I have never been one to lay out and bask in the sun. When i do relax on a hot & sunny day i do it for short bursts of time, wear a minimum of F30 on my body & F50 on my face & never ever lay in direct sunlight between 11 & 3 instead choosing to seek out a nice shady spot under a palm tree(if i'm lucky enough) or an umbrella. My favoured suncream is the Piz Buin 1 day long lotion. As i'm all for a quick an easy method of protecting my skin whilst getting out into that glorious Vitamin D asap. Piz Buin "1 Day Long" does an excellent job of keeping my skin safe & allowing me to get a lovely golden glow to my skin.
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| Not a good look! |
Living in England means that i am not always lucky enough to get enough days in a row of nice weather to build up a healthy, golden tan & this is were a good false tanning routine comes in handy. So today i thought i'd share my routine with you in the hope that you may try false tanning rather than burning yourself to a crisp. There are lots of different products that you can use from the fairly cheap to the very expensive. Mine routine is probably mid range. Here is how i do it.
1) I jump into the shower & do all the usual stuff. At the stage when i put my conditioner/mask on my hair i turn the shower off & grab one of my favourite products *Temple Spa "Sugar Buff"
This product is the king of all body scrubs. Heres what the website says...
Prepare to bare. Ready to bare, but wouldn't dare? For all year round sexy soft skin that radiates with health, apply this delicious Mediterranean inspired sugar body scrub, including olive oil, fig and pomegranate to remove dead skin cells, encouraging cell renewal to reveal silky smooth, sun kissed skin. Scented with a blend of ten relaxing essential oils, your skin will feel calm and delicately fragranced too. The most amazing scrub ever!
- Invigorates skin
- Increases circulation
- Anti-ageing benefits
- Rejuvenates and softens
- Improves lymphatic flow to remove toxins
- Leaves skin wonderfully fragrant
- Rich in extracts and essential oils
- Natural exfoliants
- Paraben free
- Dissolves in the bath (so you are not sitting in a grainy bath!)
- Relaxing
2) After a good old scrub i turn the shower back on, rinse my hair and my body & wrap myself up in my husbands big cosy towelling robe.
3) I then take my moisturiser of choice Garnier Intensive 7 Days Daily Body Lotion with nourishing SHEA BUTTER and apply it everywhere that i will be applying the self tanner adding extra to my wrists, elbows, knees, ankles & feet. I love how this moisturiser soaks in so quickly & smells divine.
Heres what the Superdrug website says....
Imagine a body product that offers daily hydration so intense you feel it up to 7 days.
Garnier introduces its new Innovation, a light-weight non-greasy lotion enriched with natural ingredients for irresistibly soft skin that smells great.
- Nourishing shea butter for dry to extra dry skin
4) Now this is the part of the process i would never mess with or scrimp on. I moisturise my hands really really well with the Garnier moisturiser & then immediately apply *Temple Spa "Sol Mate" everywhere that i would like to look tanned. I have tried many many false/self tanners, at many different price points & Sol Mate is like no other. Sol Mate is a gradual tanner without that horrid false tan smell. Temple Spa took years to develop this cream & wouldn't launch it until it was perfect. No nasty smells(it smells of grapefruit), easy to apply, no streaks & most importantly it can be built up, doesn't wash off & lasts for up to 7 days.
Heres what the website says....
The most believable faux tan ever!
We all admire a sun kissed face and body – it just makes us look much healthier and feel thinner and sexier too! However baking in the sun and exposing the skin to the harmful UV rays has the risk of sun damage, and accelerates the ageing process.
SOL MATE is a breakthrough tanner, which gives a natural, buildable tan without the risk of streaking, blotches or uneven tone. Plus it can be reapplied every other day to keep the colour longer or deepen the tone.
SOL MATE cleverly combines serious skincare properties with a healthy sunless tan. Its high quality formula is hydrating to the skin, and rich in natural extracts and essential oils that not only beautifully fragrance it, but treat the skin with anti-ageing benefits.
So trust your SOL MATE to bring on a superior, natural warm tan that is good for your skin… all without one drop of sunshine!
5) I then listen to some tunes on my iphone & have a boogie to speed up the drying process. If it's Summer i sometimes stand in front of a fan which is very refreshing & if it's Winter you can always blast yourself with a hairdryer. When my skin is touch dry i jump into some baggy jim jams & let the "Sol Mate" work it's magic. It takes around 6 hours to develop so a good idea is to do it before bed & wake up looking like you've had a weeks holiday :)
I think that looking after my skin & using good quality skincare from an early age has really showed in how my skin looks today. I receive lots of compliments on my skin & the products i use on my skin are one thing i will not compromise on, ever!
What do you do to keep the signs of ageing at bay? Are you a faker or a baker when it comes to getting a golden glow to your skin?
