My Summer Must Have
With summer quickly approaching and the thought of my white legs out for all to see is terrifying! To say I have tried every self tanner under the sun would... actually be quite accurate. I swore off baking in the sun and tanning beds after I got diagnosed with melanoma at the age of 18. It was so hard as a young girl to not be able to have a glow from the sun anymore. That is where my search for the perfect self tanner began. There are a few things I look for when trying out a self tanner. I want it to have a good base color (green or brown), not streaky , quick drying ,not sticky, long lasting, and smell decent. I say decent because honestly they all smell bad some just worse than others. Below are a couple good ones I use at home and an option I use for special occasions!
Always make sure to prep your skin for the best result. I like to shower, shave, and exfoliate with the loving tan mitt before every application. After showering only put lotion on face and feet or where you tend to be the driest. This keeps the product from developing darker in these areas. I also use a foundation brush to apply the product to these areas to avoid putting too much product on. (face, neck, tops of feet, tops of hands) I always put on latex gloves and use the mitt to apply the product to the rest of my body.
Loving Tan Deluxe Mousse
This is a great option for self tanner beginners and the experienced. It has a built in color guard so you can easily see where you put the product before it develops making it basically fool proof! The color is always a beautiful bronze. I always seem to get the most compliments on my tan when wearing this formula. Loving tan is also all natural so you don't have to worry about putting harsh chemicals on your skin to get that glow! I wear the Deluxe Bronzing mousse in ultra dark. I always do my usual skin prep as listed above at night. I sleep in the product giving it at least 6 to 8 hours to develop and shower in the morning. This tan will last around a week.
Loving Tan Bronze Shimmer Luminous Cream
I like to apply this on clean skin to deepen my tan and add a shimmer.This product isn't a self tanner but more like body makeup. It is amazing to give you a little color if you don't have time to self tan with the mousse. It adds that beautiful glow to your skin with just the right amount of shimmer. My absolute favorite thing about this product is that it dries instantly without transfer to clothes. It easily washes off with soap and water. I have applied this and 5 min later it is completely dry!
Fake Bake Flawless
Fake bake is a perfect hybrid of all my favorite things in a self tanner. It develops in about 4 to 5 hours, dries quick and you can wear this one through out the day as it develops! It has a color guard in it so you will instantly see the color. It has a light tropical smell that wont leave you reeking of self tanner if you wear it out. I love to use this one if I forgot or got lazy and didn't self tan the night before. You can apply this one in the morning and wear it all day without the sticky feeling. The color is Beautiful!!! It is the most natural brown/olive tan.
Spray Tan
This is my favorite out of all the fake tanning products I have tried. Mostly because it eliminates the human error part, and lasts the longest by far! When a person sprays you they can get it more even and go lighter on areas of the body (feet and hands) to make it look more natural. The color always looks amazing and natural when I have gotten a spray tan. If you live in the indy area I HIGHLY recommend Air tan. I go to the Broad Ripple location and have never been disappointed.This is the most expensive option that is why I will usually only spray tan in the summer, vacations, or special occasions through out the year. My Spray tan will usually last two weeks when sprayed here.