Lily Melrose – UK Style and Fashion Blog: My Fake Tan Routine

▪️BONDI SANDS Coconut Body Scrub ▪️BONDI SANDS Liquid Gold

▪️Soltan Tanning Mitt ▪️Isle of Paradise Tanning Water

Fake Tan is one of those things I can’t live without, especially in summer. Its a chore sometimes but one of those genuine rituals I really enjoy doing and obviously, love the results. As the weather here in the UK heating up and my hemlines are getting shorter, I’ve been getting back into my tanning routine and I think I’ve got it down to an almost perfect art.

Prep is SO important when it comes to tanning. I find that if I don’t prep my skin properly then I’ll end up an extra patchy mess and I actually think this stage is the most important when it comes to application. It really is worth the extra effort to shave, scrub and let your skin settle before fake tanning. To exfoliate I’ve been OBSESSED with the Bondi Sands Coconut Body Scrub for a while now and I still cannot get over the scent. Literal holiday in a scrub kinda smell! Although its a tanning oil, I dont find it to be greasy or leave a film behind on the skin so you can tan straight after using. With a pair of exfoliating gloves on, I grab a scoop and go to town on the drier areas of my body, especially my elbows, knees and backs of my feet. Generally, they are the parts of my body where tan does not like to sit properly and therefore go patchy. Truly though, this stuff is awesome, and is it a bit weird that sometimes I open the packet just to sniff it? It just makes me think of Ibiza and I adore it.

Moving onto the body. A good mitt is a must. You’re a braver person than I’ll ever be if you apply it directly with your hands! The Soltan one is a good, affordable one that can be reused. The tan doesn’t seep through the mitt either which Is the most annoying thing ever when tanning because hands are tricky enough to get right as it is!

Bondi Sands Liquid Gold is my favourite body self-tanner and used it religiously for years and years now. Im a creature of habit, and this is one of those stick to what you know the type of products. Although other tans from the brand I’ve tried I do also like. But there’s something about this formula that just is totally foolproof for me. It’s great for my dry skin and seems to sink in straight away, never leaving me with that icky self-tan stickiness you get with some tans where you’re standing there holding your arms apart trying not to transfer it on to anything while it dries down. I’ve also never found it to leave marks on my sheets, although I do tend to wear long sleeve top and trousers to bed when I tan just in case! But the colour is so lovely, a warm, olive-toned tan that really brightens up my complexion and gives me a real boost.

I’ve always been a little nervous putting tan on my face. I once had a housemate who clearly pinched some of my tan from my room once and slapped it on his face and it genuinely looked like he had a straight-up handprint of orange on his face and I’ve been worried of that look ever since. However, a recent addition to my tanning line up is the Isle of Paradise Tanning Water after a friend recommended I try using a water-based tanner on my face. Although you can use this all over I exclusively as a Fake Tan for Face. It’s light and feels like… well, water on the skin, a few spritz’s on the face and then you buff it in with a kabuki brush you get the most gorgeous even finish. I make sure to buff down my neck and a little on my ears too for a nice even blend and to make sure no spots are missing. As I find fake tan comes off my face a lot quicker than other areas, sometimes I just spritz this on in the morning before I apply my makeup too. I also use the tanning water on my hands, as I find its a little more foolproof, again using the kabuki brush method to make sure there’s no lines or missing patches, buffing between my fingers and wrist areas!

Fake Tanning is one of those things that seems daunting and I know a lot of people struggle with it, but the truth is it’s not as hard as it seems when you have the right stuff. It gives me an instant confidence boost and one of my favourite self-care rituals!