Leather lipsticks

Once upon a time, I used to be the girl who was always tanned. I first discovered the wonders of fake tan when I was about seventeen. I dabbled with the likes of Johnson's Holiday Skin before, (happily skipping about with streaky legs, aged thirteen), however, it was when I was seventeen that I had my first spray tan, for no particular reason other than my friend had recently had one and I was fascinated and envious. Anyway after having a couple myself, I realised that as an unemployed teenager, I couldn't really afford to regularly get spray tans. This was when I discovered St Tropez (at this point I did now have a job). Fast forward to now, I am a poor student, and have to make do with the cheaper dupe. It kills me that I had more money when I was seventeen than I do now at nearly twenty. So my tanning product of choice is St Moriz. But enough of my waffling about my tanning history; here is my step-by-step tanning routine.

1. Exfoliate + shave: Exfoliating my body used to be something I really dreaded doing, and often skipped because I thought it was tedious and time-wasting. That was before I discovered a very special product...the Soap and Glory Breakfast Scrub - £8 at Boots. Oh my goodness - this is just one of the most heavenly smelling products I have ever used...in fact I'm going to go out there and say it is the best. (Another close contender will feature later in this post so keep reading ;)) It is very difficult to stop myself from eating a teeny bit of this delicious-smelling sugary scrub. As is specified on the pot, the scrub smells mainly of maple. It's just great! Anyway, this is great for removing any pesky old tan residue which tends to stay on annoying areas such as around my armpits, which can look a little strange. It is also of course great for getting rid of gross dead skin cells to leave a nice smooth canvas of skin. I haven't included any specific product for shaving, because it often changes according to what's on offer.

2. Apply the tan: St Moriz Dark Self-Tanning Mousse - £2.99 at Savers. When I use fake tan, I apply it all over my body. I know some people only do their legs or legs and arms or something, but I like to feel like a bronzed goddess all over :) Of course there are difficult areas to reach - like the approximately 3x3 square inch section in the middle of my back which I do not believe is humanly possible to touch, unless you are a contortionist perhaps - so this is where boyfriends come in handy, or even just friends! One of my best mates, Alex, and I used to do each other's backs all the time last year when we were both single (and ready to mingle while extremely tanned on nights out). To apply the product, I always use a mitt. I find that it's the easiest way to get no streaks and even coverage. It's probably a good thing that I lost my mitt shortly before taking these photos, and had to buy a new one which is pictured. My old one was getting rather disgusting.
So I typically apply my tan all over my body before going to bed, fully clothed so that minimal amount comes off, and then shower off the guide colour in the morning to reveal a lighter golden glow.
However, in my darker days (pun not intended) I was sometimes known to apply it all over myself before a night out, and go out with the guide colour gradually getting darker...ok to be honest I still do this sometimes. I just love how dark it is when it first goes on. Don't judge me! Except when I've been out and have rain splatter marks on my legs from the colour running. Yeah, then you can judge me. That's embarrassing. In terms of the colour range, I don't think there's a huge different between the medium and dark, but I do prefer to be darker. It's a great dupe for St Tropez, the main issue I've had with it is that it can be extremely drying. So much so that the friend I mentioned earlier can't really use it because it can aggravate her eczema so much :( But if your skin isn't too dry, it should be fine. Especially when you moisturise...

I realise that this picture is not very aesthetically pleasing...but this is what the mousse looks like when you pump it out.

Left leg, just after one application of the mousse.

3. Moisturise and maintain: Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Body Lotion - £1.49 at Boots and N-Spa Vanilla Creme Brulee Body Butter . It was the latter of these two products which make it onto my mental list of best-smelling products ever. I got given it as a birthday present a while ago by a friend, but only got around to using it a few months ago. It just smells so so amazing...you kind of feel like you are slathering creme brulee all over your body when using it..but not in an unpleasant way. I won't talk about it too much though as to my horror, when researching the brand, I found that it has now been discontinued. Which really tears me up inside. But there are a few other products I enjoy using too, including this Vaseline one mentioned, as well as the Palmers Cocoa Butter lotion. In case you haven't noticed, I am quite the fan of sweet-smelling body products. I always moisturise my whole body everyday after I've showered when I've fake tanned. Not only does it help keep your skin soft against the drying formula of the mousse, but it also really helps to maintain your tan. I didn't used to do it when I first started fake tanning, but I see such a big difference when I do.