Tanning woes

[LurkingQuietly]

The amazing weather this week has brought about my absolute dread again...my legs.

I'm fairly lucky in that my legs are not too bad shape wise - it's the colour that is awful. I am pale anyway and am fine with that, but my legs are painfully white, and have sort of little red spots (not raised, just dots) where my hair follicles are. These happen whether I shave/wax/epilate/cream. So all in all my legs look pretty awful.

What makes it 100 times worse is that they do not get any colour at all. Even my top half gets a nice ish glow with factor 30. My legs nothing BUT my feet tan SO easily. I look utterly ridiculous.

So...I turn to fake tan to try and take the harsh glow off my legs. Even though I moisturise regularly, exfoliate etc the fake tan will not stick to my shins at all! So I've got naturally brown feet, white as white shins and calves and lovely bronzeness from the knee up.

I think I've tried every fake tan on the market - wash off, overnight, gradual build.

Is there anything at all I can do or try? Pathetic but it's really getting me down. I want to wear shorts somewhere other than the privacy of my garden but I honestly can't like this.

In the kindest possible way, nobody apart from you is scrutinising your legs

Mine are exactly the same as yours and I'm sure there are plenty of us in the same boat, but I honestly have never noticed it on other people. Not once. Bite the bullet.

Nip +fab body lotion will get rid of the bumpy hair follicles. Or Palmer's smoothing lotion for a richer cream.

Just add fake tan to your body moisfuriser and apply once or twice a day.

The clarins one is good. You add a few drops to your usual moisturiser and you can build it to the colour you want over a few days. Fool proof (believe me I need that)

Haha Dulcimena, the rational part of me knows this. However...my confidence is not great and I feel pretty low about it. So stupid, I know. I'm actually embarrassed I've even started a thread about it.

Crochita and jeaux90 thanks for the recommendations, I will have a look at them all.

I'm wondering if a gradual build tan is the way to go. I can assess it day by day and leave the bits that are darker to try and get even coverage.

The clarins stuff is great for the gradual tan. I really recommend them. Pricey but lasts ages and they do one for the face too.

Oh and I don't bother using a mitt I just wash my hands really throughly (and use a nail brush) after and never had a problem

I have exactly the same problem plus terrible thread veins and it gets me down too. I have two solutions. One is the Garnier/Amber Solaire BB cream for body, which I apply with a mitt and wash off at the end of the day. Great for unexpected hot days. Once it's dry it does not rub off on clothes. I also like Cocoa Brown tanning mousse which i find less streaky than
Gradual tanners like Dove Summer Glow (although I use that very successfully on my upper body). I apply the mousse with a mitt and wash off after a couple of hours then reapply if I want more colour. This is the most subtle and streak-free fake tan I have used but you MUST use a mitt - that's the key to success IMO. Good luck!

I have very slender white legs, they have never been brown and I've hated them since childhood.

Now, age 34 I have decided, FUCK IT, I'm wearing shorts all summer and I don't care.

I got married this year and the assistant in Space NK who helped me pick out make up gave me the best advice. She said (in the context of make up) to step away from the mirror to see how it looks. No one will look at your face as closely as you do when applying make up. Same applies to legs, no body is actually looking that closely. Two mum's I know this week confessed to having I unshaven legs in shorts, I couldn't actually tell!

It's not as bad as you think it is, wear the shorts!

Seconding the Clarins drops, I've never managed to get a streak free finish with anything else. Plus you can vary the number of drops you add to get the colour you want.

Ameliorate cream is also good for bumps and is sold on ASOS.

What's the actual name of the Clarins thingumajig that everyone is recommending, please? I'm confused by the vast array of choice! www.clarins.co.uk/sun-self-tanning/430/

You're all amazing - thank you! Nice to know I'm not the only one in the world like this too. Who knows, I may just wear shorts and skirts and think fuck it. Or...I may investigate some more products 😉

for you all though.

TwoDrifters It's this stuff: Clarins Golden Glow Booster for Body

My legs sound similar to yours, and past attempts at fake tanning have been disastrous. I have palmer's cocoa butter gradual tan (can't remember the exact name, but I got it in Home Bargains) and it's fab!

Last summer my legs were white and my feet lovely and brown. I didn't think my legs could catch the sun but over the last month I have worn shorts everyday, put a higher factor on my feet and my legs are catching up now, they have got a nice hint of colour. Even on cloudy days it's surprising how much sun you catch so wear shorts all the time and hopefully you might see some change. That does mean biting the bullet and wearing shorts in the first place though!

I have also used the clarins drops they are really good. What about the wash off instant tan body lotions have you tried those?

Really hope I didn't sound dismissive OP - I do get it. As an added incentive to the "fuck it" approach, sunlight helps hugely with KP so any dots may well disappear too.

Btw, I've used and repurchased the Clarins face drops and they're fab. Tempted to try the body ones now too.

seefeld Thank you!

Guess what - I've worn shorts two days in a row...yesterday afternoon and today. No one has said a thing!!

I have a similar problem. Nivea BB cream was too dark/orange for my face but works great on my legs. It is super cheap and the finish is satin/matte, so it doesn't look too shiny. I apply a small amount rubbed on my legs and wait a few minutes for it to dry properly before putting shoes on. I looks much more natural than Sally Hansen. You can buy it for less than £2 on sale (it's always on sale somewhere). If it's a bit too dark for you, you can mix it with a drop or two of moisturiser.