False Tan...I think I've Found The One!

I have been a false tan user for over a decade now and this week I think I discovered "The One."  It may not come as a surprise for you to hear that I found it in Essex!  But I'm not talking orange / creasote colour, that is no doubt springing into your mind right now, I'm talking sunkissed and even colour thanks to Lauren Goodger.  Yes, she of TOWIE fame and Mark Wright's ex (they went out for nine years...but she doesn't like to talk about it ;-)

Lauren launched a range of tanning products earlier this year - Lauren's Way (I'm sure it took a mammoth brain storming session to come up with that name!)

I consider myself something of a false tan aficionado; well it has taken me almost 10 years to perfect the technique, and my oh my have there been some disasters.  Anyone that went to Bournemouth University in 2001 will be familiar with the orange neck, white face and streaky hands look that I was often seen sporting in the Old Fire Station night club on a Thursday evening!

I now have the routine down to a fine art....but the quality of the false tan does massively affect the end result no matter how good you are at applying it.

I've tried most false tans on the market and I always go back to those which go on dark so you can see exactly where you are putting the stuff and you can immediately see if you've missed any bits.  Granted this type of tan is something of a passion killer as it requires you going to bed looking like a street urchin in baggy pjs(!) but I find the end result is far superior to the clear lotions.

My life/fashion/beauty guru Caroline Smart gave me the heads up on Lauren's Way and where she leads, I follow! 

I purchased the mousse version of the tan.  The bottle needs a good shake before use and in between application.  The mousse dries very quickly so you need to apply one area at a time, don't dispense a massive blob and put half of it on one arm whilst you rub in the other arm because you'll be left with a dark circular blob!!  The mousse goes on evenly and lightly and you can get dressed after about 5 minutes - it doesn't feel clammy and heavy like other tans.

Don't be alarmed by the darkness of the colour, once you shower in the morning you'll see that the end result is mucher more sunkissed than the shade on first application.

For those of you that are au fait with applying false tan I would go with the mousse version.  However for those less confident at tanning go with the lotion - it doesn't dry instantly and can be worked into the skin slowly.

Lauren's Way tanning products range from £11.95 - £19.95 which in my opinion are competitively priced and a bottle will last you a while, I'd say at least 12 applications.

After showering the next morning my colour was even and a really natural sunkissed shade.  I was suitably impressed with the application, the smell (far less digestive biscuity than most tans!), the price and most importantly the end result.

£15.95 - I'd recommend this product for beginners or nervous tanners

£17.95 - I'd recommend this product for those confident tanners

ETM's top tips for tanning

• exfoliate before application
• don't moisturise right before tanning - I'd recommend moisturising from head to toe in the morning then apply your tan in the evening
• always wear gloves - you can get a box of 100 latex gloves from Boots for a couple of pounds.  Even if you use a mit, you need to wear gloves as well.
• use an oil spray on your wrists, ankles and elbows before application - you can use a special false tan oil like Fake Bake Skin Smoothie or just a cheap Avon/Boots dry oil spray will do the job just as well
• start from your feet upwards, working in smooth strokes
• when tanning your feet and hands I recommend adding a small drop of moisturiser into the tan as this will give a lighter affect on these areas
• when you've applied the tan to ankles and elbows spritz some more dry oil spray and rub into these areas (preferably using a mit) to avoid the tell tale stained/dark elbow look
• tan your hands last of all - take your gloves off and dispense a drop of tan and a drop of moisturiser onto the back of your hands and rub in with your hand, making sure to get inbetween your fingers too.  Then immediately wipe your palm and lightly wipe your knuckles with a baby wipe
• wait a few minutes before dressing - when you do get dressed make sure to wear loose fitting items and for goodness sake don't have your white duvet cover on the bed on your tanning days!
• shower off in the morning and ta-da you are now a bronzed beauty......but oh no wait a minute you discover you've got a brown elbow or the colours gathered and darker in between your fingers....do not panic.  The final item that every false tanner should have in their bathroom cupboard is exfoliation gloves.  You can then pour a drop of shower gel onto the gloves and work the glove over the area and the mark will disappear.

Items every false tanner needs to be armed with

latex gloves - tanning mit - dry oil spray -

baby wipes - exfoliating gloves -

Happy Tanning Made-Ons! xo