Fake a Summer Tan

We all desire an olive complexion that the celebrities rock from day to day in the summer. Sometimes is a bit difficult to get a faux glow but it is possible. I know from first hand because I am naturally very pale and have a light complexion. I do not hate it at all but when I see girls with beautiful olive skin I cannot help but want it too. The only way to do that is to fake tan. I do not like tanning beds and tanning outdoors due to the harmful UV radiations, causes premature aging.

There are many products out there that work flawlessly, but my all time favorite is St. Tropez. Don't get me wrong though the drugstore has awesome dupes that can give you a natural tan. I will be giving you some tips on how to get that beautiful bronzed skin for this summer.

1. PREP
Prepping your skin before hand is important to a perfect tan. Exfoliating with a scrub is crucial in order to get all the dead cells off. I tend to notice that the fake tan companies tend to make very good aggressive scrubs. Once you have done this you will notice that the tanner goes on smoothly.

2. SHAVING
If you happen to shave, try to shave the day before. This will help with any irritation on the skin.

3. APPLY TANNER
This is the time to apply the fake tanner. I do suggest either using a mitten or non-latex gloves, this will help to not stain your  hand palms. Do the largest parts of the body like: legs, stomach and back. Then work your way to other parts and focus on ankles, elbows and hands. Many like to do their face as well and they do sell tanners made especially for the face, but one trick I like to do is to just mix in some of my body self tanner with a bit of my face lotion.

EXTRA TIP:
Run a shimmer stick along shins of your legs to elongate your legs further. St. Tropez Skin Illuminator is an awesome one.

St. Tropez Self Tan Bronzing Mousse

I've been debating to get a self tanner. For the longest time I used Jergens but the smell of the tanner made my stomach turn. I think is too strong and it feels sticky on my skin. I decided after much researching to get St Tropez, is a pretty reputable brand and have not heard any negative comments.

I think this tan works perfectly for those who want a beautiful sun-kissed look without using sunbeds or damaging your skin outdoors. If you can't bear the smell of false tan then I'd skip this but honestly it's not overpowering as the Jergens brand. It's also extremely easy to use and dries within minutes. I suggest buying the tan applicator mitt that they have at Sephora to apply it. It saves you time and goes on smoothly with the mitten. As far as how long it lasted. It lasted me about a week without re-application which I think is fine.

On the back of the packaging it gives you instructIons on how to apply it. It notes to exfoliate your skin. I used ocean salt from LUSH and used my exfoliated mitten in the shower. After showering I applied moisturizer to my dry areas and waited about half an hour. I then applied the self tanner all over with the mitten and waited about 60 seconds before getting dressed. It does note you can take a shower after 4 hours to reveal a more natural sun-kissed look which I did and I have to admit I LOVE this product especially for my fair skin.

You can get this product at Sephora for about $30.00 and the applicator mitt for about $6.00. The LUSH exfoliator I use is from LUSH and that costs about $19.95-$34.95 a pot depending on the size you get. I know that the self tanner is a bit expensive but I have to be honest I have never used anything that works so well and looks so natural. MUST TRY!