Guide to a long-lasting tan

We put some questions to our beauty expert at Lancôme to find out how to keep hold of a tan.

Is it okay to apply a self-tanning product on top of a natural tan?
Yes. It will maintain the tan without necessarily giving a more intense skin colour. As the cells disappear, the tan will be less visible and the rise in melanin will gradually stop. Once you start to lose some colour, it's the right time to apply a self-tanning product to maintain your tan.
Pale skins that tan with an "apricot" colour can use self-tanning products as soon as they come back off their holidays! If you have pale skin, go for a golden tone with a stronger intensity, one that would suit a slightly darker skin tone than your own.
However, as the tan disappears, you should return to using a lighter shade, and then to retain a healthy colour, use a tinted moisturiser such as Lancôme Sensuelle Summer, Biotherm Summer Source or Shiseido Moisturising Emulsion.

What beauty régime should you adopt to maintain your tan? 
Exfoliate your skin (once a week or more) and moisturise daily. If you do that, you'll not have problems with stains when applying fake tan or tan-prolonging moisturiser.

What should we avoid?
You shouldn't apply fake tan if you've been sunburnt and you're peeling, because you'll end up with different colours. Don't apply too much on difficult parts of your body (feet, hands, elbows, ankles) to avoid making the fake tan obvious.

Does more care need to be taken of the face?
Yes. The skin on your face has been exposed a lot to the sun, which equals risks for the collagen and elastin fibres. You need to use a firming mask; this is strongly recommended for women over 30. Make sure you moisturise your face, neck, neckline and hands well with a moisturisng, nourishing mask.

Do you have any tips for taking care of your body?
Take baths with moisturising and nourishing essential oils that contain witch hazel, olive or almond. The effects of limestone on the skin will be less harsh, cells will be better moisturised, there'll be less shedding of cells and therefore the tan will last for longer. Afterwards, apply a nourishing cream all over the body (because your skin needs fat).