Beauty and Bentley

I must admit, I have previously been a fake tan hater but over the last year or two I've given it a second chance and I've really learned to love it. When I've used fake tan in the past I always felt it left me looking a little orange and patchy but I think that over the years companies have developed better formulas and techniques and now you can achieve a beautiful natural looking tan.

I definitely need to try our some more fake tan products and brands but currently, I'm using Utan and Tone which I actually talked about in my first ever blog post which I will link here. I've tried the Medium Weekly Self-Tan Lotion which you apply and leave for 8 hours before rinsing off, this is a good product but it's not my favourite from the brand. I think this would be good when starting out for a very light natural tan but now that I feel comfortable applying fake tan I want something darker so I can really see the results. 

Before I apply fake tan I always exfoliate the skin, this is one of the most important steps especially in preventing patchiness. I like to try and do this the day before to ensure my skin is not sensitive or irritated this also gives an extra opportunity to moisturise which is another important step. I like to use exfoliating gloves because you can pick them up anywhere and they are so inexpensive.

For application I would always recommend using a good quality tanning mitt, this stops you getting those ultra dark hands, a good mitt is the easiest way to get smooth even looking colour. I'm currently using the Skinny Tan Dual Sided Mitt which costs £6.99 and is worth every penny, this has lasted me such a long time and is still in perfect condition, you just use it then give it a wash and it's ready to go for next time.

An extra tip if you are trying to get rid of old fake tan is to soak in a warm bath for a while before exfoliating to help soften the skin and allow easier removal. 

I would also shave your legs at least 24 hours before applying fake tan to allow the time for pores to close up and stop the tan gathering and creating those annoying tiny spots over the legs. 

My favourite tan at the moment is the Utan and Tone Turbo Tan Medium > Ultra Dark Lotion as it gives me a really nice deep colour, you can decide how dark you want to go based on how long you let it develop. You can leave it for one hour for a light glow, two hours for a light tan, three to four hours for medium colour, all the way up to eight hours for a dark tan. 

A few minutes before going in with my chosen fake tan I will apply moisturiser to my elbows, knees, ankles and wrists to stop these areas over developing, I like to choose something light that's easily absorbed.


Next, I'll take my mitt and some fake tan, start at my ankles and go up the body, working in sections and making sure everything is well blended. Once my legs are done I use what's left over on the mitt to gently pat over the feet, our feet and hands tend to develop much quicker and go darker than we would like so you only want to apply a minimal amount. I will do this same technique when it comes to my wrists and hands. Once I'm fully fake tanned I will carefully wash my hands and wait for a few minutes before getting dressed, I will always wear some loose fitting pyjamas and leave it overnight to develop. In the morning I will rinse off the guide colour and very gently pat the skin dry, you don't want to have a very hot bath/shower when rinsing away your tan as it will remove more of the colour, when drying you only want to pat the skin, again, this is to stop the premature removal of your tan.

Finally, if you want to keep your tan looking fresh and smooth for as long as possible I would recommend applying moisturiser each day, this will keep the skin looking smooth and help your tan to fade more evenly.

Before

After - Using Utan and Tone Medium Weekly Self-Tan Lotion