Fake Tanning for a First Timer

// Tanwise Mousse //

Recently I've decided to take the plunge into the Self Tanning world!!! Since I am a Red Head, I have very little Melanin in my skin. So it is very difficult for me to acquire a tan. I can get a tan, not at all like the pictures above, but I can get a bit more brown. But unlike a lot of people, it literally takes me months of going out in the sun on a very regular bases in order to get some colour. The most amount of time I am able to be outside without sunscreen on is 30 min. Then I can feel my skin burning. If you've been lucky enough to have been blessed with amazing skin and have never felt a sunburn, then you are extremely fortunate! Sunburns are the worst. THE WORST! They are extremely painful and damage the crap out of your skin. But anyways....got a little off track here. Back to the tanning experience!

I've read on a few blogs and Pinterest and know of a few people in my family who self tan. And a popular kind was the Tanwise Tanning mousse or Lotion. Probably because it's so affordable! I decided one day that I was done with being white all the time. I wanted to see what it would look like with a tan! So I went down the Sally's Beauty store and picked me up some Tanwise Tanning Mousse. I also picked up a mitt. Heard those were necessary and those people are definitely right! Mitts are a must for me.

Before tanning, you really need to give your whole body a good scrub. Fun fact: Sugar and Coconut Oil make one amazing body scrub! Seriously I've never felt so clean after using sugar as the scrub!!! It's natural, cheap, and it smells delicious! Try it! You will not regret it.

Ok, so once I got all scrubbed up and shaved, I applied regular lotion to my elbows, knees, feet and hands. Then I went ahead and applied the Mousse! It was so so easy to apply. It's just like putting on your regular body lotion. I had my husband do my back for me and the hard to reach areas.

The downside about this mousse is that it is not very fast drying. I have to walk around butt naked for a while before putting on shorts and a tank top. I also like to leave mine on over night so it really has time to develop. You also need to avoid any kind of moisture. I was just washing my hands after changing a dirty bum and had accidentally splashed some water on my legs. The Tan washed off immediately! I just take the mitt with a very small amount of mousse on and just go over the spots to keep things even. So ya, very important to stay dry! You are also suppose to rinse off the excess in the morning, but for the pictures above, I kept it on so you can see how dark it develops. After you rinse off the excess, you will look a lot more natural and sun kissed. But don't scrub or use any soaps!! Just rinse. I'm sure you can find a ton of tutorials online on how to apply :) I know I looked at soooo many before using it.

Ok, so for me, I love it!!! I LOOOOOOVE being tan. I feel like it makes me look more thin, more healthy, and it naturally contours my angles of my face. I feel more confident in a bathing suit.

I know in the Portrait Close up picture, the Tan looks really really intense on my face. But I promise you that that is just a weirdly lit picture. Once I put on make-up and highlight my face, it looks way amazing. I only use half a pump on my face. You don't need much!

Overall I am very pleased with this product. It is one of the cheaper tans, so I think you get what you pay for. I've used the mousse 3 different times already and it's only about halfway empty. It doesn't last as long as others. About 4-5 days. Whereas others last a good week at least. It also doesn't have the best smell, but it's not too bad either. If you're looking for a longer lasting one then I've been told Loving Tan and St. Tropez are both amazing. A bit more expensive, but not outrageous. I hope to try those out in the near future and do a review!

Have a great Tuesday!