TOP TEN TIPS: FAKE TANNING

Here's ten tips that cover all aspects of fake tanning! What to do before you tan, which products to use, how to care for your tan afterwards and of course many more random tips and tricks that I hope you find helpful if your a little confused about what to do. 

1. Exfoliate

Before applying any fake tanning product to your skin, make sure to exfoliate all the dead skin off with as body scrub in the shower. This ensures a smooth surface so that the tanning product can evenly distribute itself on your skin and not look patchy.

2. Shave

It is only important to shave before applying any tanning product if you want your tan to last a while but want to be hair free as well as tan. This is because if you shave over the top of a fake tan, it can remove the product in some parts and make it blotchy and faded. 

3. Prep

Make sure that you have exfoliated and moisturized dry places on your body such as your ankles, hands, feet and elbows so that the product doesn't soak extra into those places and go darker than the rest of your body. If your tanning your face then make sure to moisturize around your hairline for the same reason. Petroleum Jelly is also a great alternative to moisturizer and protects the skin from hair dye so it will definitely work against fake tanner. 

4. Choose Your Fake Tanner

For your fake tan to look amazing, you have to choose the formulation and method best for you, read the next two tips which cover those aspects for more depth in those points. 

5. Formulation

Fake tanners come in my formulations; foam, cream, spray, gel, mousse, airbrush etc. It's important to choose the formulation you think you can best work with and are most comfortable with using.

6. Method

You can choose whether you want an instant tan which is where you spray the tan onto your skin and can see the results instantly or a developing tan which is where you apply the product and see results in a couple of hours. If your just starting out, I recommend using an instant tanner because you can see where your applying the product so you know if you put too much product in one place or miss a spot and can fix it up. I just think that with the developing tans you kind of don't know how it's going to turn out and can only hope for the best. Be careful when choosing your fake tanner though, some are labelled instant tanner but only show results after a couple of hours but it's still classified as instant.

7. Moisturize

If you want your tan to last then it's important to keep your skin hydrated which means constantly moisturizing before, during and after tanning. It might be worth looking into a moisturiser formulated specifically for fake tanning maintenance purposes as some regular moisturizers have ingredients which could interfere with your fake tan like oils. 

8. Random

I wanted to add a few random tips to help you perfect your fake tan. Firstly is apply your fake tan with gloves because no tan looks faker than when you have orange hands! Wear dark, loose clothing directly after fake tanning to avoid staining your clothes and smudging your tan. Lastly, if all goes wrong, make sure you have a tan remover on hand because I doubt you will want to go out anywhere with an awful tan..even if it's just to buy the tan remover.

9. Accentuate

With your finished bronze look, there are some things you can do to make your tan pop and really compliment your new sun kissed skin. You can apply a tiny amount of body shimmer or highlighter to places such as your collarbone to give you a really lovely healthy glow.

10. Gradual Tanner

If your feeling a little intimidated by actually fake tanning then you can skip all of the steps above and try a gradual tanner. Gradual tanners are basically just like moisturizers but they have a slight pigment in them which gradually tints the skin and the longer you use it, the darker the colour. This is great because it's not happening all at once so you can monitor and control how dark you get and if you want to keep using it or try something different. It's much easier to use and there isn't much to it, just slather it on and it's unlikely it will streak or go crazy colours because it is so mild.

 

I hope you found my tips helpful, have fun tanning!

TOP TEN TIPS: TREATING ACNE

 Acne is an embarrassing and confidence lowering issue that can make you feel awful and really bad about yourself. Everyone experiences acne at some stage in their life to some degree so I came up with these ten tips to help treat and prevent blemishes and breakouts.

1. Improve your diet.
Sometimes acne is an indication that your insides aren't healthy and you can change this by eating healthier foods like fresh fruit and vegetables, drinking lots of water and making sure you include chromium and zinc in your diet (helps kill bacteria on the skin).

2. Stop touching your face.
The average person touches their face 18 times an hour, that's up to 432 times in a day! Each time you touch your face, you transfer all of the oil and bacteria from your fingers onto your skin and that can cause more break outs and for your acne to become worse.

3. Use the rights products.
Make sure the acne fighting treatments your using contain either salicylic acid or benzyl peroxide because if they don't, the chances are that they aren't going to do much for your acne. Salicylic acid and benzyl peroxide have been found to be the most effective ingredients in improving blemishes on the skin!

4. Remove your makeup.
Always make sure to remove all of your makeup before going to the gym or bed! If you work out with your makeup on, your skin can't let sweat out of your pores so the sweat with stay in your pores, clogging them and making your acne worse. If you wear makeup to bed then you don't allow your skin to breathe and similar to if you wear makeup to the gym, your pores will become blocked and we all know what nasty stuff happens to your skin when your pores get blocked!

5. Cleanse, tone and moisturize.
Make sure to wash your face with an acne cleanser, purify your skin with a toner and rehydrate with a moisturizer when you wake up and just before bed. Cleansing your skin is obviously essential because it removes all of the dirt and excess oil. Toning is important also for tightening your pores to help reduce the amount of bacteria and other yucky stuff that can get in. If you have oily skin you may think skipping out on moisturizer is a great way to save you any excess oil...think again! If you skip the moisturizer, your skin starts to freak out and produce crazy amounts of oil because you just took so much of it away from cleansing and toning. When you use a moisturizer, it balances out your oil by hydrating but not hydrating so much that you skin becomes oily. Three important steps that are the key to clear skin.

6. Don't pick or squeeze your pimples! 
Picking and squeezing at your pimples only creates broken skin which exposes the blemish to so much bacteria and dirt and therefore slows down the healing process. Not to mention that picking and squeezing also can cause acne scarring which is much worse than acne because it's really hard to get rid off!

7. Keep your hair off your face.
Just think about how oily your hair gets..do you really want that oil transferred onto your face! Try hairstyles that keep your fringe off your face and your hair back. If you love wearing your hair down, just make sure it's clean.

8. Take a multi vitamin.
For your skin to look healthy and glowing it requires certain types of vitamins and minerals. Most you can get in your diet but if you don't think your getting them you can take a supplement. Some vitamins and minerals that have been found to improve acne are Vitamin A, B, C, E, Zinc and Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Trying to incorporate these into your diet can show visible signs of improvement in acne.

9. Exercise.
Light exercises such as Yoga and Pilates help the circulation of blood in the body which creates healthier skin. This is of course good news for your acne!

10. The big guns.
If you have tried all of the above steps, depending on the acne, sometimes you may need something stronger. I recommend visiting a GP or dermatologist to take a look at what type of acne you have and they will be able to prescribe something that could work really well for you. Sometimes the doctor will prescribe a topical ointment or medication, even acutane in severe cases

I wish you all the best of luck in finding clear skin!

TOP TEN TIPS: NAIL CARE

1. Always apply a base coat or nail hardener before putting polish on.

These products act as a protective barrier against the polish staining or damaging your nails.

2. Don't bite your nails.

It's a really simple and important tip but easier said than done. I had a bad habit of biting my nails when i was about 10 or 12 so my mum made me wear nailing biting polish where it tastes awful if you attempt to bite your nails with it on, a good deterrent if nothing else works for you. 

3. Avoid using your nails as a tool.

Each time you use your nails to open something or pick at something, they become weaker and more damaged. Use scissors to open packages (don't pick at the sticky tape they come in!) and knives to open coke cans. You will notice the benefits that come with these little changes through the health of your nails.

4. Take notice of the nail polish remover you use. 

Most nail polish removers contain a chemical called acetone which is a harsh agent on your nails because it dries them out and damages your cuticles. However, acetone also makes it easier to remove polish so you have to find a balance and see if you can put in the bit of extra effort scrubbing your nails with acetone free remover or if you really need it. If you find that you can't live without the acetone then try getting moisturising or strengthening acetone nail polish removers so you are at least getting some benefits when you use it.

5. Buff your nails. 

Like your face, your nails need to be exfoliated as well. Buffing your nails removes any bumpy particles on your nail and leaves a smooth base to put polish on.

6. Use a cuticle oil.

Cuticle oils ensure that your cuticles remain moisturised and healthy. Healthy cuticles promote nail growth so it is important not to forget about them because how you treat your nail beds determines a large part of the health of your nails.

7. File your nails.

Filing your nails is important because it keeps the shape of your nail and smoothness of the edge. For the best result use a glass nail file because the emory boards splinter due to their harsh sandpaper like ways. Nail files are also useful if you don't like clipping or cutting your nails, to file them down to the length you like.

8. Use a hand cream. 

A hand cream provides moisture for what surrounds your nails, fingers and hands, which are just as important as the actual nail. Only thing is to not put it on before polish because it leaves a greasy residue and your polish won't last as long. 

9. Improve your diet.

If you have learnt anything from this post let it be that a lot of other factors influence the health of your nails, other than your nails (hands, skin, cuticles). So diet is very important in your nails health inside and out. You probably know but your nails are made out of protein so make sure you eat lots of protein to help regrow and build your nails strength. You can find protein in meat and dairy but if your a vegetarian you can still find protein in soy products and nuts.

10. Use good quality nail products.

I'm just going to finish of by telling you some nail brands I trust and reccomend as well as some that I dislike. I reccomend Cutex, OPI, Sally Hansen, China Glaze, FOA and Essie. I dislike Rimmel, Maybelline, Ulta3, BYS and Sugarbaby. 

TOP TEN TIPS: HAIR CARE

1. Don't brush your hair while it's wet.
My #1 tip and i can not stress enough the importance of this. I never thought that brushing your hair was so damaging until i recently stopped and noticed dramatic improvments in my split ends and overall health. I know what your thinking..your hair will be unmanageable and impossible to brush out once it dries; my next tips solves this issue.


2. Use a wide toothed comb while your conditioner sits.
Wide toothed combs cause minimal or no damage to your hair if used correctly. While your conditioner is in, slowly and carefully run one of these combs through your ends until you are able to run it through your roots. Starting at the roots may cause distress to your hair so it is crucial to start at the ends. This makes your hair much more manageable after it dries and enables you to not have to brush your hair when you get out of the shower. This step also ensures that your hair absorbs all of the moisture evenly.


3. Minimise useage of heat tools.
An obvious and important step in caring for your hair is to not blowdry, curl or straighten your hair. Of course there are circumstances where it may be unavoidable and this is when you take measures to reduce the amount of damage it causes. Use a heat protectant before using any styling tools on your hair and never set your styling tool to the highest temperature. Eg. blowdry on cool, straighten on 180 instead of 280. These little modifications make a big difference.


4. Don't use bleach.
Bleach is not good for your hair in any way, shape or form therefore should not be used..ever! But as girls, we are constantly changing our hair and will probably dabble in bleach at least a little bit. If bleach is used, make sure to use a heavy leave in conditioner and never leave the bleach on for too long. If necessary, bleach twice in small intervals instead of one long session. Giving your hair a breach from the bleach by splitting it up into intervals makes a big difference.


5. Don't wash your hair everyday.
Everyday it seems like there is a significant reason my hair must be super clean at that specific time but try to avoid washing it more than every 48 hours. This allows for your hairs natural oil to build up and this is extremley nourishing and vital for your hairs health. At least trying to do this every so often if you dont have to go out will make a great start.

6. Choose the shampoo and conditioner which best suits your hair.
These days everything down to the finest detail can be modified especially for you and your hair type. Whether your straight oily, frizzy dry or curly flat theres a shampoo or conditioner out there for you that can volumise, moisturise, minimise, tame, soften, shine or do anything else to your hair depending on what your looking for. Theres no real other way of finding out what works best for you than trying out different brands and variations until you find one which you find best suits your hair.


7. Shampoo twice.
Shampooing twice gives the benefit of extra clean hair. The first shampoo tends to only remove a minimal amount of oil which the second wash really gets in there and cleans your hair.


8. Let your conditioner sit on the hair.
When you are in the shower and put your conditioner in, let it sit for a couple of minutes. It's as simple as leaving it in while you shave your legs or wash your face that gives the product enough time to lock in a substantial amount of moisture.


9. Use styling products that add moisture and avoid ones that use alcohol.
This is an obvious one which i just thought i would mention because a lot of companies sneak in alcohol into their styling products. Alcohol dries out the hair so you want to avoid this in any of your hair products at all costs and look more into products which are based on a moisturising agent. A perfect example of this is the new craze of Argan/Moroccan oils that have come out which is a super moisturising hair food dervied from special trees in Brazil.


10. Put the teasing comb down.
If it doesn't feel right and it doesn't sound right..it can't be good! I am occassionally a little bit naughty and i do tease my hair but when i do i feel so guilty because i can just hear it splitting my ends and feel it pulling at my roots. One of the worst things you can do to your hair, comparable to the effects of bleach.

Those have been my Top Ten Tips on Hair Care. Please look out for more additions to this series on Jordy's Beauty Spot.