Clare has sworn by Amanda Harrington’s tans for years, never going on holiday without booking an appointment with Amanda first. One of the beauty industry’s most respected experts, Amanda’s modern approach to sunless tanning has earned her a cult following and an A-list client roster. She started her career as a makeup and body artist, working on film sets, editorials and music tours. She went on to found Amanda Harrington London and InParlour, a beauty concierge service that offers The Bespoke Body Contouring Technique by Amanda Harrington™, her completely customisable method of bronzing the face and body with personalised colour, applied with luxurious tanning brushes to achieve a flawless tan.

Clare asked Amanda to share her top tips for achieving the perfect (safe) tan at home in a few easy steps.

“Tanning mitts harbour so many germs as people rarely use them just once. They also absorb so much product and are flat so it’s hard to follow the curves of your body,” says Amanda. “The brush is an extension of my hand as I’ve had a paintbrush in it since I was six years old. Blending colour into the skin - be it creams, foundations or tanning tints - you achieve a far superior finish when using a brush.” Amanda spent years developing her range of tanning brushes.  Each brush helps to buff the tan onto the skin and push the colour in deeper, minimising the risk of streaking or patching so that your tan lasts far longer and looks much more natural.

Make sure you set time aside to properly prep your skin first: “Remove any unwanted hair 24 hours prior to a tan application – it helps with exfoliation and allows enough time for the pores to close again before you tan.” If you can, soak in a warm bath with some bath oil for about 20 minutes before exfoliating to remove any leftover tan from previous applications. This will soften the skin and ensure you remove all dead skin when you exfoliate for the perfect, smooth canvas.

Amanda advises to “slough off dead skin cells using my New Skin Body scrub. For the face, use my New Skin Face pads, which leave you with a dewy and glowing complexion.” If your skin is very dry or you are worried about the tan tin clinging to tricky areas such as elbows, knees or knuckles, add an extra layer of hydration with Amanda’s Ultra Balm.

“I have spent years developing three different tints to reflect natural skin tone and base colour, so when you apply the tan it doesn’t sit flat and lifelessly on top of the skin, but elevates it to reflect the way you would tan naturally in the sun.” Natural Rose
“I created this for a fairer skin tone. Most tans out there look yellow or sallow on skin or are too red.  I mixed violet into an ashier-based tan tone to suit a cooler complexion.”

Natural Honey
“This mimics that golden Californian glow.  This is perfect for skin with a yellow undertone to add a touch of warmth back to the complexion.”

Natural Olive
“I created this to elevate a green or grey skin tone that might need a lift. It’s also perfect for a darker skin tone to enhance or even out skin.”

“The premise of my body contouring system is to create the illusion of shape by enhancing a client’s bone structure. The technique comes from painting – an artist paints thin, fine layers to gently build colour, light and shadows.” If you’re doing a full body tan, it’s ideal to do it in the evening before bed to allow maximum time for the tan to develop. Amanda promises that “if you use my Tanning Brushes the colour won’t stain your sheets!” If you’re just using the Face Mist to perk up your skin this can be done in the morning as you get ready to achieve a semi-permanent bronzed glow. Then all you need is a slick of mascara and a touch of blusher and you’re ready to go.

Apply the Pre-Colour Primer, which is packed with Hyaluronic Acid and Collagen, to maintain the moisture in your tan and deepen the colour before you apply the Face Mist and Body Mousse. Apply every two days after application to extend the life of your tan with its low-level tanning agent.

If you do have an area of tan that is darker than you would like, then use one of Amanda’s New Skin Face pads to gently lift some of the colour for a more even result.