Fake Tan hacks

Hello again my precious tangs!!!!!! I’ve been writing about everything except beauty lately so here’s to all my fake tan girlies. Firstly, if this is your first ever experience with fake tan, I would like to give you some advice.

Fake tanning requires a lot of time and consistency, it’s not for everyone.
Most people will find it easier to visit a solarium instead.
Choosing a brand that fits your undertone is key, you don’t want to look orange or green.
If you’re planning to do it for the first time, I recommend visiting a salon where they have a spray tanning machine, it will do the job and dry you on the spot and you will see if you like it.
If you need any help, you can always contact me here with a comment on the blog or via my Instagram @crislusbeautysecrets

So, without further ado, let’s get going! I understand fake tanning can be challenging and at times irritating when things don’t work out the way we want or if our tan looks patchy and irregular, but trust me when I say that everything is fixable and everything can be worked on, you just need to find the perfect routine for you to achieve your desired tan look.

Preparation is key

There are many things to consider about skin prep before a fake tan. First of all, you need to get rid of all the old product build up you might have from your previous tan. You can just scrub it off with water and soap (which is painful and unnecessary) or you can follow my routine. It’s very simple:

Start by using a fake tan remover product (I use the Bondi Sands one), put it all over your body or wherever you applied the fake tan and leave it on for 15 minutes at least (I just stand in front of the mirror and do some skincare, my brows, etc).
Once this 15 have passed, get into the shower but don’t let the water touch you. Instead, grab an exfoliating mitt and damp it with a little bit of gentle soap or shampoo, then gently start scrubbing the most problematic parts (usually the legs and the belly).
Once you’re done with the problematic spots, rinse the mitt and put again some soap or shampoo and gently rub it everywhere else, don’t try to push too hard because you don’t want to get injuries.
Rinse your whole body, grab some hair conditioner and apply it on wherever you’re gonna be shaving, I do my legs for example, then shave. Shaving is also an exfoliating method so you will be removing part of the product build up with the razor.
After shaving, grab again the mitt and re-exfoliate. Repeat this process until the tan is gone and try not to hurt your skin.
For the most sensitive areas I recommend as well to use a hair conditioner (just buy the cheapest one) because the skin is thinner and it might get damaged or rashed.
Scrubbing your back is easy because the skin is thick and you won’t hurt yourself but try to do some yoga if you want to reach it all (or play dumb and call your boyfriend to do it for you, hihi).
Try to stay in the shower for at least 15 minutes because the steam will also help the product melt. If you find any patches afterwards, just rub them with the mitt and they should go off easily.
The last step is very important, finish the shower with a cold rinse, it will activate your circulation and close your pores, which is amazing because you don’t want black spots on your legs, do you?

So you see, it takes time and effort, fake tanning is not for lazy gals. Remember not to apply any skin product after the shower, not even deodorant

2. Moisturize certain parts of your body

You’ve probably seen how people get super dark hands and feet and the rest is lighter. Yeah, the skin in certain areas is naturally drier than the rest, so you gotta work on that too. I suggest you add a tiny bit of moisturizer on your hands, feet, elbows and knees. This way you will get a neat colour without having to worry about scrubbing anything the next day.

3. Choose the right product and brand

I can’t really help you here, each skin is different, but I can recommend you a certain brand that sells fake tan for different undertones. Bondi Sands is an Australian self tan brand that sells a big range of tanning products, from lotions to mousses and even serums. They’ve recently come up with a line called “Technocolor” that offers four shades that have been specially formulated for every skin tone to provide the perfect tan every time. They even shared a quiz where you can find your perfect product to fit your undertone and achieve your best bronze look.

https://bondisands.com.au/pages/technocolor-shade-finder

4. Find a good tanning mitt

My recommendation here is that you match the brand of the tanner and the mitt, then you can never go wrong. Companies design gloves that specifically work for their products, so it makes sense that the best application will come from pairing both items. Sometimes you will also find very good bundles within the websites of the main brands. To tan your back, as I said, you can have someone help you or you can go for one of those back tanning clothes, I’ve seen them on Aliexpress. Thanks to my Yoga obsession I don’t need it yet (yet girls, yet).

5. Have a good application method

This is the most critical step, here’s where you gotta do your best. My biggest tip for this is: try to use the toilet before, try sitting on the WC with a fresh tan, not funny. I always follow the same order when applying my self tan and it works, so listen up:

First you do your legs and feet, it’s the largest area and probably the easiest so there’s not much to say about it. Avoid the soles of your feet, of course, and do not forget to also apply product in between the toes.
Afterwards, I like doing my belly and chest. Make sure you go a little bit inside the belly button because if not you will have a white halo around it and it looks quite odd. For in between the breasts, I like using the mitt and then reapplying a little bit of product with a kabuki brush. Mine is from Bali Body but I’m sure you can find very nice ones for cheap. The reason I do this is because this area sweats a lot and it’s very likely that you will have white patches cause the product couldn’t develop properly.
I go up to my neck and stop right at my jawline, don’t put mousse on your faces gals, please, I highly recommend the Technocolor serums, they work wonders and they have and amazing formulation that will not break you out.
After you’ve done the front part of your torso, I suggest you do the sides, it’s also a difficult area because you can accidentally rub your arms on it and remove the tanner.
Time for the back. I’ve seen a lot of people struggling to tan their back and having white patches in between the shoulder blades. Don’t worry, I got you. You’ve got 4 options: find a yoga class, get someone to help you, buy a back tanning cloth from Aliexpress or tie your mitt to the top of something long so you can reach. There’s no secret, really.
Once I’m done with the back, I do my arms and lastly my hands. Hands are tough to work with, I’m not gonna lie. I realized if I use a hand cream around 20 minutes before the tan, it sits really well and looks very uniform, so I highly suggest that.

6. After the application

Now this is also a very crucial phase on your whole tanning trip, you need to stand still and not touch anything for at least 1,5 hours or until your skin is dry to the touch. I know how terrible it sounds but it is what it is. I would say to do it in the night, after dinner, so after it dries up you can go straight to bed. What I do is I put it on, I watch a movie and when the movie finishes I just put on my PJs and bye bye. Please keep in mind that fake tan will stain your bedsheets, it goes away with a normal wash so don’t worry about that but please try to use darker ones just for the aesthetic at least. Also, using a long sleeve PJ is recommended, if you live in a warm area or if it’s summertime you can use silky ones. Another thing is that it will leave a scent, my boyfriend always says it’s sulfur-like.

7. Maintenance of your tan

As you can see, it doesn’t end when it’s already on your skin, there’s much more you need to do and work on. First of all, your showers should be as short as possible and water shouldn’t be too hot. When you dry yourself afterwards always pat your skin gently and never rub the towel against it (rubbing will lead to exfoliating off the tan). You should use a moisturizer that doesn’t contain fats or oils, I use Neutrogena Hydro Boost and it’s very good on my skin. Try not to wash your hair too often when the tan is fresh because then your hands will be white and your arms brown, it looks funny but it’s odd. Also, be careful with the deodorant you use because some of them just MELT the tan and you will have extra white armpits, I use Sanex 0% but I cannot confirm it’s available in every country, you’ll just have to experiment for yourself. If you have to do dishes or whatever, please always use gloves.

And here’s the end of a very long and detailed explanation of fake tan. I hope this helped you and I really look forward to seeing you on my next post. Thank you so much for reading and enjoy fall season!!!!! Kisses!!!!!!!!!