Perhaps you had a pretty busy work week. Come Friday night, you are picking out the outfit you are meeting your friends in when an all-too-familiar thought crosses your mind: “This would have been amazing with a fresh tan.”
We’ve all been in that boat. Fortunately, there are some workarounds to getting a lovely tan that gets deeper along with the night. Here are two scenarios of last-minute self-tans that we commonly come across:
“I need to head out the door now but I would love to be bronzed up by the time after work cocktails roll around. What do you have for me?”
If you’re not in a huge hurry for your self-tanner to develop but need to leave your home within a few minutes, we recommend busting out those gradual tanners. Gradual tanners are your best bet because they are virtually mistake-proof for as long as you know how to apply your moisturiser evenly. Just mix them in with your favourite moisturiser, slather onto your skin, and be on your merry way. You should have a gorgeous glow ready by the time you clock out of work.
Pro tip: bring your gradual tanner and moisturiser with you. Adjust your tan as needed throughout the day by simply adding more of the tanner-moisturiser mix. Don’t go too crazy on it though!
“I want a deeper tone asap and can spare one to two hours before leaving the house. What’s the best option for me?”
If you have at least an hour or two to spare before heading out the door, go for a self-tanner in a more conservative shade. Should the tan come out blotchy in some parts, it won’t be as difficult to fix the patches once you have time to scrutinize your tan.
We highly advise against darker self-tanner shades since you may be at risk for overdeveloping your colour throughout the day. Bear in mind that once you are outside your home, it will be hard to stop the tan from developing should things go south (unless you have access to a shower where you are going). Go conservative on your hue pick and leave the deeper tans for a less busy day.
“What do I wear after self-tanning?”
Plan out your wardrobe for the day to be on the darker side. Wearing light coloured clothing may leave stains on your beloved pieces. Go for your blacks and dark greys to make sure you don’t ruin any of your favourite clothes.
Tight clothing is a no-go. Choose clothes that are a bit loose such as billowy or A-cut dresses that don’t hug the torso. If it’s too cold to wear dresses, you may opt for loose shirts and loose trousers or sweatpants. These will help keep your self-tanner from rubbing off during the day.
When it comes to footwear, choose more open ones such as sandals and slippers to ensure a pretty tan from head to toe. You don’t want to ruin your good sandals either by having tanning product rub off on it.
Lastly, be careful with your bag of choice as the strap can easily rub off your tan. Pick one that will sit on top of your outfit. Keep the bag weight to a minimum so it won’t pull at your tan and smudge it.