Over the last few years, I have perfected my self-tan routine and am sharing it allllll with you today! Something about a little glow to my skin in the winter instantly boosts my mood and I’ve finally found products that work for my skin and I hope you’ll find some options that work for yours too.
Pre-Tan Skin Prep:
Before I get straight to applying self tanning products, the most important step is the prep work I do ahead of time. Your tan will look more even and stay longer if you remove excess oils from your skin with a quick shower. While in the shower, I also like to lightly exfoliate with a loofah and shave my legs to prep my skin. After showering, I wait an hour or two for my skin to completely dry and to allow my pores to fully close. It’s also very important not to apply any lotions or products to the skin after you shower.
Tanning Routine:
After I’ve prepped my skin and allowed it some time to completely dry, I apply one of my favorite self-tan mousses: St Tropez 3-Hour Express or Bondi Sands Technicolor (Purple Tone). I love both of these equally but for different reasons. I’ll elaborate below…
I find that the Bondi Sands mousse in the purple undertone really mimics my own skin’s natural color. It looks very natural and seamless on me, and they also have several other undertones available to cater to a few different skin types/tones. You can take their quiz online to find out which shade (purple, orange, blue, etc) will fit your skin the best, this quiz worked great for me!
I love the St Tropez mousse for times when I want a SUPER deep tan that will last a long time. I find the tone to be a little more orange/bronze on me than the Bondi Sands purple mousse, but it still looks good. I love to use this for special occasions and before vacations to get a super deep tan & warmer glow. This one also fades more evenly than the Bondi Sands mousse, which I think can sometimes fade a little splotchy if you don’t do a great job exfoliating beforehand.
Regardless of which mousse I use, my skin prep is the same and so is the application. I use a tanning mitt to buff the mousse onto my skin starting at my feet and working my way up to my arms and neck. I usually use 4-6 pumps of mousse per leg and 2 pumps per arm. I work in circular motions and the guide color of the mousse makes it easy to see where I have already covered. I save the hands for last though and I usually don’t tan my face at all.
The hands and knuckles can be a tricky place and will always look unnatural and splotchy if you use your regular tanning mitt. I apply an even layer of regular body lotion or hand creme all over my hands, front and back. Then, I add a little bit of mousse to an old makeup brush and buff it on the the backs of my hands, starting around the wrists. I use any excess left on the brush to work up towards the knuckles and fingertips, making sure to get the edges of the fingers too, but not the underneath/palms. The layer of lotion really helps create a barrier so that you don’t end up with splotchy hands.
I let everything dry for a minute or two before putting on my loosest clothing, usually a big tee shirt and sweatpants. The bottles recommend leaving it on for 1-3 hours which will give you a great base tan. However I almost always leave my mousse on for 8 hours or overnight. It will come off on your sheets, but it comes out in the washing machine, so do this before laundry day if you want to sleep in it!
For The Face
I honestly don’t fake tan my face very often. I use a lot of AHA/BHA liquid exfoliants in my skincare routine, so I don’t usually find that the face tans last very long on me. I usually just match my makeup/foundation to the color of my body so that I don’t look crazy lol.
But sometimes for vacations or during the summer when I don’t wear a lot of makeup, I will add these Tan Luxe Face Drops to give my face a natural glow. I have been using these for years (and have tried many other face drops) and these seem to give me the most even tan. Different things work for different people, but these are also the only ones I have tried that didn’t give my skin a noticeable breakout afterwards. I also find that these give a very even tan, rather than clinging to dry skin or peach fuzz like some other tanning drops have done to me.
When I do apply these, I just mix a few drops with my morning skincare and let it work its magic throughout the day. I have tried to go to sleep with tanning drops on my face, but find I don’t get as even of a tan because the skincare/tan drops mixture rubs off on the pillow when I lay on my side. If you sleep on your back, you would probably have good luck sleeping with tanning drops on your face though. Just always make sure to wash your hands after you apply the tanning drops to your face, otherwise you’ll have orange fingertips!
Tan Maintenance
After I have had the tanning mousse on my skin for 3-8 hours, I just rinse it off with a mild shower. I try to avoid very hot or steamy showers because this will remove the tan quicker. I also only use Dr Bronner’s Castile Soap because it doesn’t strip my tan away. The tanning products react with the oils in your skin, so it will continue to develop over the first 24 hours even after you’ve rinsed it away. Usually my skin looks the best on day 2 after self-tanning.
After every shower, I always apply lotion to keep my skin hydrated and extend the life of my tan.
I usually self-tan every 1-2 weeks in the winter, and use this gradual tanning lotion once or twice in between tans to refresh my glow. If you have very light skin, this could be a great product to try instead of a mousse, because it provides a lighter & more buildable glow over the course of a few applications. I also really love to take this lotion on vacations with me to refresh my tan on trips, as I find that sandy beaches and chlorine pools strip my tan quicker than my normal home life. It also helps me feel like I’m building a good glow on vacations without having to skimp on the sunscreen & sun hat.
There you have it! This is my full self-tan routine! Hopefully you’re able to find some options that will work for your skin; feel free to drop a comment or DM me on Instagram if you have questions!
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