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Today I shall guide you through the steps on how to prepare and maintain your St. Tropez tan. Throughout the years, I have picked up on a few tricks to help my clients make this service fast and easy.
First things First,
What do you need your tan for?
Vacation? Night out? Wedding? You must plan your days right! Here is my general guideline:
Vacation: Spray 2 days before you leave. If you will be on a plane, moisturize!
Night out: Spray the night before so that you rinse off the day of.
Wedding: This can be tricky, I usually recommend to get sprayed 2/3 days before the date. It will also give you time to get used to the color.
Now that you figured what you need it for, time to prep your skin. Your tan will last longer and look better if you prep it, trust me. If you find that your spray tan went darker in areas it is most likely because you didn’t prep the skin beforehand.
If you have NO current tan:
EXFOLIATE! your whole body 24 hours prior to getting sprayed, St. Ives exfoliant works the best. Moisturize well, but stay away from products that contain oil. Now is the time to shave as well. For all you waxers out there, try to wax 3/4 days before you get sprayed.
If you DO have a current tan:
Whether it is a natural tan or sunless tan; Exfoliate in areas that need it most: elbows, wrists, underarms, under the jaw, above the knees, shins, feet and ankles. The St. Tropez Body Polish is great for spot exfoliating. Same as above, moisturize well!
Your Spray Tan Appointment
If humanely possible, book an evening appointment. Why? Because then you can go home, go to bed and wash off in the morning. Remember that the product needs to stay on your skin for 8-12 hours! Morning appointment are great when you don’t have much to do during the day. The color guard is what you wash off after the DHA has developed so it may go patchy and rub off on articles of clothing (which is okay! it wont ruin your tan). No sweating of any sort and no contact with water! Best article of clothing to wear is a simple black maxi dress. Leggings and tank tops can be a little too tight. If possible try not to wear a bra…I know, I know.
When you come in for your appointment, please try to wear the least amount of makeup and deodorant. Wipes and shower caps should be provided for you. Your technician will moisturize the dry areas for you as well. I recommend women keep their hair in a high bun so that the hair doesn’t disturb the spraying process.
Getting Sprayed
Most places will have 2 shades of the St. Tropez Bronzing liquid. If you don’t have a tan, if you will get the original shade. Don’t try to request the darker shade, you will go green. If you already have a tan though, depending how dark you would like to go, you can mix the 2 colors at 50:50 or try the Extra Dark liquid.
Your technician will guide you through the basic poses. If you know of areas on your body that need “manipulating” please don’t hesitate to speak up. As a technician I don’t know how much of your body someone will see, so if you want your underboob or butt crease taken care of, please let us know!. It may be uncomfortable but it will be worth it. Please be aware that if you are wearing undergarments….YOU WILL GET TAN LINES! Either drop the panties or adjust them so that they are completely even! I recommend going topless as well as it is REALLY hard to spray over strap lines.
Once you are finished, TAKE YOUR TIME GETTING DRESSED! and no scratching, you will remove your glorious tan and then wonder why it went patchy.
Aftercare Tips!
No showering for 8-12 hours. When you do shower, RINSE with water rather than using a loofah with soap. Moisturize daily if possible. AFter the 2/3 day of the tan, exfoliate dry patches when needed. Keep your tan up with Tan Booster or any product from the Everday Gradual Line.
Congratulations on your beautiful tan! With St. Tropez it is near to impossible to become streaky or orange, so it is my most recommended sunless tanner on the market!
Feel free to leave any questions!
Lina Does Lashes 