Last week I did a post about preparing to bare now that the sun is finally out – ways to subtly build up your tan so that you’d feel confident enough to pull on that skirt or dress. A few of you said that ‘subtly’ building up a tan wasn’t enough, you wanted a full on Golden tan, so I thought I’d share another brand with you, and it’s my absolute favourite when it comes to a getting a fool proof, natural tan. I mentioned over on Twitter a week or so ago that people had thought I’d been away over the bank holiday weekend, when in reality, I’d just used the .
The Gold Foaming Mousse is a self tanning product which I would recommend to those with pale or light-to-medium olive skin tones. It instantly gives a golden tan when you apply with a mitt, and you can see where you’ve applied but it doesn’t ‘stain’ skin instantly, so if, like me, you sometimes forget about the blob of mousse on your thigh while you perfect your shins, you won’t be left with a dark circle when the tan is dry. I can hand on heart say I’ve never got streaks or patches with this tan (although I’m probs a bit of a pro at applying tan now – just saying.) and you can build it up if you want a darker tan. The mousse formula is really easy to use – it absorbs quickly, so perfect if you don’t have time to hang around, and the tan continues to develop slightly throughout the next few hours. I find my skin looks and feels moisturised after using it, so I don’t mind applying it in the mornings before work instead of my usual body lotion.
Preparation wise, I usually use scrubbing gloves on a daily basis – this keeps my skin soft and stops any streaks or patches appearing. Before a major tanning session (or before your first tanning session of the year) a proper exfoliator is definitely required. You don’t have to, but seeing as I love sticking with one brand when I get into a new routine, I’ve been using the . First because, OMG the smell. SO nice. I find it gentle but my skin always feels silky smooth after using it and I even use this one on my face too. If you’re after something a little cheaper, I’d also recommend the Original Source scrub (also smells amazing) but it doesn’t have so many granules, so use scrubbing gloves too.
Finally, to tan the face I recently tried out the He-Shi Overnight Ageless Tanning Balm. I’d kind of held off using it for a while as I was so in love with my usual evening routine, but then my face was noticeably paler than my body, so I gave it a go. The fab thing about the balm is that it has so many skincare benefits (such as Hyaluronic Acid which prevents the signs of ageing and fatigue) as well as being a gradual tanner. So you wake up with a lovely glow and smooth skin, as well as a tan. Literally like you actually were on that Maldivian beach, not just dreaming about it last night! Although it does have all the anti-aging ingredients and antioxidants, I can’t say whether they make a difference in the long term as I havn’t used it long enough, or often enough, but I would say that it’s perfect if your usual evening routine lotions and potions contain these benefits, and you want to use a tanner that will work with them, instead of having a ‘night off’ – if you see what I mean!
