If you want to shake a leg, fake your tan
I CAN’T wait to get out of tights and trousers, so when the sun came out this week I had dreams of going bare legged – rather prematurely I fear.
Bare legs in spring when it’s not quite warm enough tend to look like you haven’t been able to afford new tights. Your legs take on a lard-like, blue-tinged hue, and it doesn’t matter how lovely your face and dress is, the effect is ruined. The difficulty is getting your legs brown – it takes ages, especially when you’re working long hours and don’t have the time or inclination to get in the sun, if indeed we get any. So this year I’m going to cut to the chase and fake it on my legs – any extra colour they happen to pick up this summer will be a bonus. However, from past experience, I don’t want streaks, and I definitely don’t want orange.
A relatively new one out that I really like is called Xen-Tan, and its Bronze Luxe does the trick really quickly and easily. When you apply it, there’s instant colour, which lasts about a week before it wears off. (There’s one you apply daily if you prefer). And the colour of Xen-Tan is great. It has an olive skin tone (don’t worry, its not green), which develops after a couple of hours into that enviable Mediterranean tan that you see on chic Italian women. Although I did exfoliate a bit, there weren’t any streaks, or dark patches round the knees – although I tend to avoid them just in case. It also has a fab vanilla smell, and my legs felt really soft and moisturised with it.
In the City, even with brown legs, you should always wear tights, but at least you know they look healthy and bronzed underneath which makes you feel much more inclined to flash them – when that warm weekend eventually arrives you’ll be right there looking lovely in your sundress.
Sara Hollamby is a business image consultant with Working Voices.com.
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Xen-Tan is £25.95 – 236ml from House of Fraser and Selfridges.