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1st July 2019
03:22pm BST
First things first, we know you're not silly enough to be going on the sun beds, yeah? Let's get that out of the way: if you want to be bronzed AF then chances are with pasty Irish skin that the only safe way to do that is to use fake tan.
So whether you're a spray tan addict or a regular Tan Thursday gal, you're gonna need a few essential items in your tan kit to make it look as natural as possible.
I went through a serious tanning phase as a teen (hello Rimmel Sun Shimmer, we still love you xox ) and it's only recently that I've started to use the ol' tan on a regular basis again.
What I often find confusing is the sheer range of choice out there now - you've got budget to luxury and everything in between. All in the name of research (and okay yeah, vanity too), we've come across some must-haves that every Irish tan addict needs in their life.
Here's what I can't do my tan without:
Cheep and cheerful, this refreshing gel-scrub smooths skin and is gentle enough to use every single day.
Just lash it over skin in the shower and scrub away any dead or rough patches. Plus, it's only around €8.50 from Boots so no need to be too precious about it.
This addictive body cream is packed with Cupuaçu Butter, Açaí and Coconut Oil and is available on Fetch Beauty for us Irish folk. It's €50, but a little goes a long way and the smell is perfection.
Let it fully sink in before you start tanning up.
So soft. So smooth. This double sided mitt is the one mitt to rule them all. It's only a tenner and you can get it in most pharmacies.
Also, this might sound horrific but the black colour means you can't even see all those nasty tan stains.
Probs the holy grail of Irish tan, I doubt there's any tan lover who doesn't have this €10 tan on their shelf. Why do people love it so much? It literally makes you tanned in just one hour (I'm a divil and leave it on the whole night to develop) and doesn't even smell like fake tan.
Shades range from medium all the way through to the intense ultra dark so you can gradually dial it up as needed.
These are genius exfoliating false tan removal wipes that lifts off stubborn tan in a flash from areas such as hands, elbows, knees and ankles.
Dual-use wipes allows usage on both old stubborn tan and immediate tanning mistakes! It's only €4.50 and there's 25 wipes inside so it lasts long enough as well.
These absolute magic drops are €25 in Boots and come in Light, Medium or Dark. You basically just put a few drops into your normal moisturiser and voila! A super natural tan.
You can use these on body as well but I find it works best on the face.
Praise be, CB has done it again. Their latest produce is a tan eraser that literally removes all traces of tan in under five minutes.
Use it to get rid of old tan by rubbing onto dry skin, waiting for five mins and then wiping off with a face cloth in the shower. It's €9.95 and you can grab it in Penneys.
You'll be golden and glowy (and skin damage free!) for the entire summer.
Ideal.
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