A girl's guide to Faking It. (Other Fake Tan / Sun Products)

Member Name: moonbailey

Product:	Other Fake Tan / Sun Products
Date:	29/08/01 (3592 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: compliments aplenty

Disadvantages: orange hands if you don't scrub them after!

Fancy a nice tan without the pain and best of all - without the lines?

I'm as white as a swan and as sensitive as a sandpapered bum cheek. That's why I choose to fake my tan and forego the glow and rashes of traditional sunbathing.

If you are new to the joys of brown skin in a bottle, let me offer a few tried and tested words of wisdom of what you should avoid and what you really should be giving a go.

Instant tans are of course easy as pie because you know what you're going to look like right from the start of the evening - so no surprises in the ladies room half way through the night! BUT, please, please remember to shower when you get home. If you forget to wash, and you sweat a single drop in the night, you'll end up with two copies of the Turin shroud on your bedsheets by morning!

With all tan products, you do get what you pay for to some extent - the cheaper you go, the more work you will have to put in to prevent those giveaway streaks and patches. Also, the bigger names tend to put more research into real tan shades, rather than the one shade suits all orange of bygone years.

These days long lasting tans that develop over a few hours and last several days are much more convenient. I find the most important factor to watch for here is the formulation.

Creams, in my opinion are definitely the best way to start. You can control where you are putting them much more easily than milks. Better still, some are tinted to begin with, so that you know exactly where you've been and where you've missed. There's also the obvious added advantage of an immediate tan while the other takes.

Sprays on the other hand are, in my experience an absolute nightmare. Apart from being poor value for money, they also seems weaker than their glupier counterparts.

Worst of all, sprays are the easiest way to make mistakes. It's much too easy to overshoot and end up with an orange hairli
ne around your face, not to mention ginger eyebrows (if yours are dark), stinging watery eyes from stray jets of lotion and a foul numb taste in your mouth (from same). if that weren't bad enough, over time you will also develop a tanned carpet and bright orange souls to your feet.

It should tell you how to apply the product on the bottle but the general rule of thumb is:

Exfoliate first to remove that overly absorbant rough, dry skin. This helps give a smooth aplication.

Be really careful not to apply too much to knees, elbows and heels. Try adding plenty of moisturiser to these areas first to dilute it.

Don't put it where the sun don't shine! It looks more natural with some lighter parts - like the underside of your arm.

Don't forget bits - like the backs of your knees if you apply it seated, and the middle of your back - that part you couldn't quite reach (use a loofa or a friend).

Start cautiously. It's easier to add than to take away.

That's all I can think of for now - so I'll shut up and leave you to get on with it.

Happy tanning!

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