When an invitation landed in my inbox for a spray tan with Jimmy Coco – the mastermind behind the bronzed glow of nearly every A-lister in Hollywood, from Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian to Heidi Klum, naturally, I jumped at the chance. Not only would I uncover the secrets behind their sun-kissed radiance, but I could also banish my winter uglies with a glow of my own.

Based in Los Angeles, Jimmy radiates that warm, all-American energy from the moment you meet him. Perhaps it’s because he’s permanently bronzed to perfection – proof, if ever it were needed, that a tan instantly lifts anyone’s mood.

As a devoted fan of bottled fake tan, it’s surprising that I’d never actually had a spray tan before. The moment I told Jimmy he’d be my first, he seemed almost more excited than I was.

Jimmy transformed the tanning world in 2003 with the launch of Los Angeles’ first mobile tanning service, bringing privacy, convenience, and red-carpet-level expertise directly to Hollywood’s inner circle. Drawing on his background in art and anatomy, he takes a bespoke approach to each client, skillfully contouring and enhancing the body through the art of tan. He now even has his own tanning range called Sunless by Jimmy Coco, with their Tinted Tan souffle currently available in two shades.

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He was the magician behind Kylie Jenner’s bronzed glow at the Golden Globe Awards in that striking metallic Ashi Studio gown. He has also been the go-to personal tanning expert for Kim Kardashian and her family for more than 15 years, and served as the official tanning artist for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for over a decade.

Stepping inside the tanning tent set up in the grand bathroom of 1 Hotel Mayfair, I was more than ready for my transformation – determined to emerge looking as though I’d just stepped off a plane from the Caribbean. And I got exactly that.

Fresh from an exclusive post-tan interview with Jimmy, I’m here to share Hollywood’s best-kept glow secrets — along with his expert advice on how to recreate the results at home.

Kardashian secrets

“I can’t believe it when I look back and think of how long Kim and I have been doing this for, like 17 years,” shares Jimmy. “We usually do a weekly appointment. When I show up for Kim or Kylie, it’s a 15 minute set up, tan, and take down. We have our routine and it’s very quick.”

Jimmy continues: “They are really great at scrubbing their tans off and getting another tan. They are the most incredibly talented and committed glam icons, and they make it happen”

Jimmy tends to frequently travel with Kylie, and when he’s not with her, he sends his Souffle so she can touch up her tan herself.  “I’ve had to go to Berlin on a day’s notice before,” he admits. “I’m very dedicated and I know that if it’s last minute, it is really important.”

As for Kylie’s Golden Globes tan, Jimmy reveals that she opted for a medium shade. “Normally we do very dark, but I think she rinsed off a little bit earlier for that dress,” he shares. However, when it comes to Kim, she loves going dark. “It’s funny, we were going through a trend of where she wasn’t going as dark, but recently we’ve been going darker,” he says. “I know that when she’s blonde, we don’t tan as much.”

The lighting on the red carpet also plays a crucial role in what shade to opt for. “So flash photography seems to kind of blow out the tan. It makes it really light,” explains Jimmy. “So we go darker like the red carpet, and for the daylight then you don’t need to go as dark.”

Fake tanning prep and after-care

Jimmy advises to shave two days before tanning, exfoliate like normal, and don’t apply any moisturiser on the day of application. For your pre shower, Jimmy says to do a cold rinse at the end to close your pores and avoid those dotted legs.

For ultimate results, he recommends marinating in the tan for eight hours before washing it off with just water and no soap. Then after the second wash you can start applying your body moisturiser twice a day to maintain the tan. “You want to make sure that you keep your skin hydrated because hydrated skin keeps your tan on,” he shares.

“If you’re someone who needs the tan to last, avoid oils. If you’re someone who can get another tan whenever you want, then use the oils if you want to, because it’ll break down the tan and then you just get another tan,” he adds.

Jimmy also recommends his Buff & Glow mitt as its a 3-in-1 full-body tanning mitt that also can help exfoliate the skin and remove old residue. “If you wanted to go out last minute and you’ve already shaved or you haven’t shaved, you can just scrub it off, you can do a dry exfoliation,” he says. “So, if you went to work and you had lotion and you don’t have time to take a shower and you want to do a quick tan, you can do a quick dry exfoliation to exfoliate away the lotion.”

“And then you flip it over, and then you do one to two pumps of souffle on the soft side, and then you apply,” he adds. Jimmy also has some expert advice to avoid those orange hands. “You don’t want to apply it directly to your hands and feet. I usually use whatever is residual on the hands and the feet. And when you’re a beginner and learning how to use self-tanning yourself, I would apply a little bit of lotion on the backs of your hands and on your feet,” he shares.