St Tropez, waxing, swimming and threading

[monkeysmama]

I'm going to a wedding on the 11th then on holiday on the 13th. I really want to be brown for the wedding and have a voucher for a good salon where I can be exfoliated and st tropezed.

But I've never done it before and am a tad nervous. How long before the weeding shall I do it? Day before? Will I look brown still for the holiday two days later? Will it streak and go all nasty as soon as I go in the pool or will my natural tan just blend in?

Oh yes, and how long before to get my legs and bikini line waxed?

TIA

Here's what you must do:

Fake tan Friday 10th, or if you can't do that, Thursday. No earlier as it will rub off a week later so you want maximum value on hols. A good tan sprayed on by a pro who knows what they're doing will last 8 days and not fade in nasty patches. Do NOT exfoliate or rub your fake tan with towel or flannel as that will rub off the tan - avoid all rubbing and cleansing products other that soap, moisturise often and it should last the distance. On day 7-9 when you start looking piebald you can then go hard and scrub it off with a flannel and exfoliator but that will be the end of it.

You can't shower for 8 hours after the tan so either get it done before 2pm (so you can bathe before bed cos it feels a bit sticky and gross IMO) or make sure you don't have white sheets! The spray also has a brown colour in it to guide the tanner so she knows where she's sprayed, and then over the next 8 hours the real tan develops underneath. So by 10pm friday you'll look twice as brown as you really are the next day, IYSWIM.

Exfoliating - Definitely 24 - 48 hours before the tan. At a pinch, AT LEAST 6 hours before the tan.

Waxing - 48 hours before the tan I would say, but then my skin takes days to recover from waxing.

I LOVE fake tan, I've got a wedding on the 11th too, but v broke at the moment so it'll have to be a diy job from a tube

My friend has a tan done the day before a wedding (she was a bridesmaid).
Disaster. Lots of foundation and reparation required.
I'd give it a couple of days at least.

I always used to get legs and bikini done a couple of days before holiday.
I did have someone who was a bit rough once and left a set of fingermark bruises on each thigh which developed on hols.
Boyfriend was mortified as it looked really odd.

yes, we all have disaster stories! I too have been Tangoed

The OP does say she's going to a GOOD salon so I would hope they know what they're doing. Sadly I do find that you get what you pay for with fake tans - a good spray is best but even if they're rubbing on a tan for you, the more it costs the better the result tends to be... I would never jump in one of the automatic spray booths.

Thanks for this ladies.

Kiama, when you say exfoliate at least 6 hours before what do you mean? The woman said the price covers her exfoliating me and assumed it'd be just before the tan application?

Few more questions! Will I be able to get the tube home or will I look very silly? Do you get naked for it or wear undies?

Thanks again!

I agree with kiama - definitely the day before to maximise holiday tan time. If you have a disaster, it's only going to have faded slightly a few days later, so you're going to have to deal with it anyway. And it WILL go patchy and odd looking after a week - I exfoliate when this happens and if i need to extend the tan then apply a light coat of a daily self-tanner to blend over it.

You can get the tube home but you will smell odd and look odd so dont do it in peak hour. You could wear loose long sleeves and loose long pants to cover it up a bit. And wear flip flops, shoes will rub the tan off.

You can get naked or wear underwear, whatever you want, but make sure you dont mind if your underwear gets a bit stained (or wear black underwear).

I've never been exfoliated straight before so can't comment on this. Usually just shave and exfoliate at home the night before (wax the week before).

ps would love to know name of salon if it goes well

ISWYM, they're going to exfoliate you right before doing the tan. In that case it will no doubt be a much more gentle exfoliation, designed to work with the tan and not make your skin react or anything.

That's going to be completely fine as they're tailoring the two so that they'll dovetail together, so I wouldn't worry at all. Relax and let them do their beautician magic, I say!

You can catch the tube home, you'll be brown from the spray tan but your 'real' tan underneath will take 8 hours or so to develop, so you won't look too strange! after 8 hours you have a shower and Voila! a beautiful tan underneath

Thanks again for advice. Much appreciated.