GEORGIE - Summer guide to looking good part 1 - FAKE TAN

One thing that has happened through the 10 years I have worked in TV is that I've been fortunate enough to learn a lot about looking good. Don't get me wrong, TV is mostly about smoke and mirrors, (or should I say make up and lighting) but there are a few fundamentals that really help with keeping us all looking our best. With summer on its way (in the UK) I thought I would take the bend the Bingham Girls health and exercise spec to include beauty for a few blogs just to impart a little wisdom I have learnt from make up artists and other, much more beautiful presenters I have met along the way. For this blog I thought I would focus on just one thing....

Fake tan.
A potential nightmare but done right this summer, a godsend. I am very pale and pretty much fake tan my face all year round or I Iook ghastly. The secret is to cleanse then lightly moisturise your skin before you apply. Get a goodish 5 pence piece (10 cent piece) sized dollop and smother your entire face in it. If that is really easily absorbed, add another 5p size blob. Gently use circular motions on your face until it is ALL absorbed. Next grab a tissue and scrub around your hairline. Not too much scrubbing on the skin, concentrate more on the hair roots themselves to remove any tanner that is too near your hairline. This includes your earlobes and where your sideburns are. Take another tissue and wipe clean your upper lip and dry scrub your eyebrows. Basically anywhere there is hair, scrub it with a dry tissue but be careful not to scrub too much skin around it or you will end up with a white patch! Finally WASH your hands thoroughly and do this all at least an hour before you go to bed in case you lie on your face and it absorbs unevenly.

That's the face done, what about the body? Well if you need to tan your legs and arms, do it gradually. Don't leave it until 24 hours before you go to a wedding or function and slap it on. Moderation and timing are the key. I generally tend to have a routine with fake tan that goes hot bath, baby oil on the skin when wet, then I dab myself dry. I then use a little bit of body moisturiser to ensure I'm pretty much greased up all over!! Focus first on the big bits. The shins, the calves, the thighs. On these areas, use it relatively generously but evenly and give it a really good rub in. If the skin feels a little dry then add moisturiser to your fake tan. Use it incredibly sparingly on any joints. Every girl who's had a fake tan disaster knows generally it happens on your knees, ankles or elbows. These areas need about 1/4 the amount of tanning lotion, and rubbed in really well. You should start tanning youself with lotion 5 days before an event then you stand a better chance of getting it even. I tend to fake tan about 2 hours before I go to bed. Again, after tanning remember to wash your hands!! Nothing worse then someone with orange mitts!!

Tanning Brands
I have tried the lot!! Like make up - self tanners come in a variety of shades and potency. What works for me might not work for Rosie or Zar, gosh you only have to look at how different us three are in terms of skin tone and you know how hard it must be to get it right!!
Clarins is a really great brand, you need hardly any and it lasts forever!! I don't like their tanning gels but I highly recommend their cream - although I found the tan they designed for the body actually works better on my face.
The brand I can't recommend enough though is called LAVERA. I discovered it in America and it's the only tanner that doesn't smell that nasty plastic smell. It smells like currants and raisons!! Its organic, all natural and is really mild. It is really hard to have a disaster with Lavera which is great, but because it isn't very strong you need to give it a few days to build up some serious colour.
Frankly, if you are terrible with tanning then that is why someone invented 'Summer Skin'! Johnsons and Dove both do GREAT versions of these - moisturisers with a hint of tan that isn't strong enough to cause a disaster. You simply can't go wrong!! Use a little after every shower for a great summer glow!

I will discuss self tan enhancers in my next blog when I do make up... Hope this helps girlies - and remember - if you have a disaster - lemon juice!! It helps take the orange out!!