My first experience of St Tropez tanning mousse was approximately 2 years ago when I worked alongside the beauty section within a department store. As part of the promotion within the sunglasses section we all created the summer look, including the use of the St Tropez tan to create that gorgeous beach babe look. Well all I can say is I was very pleasantly surprised.

Prior to tan application, I had to go through all the usual rigour of exfoliation, moisturising and general skin preparation. It's worth noting here that if u plan to defuzz any areas of your body then it's worth doing at least 24 hours before tan application to avoid the tan going into your pores (especially if you are using waxing or epilation as your chosen method of hair removal). Otherwise if you apply tan straight after hair removal you can come out with a not very sexy speckled look which takes absolutely ages to get rid of as the tanning solution is ingrained deep into your pores. In addition to this don't tan straight after a shower as the same sort of thing can happen as the heat opens up your pores as well.

So set the scene ready for tanning ~ you're skin is all prepared and it would be worth putting down some old towels on nearby carpet, bedding etc depending on where you choose to tan, because once in carpet it is very difficult to get out! Also make sure if possible you get hold of some latex-style gloves or a fake tan mitt as this prevents the fake-tan-giveaway-sign of orange palms. When applying my tan I choose to use a latex style disposable glove underneath a flannel mitt ~ the flannel mitt ensures even spread and coverage of the tanning mousse, whilst the latex glove helps prevent any soak-through from going onto your palms.

Once you've tanned you're body, allow some drying time of approx 10-15 minutes before applying any clothing. Do not come into contact with water if you can avoid it!! Obviously you may need to wash your hands after but do this with great care. The reason for this is that the St Tropez mousse comes with a guide colour to ensure even application and that you don't miss any areas (unlike other products that are invisible or white during application so you can only hope for the best). I find the best time to do a tan is just before bed, but make sure you have some comfy towels on the bed to protect against the tan going into the bedding. It shouldn't do if you've left it time to dry but it's better to be safe than sorry. Also try not to have the heating on or engage in any activities that might make you sweat ;) as it will only cause the tan to come off.

Without getting too technical, having spoken to my friends in the know in the beauty department, the reason you won't go orange with St Tropez is because it has a green based tanning agent which ensures natural colour; hence the price reflects this. Some of the cheaper tanning products on the market use a red-orange based tanning agent, hence the colour you end up reflects this. Clinique's self tanning mousse is another very good green based tanning product like St. Tropez and is a fraction of the price at £13.50. It also has a gorgeous butterscotch smell during application and is fantastic for a winter based tan where it would look obvious to go too dark brown. I often use Clinique's as an intermediate tan as again it looks natural but is slightly lighter. The only thing I will say with fake tans is that natural body sweat can cause the colour to run, particularly in the earlier days of colour application, so be particularly wary if you plan on wearing anything white on a night out in a club etc ~ in these instances it is better to apply the tan several days before so it has time to wear into your skin and be in the skin rather on top (so perhaps tues or wed for a Friday or Saturday night out).