Summer holidays are usually the ideal occasion to make the most of your indulgent body creams, glistening body glosses and luxurious SPFs. Unfortunately, if you're a self tan user and want to retain your golden glow for as long as possible, you have to choose the body products you pack wisely.

First thing's first, no matter what, you need to avoid oils where possible. Oils break down the DHA (the active ingredient in self tan) bonds of self tan and strip colour quickly, hence why they're so effective for fake tan removal. Therefore, using lighter, oil-free SPFs and moisturisers is a must. Swap your usual shimmering dry body oil for a drop of water-based body lotion mixed with a liquid/cream highlighter for a gorgeous, subtle gleam all over without compromising your self tan. Over the top, apply a highlighting powder in strategic places, such as your collarbones and shoulders, with a small, dense brush for an even more intense result.

One product format to avoid is aerosols. Sunscreens in aerosol form may be convenient for topping up your sun protection throughout the day, but they often contain a high level of drying alcohol, which will leave you looking scalier than a crocodile in no time. As an alternative, switch to a sunscreen stick when you're on-the-go. They're just as quick to apply and don't require you to rub the product in after application as long as you're thorough, similarly to a spray. One tan-safe SPF stick that I always recommend is the Tocobo Cica Cooling Sun Stick SPF50+. The creamy, sensitive skin-friendly formula skims over the skin effortlessly, doesn't leave any globs of excess product behind and feels cooling when applied. It's not strictly oil-free, but it's lightweight, non-greasy and non-comedogenic so won't clog your pores. I particularly love using it when fake tanned as it's packed full of nourishing ingredients, such as cica (for soothing skin barrier repair) and hyaluronic acid (for better moisture retention). The small stick won't ever leak and also takes up minimal room in your beach bag, leaving more room for all the important items - snacks and books.

On a similar note, ditch your antiperspirant spray and instead opt for a cream stick deodorant safe for sensitive skin to minimise the possibility of irritation. The tan around your delicate underarms is already prone to breaking down more quickly due to sweating and shaving, so you want to do everything you can to avoid stripping it further.

Any type of friction will slowly but surely eat away at your self tan. Vigorous body product application, roughly drying with a towel after a shower and wearing tight clothing that digs into your skin can all lead to dreaded patchiness. Make sure to gently pat yourself dry if needed, glide body products across your skin and opt for less restrictive clothing styles to be safe.

Another tip for any pool or sea lovers is to make use of any outdoor showers to rinse your body with fresh water after swimming to prevent any minerals in the sea or cleaning chemicals in the pool from sitting on your skin and drying out your tan.

A common misconception is that self tan blocks harmful UV rays, but that's totally false. Adequate sun protection is, of course, always important to protect your skin from sun damage, but preventing your skin from burning and potentially peeling is especially crucial when you want to keep your fake tan looking flawless. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to track down self tan-compatible SPFs that don't contain a heap of oils, but there are a few out there.

One sunscreen that never lets me down is the Sun Bum Original SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion. For starters, this SPF has a dreamy texture - not so thin that it's messy, not so thick that it takes ages to rub in - and blends into the skin beautifully with no white cast. It feels immediately moisturising but sinks in completely to leave skin with a soft, velvety feel. The natural matte finish won't give you that modelesque, oiled look, but I personally like that there's no uncomfortable residue left behind as you don't have to worry about your hair getting caught in it or your clothes getting covered in greasy, yellow marks. Sun Bum's Original SPF 50 is also amazingly water resistant, so the protection lasts really well throughout multiple dips in the sea/pool. My naturally alabaster skin has never burned when using Sun Bum's sunscreen, although I do always make sure to reapply regularly during prolonged sun exposure and seek shade during the hottest parts of the day. The creamy banana-coconut scent may take some getting used to if you usually prefer a more traditional sunscreen fragrance, but it isn't too strong once it's blended into the skin.

For the face, you can be less picky and stick with what works for you as it's easier to top up your facial tan. I'm sure that everyone agrees by now - you really can't beat a K-Beauty sunscreen. A long-term love of mine has been the haruharu wonder Black Rice Moisture Airlift Daily Sunscreen* as the lightweight gel-creme is not at all greasy but provides a good amount of moisture, quickly blends into your skin, has a soft, smooth, velvety finish that isn't unflatteringly shiny and is affordable. It layers on top of other skincare products with no issues and never pills, even when applying generously. For more detailed affordable SPF recommendations, feel free to check out my Favourite Affordable High Protection SPF50+ Facial Sunscreens post. 

If you need to reapply your SPF over makeup, the Sun Bum Refreshing Sunscreen Spray SPF50 is great. It gives you high factor 50 UVA and UVB protection all whilst cooling you down and giving your skin a radiant glow. The mist is fine enough that it doesn't direct too much product into one spot (or shoots off at an unexpected angle straight into your eye), powerful enough that a sufficient amount of sunscreen is actually dispensed and covers a wide enough area in one spray that it's hard to miss bits. Most importantly, it doesn't interfere with your makeup, doesn't leave any white dots all over your face and won't leave you looking like a total greaseball (face or hair wise) after just one spritz. It makes a great rehydration spray for thirsty skin and melts heavily powdered, dry-looking makeup into the skin. You might want to powder to tone down some of the glow if you have oilier skin to begin with and regularly reapply, but I find that's the case with most SPF face mists to be honest. The only thing to be aware of is that it's quite heavily scented with Sun Bum's banana fragrance, so you might want to give it a miss if your face is particularly sensitive, but my temperamental skin has never broken out from using it.

The key to extending the longevity of your fake tan is in consistent moisturising (and drinking plenty of water to prevent internal dehydration!). During the day, your SPF should provide sufficient hydration, especially with regular re-application. In the evenings, you want a soothing, hydrating aftersun lotion or body cream. To keep things simple, and because it's just so affordable and effective, I stick with using the Garnier Body Superfood Vitamin E Moisturising Body Cream from my tanning prep routine. It's super hydrating without being heavy and sinks in quickly, which is a bonus when you're already feeling tacky in high humidity. If you have caught the sun a little too much, aloe vera gel can work wonders to soothe any redness and hopefully rehydrate the epidermis sufficiently before your skin starts to shed.

As much as you can extend the longevity of your initial tan application by diligently following a strict set of tanning dos and don'ts, longer holidays are likely to require additional top ups. Using a gradual tan every other evening, alternated with your regular body cream, is the best way to ensure a consistent colour. Not only are gradual formulas moisturising rather than drying, but they're much more forgiving and therefore quicker to apply when beach-front restaurants are calling and you want to minimise time spent on your beauty routine.

Some gradual tans are so subtle that they require seven days of application before you notice any difference and others are so strong that they're guaranteed to leave you covered in stripes, but Gatineau's Golden Glow Gradual Tan hits the perfect balance - injecting a nice level of extra depth whilst offering a totally foolproof finish with no streaks in sight. The gel-cream consistency spreads really well for an effortlessly uniform coverage even when using your hands to apply it like a standard body moisturiser, although I personally use a mitt to negate any orange palm disasters, just in case. It has a very apt tropical scent which is lovely, and even once it's developed, there's no horrible biscuity smell to give the game away that you're tan isn't real. Just smooth, hydrated, sun-kissed skin. 

With regular cleansing, the tan on your face is sure to fade more quickly than your body. To maintain your golden glow, I recommend two products - a buildable one for daily use and a more intense one for evenings when you intend to wash your hair the next morning. The Tan Luxe The Face Illuminating Drops can be mixed with your daily moisturiser for an easy way to keep a consistent all-over face tan. You can go for light/medium or medium/dark and add as many drops as you like to control the depth of colour, but be careful not to go overboard as it does build up quickly with each application. Personally, I stick to one-two drops every other night to give me more of a gentle complexion pick-me-up. You can use the drops alone, but diluting the serum helps the colour to blend much more seamlessly. Just remember to wash your hands thoroughly after applying it as it will stain your fingertips! If my face tan has really faded, I once again contour with the Bondi Sands One-Hour Express Face Mist, which I shared in my initial holiday tanning prep post. As it's so pigmented and I really work it into my hairline for a more natural finish, I only use this on evenings when I plan to wash my hair the next morning.

If for whatever reason your tan does start to go south but you're a day or two short of going home or can't be bothered to 'fully redecorate', you can always rely on the popular-for-a-reason Vita Liberata Body Blur to hide a multitude of sins. This instant tan is thick and looks intimidatingly dark on first squeeze, but it soon sheers out to leave your skin with a radiant, filtered look as it has a hint of shimmer to it. The coverage is great over imperfections, but it's not so heavy that it looks totally unbelievable or you feel caked in makeup. Leave it to fully dry and set for about ten minutes after application just to be sure and you're good to go without worry that you'll leave behind brown stains wherever you sit. I don't find that it transfers onto anything you touch or brush against, but it can leave some marks (which do wash out) on very light clothing in high friction areas. Air con is definitely needed when applying Body Blur in hotter climates as it doesn't always 'stick' evenly to damp, sweaty skin and can go slightly patchy. But as I say, once it sets, it's pretty infallible until you wash it off. This is also a great product to use if you're still sporting a banging tan but suffer with keratosis pilaris (strawberry skin), you've been bitten alive, you want to minimise the look of bruises/cellulite/scars or you simply want to further perfect the overall tone of your skin, too.

Just in case things go drastically wrong and you've got no choice but to start all over again from scratch, it's always best to pack a solid insurance policy. Or you might just be lucky enough to be away for so long that a total tan renewal was always going to be on the cards!

The worry with doing a 'full' tan application whilst away is creating a mess and staining your hotel's linens, so I always pack the St. Tropez Luxe Body Serum to avoid any embarrassing mishaps as the clear formula doesn't transfer onto your sheets whatsoever. The serum-gel is quite runny, so it glides across the skin easily and blends fully in no time with a mitt. There's no dark guide colour (you can use the hydrating sheen it gives as a bit of a clue as to where you've put it), so you do have to be somewhat careful when applying and layering if you apply multiple coats, but the refreshing feel of the serum makes it a joy to apply in higher heats. Enriched with lots of skin-loving ingredients (niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 to boost your skin's barrier), it's a fake tan that actively improves the condition of your skin, which is just what it needs after you've been spending time in the sun. You really do notice the firming, smoothing effect. As it's a clear tan, the result is nowhere near as dark as some other tans, but the Luxe Serum still leaves you with a gorgeous, natural-looking bronze. The hydrating formula is also a bit more forgiving when you haven't had much time to prep your skin prior to application, so it's an all round winner for holiday reapplications.

So, there you have it - my full in-depth guide for maintaining a flawless tan on holiday. If you missed it, you can check out part one of my holiday tanning guide here - How to Maintain Flawless Fake Tan on Holiday: Initial Prep & Application. If you have any questions or feel I've overlooked any key tips, please let me know or add to the conversation in the comments. Happy tanning!

AGB X