If you haven’t noticed already, there are lots of elements to your life which change when you get a spray tan, that you wouldn’t have even thought of. For example: how you take off your makeup. Don’t worry, though, because it’s not too hard once you know what you’re doing.
When getting a spray tan can you wear makeup?
If you are going out somewhere after getting a spray tan, even if it’s just to pick up your shopping, you may be planning to wear makeup (yes, we’re all guilty), but there are some things you may need to know. Although it’s something you perhaps didn’t even think of, should you wear makeup to a spray tan appointment?
The answer is no, it’s best you shouldn’t wear makeup, and there are a few reasons for this. If you do want to wear makeup there, at least pack some face wipes so you can remove this before the session, as the salon may not have any on hand.
When you get a spray tan, your technician applies the product to the face, as well, to ensure that it looks like a natural colour against your body. If you wear foundation or any other makeup during the process, this will act as a barrier between the spray tan and your skin, causing the tan to just wash off later on, and leave you with a pale face. So, to stay safe, avoid wearing any makeup or take it off before your appointment.
How to remove makeup after a spray tan without ruining it
It’s not only during the tanning application itself that you need to be careful with what’s on your face; you should take good care of your skin after, too, as anything too harsh could also remove the tanner and cause it to fade much quicker than it should. You should be aware that the spray tan on your face will fade faster than the rest of your body, as you wash it more often and apply more products to it, but there’s a tip on that later.
Starting with the basics, before you learn how to remove your makeup and cleanse your face when you have a spray tan, you need to know a little bit about skincare itself.
You should wash your face twice a day, morning and night, unless advised otherwise by a dermatologist or specialist. In the morning, there’s no need to remove your makeup, so you just need to follow the steps for cleansing your face. In the evening, you don’t need to apply all of the products which you would apply in the morning, but we’ll go into more depth about this when we get to it.
If you want to know how to remove your makeup and cleanse your face with a spray tan, here are the steps:
- Remove eye makeup: the first step you want to take is the first cleanse – removing the makeup itself. This process involves two cleanses and, for this first one, you want to first remove any false lashes or similar things and take some cotton pads with micellar water or eye makeup remover, depending on what makeup you have on. Rub these pads around your eyes and face, gently, to ease off all your makeup, and don’t worry if some of the cleanser is left on your skin, just make sure you have taken the makeup itself off of the face.
- Rinse face: you don’t need to worry if some product is left on your face because the next step is a rinse. Simply splash your face with some lukewarm to warm water, making sure it’s not too hot.
- Apply cleanser: now that your face is wet, you can take your cleanser, preferably a gel or similar type, and apply a little bit to each section of the face. You don’t need too much, just enough for you to be able to spread around your face. Avoid an oil-based cleanser, like a cleansing oil or butter, as this can break down the spray tan and remove some of the pigment even faster.
- Rub into skin: the next step is to simply rub your cleanser into your skin. Hopefully, you know how to do this but be gentle and move your fingers around your face in circular motions.
- Rinse cleanser: once again, you’re going to rinse you face with either warm or lukewarm water, making sure that you rinse off all the excess product and cleanser without tugging at your skin. This should be a very easy step.
- Pat dry: the final cleansing step is to pat your face dry with a clean towel. There are two very important things about this – PAT your face, don’t tug at the skin and do so using a CLEAN towel to prevent bacteria and dirt getting back into your pores. Don’t pat the skin completely dry, leave it a little damp so that it’s easier for your moisturiser to absorb in.
- Apply moisturiser and serum etc: follow the previous step by applying moisturiser as well as any other serums or products you may use on a daily basis. You should be using a moisturiser both morning and night, but some other products may not be necessary for use more than once per day. Try to do this while your skin is still reasonably damp.
- Always wear sunscreen: lastly, but most certainly not least, sunscreen should be one of your skincare priorities for everyday use. Even with a spray tan and if it isn’t sunny, your skin is prone to sun damage so you should always be using a sunscreen of at least SPF 50.
Also read:
Best Lotions To Use After A Spray Tan (recommended products)
Does Spray Tan Protect You from The Sun?
Additional tips
If you’re wondering how you can benefit yourself the most concerning makeup and spray tan, there are some tips which you may find useful and want to use in your own routine. Here they are:
- Use tanning drops on your face: ok, even though this one doesn’t technically involve makeup, the spray tan on your face will fade much quicker than the rest of the body as you wash it more often. The best tip to combat this is to integrate tanning drops into your moisturiser or serum every morning (or less often if needed) and use this to keep your colour up.
- Avoid waterproof products: as you can guess, waterproof makeup products are harder to remove, and this means you must use a stronger cleanser and may even end up scrubbing the product off your face. For this reason, avoiding any waterproof products where possible is beneficial for your tan.
- Find the best makeup remove for you: although this is something you should probably be doing anyway, finding the best makeup remove to suit your skin is very important. It will mean that you don’t need to be as harsh, or that you’re not being too harsh, as this could remove the tan.
- Our first fragrance-free self-tanning product made specifically for face and neck, for all skin types
- Gradually build your desired facial tan drop by drop; Facial Drops are non-sticky and mix perfectly with your moisturizer or serum (excluding AHA or Retinol serums) for an easy application
- THE LOWDOWN | Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops for the face and body can be mixed with your favorite moisturizer for a custom glow.
- HYDRATING | Infused with natural skin-loving ingredients like Grapefruit, Chia Seed & Avocado Oils for a hydrated, even and long-lasting tan with no streaks, stains or smells.
- ADJUSTABLE GOLDEN GLOW: Golden Glow for Face and Body. Control your glow with Medium Self Tanning Drops. Transform your skincare into a custom self tanner with Colour-Correcting benefits.
- NATURAL LOOK: Glossiva Self Tanner Drops are made with color-correcting technologies to help even out skin tone for the most real looking, natural tan ever.
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Also read: Best Way To Apply Self-Tanner To Face (4 types of products)
Final thoughts
When you think about it, there’s not really much you have to change in terms of your makeup game, but you should be aware that the spray tan on your face will most likely fade faster than that on your body or elsewhere, as your face is washed more often. As long as you’re careful and gentle on your skin, the tan should last longer.
