That Beach Glow with Amanda Harrington
The sun is finally out in London and who doesn’t want a nice tan to show off those legs? I feel so much better in my skin when I’m tanned so I’m quite a bronzing fanatic in the Summer. Self-tanning is my only real option as I tan extremely slow and have such sensitive skin that the few days I’m lucky to be at the beach I have to put that SPF 50 or otherwise I get just really red or nothing happens at all weirdly.
So self-tan it is and believe me I have tried A LOT of different brands to find something that doesn’t turn yellow, orange or leaves patches all over your skin. You also have those products that look great when you first put them on but then fade, and make your skin look dirty.
I tried spray tans in studios, spray tans at home in my kitchen, mousse tans, tan wipes, tan creams, tan oils you add to your body cream, you name it...
A few years ago I met Amanda Harrington who is literally the goddess of bespoke tanning with her brush application. Bespoke tans are her speciality and she flies all over the world to tan people for events and photoshoots.
“Self-tanning is my only real option as I tan extremely slow and have such sensitive skin that the few days I’m lucky to be at the beach I have to put that SPF 50 or otherwise I get just really red or nothing happens at all weirdly.”
“I tried spray tans in studios, spray tans at home in my kitchen, mousse tans, tan wipes, tan creams, tan oils you add to your body cream, you name it...”
The day has finally come where she has launched her own Amanda Harrington self-tan collection, including a body kit, face kit, glycolic pads, body cream, face cream and body scrub (for now it’s at Harvey Nichols and online).
It is by far the best results I have achieved alone in my bathroom and I’m loving it ! It seems a little difficult the first time but its actually very easy to use. I recommend a good scrub before (just use any body scrub that works for you, a scrub glove or Amanda’s body scrub).
First you start by applying the primer body cream (super smart as this really prepares the skin to take in that colour).
“Downside: you need someone to help you with your back so maybe ask a friend, your daughter or grandma... it is always less sexy to have your hubby or boyfriend help you with this kind of stuff”
Then you apply the body mousse (go gradually at first and then apply by layers) and work it all in with the amazing brush that’s included in your kit. This really makes the product penetrate and you can blend out those hard to perfect areas like the feet and hands. Also it permits you to apply everything very evenly and work that product into your skin.
Bikini from Mishi Mino, mishimino.com
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Bonus....it doesn’t smell as bad as others, actually not bad at all and you have three shades... Honey, Olive and Rose. I like that you have different colours for different skin tones. You can also top it up easily after a couple of days and get an even more intense tan if you prefer. Amanda says you should use the primer afterwards as well to keep the colour lasting longer.
For the face it works the same way, the brush is just smaller and the tan comes in a mist instead of a mousse. It is very different to other face tans because you’re using a brush- with this technique you achieve a much more natural look.
Downside: you need someone to help you with your back so maybe ask a friend, your daughter or grandma....hubby or boyfriend always less sexy to help you with this kind of stuff.