It’s the question on every DIY tanner’s lips… how to apply fake tan to ensure a flawless application every time?
Given we have been in the industry over 15 years and we have some pretty knowledgeable friends at MineTan, we thought we’re well equipped to share the industry secrets with you.
The preparation for applying a tanning mousse at home is no different to what we would recommend for a professional in salon spray tan. You need to ensure you have exfoliated skin, that’s free from moisturiser, deodorant, makeup and perfume (or aftershave for you blokes!)
Now for the application, let us break it down in to sections for you!
Legs: You will need to work in large, vertical sweeping motions. Use one pump for the top half and one pump for the bottom half (including feet) Flip the mitt over to the clean side to continue to buff on the areas likely to have build-up, such as the ankles, knees, heels and toes.
Arms: Apply ¾ of a pump onto a mitt and buff into the forearm and upper arm, using sweeping motions to cover the shoulder and armpit. To do the hands, use your tanning hand to wrap the mitt around each individual finger and webbing. Flip the mitt over to the clean side and continue buffing into the fingers and the wrists to avoid build-up.
Chest: Use half a pump in small circular motions on the chest, ensuring you sweep over the shoulders, around the back of the neck and down below the armpits. Use the residue on the mitt to do the front of the neck.
Torso: Use a full pump on the stomach, being sure to get the mitt inside the belly button (a white belly button against tanned skin is not cute, trust us!) Use circular motions to buff the product up under the chest, down the hips and around the sides of your body.
Back: If you don’t have a boyfriend or friend handy to help, follow this guide! Apply a pump of the foam to the mitt and begin buffing into the lower back, ensuring you buff all over the sides of the body. Buff as high as you can up the back, switching hands to ensure evenness. For the top of the back, apply half a pump to the mitt and reach across your shoulder to buff the shoulder blade, going as far towards the centre of your back as you can. Repeat on the other side, then use the clean side of the mitt to buff the areas where you joined the tan lines, around the centre of the back.
Face: This is the most important part to get right, as this is what everyone sees! You have two options when it comes to the face. The first is to use a ¼ of a pump of tan on the mitt and buff across the entire face, flipping the mitt at the end to buff the hairline, nose and around the mouth with the clean side. The second is to use the leftover residue on the mitt from tanning the body, on the face. This gives a natural glow to the face without making it too dark.
Voila! Using this guide, you will have a flawless application each time. Now it’s time for you to test on yourself! Grab the MineTan product range in salon or online!
