Tanning

Now I'm a big fan of pretty much anything beauty related, you name it - hair, makeup, nails, i'll have a go at them all but tanning - now that's completely out of my comfort zone.

Now, let me just add in the fact that I am ginger and my skin is so pale it is almost as if the light reflects off of me. I'd also just like to say there is nothing wrong with being 'pale and interesting' and some people embrace it. Me however, I hate it. Being pale isn't so much a problem it's the fact I am pretty much pure white.

In the past, I have tried countless tanners - from salon spray tans to at home graduals but they have all for whatever reason not worked. The spray tan ended up way too dark and my neck actually had black lines it was that dark on me and the graduals I have used in the past have been an unappealing shade of orange.

The other week however - I decided to spend up my Boots Advantage Card points and I used some of them on a St Tropez Gradual Tanner as I had seen excellent reviews. Of course, I bought a tanning mitt to help with the whole process. After showering, exfoliating and moisturising the dry bits (knees, elbows etc - you all know the score) I was finally ready to tan! I thought to be safe I would just tan my legs as they could be easily covered if it was a disaster - I needn't have worried! When I woke up the next day there wasn't a huge amount of difference (bear in mind it is a gradual tanner) but it definitely took the edge off and what I could see there wasn't a single streak in sight! So I thought I would let it wear off and then go on to tanning my whole body and building up an even gradual tan until I was satisfied with the colour.

This leads me on to my next point (and my whole inspiration behind this post if you will) - How difficult is it to tan your whole body yourself?! I say this currently laying as still as possible and smelling ever so slightly of biscuits.

The tan? Great stuff and I would definitely recommend it to someone who enjoys to tan but for me I think I will simply be embracing the pale from now on.

Legs? Easy peasy! Circular motions from feet to thigh until blended in smoothly! Great - No problems. The top half becomes the problem!

Arms - Difficult but not too bad. It's making sure you're wrists and hands are blended nicely. 

Front - Again not too bad. The armpits can be a bit difficult and it's a bit confusing as to where to stop when it comes to your neck but nonetheless manageable! 

Back?! Nightmare!! This is where a second person is required but not always an option (Sob Sob). I had such difficulty trying to reach my back in every spot - bending my arms in all different (and uncomfortable) directions and still not knowing if you've missed a bit (which i'm sure will be clear in the morning). In the end I was so flustered I decided I'd done my best and decided to say job done! Who knows I might have a 'tips to remove fake tan' post coming your way tomorrow - ha ha!

So let me know - Have you had any bad tanning experiences or do you have any tips to give me to help me along the way?