We don’t know about you, but after coming back from holiday with a cracking tan we always make a tremendous effort to keep our summer tan as long as possible. This usually involves slathering on a ridiculous amount of aftersun, with all kinds of ‘tan prolonging’ claims and hoping for the best (but then giving up a week later and resigning ourselves to a pasty hue for the rest of the year).
Keeping that Summer Glow
However, this year our writer Rhian has just the right tools to see you through until winter, at which point we’ll all be wearing so many layers no one will see the colour of our actual skin.
FACE
My face will always be the first place to lose the tan, so I rely on gradual tanners to help keep the summer vibes alive. I’ve tried quite a few over the years, but my current favourite has to be the No7 Naturally Sunkissed Gradual Tan. It has quite a thick consistency so you only need a tiny amount to cover the face (avoiding tricky areas such as eyebrows). The next morning you will have a really subtle bronze that looks even and understated but definitely helps prolong your summer tan.
No7 Naturally Sunkissed Gradual Tan SP15, £9
MAKE-UP
Nude by Nature have an amazing range of make-up all geared towards keeping your holiday tan as long as possible. They have created a collection of bronzed products to cater for every need. They have a couple of palettes which are designed to give a glow effect, the Contour Palette contains three matte shades to add depth and dimension to the face. There is a contour, bronze and highlight powder designed to sculpt the face effortlessly without any chunky contour lines or over-the-top shimmer highlight.
They also have a highlight palette which has three luminous shades to add a touch of radiance to the skin. The shades can be used together to add subtle glow to the skin, or for a more natural look you can use the shades individually.
Lastly, and probably my favourite, Nude by Nature have developed some incredible highlight sticks which are like a tan in a stick! I use the shade Bronze (they also have Rose and Champagne) to add dimension to the face by applying it to my cheekbones, forehead and under the chin each morning and patting in using my fingers or a contour brush. I also have to mention the packaging which is a beautiful rose gold colour and adds a touch of class to my makeup collection!
Nude by Nature Contour and Highlight palettes, £20 each
Nude by Nature Touch of Glow Highlight Sticks, £18
BODY
When it comes to fake tan, I always go back to the ever faithful, St Tropez. Lately I’ve been enjoying using the express tan range for those moments when I don’t have the time to wait. The mousse is really easy-to-use with a tanning mitt, even for a tanning noob like myself. You can get an express tan depending on how developed you want the tan to be, leaving the mousse on for either 1, 2 or 3 hours before washing off and revealing beautifully bronzed skin.
St Tropez Self Tan Express bronze mousse, £21.35
LEGS
Other than my face, the last area of difficulty tanning-wise are my legs. They always seem to be a couple of shades lighter than the rest of my body, so I’ve been using the Sally Hansen Airbrush legs in Medium Glow. This spray-on tan is perfect for creating a smooth, even colour to your pins. Perfect for a night out as it is water and transfer resistant and works really quickly into the skin for instant results. The next day, the colour will simply wash away in the shower when scrubbed with soap and water.
Sally Hansen Airbrush legs, £9.99
How do you keep the summer glow? Let us know @tweetjanes