Tanning is always a good idea!

"When I don't have fake tan on, I look like a dead jellyfish."

I read that quote online the other day and it literally made me laugh out loud! Now, don't get me wrong - I'm all for supporting and embracing the natural English rose look... but when I have a choice, I prefer to look sunkissed rather than translucent (because that really is how pale I am!)

It's very important to note my choice of word above: sunkissed, because although I love a tan... it has to be a natural looking tan - not orange and not streaky! I mean none of us want the Ross Geller look from Friends do we?!

Over the years I've tried pretty much every self tan that's available, and trust me, there's been a few! For a number of years I was using St Tropez Dark Mousse self tan, which I loved. It's very easy to apply and comes out a dark brown colour, so you can easily see where it's going. It develops into a natural looking tan simply by leaving it overnight and washing it off in the morning. I've never got on well with the clear self tans, often waking up having missed entire patches of my skin... which is never a good look!

Something you'll notice about me through reading my blogs is that when I find a product I like, I tend to be very loyal and it takes a lot for me to change to something else. However, when my friend recommended Fake Bake Flawless Darker self tan, I thought i'd give it a try... and oh my goodness, am I glad I did!

Not only was it super easy to apply, it dried a lot quicker than the St Tropez. It doesn't leave you skin feeling super sticky when you go to bed at night, and also doesn't transfer on to your bed sheets as much as other tans I've tried. Quick tip here: if you need to put clothes back on after self tanning, try applying some talcum powder over your skin. It absorbs any leftover residue but doesn't disturb the self tan from working - it's like a little miracle!

As you can see from the picture above - this is what the Fake Bake Flawless Darker self tan looks like. I've only applied one thin layer here - and as you can see, it's not orange or streaky. It provides a lovely natural, flawless finish.

Now, before you go to try this tan for yourselves (which I highly recommend!), there are some pointers I want to give in terms of prep work. Prepping your skin prior to applying fake tan is one of the most important things you need to do, so don't miss these steps!

- Exfoliate your skin prior to applying the self tan. I often exfoliate the night before applying the product using exfoliating gloves - which you can buy from either Boots/Superdrug or your local supermarket.

- Make sure you moisturise any particularly dry areas of skin such as: elbows, knees, ankles and wrists.

- When applying the tan, invest in a good quality self tan mit. The Fake Bake and St Tropez mits are the best i've tried and give the most flawless finish.

- After applying the tan, take a face wipe and gently go over the wrists and the soles of your feet. Anywhere that tan may have clung to you, you don't want to wake up in the morning with extra dark patches!

I always leave my self tan on overnight and wash off in the morning. There are also no rules around how many times you apply the product, I sometimes apply self tan 2 nights in a row, depending on how dark I want the end result.

So there you have it! My favourite all-time self tan product and how I ensure I get that flawless, natural sunkissed look. If you look at the below picture - I'm actually on holiday in Marbella having applied Fake Bake before going. Some people think I'm mad, but honestly, it just gives me a little more confidence to get in that bikini on day 1. Also, don't be thinking that you can't catch the sun through your self tan - you definitely can! It's a win-win situation - you go on holiday looking tanned and you come back looking tanned!

Let me know in the comments box below what your favourite self-tan is, and if you decide to try Fake Bake Flawless Darker... you can thank me later :)