Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Self Tanning Tips

Good morning lovelies!!! I hope y'all had a great weekend and a promising start to your week. My long awaited, glorious boating day set for last Saturday was a fail because my husband ended up having to work. Boo. So I spent the day at the mall of course! I picked up a great new makeup primer from Sephora that I can't wait to review for you guys! I also needed some new jean shorts. I always have such a hard time finding shorts that are an appropriate length for mid twenties, respectable women but I managed to find some good ones amidst all of the barely there styles at Forever 21. Only $10.50!! Can't beat that. :)



So, it's finally summertime and we are all headed out to the lake or the beach or a summer wedding...and we all want to look tan right?! I thought I'd share with you my favorite self tanner and some tips for self tanning.





Sun Labs Ultra Dark Self Tanning Spray - This is my absolute favorite tanning spray. I have tried all of the drugstore brands, Fake Bake, Clinique and Bare Escentuals and none of them deliver as good of a brown color as fast and last as long as Sun Labs. I don't always spray it on. I usually spray it on this mitt I have (I just picked it up at Ulta for $5) and apply it by smoothing it all over. You will want to rub it in slightly to make sure you have it on evenly. However, do not rub it in too much or you will sacrifice the darker color. When I first started using it I rubbed it in like crazy to make sure I had no streaks and I ended up not seeing any color.






Then after smoothing it on, if I want a darker tan I will also spray over top. Here are a few self tanning tips I have picked up over the years.


1. Exfoliate and shave just before tanning and make sure that your skin is completely dry before applying product.

2. Apply moisturizer to any dry spots on your face or body or they will grab product and you will have dark spots.

3. If you choose to spray the product instead of using the mitt, make sure you wear flip flops because as you spray, you will end up walking in what settled on the floor and you will have bright orange feet. I promise! I've done it too many times to count.

4. Start with your legs. Spray or smooth the product very lightly over the tops of your feet and your knees. These places will grab more product and look darker than the rest if you spray too much here.

5. Next, apply to your stomach, back, chest and neck.

6. Save your arms for last so you aren't smudging the product as you work. Apply lightly over elbows and tops of hands. Do not get any product on your palms or in between your fingers. If you do, wash off immediately.

7. I don't usually apply any tanning spray to my face. It always seems to sit in my pores and leave dark dots. I usually use a gradual tanning face lotion on my face. I'd rather use my same makeup shade and just add bronzer to get to my desired face color. :)

8. Stand under or in front of a fan for a couple of minutes to dry the product.

9. The color will be noticeable already if you chose to use the Sun Labs spray. With any of the drugstore brands, your color should show up in a few hours.

10. Do not take a shower for at least 12 hours after applying the product. The longer you wait, the better it will sink into your skin.


Self tanning is a bit of a nuisance but it's definitely better than risking your skin in the tanning bed. I've always loved the tanning bed and I would have owned one if I had the money! I knew all of the risks but it was so hard to care. I mean tan skin is beautiful skin right?? I even think I look much thinner with tan skin. But once I realized that I could get a good tan safely, I chose to say goodbye to those dangerous beds! If you are a tanning bed junkie, I encourage you to try self tanning and break your bad habit!!

20 comments:

  1. aww I hope you guys get to reschedule your boating trip!!!

    I had no idea there were so many rules to self-tanning. My mom has had skin cancer like cells so I'm terrified of tanning. I would try this out but I have this weird olive complexion that I can totally see turning orange. Fake Bake? Really? That's a name of a brand? If I do ever want to tan I'll use the self-tanning & definitely try to follow the rules strictly!!

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  2. Thank You for doing a post on this!! I am always looking for good self tanner, but am always scared to by any. I am definitely going to check out your suggestions and follow these easy rules!

    xo
    Marcie

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  3. ok...first of all...i love cupcakes. and i want to own my own cupcake shop one day =)

    thanks for stopping by...i'm a new follower!!!

    and....i'm gonna have to try this sun labs stuff. thanks.

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  4. Good tips! I think tanning beds are pointless, harmful, and a waste of money. You lose the tan, so you have to keep going all the time, increasing your risk of skin cancer, hello.
    Thank you for the suggestion for the self tanner! I will have to try this...I have been using Bath and Body Works self tanner and I looove it.

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  5. Great tips, I used to sunless tan all the time, and totally agree with your method. Unfortunatly, I was also a tanning bed addict. I really regret this now, but I used to go every-single-day. In addition to laying out pretty much every day as well. That's what I get for being a Florida girl. Speaking of which I should probably make a screening check with the derm. For now-spray tan and SPF 50 for me!

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  6. I love self tanner, but I can't seem to find one that doesn't stink. I tried my first spray one.. I think it was called tanwise (I think) and I really liked it, but it seemed to go all over my floor, but it had really good color! I might try the kind you tried, does it smell bad though?

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  7. This pasty girl swears by the fake stuff! Even if I spent 12 days in the sun, I'm not sure I would ever get tan - just red. I like Jergens but it has taken me many varities to find it. I also use Clinique for my face. I've never heard of the brand you mentioned though. Do you have to order in online or is available in some stores?

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  8. hip hip hooray...for self-tanner! i'm proud of you for being bold enough to post this....some people still swear by baking in the sun and tanning beds and i think we can look hot and toasty brown by using self-tanners. love ya sweet girl!

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  9. I also found a great pair from Forever 21 for $10.50! I wonder if we got the same ones??

    This post is awesome because I have no idea how to do this and am scared to try. I've used the Dove daily tanning lotion, but that doesn't really help out much. One day I'm going to try this and check back to your post to go step by step. Thanks!!!

    xo
    Valerie

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  10. Thank you for doing this post!! These are great tips!

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  11. Have you tried Clarins self tanners?I loooove them...

    also to answer your question I think Peachykeen blush would look fab on you...Gingerly is a bit on the orangey side...so not sure about that one...My skin tone is olive and quite warm...6 in Bobbi Brown for reference...Other suggestions would be... MAC blushes like Dame,Buff and Cubic...you would totally rock those:)))

    Dee

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  12. Since I am probably wayyyy older than the rest of you lovely ladies, let me give you some advice - stay out of the sun! And the tanning beds! You will thank me. Not only does it cause wrinkles, one other by-product is it breaks down the elasticity of your skin and will cause you to droop even more, esp around knees, upper thigh - you know, all the fun places!

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  13. Sorry that the boating trip was cancelled, but it sounds like the trip to the mall was a success! You can’t beat shorts for $10.50. I also can’t wait to hear about the primer that you got. I’m such a beauty junkie.

    I have never heard of the Sun Labs spray, but it sounds really good especially considering that you’ve tried so many others. I didn’t even know that they made mitts like that, so I think that’s a great idea too.

    These are some great tips and I will definitely need to keep them in mind. I always exfoliate before self tanning, but never did the lotion on the dry spots. That is a really good idea.

    Thanks for posting this!

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  14. Thanks for the tips! As a fair-skinned blonde, I can definitely put this information to good use... hehe.
    Sorry you missed out on your boating adventure! I'm sure you had just as much fun shopping though. ;)

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  15. Thanks for tips!!! First time visiting your blog and I'm already learning something new! I'm fair skinned and blond much like Pink Champagne so these tips will go along way!

    Happy Tuesday - Cute blog - !

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  16. I just bought that tanner last week!

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  17. fabulous tips girly! Thanks so much for sharing! It will definitely help me out closer to my wedding!

    xo

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  18. So afraid of the self tanner...thanks for the tips though. It's a lot better for you than hanging out in the sun all summer! Hope you're having a great week, Amy!

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  19. I'm sorry he had to work and you missed out on the boat trip! :(

    Thank you for the tanning tips. I was a tanning bed junkie, I have never had luck with bronzers. Thanks for your help :)

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