Best fake tan tips for that gorgeous winter glow!

Become a bronzed beauty with the best fake tan
and bronzing make-up. Get glowing, radiant, flawless skin
with the Ultra Beauty detox diet and lifestyle!

Mmm suntans look so good!  Everyone loves that glowing, sun-kissed look, but actually sitting out in the sun to get a tan is, 1. Ha! Impossible in this wintery weather, and 2. Guaranteed to start a wrinkle party in your skin.  Fear not, because with all the excellent products on the market, you can create the bronzed beauty look at home with not a UV ray in sight.  If you’re a little bronzerily-challenged, read below for some tips on choosing the right type of product and applying it without getting streaks. 

Bronzing is especially good for a big event, like a wedding or party when there will be lots of cameras, as the flashes bleach out your skin tone making it look very white, as well as flattening all contours out of your face making you look…flat.  

Two types of bronzing

Fake tan (in a cream) is for actually making your skin look darker than it naturally is, by dying the top layers of the epidermis. Bronzing powder, on the other hand, is for contouring.  If bronzing powder contouring is done right, you can really make your cheekbones stand out and shape your face for the 'chiselled' look, without it looking like you've put any bronzer on at all.  

For the fake tan, I use Clinique Self Sun gel for body in ‘Deep’ (on both my face and body) which has a very strong and dark colour, but is quite unforgiving if you make a mistake.  The colour lasts for a good couple of days. This is the best one I’ve found, as just one application makes you look glowing and sun-kissed, like you flew overnight to the Maldives.  Result!  (This colour might be too hardcore for tanning virgins, so if you’re not sure, start with the Light shade.)  If you’re preparing for an event, the key is to apply this EVERYWHERE that will be seen, so arms, chest, back.  It takes some practise, so start preparing a few weeks before.  

By the way, I always wear latex gloves to apply the cream.  This low-tech invention makes sure you avoid orange hands, if you do feel a little seedy whilst wearing them…

Perv-alert!  Latex gloves are actually a
good idea for fake-tanning

For the powder contouring, my favourite is Kanebo Sensei. It has a very very fine shimmer effect, which is nice as some matte bronzers can look muddy.  You can’t actually see the particles in this product, so it makes you look glowing rather than glittery.  Ask at the Kanebo counter for them to apply a recommended shade to your face, and go for a walk around the shop to see how you look in different mirrors and outdoor light, before handing over cash.  

Buy a large brush to get even coverage

Kanebo Sensei powder

How to contour

I am a real moon-face in photos, so am thankful for this cheek-slimming technique, taught to me by the Bobbi Brown make up experts.  

To contour your face, swirl a large, very clean brush in the powder, tap once on the side to get rid of extra particles, and then draw a big '3' on your face.  So starting on the right side, sweep from the forehead down to just under your cheek and then again to under your cheekbone. This makes shadows in the right places, leaving you to add shimmer or highlighter to the bits you want to standout: cheekbones, brow bone, cupid’s bow on your top lip.

I am very sorry to use wedding photos again to illustrate what I mean, but these do show how the results canwork out.  Look closely at the photos below and you’ll see that the shadowy parts are actually bronzed out, and the whole cheekbone/jawline thing was simply an optical illusion.  Clever, huh?

Top tip!  Get a full face threading regularly to give the powder and lotion a smooth surface to cling to.  I get a full face done every two months and just sideburns every month.  Again, if you haven't done threading before, don’t try it right before an important day, as occasionally, some people break out in spots.  

Thank y’all for reading, please be sure to send me any questions!  Please ‘like’ the Ultra Beauty Facebook page and follow us on Twitter!  @UltraSkinBeauty.  Thank you!