The Makeup Bakery: Homemade Natural Fake Tan

Tried and tested I love this Recipe. Tea or coffee? nooo I'm not offering you a drink. This is the main ingredient in our fabulous fake tan recipe. The choice of which is entirely up to you. I found the coffee gave a deeper richer tan. However it also smelt very strong... the tea was more gradual. Just like our teeth our skin can be stained through the likes of tea and coffee.

Coffee is usually associated with waking people up in the morning, but it can also perk up your skin. According to Livestrong The caffeine in tea and coffee has a number of benefits for your skin, from treating redness and inflammation, to reducing the appearance of under-eye circles, to getting rid of cellulite. By incorporating caffeine into your skin care routine, you can reveal evenly toned, smooth skin all over your body.

In a 2008 study performed at the University of São Paulo, researchers found that an application of skin cream containing caffeine to cellulite reduced the size of cellulite fat cells by 17 percent. In addition, a 2007 study performed at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro found that caffeine cream applied to cellulite decreased the hip's diameter in almost 70 percent of participants. A number of anti-cellulite creams have been developed to reduce the appearance of cellulite, or you can take advantage of the power of caffeine by adding ground or instant coffee to your regular body scrub at home. or in this case applying it as a gradual tanning agent.

Now the easy way to do this is to either brew a few tea bags 4-6 or 4 heaped spoons of coffee. leave for 10-15 mins until cool enough to use. You can apply it directly to the skin...

However I've tried a far better yet slightly more complex recipe...and its amazing...

you will need...

1 carrot
4-6 tea bags or 4 -6 heaped coffee granules
oil of your choice (i used olive oil and flaxseed oil but you could use coconut, almond or any of your choice)
optional...orange rind (contains vitamin c and essential oil) and cocoa powder for darker colour.

Start by dicing the carrot and boiling in a saucepan. let the carrots really cook so all the goodness penetrates the water.
Add your tea bags or coffee (be careful not to rip the tea bags.)
leave to simmer for 10 minutes
add your oils
and last add a spoonful of cocoa and some orange rind.
sieve out the carrots, tea bags and orange rinds.
leave to stand for 10-15minutes

In the meantime, take a shower to ensure your skin is oil- and sweat-free. Afterwards, make sure skin is completely dry.

Stand on something you don’t mind getting dirty. If using a sponge, drench it in the mixture and wipe all over your body. If using a spray bottle, fill it with tea and spray evenly. Let skin air-dry and apply another coat for a deeper shade.

Tea and coffee will stain clothes if wet, so make sure you’re all dry before dressing. The “tan” should last 3-4 days.