Buying self-tan products is a cheaper option of getting show day ready if you are confident applying your own tan or have someone to help you. It can be stressful and a little bit daunting if you’re unsure. It’s a common question we get asked so we thought we would give you the entire overview depending on the level of experience you have as a competitor, while also covering competing abroad and considerations with that too.

First Timer / don’t stress about it!

There is a lot to think about and take in doing your first show and even first year of competing. So we would personally advise against doing your own competition tan at this stage. (Unless you’ve had experience with applying tan before I.e. you’ve used pro tan before for a photo shoot!). Many people don’t realize but when you book your tan this also includes touch up and glazing just before you go on stage.

Couple of shows in competitor?

If you’ve done a couple of shows this is definitely worth considering. You can always do a base coat yourself as a starting point and book your topcoat with the tanners. This way you will save money on your tan. For example, £30 and hotel fee if the show venue isn’t close to you. From personal experience anything more than 1.5 hours away it’s worth getting a hotel the night before to avoid unnecessary stress and early wake-up calls!

If you’re still anxious about giving it a go you could always book a photoshoot or simply do a trial run at say 4 weeks out. This will mean you are able to practice and see how your tan comes out!

Competing abroad?

Getting your show tan abroad can be a very different experience, and some shows do mixed-gender tanning which can be off-putting. Most competitors opt to do their own tan at international competitions. If you’re thinking of doing this too our top tips are…

• seal up the tan bottles and glaze in a sealed tight plastic bag

• at least do your base coat (mixing the super dark if needed) as some venues overseas you have to pay per coat of tan which can add up!

• take a mini kit that won’t take up too much space in your luggage

Application

Application wise make sure your skin is well prepped. Using an exfoliating product in the lead up to your show, such as Get Buffed, is important for a clean, smooth application. It is best to pour some of the tanning product into a tupperware container so you can cover the whole mitt in the tan, and essential to use vertical strokes when applying.

The Pro Tan Overnight Competition Colour Base Coat should be used by both male and female competitors. For light skin use 2 coats, medium skin tones use 1-2 and dark skin tones use 1 coat for your base coat. We recommend leaving knees, elbows, feet and face until the end of application.

There is also the Super Dark Base Coat which can be used for those who are VERY naturally pale. This is a smaller bottle so can be mixed with the normal base coat. It’s easy to think you should tip the whole bottle in but we usually advice only tipping a small amount in as the super dark is powerful stuff and you don’t want to be looking WAY too dark! Both bottles come with a tanning mitt.

Finally, make sure you purchase a tan for bodybuilding. Not a every day tan you can pick up from Boots or Superdrug. Competition tan is designed for the stage and the lighting and normal tans just aren’t going to cut it!

Any questions we can help with? Send us a message.