Beauty basic: step by step fake tan

The best tan is a safe one – and the only way to look sun-kissed safely is to fake it.

Perhaps the only thing we Aussies like more than a holiday is a tan. These two things represent everything we value most – leisure time, pleasure, freedom, the beach and eternal youth. The only problem is that while a holiday is good for the health, a tan is not. Skin cancer is our most common form of cancer and despite extensive sun-safe campaigns, every year at least seven million Australians still allow their skin to burn. But before we give up our tans entirely, the good news is that the latest sunless tanners give you a natural, just-returned-from-holidays glow in next to no time.

Step 1.
Dry, rough skin ‘grabs’ excess colour so start by exfoliating your skin with a loofah or a good scrub, such as Anatomical Make Mine A Tropical Smoothie Exfoliating Body Scrub, $24 (available from David Jones), which rids the skin of dead cells and gives you a clean, smooth surface on which to apply the self-tanner.

Step 2.
Skilful application is the key to successful self-tanning – nothing looks worse than streaks in the wrong places. The hands, wrists, elbows, ankles, the jaw and hairline are all traditional trouble spots. Professionals advise using a couple of very light applications (rather than one heavy one) and blending with your fingertips using vertical, then horizontal strokes.

For a natural, even tan you can’t go past Kamouflage Jungle Bronze Self Tanning Spray, $39.95, which is fast-drying and comes in an easy-to-apply spray formula; L’Oréal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Gel, $19.95, which is a non-greasy gel formula that glides over the skin; or Avon Sun Self Tanning Lotion with Sunscreen, $19.95, which is enriched with sweet almond extract to calm and nourish the skin.

Self-tanner will take at least an hour to develop so it’s important to get comfy and wear something loose such as a towel (one that you don’t mind getting stained). If you want an instant result, try Dior’s Dior Bronze Self-Tanner Shimmering Glow, $42, which coats
your skin in a veil of glimmering pigment while the tan develops.

Step 3.
A faux tan will usually start to fade in about 10 days to two weeks. If your skin is dry the tan will look flaky after about a week. A hydrating body moisturiser will help maintain the tan and keep your skin smooth, supple and radiant. Clarins After Sun Moisturizer with Self Tanning Action, $28, is specifically designed to soothe the skin and prolong the tan.

 

Words: Nikki Goldstein. Photography: Steven Chee. Hair & make-up: Lores Giglio.