hour. Some cheaper tans tend to stay wet for hours which is so annoying because you can't get dressed in fear of wiping it off! I try to do my tan of an evening, because you can go to bed, and when you wake up the next morning, get a shower and wash it off. Whereas sometimes if you do it in the day and need to go out, the tan can 1) still be a little damp, or 2) you will have to leave the house looking darker than you wish! The bottle advises that you leave it on for 4-8 hours, which is good if you do it of a night as it can develop whilst you get your beauty sleep!
The next morning when I get a shower, I do not scrub away, I just get washed as normal and the water washes off the top layer of tan naturally. When I am dry, I moisturise with the same moisturiser as before, and I tend to do this every day. Moisturising helps so so much to keep your tan looking nice, and prevents it from starting to go scaley, leaving you looking like a snake. I like to say, if you look after your tan, your tan will look after you!
St.Tropez comes in different forms, such as lotion and spray, but my favourite is the mousse! You can also get gradual tans, prep kits, sun protectors and much more! It is a high end tan, but you get what you pay for! It lasts for days and fades really naturally as long as you moisturise!
It is priced at around £20 for a 120ml bottle, but a little goes a long way!
Let me know what you think, feel free to comment! Thank you xo