When it comes to pale skin, mine is up there with the best of them and mostly I’m absolutely fine with that. (You know what I’m going to say right? It’s so important to love the skin that you’re in.)

But when the days start to get a lot warmer and the sun begins to shine, I do like to add just a hint of colour to my freckled English rose type of complexion and I always, always do that with a little bit of self tan which let’s face it is a damn sight safer than exposing yourself to the sun’s damaging rays.

I’ve been using self tanning products for over a decade now and hand on heart, the only brand I’ve ever used (and trusted), to give me a golden glow is St Tropez. In fact I love the brand so much, I even did my own self tanning for my wedding day using one of their products!

So when I was recently invited to test out their new product ‘Gradual Tan One Minute‘ you can bet your bottom dollar that I whooped with joy! And, that I took my testing of this product very seriously.

Over three days, I was asked to apply the self tanning product and report back on the results. So here we go…

From left to right: Day 1: Before testing began / Day 2: After one application / Right: Day 3: Test over!

As you can see, I’m not incredibly brown but I do have a lovely, natural looking sun kissed kind of glow which personally is always the kind of tan I’m after.  (All photographs were taken in the same place, in the same light and have no filters on them.)

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty and tell you how it works…

The ‘Gradual Tan One Minute’ is the kind of self tanning product I’ve dreamed about. It’s quick, ridiculously easy to apply and works brilliantly.

The product is a mousse and all you do is squirt some into your hands or onto your self tanning mitt which personally I would well recommend and rub it in. I had a little orange palm disaster after the first application – my fault entirely – as I didn’t scrub my hands! I totally should have known better and after my silly mistake, switched over to a self tanning mitt for the further two applications. So if you’ve any sense, you’ll learn from me and not do the same!

When you first apply it, you’ll notice that it goes on quite thick, creamy and white (which is great because it enables you to easily see if you’ve missed any bits), but as you rub it in, that quickly disappears leaving you with a lovely noticeable sheen.

And then, once you’re covered, you leave it on for a minute or two before jumping in the shower and washing it off! The tan then develops over the next eight hours as you get on with your day. I tell you, it’s as simple as that.

There are two reasons I absolutely adore the simplicity of this product. One, because you don’t have to spend hours covered in self tanning product which can leave you feeling sticky, uncomfortable and looking a bit orange! (If you’ve used fake tan before, you’ll know that you usually have to leave the product on for hours!) And two, because it’s so quick and easy to use, that it’s absolutely perfect if you’re someone like me who is a busy working mum to little people and so is always strapped for time.

On the first day, I applied the product meticulously just to be safe and avoid any streaks or missed areas (let’s just forget about the palms) but on the second day, I was purposefully a lot more slap, dash shall we say. And what do you know, but it all turned out absolutely fine. I’ve been left really impressed with how even the tan has developed.

Now obviously this is a gradual self tanning product so you will need to apply it for a number of consecutive days until you’ve built up the colour and depth of tan that you like. Therefore if you want a deep tan quickly, this product probably isn’t for you. (However it’s definitely worth considering as a product to help keep your tan topped up.)

But if you’re someone like me, who is pale of skin and just wants a subtle colour that builds up gradually or if you haven’t got the time or inclination to spend ages meticulously applying a self tanning product for a deep overnight tan, then this is pretty damn near perfect.

In three days I’ve gone from pale to sun kissed, with no streaks and zero blotches and it’s been effortless. (Pop over to my Instagram stories or FB page to find out more and see for yourself!)

Do I recommend this product?

You betcha I do! Go and grab some before everyone else finds out about it and supplies run out. I’ll be stocking up on it for the summer.

Where Can I Buy It?!

The St Tropez Gradual One Minute Tan, retails from around £9.50 and is available from all good high street stores such as Boots and Superdrug.

*Disclaimer – Thank you to the lovely team at St Tropez for working with me on this collaboration.