The rise of 'The Man Tan' has been well documented in recent years, with more men than ever before keen to buff up their appearance with a little bronze highlighting.  Why? you may ask?  It’s simple - A bronzed face inevitably looks healthier, more glowing and supple, whilst bronzed and darker body skin inevitably makes you look more toned and dare we say it... sexy! 

Whilst we're not trying to prep your for a TOWIE audition here gents, making you stick out like a sore thumb, we are trying to make you look great with the whole basis to a cracking Man Tan revolving around looking completely natural.  Very popular of course throughout winter and spring, self tanning as a man can fight off those December blues and leave you looking wonderful come the new year.  You will also find that imperfections appear less flamed and defined with a sun kissed tan, which will certainly leave your confidence on cloud nine.

In today's male beauty blog, we'll be focusing on tanning as a man and how you can benefit from a quality self-tan.  Coinciding with the launch of St Tropez for men at MMUK MAN, now is your chance to shine a little brighter this Autumn.


So first, let's begin with a little quality prep.  A couple of hours before tanning time, apply a nice dose of body lotion all over your body and a little moisturiser to the ankles, elbows and base of the feet.  It may also be a good idea to buff away any hard skin from the bottom of your feet, if you have any that is, for the smoothest of applications.  The reason behind this is simple, get your body in the best shape with these techniques and your tanning products can get on with the job they are solely designed to do.


Now it's time for your big moment, all you will need is the St Tropez Tanning Mousse and an application mitt.  Alternatively, you can use your hands as this product once washed off the hands won't leave them looking orange.  Apply two or three presses to each body part before quickly rubbing in.  A quick rub in is essential in achieving a streak less tan, although quality men's tanning products like this, give a great defence against streakiness.


Once you've applied to each limb, the feet, your front and the top of your back, you'll probably need a help in hand applying to your back.  For this, three or four presses of St Tropez will certainly suffice.  Once you're completely covered, apply two presses to your face and rub slightly into your hairline to avoid any tide marks.


A little men's tanning tip:  To make your body appear more toned, flex your muscles whilst applying your self tan, this means when you un-tense the product will form nicely around your muscles and make them appear more defined once the tan sets in...now who needs protein powder?  Leave the self-tan to dry thoroughly and don't wash or shower for eight hours (minimum) after application.  Doing so, will prevent the tan penetrating the deep layers of your skin and could end in it looking patchy and unnatural.  


If you're looking for a tan before a special occasion, like an event or wedding, we'd highly recommend that you apply two days prior to the time you want it to look great.  If you've got enough time, why not have a practice a couple of weeks before so you know exactly what you're dealing with.  From here, you may decide to apply more for a little bit of a darker tone, but this will give you a good point of reference.  Alternatively, you can use this technique and keep topping it up twice a week until you're completely happy with your tan’s tone.


The maintenance of a tan is quite easy, remember to use a daily moisturising lotion and don't shower in too hotter water.  Keep your water warm and pat your skin dry rather than rubbing it.  St Tropez 500ml is now available at Makeup For Men UK and is available for a special price of £49.00.


If you have any more question please feel free to fire them across to one of the team!