Getting tanned in the shower?

I have a love-hate relationship with tanning.

You see, I don’t tan at all, which is fine. However, when living in a country where it is summer nearly all year round and where everyone is tanned, it becomes an issue (for me anyway).

I love the look of beautifully tanned skin, yet I want to stay away from the harmful rays of the sun (I would just get red and peel anyway) so I turn to self-tanners.

The annoying this is – tanning is hard work, or maybe I’m just lazy. To get it done properly, it takes some time, plus there is the skin preparation beforehand and then that horrible smell afterwards and all the maintenance in between. Exhausting!

So when I saw that St Tropez came out with an in-shower tan, I was doing cartwheels and somersaults in the air! (well, maybe not quite). Anyway, of course I had to try it. Would this be my new best friend?

St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower

So the packaging is pretty standard –  a 200ml tub with a squeeze cap that doesn’t take up too much space along with my multitude of bathroom products.

It smells quite nice in the tub, very fresh with a delicate floral type of scent. It stays that way too – so no horrible stale tan smell afterwards.

Ok, so how does this work? Get in the shower and get clean with water that’s warm. Once you’ve rinsed off your soap, apply a generous amount of product in circular motions with even coverage and leave on for 3 minutes. No more, or less. Wash hands after application.

Once the 3 minutes are up, wash off and gently pat dry. The tanning development process will now begin.

Caution: This product does make the bath or shower floor very slippery so do be careful!

Results? Ok, so as you know I am very white. After the first application, I didn’t really see much of a difference to be honest so I tried it another two times, on two consecutive days in the evenings.

It did build up a slight colour, but not anything remotely bronze-like. It gave a very subtle golden colour that was just enough to not make me look extremely pale.

It’s not the strongest of products, so for fair skinned people, it cannot be used alone however I believe this will be great for keeping a tan topped up in between applications for people with all skin tones.

Yes, it did sound too good to be true…pity. However, still good to have in the cupboard when you want a quick top up!

Have you tried this yet? What do you think of it?

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My Tanning Tips

I love to tan. Unfortunately, my skin does not!

No matter how long I stay in the sun, a tan will just not happen. I will get red, very red, then peel and it will all fade away back to white! As this is extremely unhealthy and dangerous, I choose to self-tan instead. I live on an island where it is summer for practically 6 months of the year so having a tan feels a bit like a ‘must’ to me!

That being said, self-tanning can be quite tricky if you’re not used to it. So after so many years of doing this myself, today I’ll just be letting you know a couple of tips and hints to help you out.

Source: Beaut.ie

#1: Prepare your skin: Exfoliate!: By far, one of the most crucial steps in the tanning process! It’s crucial to get rid of any dead skin cells on your body before tanning. If this isn’t done, you risk your tan looking patchy, uneven and looking flaky. You can use any body scrub for this, as well as a loofah, however I just tend to use plain sugar. It’s cheap, super effective and very convenient as it’s usually always handy.

As a side note, never exfoliate just after you have shaved or waxed as the skin will be very sensitive and could cause an irritation. So exfoliate first and hair removal second, unless of course you leave a day or a couple of hours in between the two.

#2: Careful of ‘Hot Spots’ & Dry Areas: Self-tanners seem to be drawn to dry areas and ‘hot spots’ and will stick to them. What are ‘hot spots’ you say? Areas that really absorb tons of tanning product: Feet, Ankles, Knees, Hands, Wrists & Hair Line. To avoid these areas, or any other dry parts catching on too much product, just dab on some moisturiser so the colour absorption will be lessened. That being said, if you want a darker tan, avoid moisturising your entire body. Keep it just for these areas.

#3: Best Time to Apply: Generally, the best time of day to self-tan is just before going to bed, after having a shower as you are less likely to sweat and take off the tan which could happen if you are running around all day or wearing tight clothing. Once the product is applied, let it dry and wear loose clothing. Leaving it on for 6-8 hrs sleep will ensure a good deep tan. Just wash it off and you’re good to go!

As a side note, when washing and drying yourself try to avoid using scrubbing your skin. So, apply soap with the palms of your hand and pat yourself dry gently. Adding a moisturiser at this stage will help prolong your tan and encourage even fading as it will keep the skin hydrated. If the skin gets very dry, the tan might come off in patches and get flaky.

#4: Application: This all depends on the type of tanner you are using, as well as personal preference. For beginners, I highly recommend mousses (such as St. Tropez or St. Moriz) as these are coloured so you can see what you are doing and where the product has been applied. They are also the most forgiving when it comes to making a mistake as these generally blend in very well. These are best applied using a tanning mitt.

For more experienced users, there are also sprays, gels or creams. Some can either have a colour guard, which is helpful to see where you have applied product or not. After so many years of tanning, I have to say, using a product with a tanning guard is so much easier and faster. These are best applied wearing latex gloves to avoid staining your hands. Product is extremely difficult to wash off from this area, so do cover them!

#5: Other Tricks: Applying tan on the hands and feet can be quite tricky due to the fingers and toes, as a log of product can accumulate there making them look extremely dark. Start by moisturising, then lightly dab on a pea-sized amount of product and spread outwards. For the hands, I especially like to put a small drop of product on the top of one hand (not the palm) and distribute it onto the other by running the top of the hands together (let me know if that was not clear!).

Also, if applying any fake tan, do try to avoid using any deodorant, body sprays and perfumes until you have had your shower as this might not react well to the tan and cause a rash.

How deep you like your tan depends on you, however personally, I always find the need to reapply a second layer the day after to get it to how I want it. That being said, I am very pale naturally. Again, how often you reapply, depends on your colour preference and the strength of the product you are using.

I hope you’ve found this helpful and learnt something new! Let me know if you are aware of any other tips and tricks.

Thanks for reading xxx

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