Skirt wearing season makes me feel a little nervous. I was always the girl at school who snubbed the pleats and sweated out the warmer months in my trousers. Partly due to my spindly pins and the fact that one calf is covered in psorasis, I like to keep ’em covered up which enters me into the vicious ‘sun helps my psorasis/I don’t like getting my legs out/psoriasis gets worse’ cycle. But this year I’ve vowed not to be the sweaty betty panting in my jeans at the back, to wear those Zara shorts I purchased last year with sale-tinted glasses on and whip out my limps. Yep, arms too. I’m feeling brave. And to make the transition from ankle to thigh that little easier I’ve been employing the help of the following pasty limb tints that take me from ghosty to glowy in two minutes flat.
Let’s start by discussing the anomaly of the pack, MAC Face + Body Foundation (I use the shade N3 for my body). Though this formula and I can’t get on in the face department, I’ve been spreading this on my legs pre-night out for years. It’s less ‘tanny’ and more covering than the others, plus is available in a tonne of shades and does not budge till you shower it off. Bruises, grazes (and psoriasis) are blended away in one clean sweep.
Two that serve the same function are Rimmel’s Instant Tan Sunshimmer in Light Matte and Clinique’s Self Sun Body Tinted Lotion*. Both squeeze out as tinted gels thant when applied to the body impart a wash of ‘I’ve just been on a seven day seaside break’ colour. No shimmer, nor particularly much glow they just get the job done and if I had to pick the differences between them, I could only think of one. The Clinique version runs slightly more olive and the Rimmel more orange. But you can’t knock that Rimmel one, especially for the price – that stuff saw me through my Uni days, and dayum do I look tanned in those (thankfully) burried Facebook photos.
Now for the favourites. If I’ve been a good girl and have been applying the Xen-Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe diligently then I spruce up my limbs before public exposure with a souped-up body lotion, This Works’ Perfect Legs Skin Miracle. It’s marketed for legs but I throw it on all over. There’s a hint of glow to the formula, but it’s not too J.Lo-esque and it’s packed with leg-loving ingredients – a good ‘finisher offer’ for tanned-up days. But my favourite, favourite is Caudalie’s Divine Legs. It may be the newest addition to my tanning tints, but it was love on first application. Again one that I throw all over, this has a touch more tan than the others and unlike some which can be a little sticky (yep Rimmel I’m looking at you) once you’ve taken one pump massaged into each limb you don’t even know it’s there until you walk past and a mirror and catch a glimpse of that gorgeously glowing creature in front of you. Hel-lo.
*PR Sample
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