The ultimate summer self-tanning guide
Pro tips on DIYing your way to a natural-looking glow
James Read has seen a lot of famous people naked, maybe even some royals. “My team and I did a lot of people for the royal wedding,” dishes the London-based self-tanning expert. Although he won’t name-drop any duchesses, he can confirm he regularly makes house calls for the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Cara Delevingne, i.e., not the stars you’d normally associate with an artificially bronzed epidermis. That’s because Read specializes in what he terms “background tanning.” His clients don’t look traditionally tanned — they look naturally radiant. (Call it spent-the-weekend-at-the-cottage skin.) If you find yourself whispering, “I want that,” you’re in luck. During a recent visit to Toronto, Read shared his wealth of tanning knowledge with us. Here’s everything you need to know to score happy, healthy-looking skin at home — no Lake Rosseau required. What’s the key to making a fake tan look real? It’s all about natural-looking skin. I think the days of overly dark tanning are over, especially for younger people. It’s more about sophisticated-looking skin. I call it ‘background tanning’ because it works as your background and doesn’t overpower your clothes, makeup or hair. You want someone to say, ‘You look healthy, you look well,’ not ‘Are you wearing selftanner?’ You don’t want the main focus to be the tan. What are your top tips for self-tanning at home? Wax or shave 24 hours before you tan. Moisturize, especially the dryer areas like your knees and elbows. Always wipe the leftover self-tanner from your arms and legs onto your hands and feet. Never apply product directly on those areas because they’ll go too dark. Never wash your hands straight after you tan because you don’t want tanned arms and pale hands. A good trick for doing your back is to create your own back applicator by tying a tanning mitt on a wooden cooking spoon with an elastic band. After tanning, rub a bit of talcum powder on your armpits and under the breast area. The powder will soak up any sweat so you don’t get any marks. For your face, less is more. And make sure to apply some moisturizer around your hairline so you don’t get a mark around your face. How should you care for a tan? For gradual formulas, only do it twice a week. For a proper selftan, wait seven days to reapply and exfoliate after three to four days to help it fade evenly.
If you need to shave your legs, use a men’s electric shaver because it gets rid of the hair without affecting the tan the way a wet razor does. When you’re on holiday, protect your tan from the chlorine and sea salt by using a waterproof SPF — it shields your tan and it keeps you from burning. After-sun lotions are also great for preserving a self-tan. What can you do if you miss some spots or get weird marks? If you get a dodgy tan or if it’s a little bit patchy, grab a tinted tanner that washes off in the shower — it’s sort of like body makeup. It will cover imperfections and even out your tan. If you really want to get rid of the whole thing, sit in a steam room for 20 minutes and then wipe your skin with a towel. That will remove it completely. If you get some product on your palms, mix lemon or lime juice with sugar to scrub it off, or try makeup removing wipes. They clean up stains right away. Any tips for people who may be intimidated to try self-tanning at home? I’m all about lifestyle tanning — creating products that are quick and easy and fit into people’s lives. People don’t want to spend ages getting the tan on and then worrying about when they’re going to dry. That’s why I made things like bronzing mists. People don’t want a fullon self-tan on their face. They want a little glow and this makes it super simple. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley keeps hers in the fridge and uses it as a cooling mist. Ryan Reynolds is a big fan of the men’s mist. Victoria Beckham and Cara Delevingne love the Sleep Mask, which is a gradual overnight tanner that doesn’t transfer onto your bedding. It’s tanning made easy.