The face is the first place people look and the last place people think about in the booth. Facial skin behaves differently from the rest of you. Here is how to get it even, without it running ahead or lagging behind.
Clean skin in, every time. Makeup and skincare residue block the session unevenly.
Your face can run ahead. Many beds have separate, stronger facial lamps.
Or it can lag behind. Daily exfoliating products shed colour faster.
Goggles are not optional. Eyelids do not stop UV.
Part one
Why your face tans differently
Facial skin is thinner than the skin on your body, it gets more daily attention, and on many beds it sits under its own set of lamps. That combination is why faces go one of two ways: noticeably darker than the body, or stubbornly paler.
Separate facial tanners. Plenty of beds have dedicated facial lamps that are stronger than the body tubes. Great if your face lags, a problem if it catches easily.
Daily products. Exfoliating acids, retinoids and scrubs speed up how fast your skin renews, so colour sheds sooner. Some also make skin more sensitive to UV, so if you use them, check with your salon or pharmacist first.
Makeup and SPF moisturisers. Worn every day, they mean your face gets less incidental colour than your arms do.
Most uneven faces are not a product problem. They are a prep problem.
Part two
Before the session
Take everything off. Makeup, tinted moisturiser, anything with a shine. Cleanse and dry.
Know your bed. If your face catches fast, ask whether the facial tanner can be turned down or off for part of the session. If it lags, ask for a bed where it is on.
Goggles on. Every session. If you are worried about goggle marks, shift them slightly between sessions rather than going without.
Never over a burn. If your face is still pink from last time, skip it.
Part three
What to put on your face
Any of our creams can go on your face. Lumière is the one built for it: the same tanning engine as the body range, including MelanoBronze and acetyl tyrosine, in a lighter 50ml base with hyaluronate and peptides for the skin and a soft pearl that catches the light.
A pea sized amount. That is the whole face. More does not mean more colour, it means a shiny face in the booth.
One to two minutes before. On clean, dry skin. Skip the eye area and let it absorb.
Neck and ears too. Blend down so there is no line where the face stops and the body cream starts.
Body cream, heavy hand
Shiny
Too much productMakeup underneathNo goggles
And usually uneven by session three.
VS
Lumière, clean skin
Even
Pea sizedClean faceGoggles on
Colour that keeps pace with the rest of you.
Part four
After the session
Moisturise that evening, and keep your usual daily SPF outside the booth. If you use exfoliating products, go gently on the days around a session. Face and body tan at slightly different speeds, so judge it over a week or two, not one visit. How many sessions it takes has the realistic timeline.
To be clear about what we are not saying: nothing here makes a sunbed session safer, and no product protects your skin from UV. Follow your salon's session times and never tan to the point of going red.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
Why is my face not tanning on the sunbed?
Usually one of three things: makeup or skincare sitting on the skin during the session, a facial tanner that is switched off or weaker on that bed, or skin that sheds faster because of exfoliating products. Start with a clean face.
Why does my face tan faster than my body?
Many beds have separate facial lamps, and facial skin is thinner. If your face runs ahead or catches easily, ask the salon whether the facial tanner can be turned down or off for part of the session.
Can I use body tanning cream on my face?
You can, and plenty of people do. Lumière is simply built for facial skin: a lighter base, a pea sized amount, and skincare ingredients chosen for the face.
Should I wear makeup on a sunbed?
No. Take it off first. It sits between the lamps and your skin and can leave patches.
Do I need goggles on a sunbed?
Yes, every session. Your eyelids do not protect your eyes from UV.
