Scottish weather isn’t exactly ideal for sun-kissed skin, so Global Creative Consultant James Harknett spills all on how to achieve a natural golden glow
It’s important to get your wedding tan right, so ask friends for recommendations if you don’t have a preferred beauty salon. Ensure you try your tan out first and arrange the appointment for before your makeup trial so you can see how it’ll look on the day, and your makeup artist has an idea of what shade you’ll be.
When heading along to your trial appointment, take some pictures of your dress to show your tanning therapist. A good tanner will want to see what skin you are showing in the dress and want to discuss how you tan naturally and what self tan products you have used successfully in the past. All this information will help tailor the perfect colour.
It’s important to look a glowing version of your normal self by only going darker by a couple of shades. Look at the treatment like body make up that evens out the skin tone and something that will look natural in photos as opposed to something dramatically different.
For fair skin, I recommend one light layer of Fake Bake Original Tanning spray formula. Some fine extra layers around the collar bone, décolletage and arms will enhance an ivory, champagne or white dress that exposes these areas.
Take a photo every day after you have rinsed the initial application away, so you can gauge what day the tan looks its best. Most brides prefer a spray tan 48 hours after it has been applied.
Nourish your colour twice a day to keep the tan intact by using Fake Bake Oil-Free body moisturiser. This seals in the colour to ensure a longer lasting tan for your honeymoon and it also allows the tan to fade naturally.
If you are opting to tan yourself for the wedding, it’s even more important to trial your product first. On freshly exfoliated skin, apply a gradual tan such as Fake Bake Fair. Glide your product over the body, dispersing in lighter sweeping motions in the underarms towards the wrists to ensure a lighter blended fade towards the wrists. Don’t over-tan the hands and feet as these must look perfect on your wedding day. Mix a pea-sized amount of tan with your hand cream for sun-kissed hands and blend with your body moisturiser for your feet.
Top bridal tips
- Wax at least 48 hours before your wedding tan. This will ensure the pores have closed and any wax residue will have been rinsed off the body.
- Have your manicure and pedicure before the spray tan too. Soaking the hands and feet would remove the colour prematurely.
- If you have light-coloured hair, ask your therapist to place a little barrier cream around the hairline and a little Vaseline over the eyebrows before you are sprayed.
- If you are being sprayed on a hot day, sprinkle a little talc across the chest, under the arms and over the joins of the body to avoid any build up of perspiration mottling the colour while it activates on the skin.