Here’s the dilemma: everyone looks healthier with a tan, therefore everyone loves being tanned. We live in Scotland, so we’re all pretty pale. Sunbeds are bad for you and fake tan can leave your bed looking like a crime scene and your wrists and elbows looking criminal.
Whether it’s your own wedding, or one you’re attending this summer, stop stressing about the dismal weather and treat yourself to a professionally applied tan.
I’ve had my fair share of dodgy spray tans, starting with my first, where my sister told me you ‘get your money’s worth’ by going for the darkest tan, despite being fair-skinned. The train journey home was one of the most uncomfortable 17 minutes of my life, as commuters around me tried desperately not to stare – thinking my terracotta-toned face was a lifestyle choice, rather than just my pre-showered tan.
With this in mind, I was slightly nervous about getting a spray tan on my lunch break. Would my clothes get trashed when I put them back on? Would I resemble this woman? Would my colleagues complain I’d filled the office with the heady scent of curry and biscuits? Luckily, it was quite the opposite.
I tried out Vita Liberata’s spray tan, and was advised that medium was the darkest I should go.
The application seemed much more thorough than previous sprays, I was practically vogue-ing in the tent, and the attention paid to my hands bode well for the gorgeous even tan that was to develop later on.
Afterwards, I confidently went about my day thinking I wasn’t that much darker – until I checked out my tanlines!
After showering, the tan was natural, without being too subtle. I’ll happily admit that getting dressed took a little longer than normal as I stood in my pants singing some RuPaul hits and admiring my seemingly slimmed-down, bronzed goddess physique.
I dug out my only white bra (ok, it’s a little grey these days) so I could gauge the likeliness that the colour would stain a wedding dress, and I was really impressed when the bra came off the same colour it went on.
If you’re planning to tan for your wedding you should remember three things: be safe (no sunbeds!), be realistic (what colour is H2B going to be? You’ll look silly in photos if there’s a massive difference) and be careful (you’ve bought the most expensive dress you’ll likely ever buy, don’t scrimp on cheap, poorly-applied tanning products).
As the week went on, my Vita Liberata spray tan never reached that scaly ‘get this tan off me’ phase, fading extremely evenly with no patches or dryness. There’s a retail range of products that compliment the professional service, including a moisturiser (essential for prolonging your tan and keeping skin hydrated), a gradual tan for topping up and even self-tanning bronzing minerals which are great for tanning on the go and much kinder to skin than oily potions.
A sun-kissed glow from a week reclining in the Bahamas aside, there’s no other tan I’d rather have this summer for wedding season.
To find your nearest Vita Liberata spray tanner visit www.vitaliberata.co.uk/stockists/
Vita Liberata tanning products are available nationwide from Boots, Debenhams and House of Fraser, or via the online shop.