I haven’t seen any of the glorious sunshine this week as I’ve spent my days sitting in a stuffy office, staring longingly out of the window at the clear blue sky. Unlike nearly everybody else I know, I’ve not caught myself a tan and I’m having to fake it this weekend so I thought I would share my tanning regime with you.
I like to start by giving my whole body a good old scrub to remove any left over false tan and dry skin. Exfoliating removes any build up of colour and gets rid of any flakey bits of skin which can make your tan go patchy. My current favourite exfoliator by far is the Kiko Make Up Milano Detoxifying Elastic Scrub, a gorgeous deep-sea blue product which is entirely different to any salt scrub I’ve ever used. The consistency really sets it apart as it very creamy and almost gel-like which makes it feel super hydrating. Most exfoliating scrubs I use don’t stick to my skin very well and half of it ends up down the drain but this really clings to both wet and dry skin. My skins feels velvety soft and completely renewed after using this. I’ve just checked Kiko’s website and this scrub is limited edition so I’m definitely adding another tub to my basket now.
After exfoliating I like to rub some body lotion into my knees and elbows as these are the driest parts of my body and the tan likes to peskily gather in these areas. Nobody wants to be a victim of orange elbow syndrome so I make sure I really moisturise these parts and then just skim them with the tanning mitt so they don’t attract too much colour. A favourite body butter of mine has to be Soap & Glory’s The Righteous Butter. If you’re a Soap & Glory fan you will definitely have come across this product. They include one every year in their bumper hamper which every girl and their gran gets for Christmas. The formula is very rich but sinks into the skin well which is important when you’re applying tan on top.
Moisturising and exfoliating done, it’s time to get down to business and tan up. If you’ve read my blog for a while you will know I’m a huge fan of the Xen-Tan range. I reviewed their Luminous Gold Gel previously and now I’m addicted to their Morrocan tan, a similar product but with a darker colour payoff. The difference in colour between the two really is huge. When I first massaged the Morrocan tan into my skin I immediately thought “this is far too dark!”. The gel is very very brown and does look a little scary on the mitt (I use a St Tropez mitt btw - can’t got wrong!). I went ahead and put it all over my body anyway and I turned the darkest colour I’ve ever been. I looked a little ridiculous and my boyfriend couldn’t stop laughing but after rinsing it off the next day and watching a river of orangey-brown run down the plughole I began to feel a lot better. I was left with a deep brown yet natural looking golden town. I only need one layer of this beauty which saves a lot of time and product and even though it does make a mess of my sheets I don’t mind because the results are worth it. I think I should also take the opportunity to thank my boyfriend for always being on hand to help me tan my back. I know a lot of boys who just refuse to help with this so I know I’m one of the lucky ones!
After my shower I lather myself in even more body butter to give my skin a glowing dewy look. I make sure I keep up my moisturising routine during the week as my tan always lasts longer when I do. If I have any tanning boo-boos I use my St Tropez Tan Build Up Remover Mitt to correct them. I simply wet my finger, press on the area where I’ve made the mistake and then buff away with this mitt. It can also be used in the shower to help with exfoliating too. It’s not a necessity in my routine but it does come in handy for any last minute disasters.
And that’s my routine complete! I go through this process every Friday night so I’m bronzed enough to go out and party on down on a Saturday. I know it might take quite a bit of time from start to finish compared to a six minute sunbed but I know my wrinkle-free skin will thank me for it in years to come. Have a great weekend everybody! If you’re lucky enough to be soaking up the sun outside today then please remember to use suncream with a decent SPF as the lobster look is not good. Sunderland is typically overcast on my day off so there’s no chance I’ll be catching any sun today but I’m already fake-tanned up so I guess I can’t complain too much.
GC.
