My Winter Essentials : Fake Tanning

Sad (or exciting) as it is, Winter is nearly upon us! The clocks have gone back marking the official end to British summertime and our wardrobe's are slowly changing from flip-flops and shorts to jumpers and coats!

BUT just because summer is gone doesn't me can can't still be fabulous and glamorous. Winter is one of my favourite times for beauty, warm tones, seriously amounts of shimmer and glitter plus the perfect time to use that trusty old fake tan!

Over the next month or two on the lead up to Christmas and the New Year I have decided to start a new small series of posts on here named "My Winter Essentials" I'll be sharing the products and items I can't live without and maybe a few cheeky wishlists too!

First up today I'm going to be talking about Fake Tan - the stuff that keeps us looking slightly healthy and un-casper like through the dark and cold months before Spring arrives again!

In my time (we'll say the last 5 years) I have been through my fair share of different tanning products to change my dodgy pale complexion to a half decent bronzed glow but there is always one that sticks out to me and one that I have always recommended to friends and family alike and that is St Moriz.

Now I first stumbled across this brand when doing a bit of bargain hunting on Fragrance Direct back in 2010! I purchased a couple of bottles on a whim as they were only £2.99 and back then there was noway I could really afford to splash out on things like St. Tropez and Fake Bake.

I remember it arriving and being slightly dubious and applying it initially but once I had a mitt in hand I thought I'd give the mousse a go and if it went wrong I'd just wear jeans and long sleeves!

But it never really did go wrong, I so pleased with the results, it was so easy to apply and the results were just what I was looking for.

That was with the Medium shade and I have ALWAYS used the medium shade until recently when the awesome people at St. Moriz contacted me!

St. Moriz Instant Shimmer, Dark Mousse & Applicator Mitt*

 Dark shades of fake tan have always made me a little nervous. Naturally I'm pretty pale (having a red headed mother will do that for ya!) so I've always stuck to the middle of the road medium tones which I knew I could always build up if I wanted to make it darker.

After years of this though I have now felt more confident to try out things a little more bold. So when St. Moriz sent me one of their 'dark' mousses I was excited to give it a go! I haven't been back from Florida long so it was also good to use to try and keep the slight tan I got there!

The mousse has always been my favourite product, alongside the mitt provided this is, for me, the easiest way to tan my body and gives the best results!

The dark shade left me with a great natural bronzed look, perfect for a night out with my girls!

 The instant shimmer isn't something I would use as much just as the weather here isn't always great I would be nervous of t running if I was to get caught in the rain! 
It works great though to give the legs a subtle shimmer and dewy shine - much better than my usual dull wobbly calves, shins and thighs! 

Tanning is the best way to get your body looking slimmer and more toned without actually having to do anything plus you can even get your limbs and abs looking naturally defined and strong with a bit of contouring if you feel brave enough. 

A Few Fake Tanning Top Tips from Myself & St. Moriz

• Always exfoliate before tanning, Getting rid of those nasty dead skin cells will help your tan sit better on your skin, avoid patchness and also make sure it lasts longer!
• Moisturise your skin! Keep it hydrated and soft - another way to prevent patchiness across yourself and to help prolong your tan!

• Always shave at least 24 hours before tanning - there's nothing worse than getting a saving rash from tanning!
• Start from your feet and working your way upwards! It's the best way to get an even tan when doing it yourself. It helps you avoid those creasing marks from bending over!
• Always use a mitt - a mitt is a tan's best friend, especially when using a mousse! It helps you blend it evenly and also saves your hands from getting in a horrible stained mess!
• Tan in front of a mirror if you can! You can always see then if you have missed anywhere or if anywhere needs more blending!
• Don't tan on carpet - it's not the easiest things to get out but if you have no choice when either stand on a towel or even do it when stood in the bath or shower!
• Pop your mitt on the end of a wooden spoon! If you struggle to get those hard to reach places on your back an don't have a helpful sole around who could do it for you then just grab a wooden spoon and attach your mitt to it! Easy peasy!
• Wear loose clothing to bed! 9 times out of 10 your going to fake tan over night so you can let it develop while you sleep - make sure you wear loose clothing that way it hopefully won't interfer with your masterpiece tanning job too much!

St. Moriz is by far the best value for money tan I have ever used! Their products range from just £4.99 and the results truly are as good as higher end products which I've tried!
 The mousse is a product that I will repurchase again and again and for less than £5 I urge you all to give it a go!
 You can find St. Moriz is soooo many places now Boots, Asda, Feel Unique, Tesco naming just a few so there's got to be some near you wherever you live :)

Have you tried any St. Moriz products?

What's your favourite fake tan?

What are your Winter Essentials?

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