Ibook two to three professional spray tans a year – one before Glastonbury, and another couple before an overseas work trip and our annual family holiday. This year, the first was disastrous (I found myself sitting on the grass, scraping off a patchy, scaly tan with the side of a Boots loyalty card), and the second impossible to schedule, so I decided last minute to do it myself.
I was so bowled over by the results with St Tropez’s Express Bronzing Mousse (£33) that I’ll be loth to ever step back in the tanning tent. Never have I known fakery this convincing. Promising a light tan in just one hour, medium in two and deep in three, this incredibly easy to use mousse delivered my desired realistic brown hue, without a tinge of orangeyness, after a couple of hours’ wear (it continues to develop after you’ve showered off) and lasted a whole week without ever turning to a tiger-bread-style crust (experienced self-tanners will understand).
The tanning mousse is tinted, so you know exactly where you’re spreading and can easily assess where you’ve missed and where you’ve over-indulged. The joy of “express tanners” is that they wash off after a short wait, meaning you don’t need to transfer any tint on to your bed linen then wake up in a stained, biscuity-smelling pit. The St Tropez is pricey, but just three golfball-sized squirts made my entire body glow with health, so I expect the bottle (costing the same as one spray tan) to last ages.
Besides, I’ve this week been spending my Covid jail time (third time’s a charm) exploring budget options. Bondi Sands’ One Hour Express Foam gives a nice brown colour following an hour’s wear. It’s very good – not as impressively carefree as the St Tropez, but at £14.99 it’s half the price and much better than many luxury versions I’ve tried previously.
Regardless of your product, all-over exfoliation beforehand is essential in stopping your tan from clumping darkly and dully around dead skin. I use Loving Tan’s reusable Tan Removing & Skin Polishing Glove, £30.95, as my year-round exfoliator, but any body-scrub will do. For tan application, don’t use cheaper sponge mitts. They last just a couple of weeks before the material hardens and disintegrates as you rub. True economy comes via the all-velour kind for a couple more quid. Bondi Sands make a good one for £4.99.