Fake It ‘til You Make it! – Five of the Best Fake Tans

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body, bronzed, bronzing, caffeine, Caribbean, contour, copper, décolletage, deep, DHA, essential oils, exfoliator, face, fake, firm, foundations, glow, golden, gradual tan, hydration boost, long-lasting, magnolia, moisturiser, neck, non greasy, organic, self tanner, skin, South Seas, St Tropez, sun kissed, sweet almond oil, tan, tanner, tanning, tighten, vanilla extract, vitamin A

Whether you’re planning on jetting off for an early holiday or just hoping to get your legs out over the Easter bank holiday, it’s unlikely that you’re still rocking a golden glow from your last jaunt abroad. Here at Pure Beauty, we abide by the “fake it ‘til you make it” mantra when it comes to our tans, so we thought we’d share with you five of our favourite fake tan products for the very best bronzed look which could be straight from a Caribbean vacation. Oh, and as a bonus pro tip; don’t forget to get yourself a St.Tropez Dual Sided Luxe Applicator Mitt for flawless application!:

St.Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Golden Glow Medium Lotion

Anyone who knows anything about fake tan knows that St Tropez is pretty much the industry standard, and this product is no exception. It takes the hassle out of self tan application as it can be applied in the shower to gradually build a golden glow and doesn’t leave you with that typical self tan smell. It only needs to be used for three days in a row for a beautiful deep tan and the formulation contains sweet almond oil to give 24 hour hydration.

South Seas – Tahitian Glow Self Tanner

This self tanner from South Seas is an easy to apply tinted formula which promises a streak free finish and a rich, natural looking tan. It contains organic DHA to give your skin immediate colour, as well as copper and caffeine which will tighten and firm your skin. For best results we recommend using a body exfoliator before application.

Decleor Neroli Bigarade Gradual Glow Lotion

This Gradual Glow Lotion from Décleor is so much more than a self tanner. It contains magnolia essential oils and vanilla extract as well as DHA, all of which combine to intensely moisturise the skin and give you a soft and radiant top to toe golden glow. Should be applied daily until the desired level of bronzing is achieved.

HD Brows Sun Stick

Not everyone likes to use a self tanner on their face but achieving a sun kissed glow on your face can be easily achieved with this Sun Stick from HD Brows. It can be used to contour the face for a subtle sculpted look, or all over the face for a beautiful bronze glow. It can be blended using a brush and is compatible with all foundations and base products. 

St.Tropez Gradual Tan Classic Everyday Light/Medium Face Cream

If you want to tan your face with a more permanent effect then this gradual tan face cream from St Tropez is the perfect product. It is ultra hydrating and doesn’t block the pores, and builds a perfect tan over time with daily application. Once you’ve exfoliated and moisturised your face it can be applied like a regular moisturiser to the face, neck and decolletage and will give you a hydration boost and a long lasting tan.

Five Summer Beauty Hacks

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24 hour, BB Cream, bed, cling film, cool, Decleor Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream, Decleor Satin Softening Dry Oil, dry oil, even, fake tan, feminine, fine lines, flawless, fragrance, fridge, glow, glowing, gradual, hair, heat, hydration, illuminates, Multi-Functional Products, nail polish, night, nourished, oil, refrigerated, rehydrating, shiny, sleep, SPF, summer, sun, Sun cream, sun-kissed, sunny, tan, tanner, tanning, warm, warmer, weather, wrinkles

Photo by Tamara Bellis on Unsplash

Now that we’ve has a stretch of half decent weather which has lasted for more than a week, we’re finally confident that we can say “summer is on it’s way!”. With the changes in weather and longer days, most of us like to change our beauty routines at this time of year, so we thought we’d give you five hacks that you can use in summer to make your life easier and more comfortable.

Cling Film

If you live alone but need to apply fake tan or sun lotion to your back, there’s a simple solution that you won’t believe until you try it…head to the kitchen and grab some cling film! Cut a piece around one metre long and apply a blob of your sun cream or fake tan to the centre of the film. Then take both ends of the film and use it to rub the lotion over your back as if you were drying off with a towel to evenly spread the lotion.

Get Chilly in the Fridge

A lot of beauty products work better in the summer when you keep them in the fridge – thinks like foundation, nail polish, after sun and lip balms all stay in better condition and work more optimally when they’re refrigerated during the hot weather, and keeping them safe will protect your investment, too.

Multi-Functional Products

If you’re anything like us, you won’t feel like layering a dozen products on your skin on a hot day, so finding products which do more than one things is a good idea. Decleor Green Mandarin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream is a day cream to moisturise, help to prevent fine lines and wrinkles while giving an immediate even sun-kissed glow to all skin types.

Overnight Magic

Night creams are great for rehydrating your skin while you sleep, but if you want your hair looking its best all summer, using some dry oil before bed is a good way to do it. Decleor Satin Softening Dry Oil is scented with a subtle, delicate and beautifully feminine fragrance, and leaves your hair nourished and looking shiny.

Lighten Up

A lot of facial products feel too heavy when the sun is shining, so changing your foundation for a BB cream will help you to achieve a flawless finish without foundation. It contains an SPF and offers 24 hour hydration, as well as a natural looking tint which illuminates and evens out the complexion.

Five Self-Tanning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

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armpits, bath, bathe, bikini line, body, Decleor Soothing Aftershave Fluid, dry skin, elbows, exfoliate, exfoliation, feet, glow, gradual, hair removal, hands, heels, hydrate, hydrating, hydration, knees, legs, moisture, moisturise, self tan, shave, Shaving, shower, skin, summer, tan, tanner, tanning, waing, wash, wax, white circles

Photo by Garett Mizunaka on Unsplash

Applying self tan can be a veritable minefield of potential mistakes, and anyone who has had a self tan disaster will know that they can be tricky to rectify. To help you to avoid self-tanning mistakes before they even happen, we’ve put together a crib sheet of no-nos in self tanning, so you’ll get the perfect, even glow you deserve.

Time Your Hair Removal

All too often, people wax or shave and then apply fake tan almost immediately, but this is one of the easiest ways to end up with patches. Your skin needs time to settle down after hair removal so make sure you leave at least 24 hours after shaving and a minimum of 48 hours if you’re waxing. Applying Decleor Soothing Aftershave Fluid will also help your skin to recover.

Uneven Application

Seasoned self tanners will know that you have to get into every nook and cranny to make your tan look even, and the most common places to miss are your inner elbow and the backs of your knees. A lot of people apply fake tan while sitting down and you end up with white circles in these areas, so make sure you stand up and get all of the areas evenly!

There’s No Such Thing As Too Much Hydration

Almost everyone on the planet has drier skin on their knees, elbows, hands and feet and there’s no shame in admitting that, but it can play havoc with self tan. Exfoliation is really important, but layering PLENTY of moisturiser in these areas will help you to avoid the orange patches that often appear on these areas when the tanner clings to dead skin cells. Moisturise and then when you think you’ve done enough, moisturise some more!

Out With the Old

If you still have traces of old self tan on your body which are less then even, you need to get rid of this before layering over the top. Gradual tanner is designed to be layered to build a level of coverage that you’re aiming for, but make sure it’s even otherwise you’ll end up way too patchy.

Don’t Soak Yourself

If you want your self tan to look its best for as long as possible, bathing is another big no-no. Obviously we aren’t telling you not to wash, but baths will make your tan disappear much quicker than showers. Try to use a moisturising body wash to give your skin plenty of moisture as dry skin will slough off much easier, taking your tan with it.

5 Annoying Beauty Issues and How to Solve Them

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bacteria, beauty, dry, dry shampoo, germs, hair, lather, make-up, micellar oil, orange, puffiness, puffy, red, redness, remover, shampoo, spots, swollen, tan, tanner, tanning, threading, waking

Some people seem to be absolutely in-the-know when it comes to all areas of beauty, but some of us still feel like we’re in the dark when it comes to solving certain issues. Here, we look at five of the most common issues which befall other women and share a little bit of knowledge which might help you all in the future.

I still seem to have residue left after taking off my make-up

If your make-up remover isn’t quite doing the job then there’s a good chance that it’s just not heavy-duty enough to deal with oil-based make-up. Switching to a micellar oil will ensure that you get rid of every scrap of make-up without damaging your skin in the process and will moisturise as you cleanse.

My make-up is giving me spots

Sometimes, a new make-up simply doesn’t agree with your skin, but if you’ve been using something for a while and it’s just started to give you spots, you could have a build-up of bacteria on your applicators or packaging. Giving them a wipe over with Dermalogica Skin Purifying Wipes will help to kill any lingering bacteria and keep them clean going forward.

Dry shampoo seems to go claggy in my hair

Dry shampoo is one of those products which can be so useful but also a bit of a pain. On the one hand, it can freshen up hair that you simply don’t have time to wash but if you use it too often, it can also build up and leave your hair feeling claggy. Using a little clarifying shampoo on DRY hair before you wet it can really help to remove all traces of dry shampoo, just rub it all in before stepping under the shower to create a lather.

My face is super red after waxing or threading my brows or top lip

Waxing and threading are both really effective and long-lasting ways of removing hair, but they can be a little harsh on the skin, leaving it feeling red and puffy for hours afterwards. Whether you do it yourself or go to a salon, apply a layer of Decleor Post-Wax Cream – Sensitive Areas afterwards to reduce redness, soothe the skin and reduce the speed of regrowth.

My tan is making my sheets orange

We all love a healthy glow, especially if it comes from a bottle but fake tan can leave your sheets looking like you’ve been rolling in Wotsits! Opting for a gradual tanner and using it at LEAST four hours before you go to bed will ensure that you build your tan to a colour that looks nice and natural whilst also ensuring that you don’t end up with sheets which look like they belong to an Oompa-Loompa!

 

Prolong the life of your tan

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after sun, aftersun, ageing, damage, Dermalogica Ultra Rich Body Cream, gradual, harmful, hydrate, moisturise, natural, prolong, protect, replenish, skin, SPF, SPF15, SPF30, SPF50, sun, tan, tanner, tanning, UVA, UVB

Here a Pure Beauty, tanning is a bit of a hot topic for us; while we love to travel and spend time in warmer climates, we’re all too aware of the damage that the sun can do to our skins and how much of an effect that has on the ageing process. However, tans which are achieved naturally and gradually (i.e. not through deliberately baking ourselves in the sun for hours) can give us a healthy glow that we want to hold onto, so we thought we’d share some tips and tricks for prolonging your tan, with the use of some handy Decleor and Dermalogica products.

Use the right sunscreen

So many people still think that if you use sunscreen you won’t tan, which is nonsense. Using the right broad-spectrum sunscreen with a high SPF will protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays and prevent your skin from burning. Using a minimum of SPF30 is essential (unless you’re naturally dark skin, when an SPF15 should suffice) as is reapplying every 2 hours, to ensure your skin absorbs only the good parts of the suns rays.

Find Shade

The skin has a natural cut-off point for how much melanin it will produce, which means that sitting in the sun all day long isn’t going to increase the depth of your tan if you’re just not that dark skinned to begin with. Give your skin regular breaks by sitting in the shade to avoid damage from UVA and UVB rays and use an aftersun to replenish the moisture lost and prolong your tan.

Eat carrots!

Okay, this one may sound a little ridiculous but beta-carotene is found in carrots and can hugely improve the skin’s ability to tan. It’s best taken as a supplement, rather than becoming a Bugs Bunny impersonator, but taking a beta-carotene supplement daily can improve your skins natural defences against the sun and will give you longer before the skin starts to burn, as well as increasing melanin production, the thing which gives us a colour.

MOISTURISE!

Sorry to get all shouty, but we cannot emphasise this one enough: MOIST-U-RISE! Keeping the skin well hydrated is the single most important step towards maintaining your tan. Skin which is dehydrated will immediately start to look dull and more pale, so we recommend stepping up your moisturising routine and adding something rich like Dermalogica Ultra Rich Body Cream to give you maximum moisture potential.

Fake it

If all else fails, fake it! There’s no point risking your health to top up your tan when there are so many amazing gradual tanners on the market which allow you to build a natural looking colour without ANY of the risks associated with tanning.