Confidence Boost with Boots

*This is a sponsored post created in collaboration with Boots – all views are my own*

It has been a crazy few months, hasn’t it? Everything just abruptly stopped, and many things we take for granted were suddenly no longer available. I’m not especially high maintenance, but there are a few beauty treatments that I commit to religiously – my hair cut and colour, pedicures and LVL lash treatments are my three beauty treatment essentials, and these are all things I’ve really missed over the last few months and look forward to doing soon, mostly because they keep my confidence high and ensure I feel my best.

Thankfully, there are many ways we can maintain our confidence at home, and one thing that I think gives everyone a boost of confidence is a touch of colour – I always look better with a summer glow, and the benefits of fake-tanning are many, as not only do you look healthier, which of course positively impacts your confidence, you can also get away with less make-up, which is not only time-saving, it’s also generally better for your skin. Also, if you’re like me and have skin that’s prone to showing marks, a bit of self-tan can balance this out and make everything look a lot more even.

I’ve dabbled with fake tan over the last few years, but my technique still needs a lot of work. I was invited to try some of the fake tan products available at Boots (do put some time aside to have a good nose around as they have so many amazing brands and products available – find their full range here – link) and I chose the St Tropez Self-Tan Purity Vitamins Bronzing Water Mist (usually £31, currently £20.66 here – link), the Tan Luxe The Face Illuminating Self-Tanning Drops (£15 here – link) and the Bondi Sands Self Tan Eraser (usually £14.99, currently £7.49 here – link).

The reason I chose these three products was because I wanted to create my own version of a personal starter kit for getting a decent glow to see me through the next few months. The product I struggle most with is always fake tan for face as I have such reactive skin, so I thought that should be where I’d focus on investing a little bit more; I’ve heard amazing things about Tan Luxe and their revolutionary products, so this was calling out to me. Tan Luxe have so many different options to suit all tanning needs, so if you’re in the mood to treat yourself, I’d start with these guys. Find them here – link.

For me, if I have to think about fake tanning, the first brand that always pops into my mind is St Tropez, and I’ve been desperate to try the newer launches – the Bronzing Water Mist just sounds so inviting, doesn’t it? I also think using a spray-on tan is so much easier than a cream or mousse if you’re like me and your technique sucks…

Speaking of a rubbish technique, my final product choice was the very sensible Bondi Sands Self Tan Eraser, which is basically a cleanser for removing tan. I’ve had a few tanning mishaps and it’s just so frustrating when you invest time in applying your tan, leave it to develop, then realise you’ve overdone it in certain areas and your natural golden glow is suddenly ruined by obvious build-up.

If you’ve never tried fake tan before, there are so many options to help ease you in; I would start with a gradual tan product (find them at Boots here – link) as this is a really easy way to control the depth of colour, and you can get products for face and/or body. If you don’t fancy the commitment, there are plenty of wash-off options too, you an even use a good quality bronzing power to add colour just where you like for a truly natural finish.

Find the full range of Boots fake tan products here – link.