Applying Fake Tan
So, just how do you apply a perfect, natural-looking tan from a bottle ? Am I the only one who has ended up with bright orange palms, knees and ankles, as well as a rather, well streaky finish ? No, I think we've all been there at some point ! Below are a few tips and pointers on how to get the best fake tan without the neon-glowing palms effect.
1. Prepare the skin first. Use an exfolitator. Exfoliating first removes all the dead skin cells and gives the tan a good base to start with. The product's active ingredient is designed to cling to freshly buffed skin. Try not to use an exfolitator that is too rich or creamy as this can interfere with the absorbsion of the product. Buff extra well on areas such as elbows, wrists, ankles, hands, and feet. This would be a good time to shave also ! Rinse thoroughly and dry well.
2. Apply moisturizer to ankles, heels, tops of toes, kneecaps, and elbows. This keeps these spots from soaking up excess tanner and going orange.
3. Use a pair of snug disposable gloves to avoid getting your palms covered.
4. Pour the tanner in your hands, and rub them together so the product evenly coats each palm.
6. Work from your lower body up. First, cover the area between each ankle and knee. When you're done, apply what remains on your hands to the tops of your feet, ankles, and knees, which don't need as thick a coat. Do the same with your arms, using using leftover tanner on your elbows and the backs of your hands.
7. It may be wise also to have someone on hand to give a bit of help when trying to reach those hard to reach areas, like the top of the back and the shoulders. Many self-tanners now come with added colour so you can actively see where you are putting it.
8. For the face, use a formula specifically designed for it. It's normally a lighter formula both in colour so as to be more natural looking, and also in 'oiliness' to avoid problems with spots and clogged pores. Apply primarily to spots the sun naturally hits when out and about such as nose, cheeks, and midpoints of the chin and forehead. Then blend into the hairline using light, wispy movements.
9. Afterwards take note of the time the product specifies before coming into contact with water, clothes or moisturiser. You don't want to ruin all your hard work.
10. Moisturise often as this will prolong the effects and some ingredients in self-tanners do tend to dry out the skin a tad.
Common Mistakes
1. Applying a hurry. You're bound to miss a spots and the product will need time to dry.
2. Exercising within a few hours will make you sweat, and obviously, this can affect the development causing streaky patches.
3. Applying make-up to soon over it. Again this can affect the development and lead to streaking.
4.Try not to use too much. You can always add more later, and once it's on you're pretty much stuck with the effects for around a week or so. Go easy !
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