St. Tropez Whipped Bronze Instant Self-Tanning Mousse

Well today it has really begun to feel like Spring has sprung! Warmer days will soon be upon us, and so with thoughts of a new (skimpier) summer wardrobe on my mind I thought it might be useful to write a review based on my experiences of self-tanning, and in particular my favourite self-tan product, St Tropez.

I first used this product last spring having tried and tested probably every other self-tan product on the market (for the ...
...Ambre Solaire 'No Streaks Bronzer' self-tanning spray by Garnier. At last check this retails for about £8.99 at Boots, but it will almost certainly be cheaper at your local supermarket! I think I paid about £6.49 at ASDA the last time I used this product. The major downside to this product is the rather sickly, chemical smell that seems to linger on your skin for days after application. I'm sure it's not that noticible to anyone else, but it is a ... more

Well today it has really begun to feel like Spring has sprung! Warmer days will soon be upon us, and so with thoughts of a new (skimpier) summer wardrobe on my mind I thought it might be useful to write a review based on my experiences of self-tanning, and in particular my favourite self-tan product, St Tropez.

I first used this product last spring having tried and tested probably every other self-tan product on the market (for the record my recommended cheaper alternative to St Tropez would be Ambre Solaire 'No Streaks Bronzer' self-tanning spray by Garnier. At last check this retails for about £8.99 at Boots, but it will almost certainly be cheaper at your local supermarket! I think I paid about £6.49 at ASDA the last time I used this product. The major downside to this product is the rather sickly, chemical smell that seems to linger on your skin for days after application. I'm sure it's not that noticible to anyone else, but it is a bit off-putting.).

Self-tanning does take a bit of practice to get right, and despite what seasoned users of St Tropez might claim, this product is no different in that sense. The key to good self-tanning I'm afraid is good preparation, patience and precision application. But, I'd like to share my tips with you and hopefully make the experience a little easier.

Firstly, don't be fooled into thinking you have to use all the accompanying products available in the St Tropez range. It is very important to exfoliate and mosturise before applying the Whipped Bronze Mousse, but rather than using the St Tropez Body Polisher and Body Moisturizer (as recommended on the tin!), just go with your usual products (if you don't currently use an exfoliant can I perhaps recommened Boots Natural Collection Body Scrub which comes in a range of fragrances and currently costs only £1.99! Or for a slightly more expensive/luxurious option, try The Sanctuary Body Scrub c£4.99. As for moisturisers, I don't think you can beat anything in the St Ives range). I usually find taking a bath or shower and throughly scrubbing with the exfoliant (paying attention to knees, elbows, ankles, knuckes and toes) and then throughly mosturising head to toe is sufficient, but if you want to make doubley sure that your skin is well prepared, use a body brush or loofer to make sure all the dead and rough skin is removed.

Now this is where the patience begins. NEVER (sorry to shout, but I feel I must stress this point!) apply the self-tan straight after taking your bath or shower! Although it is important that your skin is clean, the heat from the bath/shower will open your pores and if you apply the self-tan too soon afterwards you will end up with little brown dots where the product settles in the pores! It will take weeks of exfoliating to fully remove the gunk, trust me. Not pleasant! So I recommend waiting several hours before applying. It is worth bearing in mind at this point that you will need to wait a couple of hours after application before going to bed/ wearing tight clothing or showering/bathing again. So you need to plan this well! I usually aim to do this on a weekday evening when I know I won't be disturbed. I'll take my shower as soon as I arrive home from work. Then by the time I've had dinner, read a paper or watched some TV, sufficient time has elapsed so that I can apply the tan, but so that there'll still be a couple of hours to go before bedtime! And while on the subject of bedtime, make sure you wear an old T-shirt or Nightshirt to bed, as some of the excess product will wear off onto your night clothing as well as sheets etc if not protected from it. The idea with St Tropez is that you wash the excess off after it has had time to work, so also do not be alarmed if after a few hours of developement (despite what it says on the tin, the tan isn't that instant! It takes a few hours to develop!) you appear rather orange! This is no indication of the final colour your skin will be! It is also important not to do anything too strenuous after applying the tan as perspiration will make your tan streak! So again, I'll leave you to plan when this will work best for you!

Ok, so to the actual application. There are a few tools I throughly recommend you invest in before attempting to apply the mouse. a) a good self-tan application mit. I like Boots Soltan Self Tan Applicator mit (£3.49) as it's durable and easily washable. Using a mit or latex gloves is essential if you don't want to end up with orange palms! b) an implement to help you reach your back and other hard-to-get-to places. St Tropez do their own, but again, good old Boots do a Soltan version 'Self Tan Back Applicator' for £4.99. And the most essential item of all c) self-tan corrector wipes. For a change I'm going to recommend St Tropez's own brand wipes as although you can buy individual Soltan wipes they are £1.35 each and you can get a pack of 45 St Tropez ones for about £7. I know all of these items added together (on top of the £20 or so you pay for the Whipped Bronze Mousse) are pricey, but if you're serious about getting your self-tan right, they're a very worthwhile investments and pretty essential too.

So, armed with the mousse, mit, back-applicator thingy and removal wipes, I recommend starting with your legs and feet and working upwards. You will also need a body mosturiser to hand, as in my experience, the only way you avoid 'build-up' of the product on the bonier parts of your body (ankles, knees, toes, elbows etc) is to mix it with a moisturiser first. Starting with your shins, apply the mousse straight to your skin and blend it using a circular motion. Try not to rub the formula into your skin. As long as you cover the whole area (even if more heavily in some places than others) it should develop evenly. The mousse is tinted with a brown pigment so you should be able to see any bits you've missed. As you approach your knees and feet, squirt some of the formula into your (mitted) hand and mix with moisturiser. I think two parts mousse to one part moisturiser should be about right. I tend to reverse this for the outer edges of my feet and toes and use two parts moisturiser to one part mousse, else you do end up with orange tootsies! You also need to 'draw a line' where the self-tan needs to stop (you're obviously not going to apply it to the soles of your feet!) so by using more moisturiser in this area, you can fade and blend your tan out nicely.

Use this principle on all other areas of your body. As you work upwards think about where you might get build up of the product and mix with moisturiser where appropriate. I find problem areas are (sorry to be crude) between and under your buttocks, bikini line, belly button, nipple area, shoulder and breast bones, underarm and your neck area generally. Best to use more moisturiser in these places just to be sure. After applying a few times, you'll get to know your own problem areas and can avoid applying too much product.

As for applying to your back, the back applicator thingy should make this fairly easy. It takes a little bit of perseverance, but I promise you'll get the hang of using it pretty quickly and should have all parts covered! If you can't master it, you'll have to lend your mit to a trusted friend or partner and have them lend a hand!

Ok, so there's one vital part I missed - the face! Despite perfecting application everywhere else, I've not yet been brave enough to take this all the way! If you blend the self-tan very carefully on your neck, you can avoid the 'tide-mark' effect. I then just make sure that I apply my facial make-up carefully and make use of bronzers and highlighters to ensure that my face matches the rest of me! St Tropez do their own facial bronzer which adapts to the shade and tone of your skin in the same way as the Whipped Bronze Mousse does, so your tan should look pretty flawless.

Just a quick note on finishing off. Use the tan corrector wipes anywhere that you think you may have overdone the application. However, bear in mind that if you use these wipes straight away, they will removal all the tan from the area you wipe, so be sure to reapply to avoid streaks and patches. Also, even though you have been wearing the mit (surely you won't have ignored this piece of advice?!) be sure to clean you hands throughly with the wipes. Applying the tan to your hands is a bit of a problem since you will invariably feel the need to wash once you're done applying the mousse. The wipes can help get around this problem. The best way to apply the tan to your hands incidentally, is to squirt the mousse onto the back of one hand, squirt in a little moisturiser too and then using the back of your other hand rub the formula in. If you rub the back of your clean hand in a circular motion all over the hand with the mousse on it, you should distribute the formula evenly over both! Then use the correction wipes on your palms and between your fingers to ensure it looks natural.

Now give yourself 5-10 minutes to ensure your 'tan' is dry before getting dressed, and when you do, make sure your clothing is dark coloured and fairly loose.

St Tropez Whipped Bronze Mousse is formulated to develop according to your natural skin colouring and tone.Don't ask me how it does it! It's just clever like that. But if you're fair like me, there's no chance you're going to end up looking like a Californian Barbie Doll (no offence to Barbie Dolls, just I would look very silly indeed with skin that colour!). If you're naturally darker skinned, however, I would suspect you might need to apply twice to see a marked difference in colour. One thing is for certain though, and that is four or five hours after application you will be a lovely shade of orange! Take a bath or shower and you'll be amazed at how the excess product washes away to leave a lovely, natural-looking bronzed you! And hopefully, if you've followed my tried and tested method of application above, it will also be streak-free!

So, a final overview. St Tropez Whipped Bronze Mousse is a bit pricey, but you can expect to get approximately 2-3 full body applications out of a can (depending obviously on what size lady or gentleman you happen to be!). Even added to the cost of the tools I recommend, this works out cheaper than having the product applied professionally in a salon (usually about £25-35 per application). It's pleasant smelling and will wash out of your bedding/carpet/clothing should you happen to have a mishap with it! It can be a little messy and difficult to use at first, but I believe perseverance with this product is worthwhile. I won't be seen out in Summer without it!

Now where is that sun?!!

 

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