Must Try: This Genius Faux Freckle Trick from St. Tropez

It’s like the old saying goes, “you always want what you can’t have.” Whether it’s curly-haired girls longing for smooth, sleek strands or fair skinned beauties wishing for a rich, deep complexion, we all seem to think the grass is always greener on the other side. For me, freckles have been on my never-not-gonna-happen wishlist for years (I’ve even tried faking them with a brown gel eyeliner and a teeny tiny brush).

Then just a few days ago, St. Tropez kinda blew my mind with this single photo. During London Fashion Week, St. Tropez prepped models’ faces and bodies with a faux freckle tan using their Self Tan Dark Bronzing Mousse ($49.50) and a large-bristled paint brush. The day before the Preen by Thorton Bregazzi show, Nichola Joss and the St. Tropez team faux tanned the models with their One Night Only Instant Glow Lotion ($22.50) then “sprayed” flecks of the deep self-tanner onto the skin, creating a sun-kissed, freckled look.

Genius.

Not only does the speckled effect look totally natural, but it will last for days! I would probably recommend teaming up with a buddy to do this one— while the technique looks quite simple, I feel like it could easily go astray. I would even try using a small toothbrush to freckle up the face (you know, like when you created those splatter artworks in second grade).

Thanks for the inspiration, St. Tropez! I’ll definitely be giving this a go. By the way, if you want to see what the models looked like on the runway, check it out here (spoil alert: they look totally fabulous).