With most of us facing heavy travel restrictions this year due to the global pandemic, heading to the tropics to top-up the tan over the winter is pretty much out of the question. We can always try to console ourselves with the fact that once the winter months do roll around, having a deep summer tan on your skin might start to look a little bit off anyway.
A gentler tan during the winter, however, can lift the complexion, brighten the eyes and teeth and make you look less tired, enhancing a positive mental attitude. With that in mind, we’ve compiled some of our top tips on sunless tanning, so that you can achieve a healthy glow and feel great this winter.
Preparation is key
Winter or not, there are some important steps that you should always take to make sure that you get the best out of your fake tan. Remember that preparation is key.
- Remove any fake tan – Firstly make sure you’ve removed any old fake tan. Whether you’re ready to embrace the fair-skinned look for the winter, or you’ve had a bad fake tan that you’d rather scrub from your memory, fake tan remover is a godsend. you can view our range of Rose & Caramel fake tan remover here.
- Exfoliate your skin – The day before you’re planning to tan, we always recommend using a good exfoliator to try to get rid of as much dead skin as possible.
- Remove unwanted hair – After exfoliating, hair removal comes next. We always recommend doing any hair removal the day before you tan. If it’s done just before, the pores could still be open, leaving a strawberry-like look when your tan develops, and nobody wants that!
- Moisturise your skin – Moisturiser is your best friend when it comes to fake tan. You should apply a gentle moisturiser to your skin daily (if not twice a day) to keep skin hydrated and to help the tan last longer and fade more evenly. We recommend Vita Liberata Fabulous Self Tanning Gradual Lotion. It’s full of natural ingredients, such as Aloe Vera to help retain moisture and leave your skin feeling nourished. It also leaves you with a gorgeous sunkissed glow.
Lighten your tan during the winter
Less is definitely more when it comes to applying fake tan during the winter. Try to aim for more of a healthy glow rather than looking like you’ve spent two weeks abroad. To achieve this, go for a lighter shade than you would usually choose, and don’t be tempted to apply more than one coat.
Patch test for confidence
When self-tanning, you shouldn’t simply just apply and hope for the best. You have some control on the shade of tan that you end up with. Perform a patch test for more confidence by blocking off a small area of your body and applying the self-tan product. You will then be able to adjust the way that the shade develops on your skin to your satisfaction.
Choose a high-quality self-tanning product
The range of Vita Liberata tanning products use “Advoganic Technology” which, in the brand’s own words “Combines cutting edge proprietary skin chemistry with highly potent organic botanicals, to fully release their potential, enabling skincare benefits that are vastly superior to those found in formulas using traditional cosmetic chemicals.”. The organic formulas come in a variety of formats to make it as easy as possible to apply and to achieve the most flawless tan.