As soon as there’s the tiniest bit of sun, everyone seems to flee and lap up each and every bit of sun. However in the light of summer, most people will be whisking away to various different places all over the world and the inevitable novelty for many will be the notion of getting a sunkissed tan. In all honesty, up until a few years ago, I hated the thought of getting a tan as I like/d my normal skintone, however nowadays, there’s nothing I love better than enhancing the melanin look to my skin. Particularly during my last few holidays, I’ve come leaps and bounds and learnt how to not only get a tan in the first place, but also how to maintain it for a considerable amount of time.
| HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR TAN Ironically enough, there are actually many different ways to achieve a glowing tan naturally. Most people spend hours upon end sunbathing and up until my latest holiday, I couldn’t think of anything worse (on my last holiday to Tenerife, I was so exhausted from work that all I wanted to do was lie in the sun and sleep) because let’s face it, it’s boring. In the past, the last thing on my mind was to get a tan, however I always managed to leave, looking extremely dark. The most fun and subconscious ways to get a tan are to do outdoor sports or to spend lots of time in the water – whether it’s a pool or the sea. The reflection of the sun on the water means that you are even more likely to get tanned. I used to use an SPF cream, however I like to glow to the gods and I now use tanning oil. The Garnier Sun Protective Oil is a good product if you want glowing limbs and to enhance your chances of getting a tan, however in a safer way.
| HOW TO ENHANCE YOUR TAN I have dark skin, which is already known for tanning easier than those with a paler skintones. I’m fully aware that particularly those with pale skin or fair hair find it more difficult to tan as they often just end up in getting sunburnt. Therefore using fake tan is the preferred option for many. Even though I’m black and I definitely don’t need to use fake tan, I like to use it on the odd occasion to make my skin look sunkissed and glowy – it’s like a BB cream for my body. I was recently introduced to the St. Moriz Advanced Pro Ultra Finish*. It’s self-proclaimed that it has an Ultra Finish, that you can “achieve a flawless tan in just 10 minutes” and being a ‘tancealer’ means that it gives “an instant HD finish, blurring blemishes and imperfections”.
| HOW TO MAINTAIN YOUR TAN Once you’ve got an amazing tan, the next step is to maintain it to increase the longevity of your tan. Whilst I’m away on holiday, I slap on the aftersun and I always get the one with insect repellent to prevent myself from getting bitten, as a precaution. As I’m all about having glowy limbs, I mix in my tanning oil with the aftersun, which also makes your limbs look more toned. Two other important steps when it comes to maintaining a tan is to keep your skin moisturised to not only prevent your skin from peeling, but also your skin becomes dehydrated once it’s been in the sun for long periods of time. The second important step is to exfoliate gently – emphasis on the gently part. If you exfoliate harshly or with a heavy hand, essentially, all you’ll be doing is exfoliating the layer of skin that you’ve just spent ages tanning.
What are your tanning tips?
*AD – GIFTED PR SAMPLE
