Hey beauties! This is a long post- but it has a lot of information. I hope you enjoy it!
About a year and a half ago i quit using tanning beds & I honestly didn't know very much about self tanners when i quit going to the salon. I just tried random ones from the drugstore and online that i thought would work, and half of them made me orange. It will take some time and trying different products to see what will work for you, but don't let one bad self tanner make you think they're all horrible. There are some gems out there! :)
Im happy to finally be at the point where i have multiple self tanners that i swear by and enjoy, so i am going to show you those today. I will also include the moisturizers i use that have helped my tan last for a week or more.
** A few tips before we get started-- You want to make sure you prepare your skin for self tanner. Make sure you have shaved and exfoliated your body. Focus the exfoliation more on your hands, knees, feet, and elbows since those areas are usually the most dry and where self tan will cling too. I recommend applying your self tanner before you go to bed, that way it has time to develop. (About 8 hours) You also want to make sure you are wearing loose clothing so that your clothes are not rubbing against your body and moving the self tanner constantly.
(L to R) Million Dollar Tan Cabana Tan EXTREME Lotion, Sun Goddess, St. Tropez in Dark, Vita Liberata in Dark
Im going to start from left to right- Also if i have a coupon code for any of these, they will be included.
I want to start off with million dollar tan- this is the Cabana Tan EXTREME lotion. This one is going to give you a nice tan. Its not as dark as the others, but it looks very natural. The thing that makes this tanner different from the others is that it does not have a color guard. Which means that the tanner is white and you cannot see where you are applying it. I was skeptical about this product when i first got it because i had only used tanners with a color guard, because i could see where i missed when applying it. Surprisingly this is a very easy product to work with. I basically use it like i would a regular lotion. It moisturizes your skin and once it develops- you have a nice golden tan. A great bonus about this product is it does not get on your clothes/sheets since it does not have a color guard. Which is nice especially if you want to apply the product and then go out and do something. You wont see color right away- but if you apply it before bed and give it about 8 hours to develop- you'll have great color. This tanner also does not have a smell.
Get it here-- Use Coupon code "casey" for 10% off your order- all lowercase
Next up we have the Sun Goddess self tanner. Now this is the first tanner i used when i stopped using tanning beds. This product made me realize that there are great self tanners out there. As you can see from the picture above, it is VERY dark. It is an olive based tanner which means it is going to give you a nice, natural looking tan. The color DARK is very very deep and dark. So if that is the color you are going for, this is the product for you! The only complaint i have about it is the smell. Sometimes it can get a little overwhelming, but if you can deal with it for about 15 minutes, you'll be fine. To me, the smell is worth it because the color is so deep and natural. Definitely a holy grail product.
Get it here-- Use coupon code "itsbl0ndie" for 10% off your order- all lowercase
Now we are moving on to the mousse formula. Let me tell you, the mousse formulas are my favorite. I find them pretty easy to apply and the smell is never overpowering. I would recommend getting the Self Tanning Mit to apply them, I find it is a lot easier than using your hands.The one i am going to talk about first is the St. Tropez DARK Self tanning mousse. Ive never tried the original one because when i saw others use it, i did not think it looked that dark. When i saw this come out not to long ago, i looked up youtube reviews on it and i was going crazy about the color! When you first apply this product, you will look green. Yes i said it, green. The reason why it is so green is because that is the olive tones in the self tanner and that is what is going to make the tanner look natural as i stated earlier. Dont worry though, you wont look green when you rinse it off. You will be left with a deep tan after about 8 hours. This tanner, as you can see above, does have a colorguard as well & will get on your clothes/sheets. The tanner does wash out with my fabrics though.
Last but not least is the Vita Liberata Self Tanner. You can get this at sephora. It was just released in america not too long ago, so of course i had to buy it! This is the newest self tanner ive tried and ive used it for a month and a half now. I actually just ran out of it and i loved it so much, i purchased another one online. I dont think it gets as dark as the St. Tropez, but it does get pretty dark! This one has more of a red undertone, but its not too much to where it looks like you are an odd color. This has been the self tanner I've used in my videos this past month and i had so many compliments/questions on what self tanner i was using. It claims to have a 3 week staying power but honestly, i think it only lasted about a week. Even after applying it once a day for 3 days (Like it says you should on the bottle so the tan will last 2 weeks). I personally love the color and how it stays on, so thats why i re purchased it!
With all of these self tanners i do not find that they fade blotchy on the skin. As long as you keep your skin moisturized, you will have a nice even fade with your self tanner. Speaking of moisturizers...
(L to R) St. Tropez Tan Optimiser, LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner
These are my 2 favorite moisturizers of the moment! I recently saw Lauren Curtis talk about the St Tropez Tan Optimiser and i had to try it! It is such a moisturizing lotion but it does not leave a greasy film on your skin, which i LOVE! I can always trust Lauren's opinion on products like this because she is a fellow self tanning lover as well! The LUSH Ro's Argan Body Conditioner is a fantastic product too. I am sooo bad about remembering to put lotion on my whole body after i get out of the shower. The ro's argan is something you can put on your body while your in the shower. I recommend doing it after you have completed everything in your shower routine. Right before i get out (while the water still running) i put this all over my body, get out, and then I pat myself dry with a towel. It leaves me sooo moisturized. I swear by this product & it smells like heaven.
**QUICK TIP-- to help with the crazy tan lines or patches you can get on your elbows, hands, etc. After i have applied my self tanner all over my body, i will take my moisturizer and apply it to the dryest areas. So i put it on my elbows, knuckles, wrists, knees, toes, ankles, etc. This helps keep the area moisturized so the tanner does not cling to the skin and make it look so noticeable that you are wearing self tanner. This has personally worked so well for me. If you are having a hard time making these areas look more natural, i definitely recommend trying this tip out.
So that is it! I hope you guys enjoyed this very long post. I know its a lot of information but i wanted to tell you as much as i could since i get a lot of questions about it! Dont forget to follow my blog and share my posts if you find them helpful/interesting. Thanks so much for reading.
xoxo Casey
