To ask you to teach me how to self-tan?

[PIayer456]

Help a pale gal out.

I’ve never used fake tan. I’m going to an event shortly and my dress is sleeveless and shows some leg. When I say I’m pale, I mean I’m so pale that there’s a slight green hue to my skin.

Normally, I embrace the paleness but think the dress would look better with a tan.

Can some explain to me like I’m 5- what’s the best way to do this?

How should I prep my skin beforehand?

Can you recommend a tan and accoutrements?

How do I deal with my face? I’m more of a skincare than makeup kind of woman and my skin generally looks good and better without makeup so I tend to just add mascara and lipstick over bare glowy skin. I assume I don’t tan my face? How do I match it up to the rest of my body?

I realise I sound like I just landed on earth.

Use Bondi Sands Express.

Shave and exfoliate the day before applying.

Take it all the way up your neck but leave your face alone, use tinted moisturiser to match it to your neck

Use a good exfoliator first, moisturise dry areas (knees, ankles, elbows, face), use a tanning mit - that's definitely essential.

I do tan my face, but moisturise first and don't add more tan to the tanning mit after doing the rest of my body.

If you're super pale I'd use either a light tan or a build up one for a few days. You don't actually need much I don't think.

Bondi sands is excellent, go in circles if you can, bend your knees and elbows when you go over them. Don’t forgot to do your hands

Brand wise, Effn tan is really lovely! I’d go for the mousse as it’s easy to apply and you can see where you’re putting it. If you want a one stop shop they actually do a full kit including mitt to apply it with and moisturizer etc. It’s on their website.

Prep wise, shower and exfoliate the night before (don’t exfoliate right before you apply if you can avoid it). The night of tanning, moisturize after your shower, especially on areas such as knees, elbows, hands and feet. Once all soaked in then apply your tan, mousse and mitt is really easy! If you’re pale, just go for the light tan and you won’t end up orange. Pop the mousse on the mitt and apply, use circular motions to rub it into your skin without leaving marks. A tanning brush is pretty good to use on hands and feet, especially if you haven’t done it before, as they can be tricky areas! Then I’d normally just leave overnight, but you can get express tans which you leave on for just a few hours. Again I’d recommend Effn as it dries SO quickly and doesn’t transfer on to clothes / pjs etc.

I don’t tan my face either but I do wear a foundation that allows me to blend colour wise so I don’t have any harsh lines. Hope that helps! X

IMO it'll look weird if you don't tan your face.

As someone else said, exfoliate and shave day before. Use moisturizer on dry areas like elbows and knees (and face for lighter application with less tan - you can mix it with that). Use mousse as it's more forgiving and latex gloves (I find that the product just soaks into the sponge mitts otherwise). If you're sleeping in it, dust yourself with talcum to stop sweating and it going on bed sheets. I recommend St Tropez Express.

That's my tips, been tabni for 20 plus years! But why don't you go for a professional spray tan, might be less risky for an event if you've never done it before! Or else you'd need to practice first.

Only advice I’d give you is pick one that doesn’t smell!
majority I’ve smelt smells like cats pee!!!

Second bondi sands. Tan works with the oils in your skin so shower/exfoliate a good few hours before you apply.

Im horrifically pale and use the express tan. It says express, but it still takes a good few hours to come out properly, I personally like the colour a few days later.

Get a velvet mit and use circular motions.

Since you are very pale I would advise gradual tan. I don't manage proper fake tan very well!

Another vote for Bondi Sands. They have a gradual tan which is tinted so you can see where you've been already. You can build it up to a darker shade over a few days, I slap it on every 2/3 days after a shower and get lots of compliments about my sun-kissed glow!

If you don't have time to practice first and just need some nice colour for a few days this great and so easy to use. Just use a mitt.

Week leading up to tanning, exfoliate daily and moisture twice daily.
If you plan to wax, wax 3 days prior. If shaving, the day before is fine (bare in mind though, its advised not to exfoliate after waxing for 3 days after, so you'd have to skip the exfoliating).
On day of tan, I shower, exfoliate then thoroughly dry. I like to apply a barrier cream (or moisturiser) to my feet, knees, elbows and hands. I use bondi sands technocolor that suits my skin tone which is an olive skin tone. Its an express tan and can tan within 1hr but I like to leave mine on for 4hrs. I also use the bondi techocolor face tan for my face as I am prone to acne. The face tan, I apply every night 3 days prior to event as it doesn't tan as well as the body mousse.
When it comes to tanning the feet and hands, what I do is I will tan my legs and use the excess on the mitt to do feet, then same with arms, I'll use the excess tan on hands. I also apply twice all over, which helps to get an all over even tan.

You could also go for a spray tan if you're not confident with self-tanning :)

I find if I shave beforehand I get little darker bits where the hairs were/the tan seems to settle there. I start a day or so before, then shave after I’ve tanned.

I’m super pale and have found skinny tan (£££) and St Moritz (£) good, or Isle of Paradise tanning drops which you add to your usual moisturiser.

I think you need to do your face or it will look odd. Just make sure to do into your hairline and don’t forget your ears (carefully!).

Totally agree, the bondi sands express is so foolproof and subtle that even after 2 hours its barely noticeable

I'm so pale I'm practically translucent! I use either Garnier body moisturiser with tanning stuff in it, or Dove, depending which is cheaper. Shave, exfoliate etc, rub it in all over, do it for 3 days in a row to get a base colour then 2 or 3 times a week sorts it out.

Velvet tan mitt, circular motions.
I think the skinny tan express is a good one. Bondi sands also good.
WASH YOUR HANDS TWICE THOROUGHLY AFTER APPLYING. Cannot stress this enough!!! even if you use a mitt.

at the end after washing hands, I carefully use the residue product on the mitt on face and quick sweep once across back of each hand. Don’t put lots on your ankles, knees or feet - go very lightly on these areas.

I don’t want to derail your thread but can anyone recommend a tan that doesn’t come off with the gym/sweat?!?

I use this along with the St Tropez mitt. You leave it on for 1-3 hours depending on how dark you want to go so you could do 2 light applications of 45 mins to 1 hr in the run up to the event to avoid going too dark and help smooth out any tide marks although I find it easy to apply. I also use it on my face so everywhere matches.

As others have said a bit of exfoliation and moisturizing prep on the days running up to tan day will help it look better and more even.

https://www.boots.com/st-tropez-self-tan-express-bronzing-mousse-200ml-10173333?traffic=paid.shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21319764377&gbraid=0AAAAA-AdmwQ3JSXs474Vr9_tu7UVTIk9F&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3NXX0tChjgMVep-DBx1FmiXvEAQYASABEgLVcfD_BwE

I am the same and find that the Dove summer glow looks really natural. I apply it exactly as you describe - kick start over three days then every few days afterwards. Leave out elbows, ankles and knees from time to time as the colour can collect there a bit. Anything 'stronger' looks orange, ridiculous and uneven whereas building a gradual colour works for me.

I put bondi sands on last night, very dark this morning so need to shower it off but looking forward to that glow underneath !

Pay to have a spray tan?

I always go for " ultra dark". When I shower the next morning it leaves me with a subtle glow and is not very dark at all. I always apply to my face. I actually use more on my face because it seems to wash off more there. Minimal on my feet. I use a long mitt to do my back if my DH isn't around to do my back.
Afterwards, I take the mitt off and correct any mistakes around my wrists, then I swipe it once over the backs of my hands. If the hands have mistakes on them they usually wash off over the next day from normal hand washing that I do anyway.

This, but also use a mitt.

You need to tan your face too.

I use a different tan for my face that's made for the job.

I second a spray tan if it is your first time. If you want to DIY I like the bondi sands mitt and I’ve recently started using the tan lux mousse and it’s really good and last ages.

Same I always go for the darkest because as you said, once it’s washed off it isn’t actually that dark !

You’re all brilliant. Thank you.

I know going for a spray tan would be the easiest but the event is at the end of a week away with work so I’ll be in a different city, working long hours, and not near a salon I’m familiar with.

When it comes to getting a spray tan though, don’t have to do full body? I’m not the most confident so if I could just get arms/shoulders/upper back/chest and then thigh-down, that would be handy.
And face, I’m guessing?

£3.99 for Dove in B and M the other week, Garnier £11.99 in Boots, but it was but one get one free.

My daughter has had some awful experiences with tanning products and spray tans - not the application but the colour. She is really pale and it took her a while to find what suits her. I hope you have time to try it well before your event so you can fix it if you don't like it. Don't wait til the last minute. Take advice from a beauty consultant re colour.