the blonde wore black

I was recently asked by one of my beautiful readers to do a step by step on how to fake tan!

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Fake tanning seems to be hated by some, overdone by many & loved by too few!

I'm naturally quite pale, in fact flourescent if don't see sun for a while, but I don't want to subject myself to the sun too often to rely on getting a tan!

I have done so many make ups on 30 something women who have CLEARLY overdone the whole sunbaking thing... & trust me, their skin is not good.

It gets this hideous leathery feel to it, age spots set in prematurely, & not to mention, their wrinkles are multiplied!

Don't get me wrong, seeing sunlight is definitely a good thing, just don't subject yourself to it for so long that you get an impressive tan!

Leather handbags are great. Leathery skin is not.

So i say...

Fake it 'til you make it!

Firstly, have a shower!

While you're in there, exfoliate your entire body.

I use Lux Exfoliating Body Wash (because it smells so delicious!!) with an exfoliating glove.

Rinse yourself off!

Dry yourself thoroughly & moisturize your toes & hands. If you have dry scaly skin on your elbows, ankles & knees, moisturize them as well!

Wait around 20 minutes for the moisturizer to soak in, then start applying your tan!

I use Le Tan Instant Foaming Mousse in Deep Bronze & Bronze & I will explain how to put both colours to good use!

Start by doing your feet with the Bronze (which is the lighter colour out of the two) & apply it all over, taking good care to cover every toe & around your ankles.

Then get the Deep Bronze (the darker colour) & do your legs, torso & arms.

Use a strong sweeping motion, but don't rub it in too much so your skin can absorb the colour evenly.

Make sure you don't miss any parts of your body! You don't want to look blotchy!

Then grab the Bronze & cover your neck, face & ears, making sure to get every nook & cranny.

(Definitely do your neck, but doing your face is optional. Just make sure if you don't do it, you use a darker foundation to match your body)

I've noticed that there is one small patch of skin on my back that i can't reach very well.. If you have the same issue, grab a friend/partner/relative to do that part for you,

OR do my little trick- Instead of pumping the foam into the palm of your hand, pump it onto the back and spread it out so that you can reach up to that section with the flat, back of your hand rather than a wonky hand & a few little fingers.. which obviously leaves finger marks!

If you don't want your tan to be too dark. Skip the next step & jump to the last!

If you want to look like you've been holidaying in Hawaii, wait 20 minutes for the first layer of tan to dry, then repeat the entire process!

You can do your entire body for the second time with the Bronze if you don't want to apply more of the Deep Bronze.

That part is totally up to you & how dark you want to be.

Finish by washing your hands thoroughly with soap, making sure you wash properly between your fingers! Then grab the Bronze & pump a little onto my hands & wipe the insides VERY thoroughly with a baby wipe so they can blend in with the rest of my tan & my palms don't go orange.

Now go stand in front of a heater, fire, blow dryer to help speed up the drying process & send yourself to bed!

The next day you will wake up beautiful & bronzed!

Yaaaay!

Jump in the shower (if you don't do it overnight make sure you wait AT LEAST 8 hours before showering) & wash the excess tan off with a body wash (NOT an exfoliating one).

Then smother yourself with a yummy smelling moisturizer to cover the smell of fake tan!

I use Cocoa Butter, because I'm obsessed with it!

I repeat this entire process usually once a week.

During the week, moisturize yourself every day, in fact, twice a day if you can & apply either some gradual tan or the Bronze tan every three or four days to maintain your colour!

Losing your tan is very easy!

I learnt this after frying myself in Bali a few years ago (tsk tsk. naughty Rachael) . I went to so much effort to get a tan which i was super excited about, then 2 weeks later I had a spa..

When i got out, i was white again & the bubbles were brown!

So here are my tips for a lasting tan..

DO NOT HAVE A SPA!!!!

Cut your showers down to 5 minutes.

In fact, don't spend too much time in water in general.

Don't go rubbing yourself dry with your towel, instead pat yourself dry!

& moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! especially in winter!

Enjoy the healthy feeling of being tanned & think of the world of good you're doing to your skin (& body) by avoiding all that sun baking!!!