A teenage mother claims she was housebound for a week after a fake tan fail left her looking ‘like she’d bathed in chocolate spread’ – with pals even mistaking her for a brown leather sofa.
Mother-of-one Alicia Bettsworth, 18, slapped on three layers of St Moriz ultra-dark fake tan all over her body and face earlier this month but then accidentally fell asleep.
The full-time mother woke up early the following morning and only discovered what colour she was when she scrolled over Snapchat’s camera.
Alicia Bettsworth, 18, left, before, applied three layers of St Moriz ultra-dark fake tan all over her body and face and woke up resembling ‘Nutella’, right
When the horrified teenager put the light on to get a closer look, her 14-week-old daughter Dolly looked up at her and was so shocked she burst into tears.
Alicia from Crawley, West Sussex, said: ‘When I woke up the next day and saw what colour I was I thought “what the hell have I done?”
‘Once I got over the shock I started laughing and thought it was hilarious. I looked like I’d bathed in Nutella.
‘It’s such a “me” thing to do – I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I jumped in the shower and tried getting it off using body scrub but it wouldn’t budge.
‘Everyone who’s seen it thinking I’m sitting on the sofa but I’m in bed – people think I’m a brown leather sofa.
When Alicia turned the light on, her 14-week-old daughter Dolly looked up at her and was so shocked she burst into tears
Alicia put three layers of the £7.99 tan on at 10pm, fallen asleep at 11pm and woke up the next day at 6.45am. She immediately snapped a selfie and sent it to her friends
‘My little girl looked a bit confused at first and then she burst into tears – she was probably a bit scared.
‘Once she realised it was me she stopped crying and started laughing.’
Alicia had put three layers of the £7.99 tan on at 10pm, fallen asleep at 11pm and woke up the next day at 6.45am.
After realising her beauty blunder Alicia took a quick snap and sent it to her friends on Snapchat and Facebook messenger who thought it was hilarious.
Alicia said: ‘My friends were ringing me in tears laughing – especially after an incident the week before where I left wax on too long and burned my girl bits really badly.
Alicia, pictured showcasing her chest tan lines, said: ‘It’s such a “me” thing to do – I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I jumped in the shower and tried getting it off using body scrub but it wouldn’t budge’
‘They were all calling me a kebab after that incident.
‘I was living with my aunt at the time and she was wetting herself too.’
Mortified Alicia had to leave the house that morning to buy Dolly baby milk from the supermarket and claims she was stared at throughout the 20-minute bus journey.
Alicia said: ‘I had to go out because Dolly needed milk – it just couldn’t wait.
‘I don’t drive so I had to get the bus. During the journey people were looking at me, it was so embarrassing.
‘Even the cashier asked me what happened. I just laughed as I didn’t know what to say.’
Alicia, pictured her normal skin hue, joked that all her friends called her ‘kebab’ after the incident
Alicia, who accidentally used the ultra dark hue, said: ‘It hasn’t put me off fake tanning in the future, it was completely my fault’
After braving the outside world for little Dolly, Alicia stayed at home waiting for the tan to wear off.
Alicia said: ‘I just stayed indoors and hid from the world. I tried to get it off in the shower it wouldn’t go any lighter.
‘It was only a week later that I got a really nice tan from it, but in the meantime I just didn’t go out.
‘I had to cancel going out for lunch with my friends and couldn’t go to the baby group I usually go to with Dolly as I couldn’t face meeting the other mums.
‘I’ve used fake tan for two years because I’m really pale and it makes me feel more confident.
‘I usually use this brand but the dark one, not the ultra dark. It made a huge difference going from one to the other – I’ve definitely learned my lesson.
‘It hasn’t put me off fake tanning in the future, it was completely my fault.
‘I’d seen people get really good results with it which I eventually got – just a week later.
‘It could have been a lot worse, I could have had to go to a family party or funeral but luckily I could just stay at home.’
Alicia, left, before, and, right, after, said: ‘I had to cancel going out for lunch with my friends and couldn’t go to the baby group I usually go to with Dolly as I couldn’t face meeting the other mums’
A St Moriz spokesman said: ‘St Moriz is the brand to give you a tan of any shade and we certainly encourage our customers to experiment a little to find the shade that best suits them.
‘We also recommend building up the product gradually and showering to wash off the guide colour to ensure you’re always photo ready.
‘In this case, Alicia got a little more tan than she bargained for by not following the on-pack instructions that show you how to get optimum tan results for your skin tone.
‘You certainly can’t afford to take a snooze like Alisha when you’re on tan watch!
‘A St Moriz product pack is winging its way from us to thank her for being a great sport and one of our tan experts will be contacting her to talk her through the best way to get the right tan in future.’