Blanc to Bronze

Next week, I will be boarding a plane and heading off to Italy. This means I need to do some body prep... Now, as far as I know, there are two types of 'glow'; the bronzed, healthy looking glow and the pasty, slightly ghostly glow - I am very much the latter (think Voldemort in bright sunlight, eek!). This doesn't bother me in the slightest during the winter months, in fact I love it, milky white skin and berry lips, beautiful. However, Summer is a whole different ball game and especially in Italy where gorgeous, Mediterranean skin is the norm. I don't want to visually impair everyone in a 50 mile radius with my 'glow'... It's time to crack the fake tan out!

Xen Tan Dark Lotion     |     Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning

These are my absolute favourite fake tanners, I'm on my second bottle of the Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanner (and I tan very rarely, that says it all!) - both are quite cult products but I think they've earned their place. This version of Xen Tan Dark Lotion is quite over shadowed by it's darker sister, Absolute Luxe, but I find this to be the perfect shade for me... Not orange and not too dark.

My routine is very simple and fool proof; In the shower, I exfoliate the whole of my body with a body scrub (the Soap and Glory ones are fab), then go over again with exfoliating gloves; I then use an oil free moisturiser on any dry areas, my ankles, elbows, wrists etc. I let that really soak in then head in with my Xen Tan Dark Lotion on a tanning mitt (an essential!) and just rub it in using circular motions working from my legs upwards - this saves any horrible creases later on! I apply the Clarins tanner on my face, ears and neck with a cotton pad or my fingers then just head to bed to let my tan develop while I sleep. Easy, huh? The Clarins tanner is essentially a gradual tanner so I often use it 4-5 nights in a row before I reach my desired colour.

To keep my tan fresh for a good week, I gently exfoliate with the gloves every day and use copious amounts of body moisturiser to prevent dry skin and the tan flaking off. I love the Palmers Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze as it tops up your tan gradually and really keeps your skin moisturised. Another handy product is the Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs - it gives you tanned, smooth legs in a few minutes; it's taken me some practice to get it flawless and streak free but once you've mastered it, it's super handy for when you need to bare your pasty pins unexpectedly!

Whats your go-to self tanner?

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