Faking It

You're in the Northern Hemisphere ? Pale Skin ? Its Winter ? You're pale skinned, pasty and pale and feeling the affects of SAD ?

Well try our plan for looking like you've just got back from somewhere exotic. get a Fab fake tan!

There's a few things you'll need to get that perfect tan so head on down to the chemists clutching your 'hello kitty' purse.. and get the following:

Once your home run yourself a bath and find a big old towel that isn't like 100% pure Egyptian cotton, you know, that old thing u use when you're doing the hair dye thing.

Have your bath and exfoliate everywhere you want tanned using a oil and rocksalt mixture. Sensitive skins beware this can sting, so go easier otherwise you'll end up scratched, mush the salt a little first. Girlies too soft for rocksalt can use oatmeal, but this will create a bad mess in the bath afterwards, so only do that if u like to clean.

Ok, now smother yourself in your fave unscented body lotion and sit down for a bit, whilst the lotion does its stuff (moisturising beforehand helps prevent stripe syndrome).

Now get the fake tan, sit on the old towel, put the gloves on (believe me this really helps prevent stripy hand), and working in small areas cover all those bits u want tanned with your chosen fake-tan . Now get some body lotion and apply it to feet, knees, elbows,  fingers, and the inside part of your arms, then dab the excess off with the cotton wool. These body bits get dry really easy or don't tan naturally and can make a fake tan look crap, so applying cream helps.

Wait until it dries before you get dressed, then give it another ten minutes, as most fake tan will stain your clothes.

And don't overdo the fake-tanning otherwise you'll look like those orange-women or worse still Pamela Anderson.

OK enough beauty tips... I'm feeling guilty ..

PlanetGrrl Product Recommendations:

Jules & Jo are Clinique Spray On gals, its easy to use, doesn't streak, doesn't pong too bad and dries really quickly.

Helen says 'I highly recommend Body Shop Watermelon Self Tanner - it is the dogs proverbials, great colour, fades naturally and I have discovered that slapping some on in the winter reduces the onset of SAD.'

' the tan I use is Piz Buin, for a nice even natural shade. Takes a few hours to develop but lasts a week if you are not too enthusiastic in the shower with the scrubbing brush. For an instant but reliable glow is Boots No 7 Instant tanning gel (I think). Excellent colour and easy to spread, as it were, but if your doing your whole body, will stain your palms a bit, by then. They look a grubby purply colour, tho if your going somewhere dark, this does not matter.......or wear gloves.' Yvette D - a planetgrrl reader.