Fake It 'Til You Make It

Fake tan. Love it or hate it, you can’t deny outfits look better when you’re sporting a golden glow. I’ve always been a fan of faking it, as not only does it make me feel more confident, I also look a lot healthier. 

I often get asked how I find the time and energy it requires to keep a false tan looking fresh, and my answer is: I just make time. If something makes me feel good about myself, then why wouldn’t I schedule it into my busy life? I recently ran a poll on my Instagram on whether anyone would be interested in a full post about fake tanning, and it was an unanimous yes. So here’s a detailed rundown on all things golden.

It’s recommended that you don’t exfoliate, moisturise and apply tan on the same day, but I’ve been doing it for years, rules are made to be broken, aren’t they? The reason it isn’t recommended is simply because exfoliation, shower gels and moisturisers alter the pH of your skin, and this can affect the development of your fake tan. I, however, don’t have time to leave a full 12 hours between a deep scrub and slathering on a good layer of liquid confidence.

Wearing Freshly Baked Mousse

Because of this, I do notice that sometimes my tan doesn’t develop quite as deeply as I would like, but I just put on another layer the day after. My favourite product for removing remnants of my old tan and any dead skin cells is Soap & Glory’s Pulp Friction. It contains tiny grains of pumice and paired with S&G’s exfoliating mitts, you’ll have the smoothest skin since the day you popped out of the womb.

I’m completely useless at taking time to moisturise my body, and coupled with the drying effects of the tanning chemical, DHA, my skin can feel tight and extremely dehydrated. Recently I’ve been making a conscious effort to moisturise post-shower, and came across the Body Shop’s Body Yoghurt. These are lightweight, super moisturising gels that were created to be applied right after your shower, on damp skin. As well all know, applying moisturiser on damp skin helps to intensify the effect of the product.

I’ve also been using the Body Shop’s Honey and Almond Milk Body Cream every night, concentrating it on drier areas such as elbows and around my shoulders where my tan tends to fade quickly. I use it in order to maintain my tan as well, applying it (well, when I remember) every night. I also use a small amount mixed with a tiny bit of tan and apply it to my hands so they don’t end up mahogany. This sometimes fails, as I get the tan to moisturiser ratio wrong and look like I’ve dipped my digits in gravy.

If I’ve showered and exfoliated, sometimes I apply my tan about an hour after. My favourites at the moment are Freshly Baked, Iconic Bronze, and bBold. Freshly Baked has such a good undertone and Iconic Bronze smells amazing, I just switch between them depending on my mood. More recently I've switched to the lotion version of Iconic Bronze and bBold, as I find they are more forgiving on dry areas and seem to last a few days longer on my parched skin.

Usually I get around five days out of my tan, although it does begin to fade on my hands and neck around day four. This is when I reach for the O.G of the tanning world, Rimmel Sun Shimmer. I hadn’t used it for so long, and after I bought a tube on a whim one day, I now wonder what I did without it. It’s amazing for evening out any lighter areas of your tan, topping up your hands and neck, or simply using on its own if you don’t want to use a developing tan. I used it on my arms, neck and hands a few days ago when I didn’t have a scratch of tan on and didn’t have time to apply my Iconic Bronze mousse until the following day. So handy and such a good colour!

Finding the time to apply tan doesn’t really bother me too much, and I aim to apply it once a week to keep my skin looking bronzed. It’s definitely an essential for me as I wouldn’t dream of going near a sun bed. Yes it does get onto bed sheets, and sometimes you do get a whiff of DHA from me. But I’d rather smell a bit biscuity than put myself at risk of skin cancer. Ain't nothing wrong with smelling like a Hobnob!