Archive for October 2011
We all love the summer because we get to show off our tans, whether they are from the sun or from using a fake tanner! Let’s face it, having a fake tan in the winter is great and I love it, but it can look out of the place slightly when all your friends are as pale as a ghost! So summer is the ideal time to do some fake tanning, and that’s just what I’ve set out to do, but first I had to find a really good fake tanner that won’t make me look orange!
I’ve tried many over the counter products (St Moritz, St Tropez) and some of them have been good, usually if you get a good one you will end with a nice natural tanned color, the problem I’ve found is that most of them don’t last that long or have a rather unpleasant smell! Not only that but some are quite prone to streaking especially the ones that take ages to dry!
Finally I may have found one that is worthy of being called the best fake tan for 2010! It’s called Joliese Sunless tanner and I was lucky enough to get myself a free trial of it a couple weeks ago! I read about it in a few celebrity magazines and it had some good reviews so I thought I’d give it a try. Once it arrived I was rather excited to get going so pretty much applied it straight away! It was very easy to apply and left no streaks at all, the good thing about it is that it dries nice and quickly so there is no chance of it going blotchy or sticking to your clothes. I made sure I exfoliated before hand as I always do this with fake tanners for best results!
Once dried the first thing I noticed was that the color was fantastic! Most fake tanners can leave you with a horrible orange color and whilst some have a nice natural color to them, this defiantly stood out from the rest! It genuinely looked like I had just spent a week on a sunny beach (if only!). My skin felt nice to touch afterwards and after reading more about it, the Joliese sunless tan has a natural moisturizing agent in it which means it’s good to my skin as well as giving me a nice tan!
The tan itself lasted around eight days before it started to fade, most self tanners I’ve used would usually last a few days so this is great in comparison! Of course a review is all good and well but photo evidence usually does the product more justice than any article will, so check out the link below to view my before and after pictures from using Joliese. Happy fake tanning!
A leg tanner is exactly what it sounds like, a tanning bed made just for tanning the legs.
Self Tanners – You Won’t Be Able to Live Without Them Once You Start….
Have you ever known a sun worshipper, one of those people who can never seem to get a dark enough tan? They are always looking for that new tanning product that will break their newest tanning plateau and deepen their color even more. Some of them are the lucky few who’s skin tans easily.
They rarely burn, and after a few hours in the sun, will emerge looking like most of us would after a long Caribbean vacation. The rest of us though, are left to envy these lucky few, as we know darn well a few hours in the sun will wreak at least a week’s worth of peeling, dry, red havoc on our skin, not to mention the multitude of fine lines and wrinkles that will surely follow. We go from burn to peel – no tan to speak of in between.
That is, until the past few years have produced the latest and greatest generation of self tanning products. No longer do you have to suffer the unnatural orange color, the intensely unpleasant odor, or the unsightly fading of the old self tanners.
Today’s self tanners, at least the quality ones, are formulated to give every user an even, natural tan that lasts longer, has a deep brown undertone rather than orange or red, and fades just like a real tan.
There are even several good “spray” self tanning services offered by many tanning salons for those who don’t feel comfortable with self application. I’ve only personally tried the Mystic Tan salon service, and it does look quite good for about two days, but it fades in to what looks similar to age spots or freckles (NOT very attractive I can assure you).
It also can have quite an overpowering smell depending on how much of the active ingredient (DHA) the particular salon has the device set to. Unfortunately, the better your tan, the stronger the smell, as this is the DHA at work giving your skin the darker appearance.
The most effective, longest lasting self tanners that produce the most beautiful color are the self tanning creams that have been specifically made to blend well and dry fast. They tend to go on a lot easier, are easily blended, and result in the least amount of streaking and patchiness.
The gels, sprays and mousse do not have the same even, natural results that the sunless creams do. You definitely want to go with whatever type you feel most comfortable applying, but the cream form is highly recommended.
There are some very important steps you need to take in order to get the best tan possible. The first step prior to applying the self tanner is EXFOLIATION. I’ve found that if I skip this step, the tan fades a lot faster, and tends to not blend as well. By exfoliating thoroughly in the shower, you are providing the self tanning cream a clean slate for maximum adhesion and staying power.
Also, use a makeup sponge to apply the self tanner to the tops of your hands after you have washed them, as well as to your face for a more blended, natural look. Be sure to get everywhere – behind your ears, the back of your neck, etc.
Try to have the very little clothing on for as long as you can right after application, as DHA is activated by oxygen, and will work better if it has more circulation during the activation phase. Once this application has dried for a few hours, you may apply a second coat if you would like to achieve a darker color. Just don’t overdo it. To maintain the tan, reapplication should occur every 3-4 days.
With these excellent products and the gorgeous results they produce, there is simply no excuse to repeatedly subject your skin to the sun’s damaging rays again. With the new sunless tanners, you can be tan year round AND maintain your skin’s youthful and vibrant appearance. It is truly a win/win situation.