This blog was set up as a place to feel good, let go of shame and for me to tell the story of my grappling with feelings of shame and inadequacy. The blog mainly focuses on how exercise has provided me with tools to do battle with my demons and has given me the power to change the stories that had once thought about myself.

As a place to help people feel good, I am going to talk about my relationship with fake tan. I know that sounds ridiculous but along with exercise – this has without doubt been a huge contributing factor to helping me gain confidence. It feels like the right time to blog about this, the weather is finally changing and I know I can’t be the only one who is feeling apprehensive about summer clothes and unveiling the post-lock down body.

I can guarantee you that there is no better and quicker way to make you feel more body confident than a (fake) tan. I adore fake tan and love looking tanned but have had a long and precarious journey with tanning, from the evils of the sun bed and sun burn, the 50 shades of orange, stinking out the car, tiger stripes and looking like I am radioactive – I have done it all. After this long journey I now consider myself pretty accomplished and knowledgeable enough to share my tips and advice – but as I said it is really about how great it’s made me feel – and as I have said before – this is what this blog i all about.

I had started using sun beds when I was quite young and must admit that I loved the way they made me feel but now I am pushing to 40 and understand the importance of good skin care, as much as I want to be tanned I do not want to be any more wrinkled than I already am. I do not think sunbeds are worth the risk and definitely do not advocate them.

Gradual Tan: After me experimenting with sun beds my first dip into the self tanning world with with Johnson and Johnson’s Holiday skin – it has discontinued but was the first gradual tan on the market, to be fair, it was not great but that was probably more down to my lack of knowledge in application rather than the product. Since then I have tried nearly every gradual tan on the market; Dove, Palmers, Nivea, St Tropez, Skinny Tan, Bondi Sands etc etc.

Pros of gradual tan: Minimal streaking as it is in effect a diluted version of the real stuff so if you are a newbie I would try one of these first. They also double as a moisturiser which means it is quicker as you are ‘missing a step’, many have ingredients that are great for the skin, for example Palmers has coco butter in and leaves the skin super soft. It also fades nicely rather than having to use a tan eraser (more on that later.)

Cons of gradual tan: Some are not always that effective and can take time to build – so not great for a big night out. Although they are weak sometimes they can still streak and because many of them are clear you cannot see where you haven’t blended which can be tricky to sort later. The final drawback for these products is that they often have a limited shade range which can be challenging for darker skins.

How I use: I use gradual tan daily and never miss a day, for me it’s like my base. I find they are also good as a sort of primer for other types of tan which you can layer with. I apply with a mitt just like normal tan and take care of ankles, elbows and where my bum meets the top of my thigh and I normally get one of the children to do my back!!

Top gradual tans: I would say at the moment my top gradual tans are Bondi Sands Everyday gradual tanning milk https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013WW6RBS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B013WW6RBS&linkCode=as2&tag=622605-21&linkId=6ad3bddf476ea06edd210eaad402c364 It comes in a huge bottle, zero streaks (even when you are in a hurry and have not got a mitt), the color is also perfect for me (I am fair skinned but like to look like I have a decent tan), and very importantly it has a decent smell! My other favorite which you can also use on your face it Vita Liberata Fabulous Self -Tanning Gradual lotion. I have motioned their products before and I honestly think they are great, this one goes on like velvet ( I would use a mitt) and gives aa deeper color than the Bondi sands but shows after just one use. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B010NL93PI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B010NL93PI&linkCode=as2&tag=622605-21&linkId=4d88bcc758b149baa9f0896b3edf7e47

Mousses, lotions, mists and sprays: After I had been using gradual tans for a while I graduated to the next category, these types of tans normally develop in a few hours, have a deeper color and require more preparation and care than other tans. I must say, I used to be quite fearful of these products but if you follow a few simple rules then they are amazing and you won’t look back

How I use: I use once or twice a week, I remove hair and exfoliate well, then apply gradual tan as my primer/moisturise/base and then leave for about twenty mins (dry my hair or some other job). I then use a mitt and apply the product to the mitt rather than directly on to my skin and apply in long sweeping movements, moving down the body rather than in circles. Do tops of hands, and feet last by using the excess on the mitt rather than applying more product – less is more and I must admit my toes can still look orange from time to time. Then wait another twenty minutes and then get dressed and avoid getting the skin wet for about 6-8 hours, the best time to apply is before bed, then in the morning you can rinse off and apply another layer of gradual (this is what I do). I do not use the products on my face as they are usually too harsh for my skin!

Top Mousses, lotions, mists and sprays: Right now I simply love the classic St Tropez tanning mist, the mist formula does not streak at all and is the best best color for me, it also lasts a good week and does not get too patchy when it fades – which can be a draw back of these types of products. The other ones I love is Bondi Sands (yes them again!) Self tanning foam – I use light/medium but the color is quite subtle – so goof if you’re nervous! https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MZG64P9/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B01MZG64P9&linkCode=as2&tag=622605-21&linkId=f6d0c764059ae5de68e7693934e5eb53

Instant tan: Instant tan for me is used for when I have a special event, haven’t got my legs out in forever or for my face. I think these products need to be viewed like body make up and can make limbs look amazing, flawless and glowy – an instant filter in a tube! These are probably the most challenging to apply, the can look scary when you first apply, and can mark and stain if not rubbed in super quickly – so less is

most defiantly more. Use a mitt again for the body and use long sweeping movements only put a tiny amount on it. The great thing with these products is that you can layer them or if you are brave enough contour or ‘tan-tour’ your face. They also wash off pretty quickly, so need to panic if you make a mistake.

Top instant tans: At the moment my top instant tan for the face is Clinique Self Sun. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004385NPC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B004385NPC&linkCode=as2&tag=622605-21&linkId=98be9f0044fcfc6ac1552d2c2c0c9004

This took me a while to get the hang of this product and if you apply it too quickly after your face primer (highly recommended) it can go all ‘bitty’ and not go smoothly onto the skin. It also needs to be rubbed in super quickly but having said that its a beautiful sun kissed color that would suit all skin tones and is great for hiding imperfections. I use this for my face day-to- day, and apply after primer but before foundation. The other product which I cannot get enough off is Vita Liberata Body Blur Sunless Glow – I use the shade Latte Light which is the lightest shade but it is still quite dark – so just to be aware. It makes legs look stunning, its fake tan, highlighter and body make up in one and the best thing is is that it doesn’t transfer on to fabrics, its expensive and so I only use this sparingly but if you want a product to make you look and feel great instantly – then this is it!

Last but not least: I wanted to end with some final tips, hopefully you have found this helpful – but as I said, theshame.health.blog is a place to feel good and fake tan can make you feel great, but it takes practice and patience to get the technique right. Remember to use a mitt, use sparingly, don’t rush, be very very sparing on feet, hands and elbows, do not use harsh tans on your face, leave time to get dressed, put Vaseline on your eyebrows when applying face tan – orangey eyebrows are a dead give away, and last but not least paint your nails (even with a mitt tan can get on to the nail bed and give nails a yellowish tinge! not a great look) I recommend a coral shade as that looks great with a tan.

Phew! and there we have it – my longest blog ever about fake tan! Next time I will write about something more deep and meaningful, in the mean time – get your glow on

Love always Ruby