I swear, a tan always makes me feel better about myself. It gives me more confidence and always makes me feel more put together and more attractive. Should I let something this superficial define me? Probably not, but in a bid to not cause myself harm, I have stopped the obsessive sun-bathing of my late teens. The last few years have revolved around self tanning for me instead – and that means finding a product and a formula that suits me and my lifestyle.
Sometimes, however, you want to splash out and be pampered. On the odd occasion that you DON’T feel like stretching to reach those odd bits on your back, and you don’t want to get self tan all over the walls, door, sink and toilet (it’s happened, don’t judge), having a trusty professional spray tan is a great treat. And my favourite product for this is The Tan Lab, which I have applied by Robyn at Simply Tipped in Gillitts.
The Tan Lab offers the spray tan formula in 3 different strengths – Light, Medium and Deep. Being that I am exceptionally fair to begin with, I opted for the Light. The whole process was quick and easy, as you simply stand in a pop up branded ‘tent’, apply some of the Barrier Cream to any super dry areas (feet, hands, elbows and knees), and prepare to become a tanned goddess.
The tan is lightly sprayed over your whole body (face included, and don’t worry, you get a very sexy hair net to protect your crowning glory) and it takes around 15 minutes in total from strip down to putting your clothes back on. As soon as I removed the disposable g-string that Robyn provided me with (I didn’t want to mess up my knickers, but I also didn’t want to stand there in my birthday suit), you could already see a definite tan line.
The Tan Lab solution will feel sticky for around an hour, but after this it dries down and settles, and you make sure you don’t get sweaty or let water splash on your skin for a good 10 hours or so. I had my tan applied in the morning, and only showered again the following morning – luckily it was a mild day and there was none of the typical Durban heat.
As you can see, I was left with the most gorgeous, natural golden glow. It wasn’t an obvious ‘fake tan’ orange, nor was it exceptionally dark, but seeing as my skin is usually so fair, this was perfection for me. If you have a darker skin tone to me, you could always opt for the Medium or Deep shades.
I loved how long The Tan Lab spray tan lasted – well over a week – and how naturally it faded. There was no patchiness at all. I’ll definitely be back for any future tans, whether it be for an event, a holiday, or just to feel that summery kiss of colour again. You can buy The Tan Lab products online and in stores in the form of a cream, I just so wish that they would come out with a spritz or a mousse as these are my preferred method of self tanning at home.
I can HIGHLY recommend Robyn at Simply Tipped as she is professional, quick and very good and what she does. A full spray tan will cost you R250 and you can contact Robyn on 0825652965 or email simplytipped@gmail.com to make a booking.
**DISCLAIMER – while my spray tan was in exchange for review, all opinions are honest and my own.**
