It's the most wonderful time of the year | Tan O'Clock

It's that time of year when I actually have to do my annual after dark outing. You will normally find me either in some kind of very fetching loungewear/pj's, or jeans and a jumper. I do feel the cold quite a bit after all my operations, so nearly always wear thermals under everything I wear. Even tights. I am done with the weekly preening before a night out and prefer to stay in with the heating on above anything else.


I picked up my christmas party outfit from H&M last Saturday, sonsisting of a sleeveless black polo neck top and a gold/rose gold/ silver sequin mid fitted skirt. As soon as I tried it on, I felt like christmas! Will definitely still need fat pants though...

During the summer I found myself reaching for fake tan, which I have never really been a fan of until this year. I think I actually repel the sun because I'm so pale. I have tried Fake Bake and St Tropez, but found it hard to apply and also to repurchase as those particular brands aren't very affordable. I was having a mooch around B&M one weekday afternoon, when I spotted St Moriz self tan and decided £2.99 was a decent enough price to try it out.


These are the steps I always follow when applying my fake tan:

1. Exfoliate. Very important! Dont forget to do heels, elbows and every inch of skin you want to apply your tan to. It will give you a much smoother application and less chance of patchyness. I favour Soap and Glorys Breakfast scrub. It smells delish, the grains are the perfect size and has just the right amount of oil.  
2. Shave. Make sure you use a fresh blade, to ensure you get the closest shave. Giving a flawless finish. (If I have time, I prefer to do this in the bath, as the warm water opens your pores making it a better shave). Just personal preference. 
3. Moisturise. This is also a very important step. I use a thin consistency all over my body, then always put a little more on my areas prone to dryness, such as knees and elbows. 
4.  Apply fake tan. I have tried a couple of different applicator mitts, but have found their own brand to give the best finish.

 I don't have a particular routine when it comes to where to start applying. Sometimes I start with legs (this seems the most logical), then work up my body. For instance, on my legs I will take 1 pump directly onto the mitt and squish my hand to spread the product out evenly. On legs they (St Moriz) recommend applying in clockwise circular motions from the thigh downwards. Not forgetting to blend out the edges. For arms, I use downward strokes toward my hand. 1 Pump will be more than enough for each arm. It's always best to do it little by little, instead of going in all guns blazing and ending up orange. I leave hands and feet till the end, making sure there is minimal product on the mitt, helping reduce streakiness and orange knuckles. Just skim it quickly back and forth a couple of times over these areas and your done! Once you've finished, let the tan dry completely before you get dressed so the colour doesn't transfer to your clothes. I have a loose fitting black dress thing, loose black pants and a black sports bra thing that I use

Apply before bed and wake up to a beautiful bronzed you. I didn't know that even after a couple of showers, it will come off on your towels. So make sure you use dark colours, or an old one and not make the mistake of ruining nice white towels like me...


What's your favourite fake tan? St Moriz is available here in the shade medium from boots. But I would recommend having a check in a B&M near you, as they nearly always have it in stock.

Thank you for reading!