I have a little confession: I’m obsessed with being tan. And I mean obsessed – as in, realizing I forgot to self-tan feels about the same as realizing I forgot to shave my legs: not necessary, but definitely preferable. A little disclaimer: I have strawberry-blonde hair and pale skin that does not tan easily (and the South Bend permacloud definitely isn’t doing me any favors). So, to supplement my addiction, I have scoured the articles, the blogs, the store aisles and the internet, hunting for the perfect potion to make my pale skin disappear. There have been failures – strange smells, streaky splotches, overdo-s and misuses – but I would like to believe that now, after about a year, I’ve finally gotten the hang of the self-tan thing. The following is a list of products I’ve tried, and tips for using (or not using) each.
- Jergens Natural Glow Lotion
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Honestly, ladies, I know you’ve already heard about this one. You’ve probably even tried it yourself. I used this stuff every summer for YEARS, trying to keep my skin color to the level of my naturally-tanning younger sisters. It gets the job done, eventually, and the color does look natural. Even the weird smell isn’t too bad. Really, my problems with Jergens all revolve around time: the time it takes for the color to really build and develop (2 weeks in my experience), the amount of time you have to spend putting it on (daily – a little excessive in my opinion) and the brief amount of time it lasts when you stop using it (like 3 days, maybe). For me, Jergens was never a long-term solution to my paleness problem, but it definitely works if you’re looking to get tan in preparation for a vacation or want some daily color addition in the summer.
- L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Tinted Self Tanning Lotion
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Last January, an Instagram blogger I really like recommended L’Oreal Sublime Bronze self-tanning products on her Insta story, so I decided to give them a shot. Honestly, the best decision I’ve made was getting on the L’Oreal self-tanning train. The Tinted Self Tanning Lotion was the first of their self-tanners that I tried, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. After just one use, the color was as deep as two weeks of Jergens, and after two uses, my skin definitely looked like it had seen the sun. My only problem with this product: the shimmer effect. Now, if you’re going to a music festival or plan on spending all day on a beach, this is great because your tan will really stand out amongst the rest. However, when you’re rolling up to dinner with your friends and the South Dining Hall lights are making your skin sparkle like Edward Cullen in the sunshine, well – it might be time to find another self-tanner.
- L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Lotion
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After doing some investigating on the L’Oreal website, I realized that not all tanning lotions are alike: the tinted lotion actually says that it gives an “instant shimmer,” while the regular self-tanning lotion does not. This is the non-shimmer product I picked up after getting fed up with the shimmery-ness of the tinted lotion. It definitely leaves you with less of a fake-tan feeling, but be warned: abide by the timing guidelines. L’Oreal recommends applying the lotion 2-3 times per week. I was using it probably 4-5 times per week, and the results were not cute. My hands became much darker than the rest of my body, and the inevitable imperfections from my amateur application, usually hardly perceptible, were extremely obvious. But as long as you follow the guidelines and apply on schedule (I now apply every 3 days), this is a great product with the added bonus of being a great skin moisturizer!
- L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Hydrating Self-Tanner Milk
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This is the HOLY GRAIL of body self-tanners. I alternate between the Self-Tanning Lotion and this Hydrating Self-Tanner Milk, but I prefer the Milk. With the same natural-looking tan effects as the lotion, the Self-Tanner Milk provides the added bonus of being ULTRA-hydrating – like, seriously, this stuff gets my legs softer than my regular body lotion. Also, it comes with a pump, making the application process that much cleaner and easier. Only downside: I’ve had a lot of trouble finding this one in stores, but you can get it on Amazon Prime for about $11.
- Bali Body Face Tan Water
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My most recent find, discovered last spring, is the Bali Body Face Tan Water. At $30, the price might seem a little steep, but I promise you, if you want to self-tan your face, this is so worth it. Mine has lasted me about 5 months already, and I’m not even halfway through the bottle. All you have to do is apply 3 pumps to a cotton pad, rub it over your face as you would with a facial toner, and then sit back, study, sleep, whatever and wait for the color to develop! This delivers the most natural-looking tan color I’ve experienced, and it definitely beats having to use a ton of bronzer to achieve that sun-kissed look. Not to mention, because it is technically a facial toner, it evens out your skin tone on your face. I usually apply this every other night after washing my face, and I wake up with a tan face any time of year! Definitely a top product.
- Norvell Tanning Mitt
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Finally, if you’re embarking on the self-tan expedition, you definitely need a tanning mitt. This will exponentially reduce streaking, improve blending and overall coverage and let you tan your hands without having to do that annoying thing where you rub it off your palms but try to keep it on the tops of your hands. You can find tanning mitts all over Amazon pretty inexpensively, but I like this one because the velvet is so soft and it’s easy to wash!
Hope this helps anyone out there not quite ready to relinquish that summertime suntan feeling or looking for a little game day tailgate color enhancement! Good luck ladies, and happy self-tanning!