Elle Ferguson’s 5 Tips For A flawless Sunless Tan
As the weather warms up and we head closer to summer, we’re beginning to think about ways we can achieve a head-to-toe glow. Sunless tanning is the easiest (and only safe) way to bring some life back into lackluster skin. As the founder of self-tan brand ELEFFECT, ELLE FERGUSON knows a thing or two about getting golden, sunkissed skin. We asked her to share her top five tips for perfecting your at-home tanning routine.
1. PREP THE SKIN
Properly prepping the skin for sunless tan is an essential step in ensuring you achieve a natural, even and healthy glow. “You’ve got to think about prepping the body for sunless tanning like how you prep your face when you want to achieve flawless makeup. We spend so much time prepping the skin on our face for a great result that sometimes we forget about our body,” says Elle. A lot of the time a streaky or blotchy tan can be traced straight back to prep - or lack thereof. Elle suggests using ELEFFECT’S THE WASH, which is an oil-based tan remover, to create a fresh canvas for your sunless tan. It’s important to exfoliate before tanning, as sunless tan can cling to dead skin cells and result in dark patches. “In the week leading up to my tan, I go between my wash and your LUI BODY POLISH with an exfoliating glove, and I find that it really gets rid of any old tan and dead skin cells.” Elle also likes to shave with her LUI RAZOR the day before tanning, not the day of tanning. Rinse the skin with cold water after your shave to ensure your pores close up, reducing the chance of little black spots appearing in your hair follicles during your tan.
2. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TAN
If you’re new to sunless tanning and not sure where to start, try a mousse with a colour guide (this means the formulation itself is coloured, not clear, which allows you to see exactly where you’re applying it on your body). “We love a mousse at ELEFFECT, and THE TAN is one that gradually develops over a period of time. We also have only one shade, which makes it really easy for people that are either new to tanning or have been a tanaholic like myself for years and years, because it means you can easily build colour.” If you have fair skin and only want a hint of colour, do a light cover of the tan and leave it on for two hours before rinsing. If you prefer a deeper golden hue, try Elle’s technique: two generous layers, which you can sleep in for 8 hours and remove the next morning to allow for optimal development time. “It scares me when you can't see what you're actually putting on. There’s a lot of gradual tans out there that are just moisturizers with tan added to it. My concern is you can't see where you're putting it. So I like a mousse because you've got the guide colour to show you where you've blended, where you might need to add some more. Have you gone up to your hairline? Your face? I feel like it's almost foolproof, the mousse.”
3. PERFECT YOUR TECHNIQUE
Sunless tanning can seem overwhelming, but a lot of the success lies in your technique. Practice makes perfect! Apply some moisturiser, like the LUI BODY MOISTURISER or ELEFFECT THE GLOW, onto areas of the body prone to dryness where fake tan grabs such as elbows, ankles and knees, as well as the palms of your hands. Elle recommends using the ELEFFECT LUXE APPLICATOR MITT to apply the tanning mousse. Pump it onto the mitt directly and then work it into your skin in circular motions. “I start on my tummy and then I work down my legs, then I go back up to my arms and neck. I always say: blend, blend, blend, and then blend some more! That's how you're going to get that really seamless fake tan where you can’t tell where it starts or finishes.”
4. MAINTAIN YOUR GLOW
With the right amount of care, you can get a good seven days out of your sunless tan. Elle says the number one thing you need to do is keep the skin hydrated with a body moisturiser. Apply on damp skin each time you get out of the shower or bath to lock in hydration and keep your sunless tan glowing. Elle also advises reducing hot water exposure on the skin. This means turning down the temperature on your hot shower, and also avoiding chlorine and retinol where possible, both of which strip the skin of sunless tan. “We also have THE TINT, which is an instant tan that I probably start using around day six of my tan when it's kind of fading and it doesn't have that real punch that it did on day one to three. The tint is an instant ten. It's like body makeup. I wash my hands a million times a day, so the tan comes off my hands a bit quicker than the rest of my body. So if I’ve got an event on, or I’m shooting, I’ll put The Tint on my hands because it just evens that tan back out again.”
5. REMOVE YOUR TAN BEFORE RE-APPLYING
It’s always a good idea to remove your sunless tan completely before reapplying it once more. “This creates an amazing canvas to start from,” says Elle. “I cringe at the thought of teenage Elle because I would just put on tan after tan after tan, without ever properly removing it. I think that’s probably why I was orange the majority of my teenage years.” The active ingredient in sunless tanning products is DHA (dihydroxyacetone), which is broken down by oil. ELEFFECT’s The Wash is an oil-based formula, so is perfect for getting rid of any tan remnants. “It’s so important to get in the shower and have a workout in there scrubbing off your old tan and cleansing your skin. If I've got a really big shoot coming up, I like to not tan for a week and spend that week really prepping my skin. I’ll be exfoliating every second night and using a body oil to really hydrate my skin. When I get out of the shower with the dry towel, I’ll rub that up and down my legs to get the circulation going and encourage any other dry skin or dead skin to come off.”