Jump Start Aug: Holiday Prep Week: Day 4

Day four comes after day three, which is kind of handy. That’s because yesterday we did some skin prep to exfoliate and moisturise, and today we’re going to slap on a bit of fake tan.

Well, I say slap on, but I actually mean carefully apply some. Yep. If you’re into being pale and interesting or fake tan doesn’t suit your skin tone then great, just skip this one. But if you’re feeling a bit pasty and fancy a pick me up, it’s safer to fake it than to get a real tan.

So today, it is going to be the easy version. Just use a bit of gradual tanner – it’s so much harder to turn yourself tango orange with this stuff. You can always add an extra layer later if it isn’t dark enough, or if you missed a bit the first time round.

I know people rave about certain brands of fake tan and will pay a small fortune for them, but the vast majority of the mid-priced ones are capable of doing exactly the same thing. There are only two active ingredients that give can give you the fake tan effect, so the cheaper ones work in exactly the same way as the more expensive ones (in spite of whatever the marketing says). The only real differences are the moisturising properties and the fragrance, so there you go.

There are plenty of reasonably-priced gradual tanners: Johnson & Johnson, Garnier, Dove etc. The main high street chemists regularly have half price offers on them too, which is the only time I buy them.

The best trick I’ve found, apart from exfoliating and moisturising first, is to apply the first layer carefully and pretty much avoid the areas that normally grab the colour the most and tend to go that rather unlovely shade of bright orange. That means heels, ankles, knees, elbows etc. You can always get those with the second layer of gradual tanner later.

Now wash your hands…

Do you have any tips for using gradual tanner? Or any favourite bargain brands?