As awesome as our applicator mitt is, the tanning perfectionist in us dies a slow death after seeing every spot unreached by our self-tanner – no matter how big or small. By now, you’ve already gone through your rookie tanning phase and now it is time to up your game. Generally, that basically means getting a faux glow that looks effortless, and one that you can’t tell apart from an actual sun session.
We’re whipping out our tools (literally and figuratively) for handling the tricky bits of your body, from your face down to the soles of your feet. Some of these bits include areas you don’t think about as much like your elbows and armpits. Here’s the first of our two-part know-how for an even tan all throughout.
Face
You can spend a fortune on top-of-the-line skincare but all of it will be useless if you go for self-tanning products that contain the nasty stuff. If you don’t do research, you can end up with a tan that clogs your pores and dries out your skin. Pick one that is full of antioxidants and hydrating ingredients like the Bondi Bodz tanning mousses.
As always, a good self-tan begins with good prep work. Make sure to exfoliate at least a few hours before and apply the product to clean, dry skin. Splash cold water to your face or rub an ice cube on your nose and forehead areas to close up pores. Make sure to put your hair up, rubbing a bit of moisturiser around your hairline to avoid staining.
Unknown to many, the skin on our faces tend to differ in color compared to the rest of our bodies. Some can be lighter and some darker. If you’re not too familiar with how your face tans compared to the rest of your body, we suggest using your self-tanner sparingly. You can use a kabuki brush to reach the nooks and crannies on your face that a tanning mitt may have difficulty reaching.
If you tried to get the best shade match for your face but you’re still unsure, mix a bit of moisturiser into your product. You can also rinse off the product right after the minimum required development time. Once you get the balance right, self-tanning will be much easier.
If a tanning mousse still scares you, mix in a few drops of the Afterglow Tanning Drops with your favourite moisturiser, apply on your face, and go from there.
Ears
There are few things more mortifying than putting your hair up in public and realizing you forgot to apply self-tanner to your ears. Use leftover product on your kabuki brush and lightly brush on your ears, making sure to get into the crevices. Don’t go to town on this one or you might end up having ears that are darker than the rest of your face – which is probably just as mortifying as leaving them pale.
If you don’t have a kabuki brush, you can opt for a cotton wool ball to lightly brush the self-tanner to your ears.
Neck
This may be a bit easier than the face, but one can’t be too complacent. We recommend going easy on tanning the neck area because face tans tend to fade faster – the last thing you want is to have a pale face floating above a tanned neck.
Use your applicator mitt and squeeze out a tiny amount of product. Rub the applicator from your neckline and blend up towards your jaw. If the color comes out too dark, reach for a facial wipe and remove excess colour.
(To be continued in part two)