Hello everyone!

August is halfway right now which means some of us need to resit finals or are still going on a holiday. For collegestudents summer ends the last week of September in Belgium. That means we still have some time to work on our tan and maintaining the one we already have! Keep on reading if you want to know what my tips are.

What you need to know

Maintaining your tan during fall and winter already starts when you think about going in the sun in spring and summer. You need to be well-prepared when you are tanning. You should know that burning your skin on purpose will only lead to diseases and skin-damage and most important of all: you are not getting a tan skin  that will last by doing this!

Together against unprotected sunbathing 

You should always be applying sunscreen when you decide to go sunbathing. It isn’t only very painfull when you burn your skin, it will also lead to other bad circumstances.

Unfortunately I see and hear a lot of people not wearing sunscreen because ‘they don’t tan as fast’ with it on. This is wrong. The rosey tan you’ll get is damaged skin and the tan will not last very long. Also, the tan you get by this isn’t even. 

Please warn everyone you know to always protect yourself from the sun, to overcome diseases! 

Step one: Before going into the sun

First things first: if you want to get a nice and even tan that will last a long time, you need to scrub your skin before going in the sun or before you leave for vacation. Just scrub all over your body with your favourite scrub. The one I am using right know is the Good Luck Scrub by Rituals. It is a natural scrub made from sugar. I really like this one because it isn’t all chemicals and it scrubs away the dead skincells.

By scrubbing away the dead skincells you are left with a nice and soft, new skin. Otherwise, if you tan with your old skincells on it, the tan will fade away when the old skincells are coming off of your skin.

Don’t forget to moisturize your skin after scrubbing, so the skin stays hydrated and soft. I am using the matching body butter from Rituals.

Step two: sunscreen

Sunscreen is key when going in the sun! When your skin isn’t used to be naked in the sun, you should apply a high SPF and then you can lower the SPF when your vacation is coming to an end.

The level of SPF is a personal choice and is for every skintype different. If you don’t know what to do, maybe you should go visit your doctor. He can investigate what the best level of SPF and brand of sunscreen is best for you.

My skin is naturally a bit darker than most North-European people and North-Americans, so it isn’t a good idea to blindly follow my levels of protection.

When I tan in Belgium, I take an SPF twenty on an average basis. On holidays,  I start with SPF 30 and towards the end I take an SPF 15 and using this one when I am back in Belgium.

The one I am using is the Nivea Sun Protect And Bronze. It is in a sprayform. My mom swears by this one since I was little and I keep on using it. I spray a generous amount of spritzes on my body and then massaging it in.

When I first go in the sun in spring, I use a different sunscreen for my face. The skin on your face is very sensitive, especially around your eyes. I like to use an SPF 50 by Ambre Solaire Garnier for sensitive skin on my face. I take a small amount and rub it in on my face. This one I use only on early springdays and my summerholidays. Afterwards, the SPF 30 is alright.

Also, you need to protect your lips because they can burn as well. This is a very painfull affair, so be sure to keep them protected. I use the Labello Sun Protect lip balm with SPF 30.

Last but not least: sunglasses. Always wear your sunglasses when sunbathing because most of the times the sun is so bright that it can damage your eyes. Be sure to buy sunglasses with a good filter.

How many times do you have to re-apply your sunscreen?

This also depends on what your skintype is. Some skintypes burn faster than others so you need to see this for yourself.

I like to re-apply my sunscreen every 1.5 hour. When I do that, I like to drink a large bottle of water to keep myself hydrated!

Step 3: after a tanning day

When you come out of the sun, it is very important to keep your skin hydrated. What I like to do is after I shower,  applying aftersun to my whole body. This product will calm some damaged parts and repairs them, and the rest of your body is going to stay hydrated.

When you do all of this steps, your tan should last longer than it would do without them. Hydration and protection is key in this process!

Step 4: maintaining your tan

For this I like to use a tanning oil. The one I have is Sublime Bronze by L’Oreal. I apply it with a dark blue glove, so it doesn’t stain on other gloves. This gives my skin a glow and it helps to maintain my tan. I like to use it every two days.

additional step: how to get a glow with makeup

Sometimes I like to amp up my glow with some makeup. These are some of my recommendations:

Maybelline Terre indienne bb cream

This is a dark bronze glowing cream you can use all over your face to get a glow from within. You don’t need a lot of this since it is a very dark colour. I like to use the smallest amout possible and distribute it all over my face. At first sight it seems very scary and dark but when you blend the product in you get a nice effect all over the skin.

 

Mac lustre drops in sun rush

This is something I like to use when I applied my foundation, but before my powder. I put a small amount on the highest points of my face such as my cheekbones, top of my lip and nose. After that, I set everything with my usual powder and you’ll get a subtle glow.

mac mineralize skinfinish in soft and gentle

When you want to maximize your glow, this is your product. You can use this as last step in your make-up routine. I like to apply it with a fan brush on the highest points of my face for a nice and healthy glow.

 

This is the end of this post, I hope you really liked it! If you have some tips or comments, be sure to leave them in the commentsection! 

xoxo,

Tessa 

Disclaimer 1 :not sponsored. I bought all products on my own.

Disclaimer 2: I am not a professional. What might work for me, might not work for you.