Self Tanner Tips!

Who doesn’t love a true bronze look during the summer? I live in Florida and let me tell you, those dark tans are something i’ve always been envious of when those girls walk by, me over here all Irish-white and pale… but who can afford a good (and I mean a GOOD) spray tan?! It takes weeks to get to the right color to only have it fade away. And we all know by now that tanning beds are a no-go unless you want skin cancer.

Well, I have two friends who each are in direct marketing companies who have their own self-tanning lotions. I thought I would give them a try to see whose was the best… ready for some results?

The first company is Pure Romance (of whom I am a die hard fan and loyal customer, by the way!). Their self tanner is Coco Glow and comes in two shades so we can get a natural look. It costs $30 and you can purchase it from an Independent Consultant or online (support small business!). It goes on just like a white cream lotion, so it’s difficult to tell where you’ve applied and how much, so be careful. It takes a few minutes to dry, and then about 4 hours to start appearing. The results were amazing! Very natural and smooth, and the few places I smudged up (because let’s face it, I suck at this), I simply exfoliated away until it looked normal again. Definitely will use this tanner again! It lasted several days, and there was enough in the bottle to do several applications on my legs, so the price wasn’t too bad, either.

The second company I used was NuSkin. This bottle was actually a gift from a friend (thanks, again!) but costs about the same at $33. You can also order online or through an Independent Consultant (go support a local small business!). The great thing about this tanner is that it goes on bronze! You know exactly where you’ve applied it, how much, and you get an instant shimmer to your skin while you wait for the color to appear. The end result was, again, very natural and lasted a few days. However, this tanner only comes in one shade, so be careful my Irish friends!

In the end, I would recommend BOTH self tanners over anything I’ve tried from CVS or any other drugstore brand self tanner. The results are worth the $30 price tag!

Want to know how I applied the self tanner? Here’s my process!

  1. Shower and shave!

  2. Exfoliate! I use a bamboo shower sponge.

  3. Exfoliate again! NuSkin does carry an AMAZING exfoliant called Body Lufra I use before I applied the self tanner.

  4. Be sure you’re completely dry (like stand in front of a fan or walk around naked for a few minutes, seriously).

  5. Apply self tanner to desired areas.

  6. WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP!!!!! No, I don’t use gloves because I can’t feel where I’ve applied the lotion. Yes, I have acrylic nails. I just use lots of hot water and soap immediately afterwards, and be sure not to drip on yourself while drying your hands!

  7. Walk around naked again (stand in front of a fan if you have one!) to be sure you get 100% dry.

  8. Congrats! You have just self-tanned yourself. Now go put on a bathing suit (or sundress or whatever outfit you did this for) and enjoy!