The annual tan incident!

So just how many fake tan disasters will it take for me to realise that fake tan and me aren't a match made?!

Probably too many!

I normally have at least one tanning disaster every year. However, as I opted for a professional spray tan this year instead of a hapless, hasty home application, I dared to hope the curse may be broken.

Shakes head, *Na dahhh* Really, I should have known better.

Sure, there was a lot of good points to my Sienna X Spray Tan including the fact that . . .

- The tanning solution gave me an instant colour and I was given a choice of three shades by my therapist.

- My body, from head down, instantly looked more toned and healthy. I honestly think I look at least half a stone lighter. Got to love that! Ooh and my teeth do look quite white, kerching! :)

- The tan dried quickly. The therapist left me under a heater for 5 minutes and I've yet to find any tan on my clothes, furniture or sheets.

- The scent of the tan is summery and reminds me of sandy shores. My skin also feels incredibly soft and happy.

- The tan lasted and lasted and still lasts . . . despite a whole lot of scrubbing.

Yes, that's right, despite all of the good points, there are many reasons why I have spent the last couple of days tirelessly trying to scrub my golden glow away.

- Firstly, it is just too much. The medium shade (which I chose, oops!) was absolutely too dark for me. My face looks all wrong and kind of harsh. The tan is perfectly smooth (withstanding a few smudges around the wrist area) but when I see my reflection, all I see is tan and a little shimmer. There is no hint of me or my skin at all. I look artificial.

- What bothers me most is the fact that my own eyes (the only feature that I quite like about myself) are suddenly unrecognisable and in the words of another, 'not as bright'. The boldness of my new tan makes my green eyes appear almost brown and they just seem lost.

- In fact, some of my other features suddenly seem askew. Although I look slimmer from the neck down, my face actually seems to look a little less sculpted and I'm putting this down to an unflattering shimmer sitting on my forehead which will not be scrubbed or buffed away.

- Usually when I'm having a bad face day, I play around with my make up but at the moment, I'm soo tanned, I have no idea what shadows and blushes to pick and whatever I pick seems to either appear chunky, chalky and cheap (All That Glitters and Satin Taupe, I'm looking at you) or disappears leaving me defined by nothing but the bloody tan (MAC Bronze, anyone?!) or just obviously plain wrong (Benefit, Dandelion and MAC, Blushbaby)!  I don't have a clue what colours to use to compliment my new skin tone.

- As if that wasn't bad enough, the strength of the tan seems to overshadow my barnet. My hair suddenly looks flat, moussy and patchy. Eurgh, really lacklustre.

In short, I look wrong which is why I haven't included any face or portrait shots. I tried but everything seems overpowered by the power of the tan and tanned, I no longer feel like me.
Sidenote: Just so you know, the fact that I've been brushing on that new L'Oreal False Lash mascara (reviewed here) every day does not help me feel any better about myself. I'm really going to have to get something else this weekend. Such a letdown!
However, I have included a little pic of one of my tan lines so you can see the contrast between my natural skin tone and the tan.

Nice tan!

I just wish it suited me especially my face. I know, bodywise, I'm actually going to feel quite fat and frumpy when the tan fades away. :(

Lately I've been off the clothes and make up fad but riding the beauticians one with more regular grooming treats here and there. My original plan for the summer was to maintain a tanned complexion with regular spray tan appointments but now, I'm seriously considering digging the Make Believe (reviewed here) or Soltan (reviewed here) out for a more natural golden glow occasionally and limiting the beautician treats to nourishing facials (a big cheer for the Skin Brightening one please!) and suchlike.

Though in conclusion, I've got to admit that the Sienna X Spray Tan does do exactly what you would expect from a spray tan, it leaves you with a fabulous tan (in my case, a very tropical one) that really lasts.

It is just that until I got my Sienna X spray tan (I now know, I've never met a home tan that really really tans, they lend a mere glow in comparison), I never realised how pale I actually was and how much a proper full on tan works against my natural colouring and features.

I would totally recommend this tan to those of you who are seriously in to tanning or are naturally a little more tanned then myself (not hard!) and I've got to admit (I'll whisper this) that I'm tempted to get a top up (after all, top ups are discounted!) with the lightest shade of Sienna X just to see if this is light enough to give me a look closer to what I originally envisaged. In fact, I have had a spray tan before which went a little more to plan and on that occasion, the lightest shade available of a tan from Coco Bay was used so you never know?! Maybe the only tanning mistake this time was in fact, my choice of shade .

Oh dear, it looks like I have a few more fake tan episodes to come yet. Will I never learn?

I hope you are all OK. Have a great weekend!

What is your tanning ritual? Do you get spray tans? Any bottle tan recommendations?

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Colour Me In (No 2)

Look, what I got in Boots last week for £3.75. Some places sell it for £25.

Make Believe Gradual Self Tan And Tan Extender. Bargain!

Apparently, I saved so much just because the box is damaged. I hope that is correct, I do not want to end up green or something because the lotion is out of date. However, presuming that this is not the case and that my product is A-ok, I am thrilled. I have treated myself with products (very occasionally) from the Make Believe range before and I adore them.

I know that I should probably wait until I’ve used this product before I start raving about the brand but I can’t help myself. I use this brand once or twice each year when I am feeling a bit richer and it has never failed to wow me. So today I am going to tell you a little about that and the brand and I PROMISE that if for some horrible reason, my experience is not the same this time then I will let you know.

The Make Believe product range seems quite extensive with self-tanner, night time products, face tanning products (although I admit I have used the body product on my face), bronzing products, airbrush tans, gradual tans, kits.

I remember been so pleased once when I watched one of the Gok Wan programmes and the testers chose Make Believe as their best tan because I’d never really heard anybody else rave about this brand before and I still don’t. I’m not sure if that is a reflection of the price (I understand that) or what?! I can see no other reason why people would not be singing about this brand but then everybody’s experience may be different.

Make Believe seem to create products that are about more then a good tan, it is about making you believe (and therefore feel) beautiful. Make Believe actually say that their brand ‘allows you to gradually build a natural looking tan by combining leading edge skincare with just a hint of active ingredients, whilst moisturising and conditioning your skin to help promote a longer lasting healhty glow’. It is not unusual for a tanning brand to come out with something like this but all of the Make Believe products I have used do feel quite creamy and silky with quite a pretty fragrance as far as fake tan goes. Apparently the ingredients include Rainforest(!), Jojoba, Hempseed Oils and Shea Butter blended as well as a Lipo Care Complex to tone, moisturise and smooth, antioxidants and fruit extracts. I think the Make Believe tanners, the gradual and the full on one, are the best that I have ever tried. They make me feel (and hopefully look) radiant! Everything is very pretty about the brand, the box, the branding, the smell (very pleasant esp. compared to the Nivea gradual and St Moritz), the colour (not orange, a creamy shimmery brown on my skin), the finish (not streaky), the consistenancy (moisturising). So needless to say I am very excited about using this product again.

The product that I have just brought is the Gradual Self Tanner (and Tan Extender).I have used this mositurising gradual tanning lotion before and find that I just need maybe two coats in one day and I end up with the same results as I do with the Make Believe Self-tan lotion, the tanner. I then top up the next day and after that maybe every other. I remember this tan seems to be quite long lasting. I have had qualms with St Moritz because as soon as I clinique (I know, I probably should not be using St Moritz on my face in the first place), the colour seems to wash away. I also find that the colour quickly wears on my body. I would say that St Moritz is nice and easy to do but for me, I have to keep repeating the routine.

I remember Make Believe as been a little easier but it could just be a memory. However, when I break in to this little bottle, I will let you know what happens and then you can make your own mind up as to whether it is worth the normal price tag of £25. This is quite an expensive product so please do not buy it solely because of my shopping channel style rave here. It has worked for me in the past but I have not used it in the last few months and you need to think about your own body etc. What works for me may not work for you but I guess, at least, you now know Make Believe is out there.

Do you fake tan? What do you use? Have any of you tried Make Believe?

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