CathInTheCity

Successful Self Tanning

43 Comments | Makeup

Now that it’s party season, most of us want a bit of color on our body to look and feel fresher in our party dresses. A lot of girls visit tanning salons frequently to get back that summer glow, which I’m so against. It’s expensive, time consuming, and above all; Dangerous! I’m all about having a tan all year around, and self tanning is the way to go in my opinion. It’s cheaper, goes so fast to apply and there’s no cancer risk involved! I know that self tanning seems scary to a lot of people, but there’s a way to do it without ending up looking like an orange. I thought I’d share my best tips, and hope you’ll give it a try in stead of heading to the nearest tanning salon before the Christmas party :)

What you need

Below you can see what I use for self tanning. A big must is a good body scrub and exfoliation mittens. Then we obviously need a self tanner, and some thin rubber gloves with aloe vera on the inside for application.

Which self tanner to choose

I’ve been a self tanning fan since I was like 14, and I’ve tried so many different ones, so I consider myself quite the expert, haha. The first thing you should look for is a lotion or gel which is already tan. This way you can have full control over streaks while you’re applying, and make sure that the result is even. Some of the lotions have glitter in them and some are matte. I prefer a matte one, and if I’m going out and want more of a glow, I’ll just add a shimmery oil or lotion on top.

The second thing, which is super important if you don’t want an orange finish, is looking for a lotion or gel with green and/or purple undertones. My absolute favorite self tanner is this one from Crazy Angel, in the color medium/dark. It has olive green and purple undertones, which makes my tan look very natural and not orange at all. This one is also available in a lighter color, which is probably good to start with if you’re not used to self tanning.

Application

First of all, I think the best time to do this routine is right before bed. Before applying self tanning, it’s very important to give your body a good exfoliation. Remove all dead skin cells to ensure an even tan. It’s like a canvas, you wouldn’t start painting a masterpiece on a dirty canvas, right? So make sure it’s good and clean. You can use whatever body scrub you want for this, but I prefer one with grains. Use scrubbing mittens for best result. After you get out of the shower, apply body lotion and let your skin absorb it for a bit. I find it easier to get an even tan if my skin is a little moist.

Then it’s time for the tanning part! I prefer to use gloves while applying the lotion. Firstly because I don’t have to worry about looking black on the inside of my hands. This lotion from Crazy Angel dries so fast, so the first time I applied it without gloves, the insides of my hands were pitch black for a week, haha. It didn’t even come off with water right after application. Other self tanners will probably come off with water, but since I still want the lotion to be on the top of my hands, I prefer not having to soak them in water. So gloves is the best way to go in my opinion! Make sure you get gloves with Aloe Vera inside, and not powder. Earlier I could only find gloves with powder inside them, which made it so difficult to get an even tan on my hands. With Aloe Vera it’s no problem at all!

Once you have the gloves on, it’s time to start the tanning process. Simply apply it like a body lotion. When the lotion or gel is colored, it’s so easy to apply! Be careful at the back of your neck so that you don’t get it in your hair, and also be careful at dry spots like your elbows. Once you have an even tan all over, it’s time for the tricky part, which is the hands. Remove one glove, and apply lotion on the bare hand. Don’t use too much, and make sure it’s completely even around your wrists, knuckles and fingers. Let it dry up a bit, then put on the glove again, and do the other hand. Then you’re done! Let it dry for a few minutes, then put on a tight cotton top with long sleeves for bed. This is to secure the color, and to make sure that your bed sheets won’t get all green and purple. Make sure you don’t get any water on the parts on your body you’ve self tanned, it will mess up the whole result. This of course includes no sweating, so only sleeping once you get to bed, nothing else, haha.

When you wake up, take a shower to remove all excess color. Then you’ll have a fabulous tan for at least a week! What I love about the self tanner from Crazy Angel is that it gradually goes away, you won’t suddenly get streaks all over your neck like with many other ones I’ve tried.

It might sound complicated, but the whole process is so quick to do! I usually do this every two weeks, and I’m always so happy with the result. If you’re not used to using self tanning, I would definitely recommend doing a test run a while before the Christmas party or whatever occasion you want a tan for, just to be sure.

For the face

I haven’t found any lotions or gels that has given a good result in my face. Most often I’ve just ended up looking dirty, and all impurities or facial hair is massively enhanced, haha. The only thing I’ve found that works, is this spray from Garnier. It’s so light and gives a very natural result. Apply it after exfoliation and after moisturizing your skin. Apply it very lightly all over your face, and if you don’t think the result is drastic enough, you could always just use it two nights in a row. This one isn’t colored, but I’ve never experienced getting streaks with it. After applying, I always use a towel to gently dry my eyebrows and other areas I don’t want to be colored, like over my mouth. Make sure you cover your hair with a towel when applying the spray, because it actually will color your hair. I learned that from experience, haha.

And there you have it! I hope you find this little guide useful, and if you have any questions; Bring ’em on!!♥

Comments

  3. I’m also a fake tan person! I love having that tan glow all year long. For the face I’m using Xen Tan Face Selft Tanner in medium/dark. I love Xen Tan Absolute Dark Lotion, Lauren’s Way darker than dark and He-shi face and body tanning gel :) I use the Xen tan mitt to apply with a rubber glove inside to make sure the colour doesn’t transfer to the palm of my hand. It gives a streak-less application!

    PS: I love the pink gloves for application! Girly all the way :) x

  6. Det spørs jo hvor godt selvbruningen sitter. Hvis du har skrubbet huden godt på forhånd skal selvbruningen ha trukket så godt inn at det ikke blir noe problem :) Jeg har ihvertfall aldri hatt problemer med det :)

  10. Hei, et godt tips for å passe på at man ikke får skjolder ved å ha for tykt lag med krem enkelte steder: la det gå ca 3 minutter fra påføring og “dytt” lett over hele det innsmurte området med en frottéklut. Kluten vil ta til seg den overflødige kremen og ikke mer, så lenge man bare dytter veldig forsiktig over kroppen.

  19. Supert å lese litt tips ang dette, sliter alltid med hendene, og har prøvd hansker, men ikke de med aloe gel, det hørtes virkelig ut som et supert tips! Hvor får du kjøpt de? :)

  21. I dont like tanning salons, and this is the right way for me too! Thanks for usefully tips :)
    Can you please say me, where you got that super cute floral top on first picture from? It is adorable! ♥

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