Yesterday I gave you celebrity tanning guru Nichola Joss' recipe for at-home sunless tan success, but while we were chatting, I also got to ask her a few questions you lot had given me. Without further ado, here are the St Tropez spokeswoman's words of wisdom.
What's the best type of application/formula for people with psoriasis?
Hands-free is the way to go, reckons Nichola. "With this type of skin it's best to touch it as little as possible, so use gloves," she says. But firstly, you should prepare, just like anyone else. "Do exfoliate, but mix it in with your shower cream for a gentle exfoliation," she advises. The ideal product for a psoriasis sufferer is an aerosol, as there's less hand contact with the skin and the DHA absorption rate will be less on drier areas than if you'd used a lotion. Lastly put on a mitt and pat in the product gently to finish.
I'm getting married and I have never once had a spray tan that wasn't orange or that didn't turn patchy. I'm afraid it will rub off on my dress so any advice would be great.
"Starting two weeks beforehand, use St Tropez Everyday," advises Nichola. That'll prep skin and get it into good condition, with a soft feel and a key for colour. "Then two days beforehand, have a spray tan," she says. This is time enough for it to settle and for there to be no transfer onto your dress. "If it's too dark, then you've got a couple of days for it to fade, and if it's too light, you can have another one done," is Nichola's recommendation.
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What's the perfect way to do hands and feet?
The biggest mistake people make with hands and feet is they over-tan them. No one naturally tans on the insides of their toes or the sides of the feet, and likewise with hands. All you really need is colour in the centre of the feet and hands, and Nichola's tip for doing hands is great: clean them completely with soap or tan remover and then gently press the backs of them to the side of your bum. That's enough for a gentle, realistic-looking colour. With feet, she's adamant that you must use a baby wipe to blend tan off the achilles tendon, the heel, the sides of the feet and also the toes, only leaving product on the top and centre of the feet.
With gradual tanners, how do you do your face so you don’t get orange eyebrows?
Using vaseline in the first instance will stop this happening, but if you don't like that approach, then the humble baby wipe is once again your friend. "Get a wipe and rub it through the brows, going against the hair," advises Nichola.
How DO you tan your legs!? I can never get it right!
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"This is the easiest bit to do," exclaims Nichola. "Do it first, and with upward strokes, just cover the legs front and back, and that's it," she adds. But it seems lots of people have this issue and the brand have risen to the challenge with Everyday Perfect Legs, €45 (above). Because legs are often the first things to be bared when the sun shines, this is a clever little product that'll take you from office to the pub instantly. How? The double pump dispenses a regular gradual tanner out of one side, with an instant tan booster coming from the other. So you get immediate gratification and a colour that'll develop over a few hours. Smart!
