The secret to an immaculate tan application is always in the prep, and it should ideally start at least a week before you go away. To be honest, the longer you can bear to go tan free in the lead up to a trip, the better. When you're wanting your tan to look as good as possible, which I definitely do when sporting a bikini, you have to start with a completely blank canvas. You've got to be diligent - every last scrap of old tan must be removed. It's a pain if you have plans and wouldn't usually dare to go fake tan free, but it really will make a huge difference to the longevity of your holiday glow.

Unsurprisingly, exfoliation is key, but instead of scrubbing yourself silly with harsh products the morning before you tan, think little and often. To get the tanning removal process off to the best start, I recommend slathering yourself in a nourishing body oil (Baby Oil will do, but I also love the Aveeno Skin Relief Body Oil Spray) before letting it marinate all day and night, if possible. This will loosen any dead skin cells hanging on to your old colour, which will make it so much quicker and less damaging to slough them off with a flannel, tan remover mitt or scrub gloves. To shift any last remnants, you might want to invest in a specific tan remover. My favourite formula is the St. Tropez Tan Remover & Primer Mousse. This isn't an essential product, but it's a great for dissolving every last trace of stubborn build up so that you can start from scratch. You massage a generous amount onto dry skin, let it soak for 5-10 minutes before using the matching St. Tropez Tan Remover Mitt to buff over and then rinse. Not only does it assist in removal, but it also leaves your skin baby soft and ready for tan application, so you can even use it as a primer during your pre-tanning shower.

Once all your old tan is removed, you need to keep up with regular gentle exfoliation until the day before you re-tan. Kitting yourself out with a pair of gentle scrub gloves and a super moisturising body wash that nourishes the skin barrier, such as the Bioderma Atoderm Ultra-Soothing Body Wash, is paramount. You can use the gloves in conjunction with a body scrub if you prefer, but make sure it's hydrating and doesn't leave your skin red raw, otherwise your skin will become irritated, which could lead to a patchy tan result. Using this duo every other day to gently buff over your skin will slowly but surely smooth everything out. Just make sure to thoroughly protect your body with SPF if you're out in the sun after exfoliation as your fresh skin will be more easily prone to sun damage, burning and possible peeling - never good, but especially if you're wanting to achieve a flawless faux tan!

The next tip is to moisturise thoroughly every. single. day. Personally, I moisturise my elbows, knees and feet each morning to save time and then full body moisturise in the evening before bed. Without a doubt, haruharu wonder's Black Bamboo Daily Smoothing Body Oil* is the best moisturiser to use pre-tanning. This isn't strictly a body oil as it has a milky lotion consistency rather than a slick, greasy texture, but it packs a punch in the nourishment stakes to leave skin velvety smooth. Along with sweet almond oil, tamanu oil and squalane to increase moisture levels, haruharu wonder's Black Bamboo formula is enriched with urea and mandelic acid, which work to soften dead skin cells, so it's the ideal prep product. My descriptions never do this product justice, so you must try it for yourself!

A couple of days before your holiday, pay extra special attention to your feet and hands as excess tan tends to cling to these areas if they're not well prepped. For your feet, use a foot file to get rid of any crusty, dusty dry skin on your heels, fully coat your feet in a thick layer of L'Occitane Shea Butter Foot Cream and wear a pair of cotton socks to lock in all that moisture overnight. If you don't use a hand cream regularly, start. Don't like the feel of a sticky or greasy residue? Apply hand cream to the back of your hands only or at night rather than during the day if you really struggle. My favourite hand cream of all time has to be the Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve as it's thick, balmy and effectively emollient, but it sinks in quickly with no greasiness whatsoever. It also works wonders in a really short time, transforming dry, chapped hands in just a couple of uses.

When it comes to hair removal, I imagine you'll already have your own routine locked down. If you wax, be careful not to tan straight after a session as this can prevent the tan from sticking to the skin. Waiting a couple of days is ideal. I know a lot of people recommend shaving 48 hours prior to tanning, but I actually shave after tanning with no issues. Just make sure to use a fresh razor head, avoid going over the same area more than once and try not to apply too much pressure when gliding the blades across your skin to avoid stripping the fresh colour. Hopefully you won't need to shave as often in hotter weather, so try to keep shaving to a minimum whilst away if possible. If you're really struggling, one rogue tip I have is to quickly run a rotary electric razor over your legs to keep them smoother as this is less exfoliating than using a regular bladed razor. Whatever your chosen method, though, there's no need to worry - the maintenance tips in my next post will tell you how to keep your tan looking strong however often you shave!

You want to apply your first layer(s) of tan as late as possible before your trip, and you want it to sit on your skin for as long as possible to fully develop. It can be a bit difficult to work out when's best to start the tanning process, especially if you like to apply multiple coats, so you have to work backwards. If I'm flying later in the day or evening, I'll apply my tan as early in the morning as possible and then wash it off right before I leave. If my flight is earlier, I'll tan the night before. If you're really brave, you can even travel in your tan and wash it off at your destination. Whether you let the tan marinate during the day or overnight, do not wear fitted clothing whilst it develops. Go for something that covers your skin entirely to protect your tan (splashes from rain, washing your hands, etc.), but make sure it's loose and airy. Avoid sweating as much as possible. If you're tanning in a heatwave (I've been there - nightmare!), stand in front of a fan and apply some setting powder with a fluffy brush, particular over any creases (e.g., inner arms, armpits and knees), once you've finished to prevent the colour settling into any lines. It won't affect the outcome, don't worry.

I've tried numerous brands of tan over the years, from Bondi Sands to Tan Luxe, but the one I always come back to is St. Tropez. No matter which product I go for, I'm never left disappointed, and I use a variety of their tans for different occasions. My ultimate favourite and number one choice for my initial tan prior to going on holiday is the St.Tropez Ultra Dark Violet Bronzing Mousse. It is in fact ultra dark (some 'ultra dark' tans provide less intensity than expected) but gives the most incredible, realistic colour that lasts the longest of all tans I've experienced. It has the perfect blend of warm and cool tones, so it doesn't lean too orange or pink and creates a naturally-caught-the-sun finish. There's no green tint to it, so it doesn't give that sickly-looking green-grey hue, either. It's never left me streaky, and it fades so evenly with no patchiness to give away that your tan isn't real. No joke, people always comment on my healthy tan when I use the St Tropez's Ultra Dark Violet Bronzing Mousse, and I have to convince them that it's actually fake. Everyone's always shocked.

For the face, I always recommend using a separate self tan designed specifically for this more delicate skin to avoid adverse reactions (always patch test your face tan prior to first use to ensure it doesn't break you out!). With regular cleansing, your face tan can fade much more quickly, so I have one product in my arsenal for the initial 'full' tan and one that I keep for holiday touch-ups (I'll share this one in my maintenance post). To match my ultra dark body tan, I use the Bondi Sands One Hour Express Face Mist. Personally, I don't rate the Bondi Sands body formulas as I find them incredibly drying and they always leave me with that crusty tiger bread look after only a few days, but their face mist is a whole different story. Unfortunately, the bottle and pump is a disaster (it leaks terribly and the spray is far too intense to give an even mist application), but the formula gives a strong guide colour that blends effortlessly for a seamless result. Once it's been rinsed off, your skin will look so bronzed and glowy that you won't want to cover it up with makeup.

The more time you take to apply your tan, the better it will look and last. Before applying any colour, start by moisturising your knees, elbows, hands and feet and then letting it sink in for 30 minutes. The moisturiser acts as a barrier cream and will prevent too much product from clinging to any drier areas. More water-based formulas work best as they don't repel fake tan completely, like heavier, oil-based creams. A cheap and cheerful option that feels rich but has a lightweight texture is the Garnier Body Superfood Vitamin E Moisturising Body Cream. It also smells delicious!

One tip that I never see anyone give when talking about fake tan application is to ensure your nails are painted prior to tanning to prevent nail staining. Your nails will be well protected if you already have a gel or traditional lacquer manicure, but if you prefer to keep your nails natural and don't usually wear polish, I'd suggest quickly coating them in at least a clear base coat or nail strengthening treatment so that your nails don't end up with a yellowy hue.

For tan application, I'm still a mitt girl through and through. I just don't think you can achieve a flawless tan as easily without one, and my favourite is the Bondi Sands Reusable Mitt as it's double-sided, thick and extremely soft. The trick is to blend, blend and blend some more. You don't want to rush the process as you're more likely to miss patches and get sweaty if you're on a tight schedule, so give yourself plenty of time. Gently buff the product onto the skin in circular and sweeping motions, working in small sections. Vigorously rubbing the tan won't make a difference to how well it penetrates and may cause the product to pill, so go softly. St. Tropez's Ultra Dark Violet Bronzing Mousse has a very dark guide colour which helps to highlight where's left to cover, but I also recommend tanning in front of a mirror so that you can get a 360 degree view of yourself to make sure you don't forget to blend any lines. If possible, get someone to help you with harder-to-reach areas, such as your back and behind your knees.

Start with your legs and work upwards to avoid creating creases on your stomach from bending down to reach your feet and ankles. I actually apply self tan to my calves first and work the remaining product down onto my feet. When it comes to your hands and feet, try to use what's already on the mitt to avoid overloading these areas. The tan on your hands tends to fade a lot more quickly with regular hand washing, so check the colour matches your arms well as you don't want them to start off significantly paler than the rest of your body. To ensure you aren't left with stark white lines on your knuckles and in between your fingers, it's helpful to bend your fingers and make a claw with your hand as you tan it. If you ever accidentally add too much tan to your hands, remove as much of the excess as you can with the clean side of your mitt, buff them thoroughly with a small brush and some moisturiser, and then carefully wash your hands after an hour of development.

Once you've completely tanned your body, go in with a dense buffing brush (I use the Bondi Sands Body Brush) and a tiny dot of moisturiser to buff around the edges of your feet, hands and wrists to diffuse any harsh lines. To finish off, rub some extra hand cream between your palms to ensure there's no sneaky residues on them. We don't want any orange palms here!

Rather than spray the Bondi Sands One Hour Express Face Mist directly onto your face, add a few spritzes to the clean side of your mitt and then use a makeup brush to apply it to the high points of your face, not all over, for a more natural look. A dense brush will give a more intense finish, whilst a fluffy one will help to softly diffuse the colour. Apply your face tan like you would a contour powder/bronzer to your cheekbones, forehead, nose, jawline and chin. Create a more defined line in areas you want to sharpen and gently blend it across the areas you want to bronze for a snatched finish. Just remember to work the face tan into your hairline and under your jawline to blend away any tide lines.

Once your self tan application is complete, leave it on for the upper limit of the recommended time of your chosen tan to maximise development without overdeveloping. Leaving the guide colour on for longer than stated on the bottle isn't necessary as your tan should continue to deepen even after rinsing. When you come to rinse the guide colour off in the shower, use lukewarm water. It may not be as nice as a hot shower, but it will help your skin to hold onto the colour for as long as possible. Ideally, avoid using body wash at this point for the same reason. Your colour will continue to develop further, which will help with tan longevity. I used to hate doing this as I was always worried I'd smell of biscuits at the airport, but I promise no one will notice and the results are worth it. As soon as you're out of the shower, slather yourself all over with your body cream and you're good to go. Once you arrive at your destination, you can properly shower, shave if you want to and finally enjoy your gorgeous tan!

Tips on how to maintain your flawless tan for the duration of your trip will follow in my next post!

Do you struggle with maintaining fake tan whilst on holiday?

AGB X