ModelCo Essential Tan Tips

Invest a little of your time pre, during and post your faux tan routine and you’ll come up golden and glowing even in the depths of winter. Here we share the four steps you cannot skip. You can take it from us – we live and breathe tanning.

1. Prep and Exfoliate

It’s essential to prep the skin correctly before you begin to apply any type of self-tan. A head to toe exfoliation is the first step in ensuring the perfect faux-glow application. Patchy, dry skin will not respond well to self-tan and will most likely to leave you wanting to cover up your tan than show it off!

Gently slough away dead skin cells with ModelCo Tan Remover, a exfoliating scrub that smooths skin and removes old tan for the best bronze application, guaranteed.

Tip: Do all hair removal a day before applying your tan to ensure your skin isn’t sensitive This way your skin won’t be too sensitive and reactive to the tanning formulation.

2. Rinse and dry

The best time to apply tan is within the first thirty minutes of showering. Skin is super clean and absorbent, making skin the perfect canvas to absorb the self-tan formula however, make sure the skin is completely dry and free of moisture before application.

A common mistake is thinking that you should apply a full body coat of moisturiser before your tan. Moisturiser will actually act more like a barrier to tan, and won’t allow for the tan to properly take to the skin. Instead, dab rough areas of skin (elbows, knees, ankles and wrists) with a little moisturiser to avoid telltale tan from catching or building up in these places.

Tip: After applying your tan wear dark loose clothing to avoid staining on lighter-coloured clothes. Avoid getting the skin wet and physical activities until your tan has developed.

3. Weapon of choice

We’ve all got our favourite product, but differing occasions can call for different self-tan formulations or some people just prefer one style tan over another. Here is a guide to help you select your tan.

MOUSSE: Tan Mousse is generally regarded as the easiest tan to apply. Tinted and an easily blendable, buildable formula, a tan mousse is perfect for these who like full control over their desired colour and want to tan their entire body from top to toe at home. Opt for a medium formula if you have fair skin, and a dark formula for medium-olive tones.

SPRAY: Spray formulas are great for these hard to reach places (ModelCo’s iconic Tan Airbrush In a Can has a unique 360-degree nozzle) and are great for topping up an existing salon or self-tan. Delivering a mist of instant glow that develops further over a few hours, we love a spray tan for adding a little extra colour on your décolletage or legs before going out.

LOTION:  ModelCo Natural Tan Lotion is perfect for those with particularly dry, sensitive or mature skin as it glides on like a body moisturiser and rubs evenly into the skin.

GRADUAL: Perfect for first time tanners or these wanting a daily top up to an existing self-tan base. Remember that it can take two to four applications to reach the right shade, so this isn’t the best option for these wanting a colour transformation overnight.

Tip: When sleeping in your tan remember to cover your bedding with a large dark bed sheet, this will avoid any bronzer getting onto your bedding and save you from having to change your bedding the next day.

Tip: Please remember that your self-tan does not contain SPF and you will need to use a product with SPF on a daily basis to avoid sunburn and skin damage.

4. Buff, Buff, Buff

To avoid orange palms and a streaky, uneven application, get in the habit of only ever applying self-tan with a mitt. ModelCo’s best-selling Blend Buffing Mitt is a reusable, water resistant self-tanning mitt that glides onto skin like silk. Start with the largest areas of your body first, the limbs, stomach and back and then use the residue product on the mitt to glide across the knees, elbows, ankles and wrists to ensure a natural, un-patchy finish.

Tip: After showering, try to gently pat your skin dry and avoid vigorous rubbing when towel drying.