Natural Fake Tan: Whenever I think of fake tan, I think of that scene in Angus, Thongs and Perfect snogging where Robbie tells Georgie her legs look like ‘giant cheesy puffs’. When I was 13, I have a fond memory of going to a Steve Aoki concert doused in Caribbean Fake tan. My friends and I felt this was the only way to approach our current pale state of affairs and it left us smelling like the local curry house. Apparently teenage sweat and cheap fake tan doesn’t exactly smell like roses.
Having to shoot swimwear has left me in the search of the perfect, even and natural fake tan that doesn’t leave you looking like a traffic cone or smelling like a box of turmeric. Whether opting for the ‘at-home’ method or heading out for a professional one, I seem to have narrowed it down to my favourites for each option.
Doing it yourself:
At home, I religiously use Bondi Sands Tanning Milk. I swear by this stuff. It is a natural, gradual tan that is definitely noticeable the next morning but isn’t an ‘in your face’ colour. It’s buildable and can leave you looking like a goddess after a few days’ use. The beauty is you only need to top it up every few days and it leaves a natural sunkissed look. It is super affordable, and available almost everywhere. It also has a lovely coconutty smell and definitely won’t offend your partner when you head to bed.
Roping in the pros:
In terms of a professional spray tan, my go-to is Vita Liberata. Nothing gets me going like the words ‘organic’ and ‘natural’, especially when it comes to stuff I put on my body. Beyond the natural nature of this tan, it offers a sleek and flawless colour. It’s available in plenty of salons, in plenty of countries which makes it easy to track down whether you’re in your home town or have hit your holiday destination already.
However, when approaching the fake tan world, which can often be scary, pre-tan prep is almost as valuable as post-tan maintenance. Make sure your body is well exfoliated beforehand (I opt for a good body brush and an in-shower scrub) and maintain it with lots of moisturizers. I love the natural body butter from Laidbare as it doesn’t affect my tan.
Have a horror fake tan story? Send me yours and I’ll share some of the responses (anonymously of course).
