If you’re anything like us, you’ve been using your tanning mitt all wrong

Colour us surprised.

At this stage, we have the basics down. We know that exfoliation is key and a little moisturiser in the drier areas goes a long way. We also wouldn't DREAM of applying our tan without a mitt. However, we probably haven't been using our mitts to their full potential. It's not just a case of pumping out the tan and whacking it on. If this is your approach, you may have noticed your tan is tough to blend and it takes excessive rubbing to spread it all out and blend it in evenly. A much more effective way is to squeeze/pump the tan onto the lower half of the mitt (where the heel of your hand is). Then fold your top fingers down and slap the mitt together, spreading the product over the mitt. Then, only apply the tan using the top half of the mitt, returning to the clenching motion every time you need a little more product. Self-tanning master James Read at Violet Grey explained to Byrdie:

“You’re diluting the tan and making it thinner. “This is especially important if you’re applying it to your face—this way, you’re lightly buffering the tan onto your face without it being too dark. Only small amounts are going on, and you’re only getting a thin layer.” “This is especially important if you’re applying it to your face—this way, you’re lightly buffering the tan onto your face without it being too dark. Only small amounts are going on, and you’re only getting a thin layer.”

If you've already been doing this, WHY haven't you enlightened us earlier?