I don’t know about you, but I feel about 1000 times better when I have a tan. I look healthy (cause ya know…it looks like I have seen the sun, even if it has been cloudy and rainy here!), it may be my imagination, but I look skinnier, my outfits seem to look better, my makeup looks more flawless…I could go on and on…but you get the point! 🙂
When I was in high school I used to go to tanning beds on the daily – major wrist slap! Thankfully in the 10+ past years I have learned better and now I stay clear of the tanning beds and stick to spray tans and at home tanning.
I love getting professional spray tans for a special occasion, but let’s be real, I cannot keep that up every week (nor can I afford to keep that up every week). I have tried a variety of different at home tans. Some were great, some were ok, but what I noticed with most of them was that it was extremely hard to have a streak and blot-free tan! Without fail there would always be a dark brown circle on my calf or a white streak where I missed something on my arm – yikes! But now, I have found two different products that I absolutely LOVE and I think you will too!
The first one is St. Tropez! This stuff is amazing. If you are unsure, you can buy a starter pack which is awesome because it come with an exfoliator, moisturizer, the tanner and a mit. Literally everything you need (and more honestly!) – and it is super affordable!! The St. Tropez in the starter kit is more of a gradual tanner, so it takes about 2-3 uses before you can really see a good tan! I am not that patient, nor do I remember to take the time multiple nights a week to take a shower at night and then tan myself. So, if you’re in the same boat as me, I would use the St. Tropez express dark. This stuff works wonders. I would be careful and not leave it on longer than 2-3 hours. Some may do it longer, I personally haven’t so I wouldn’t recommend any more than that. And trust me – you will notice! Just make sure to do it when you have that time to spare 🙂 St. Tropez also has tons of other tanning options! A gradual shower tanner and a sheet face-mask tanner! I haven’t used the sheet mask, but I always love when my face is tan because I feel like I don’t need as much makeup so I would definitely hop on that train. The shower tanner is definitely grad-u-al. Like slow, slow. But it is great to do during the winter months if you just want a nice, subtle, healthy glow.
The other is Fake Bake. I LOVE THIS STUFF! I started using this and really haven’t gone back to St. Tropez. First of all, I can usually find a more cost effective option and I can put it on once, get a great color – plus I don’t need to worry about washing it off right away! I typically do it at night and then rinse off in the morning! 🙂 I use this one. It is so amazing you guys! I love it for multiple reasons!
1. You can use it once – I usually shoot for Thursdays (that way I am tan for the weekend!) and it gives you a great color! You can do a few repetitions if you want to be even darker on the same night! So you really don’t need to worry about doing it multiple times a week.
2. It is streak free! First, it has a coloring/darkening agent in it so you can see exactly where on your skin you have it. And also rubbing it in with your mit prevents and streaks that could be caused by your hands. It is also very gradual and not super distinct if you do happen to miss a spot! Totally looks like a tan you got in the sun.
3. It fades nicely! I would say it lasts a good 5 days (probably 3ish of a really good tan) and maybe a full week until you can’t see it at all. It doesn’t peel or anything, and really just fades away. If you can keep this up and do it once a week, you will be a bronzed goddess all year long!
4. It is cost effective! As I mentioned before, I can get this way cheaper than St. Tropez which I why I initially made the switch. I absolutely love the product so that’s why I stayed. Mine is usually around $20! I can good probably a good 6 uses out of it too! And I usually double up on mine…so I use A LOT! That is less than you would normally pay for 1 spray tan! You can’t beat it!
5. It smells good! The one I get is a Coconut scented serum so I think it smells good!
Fake bake also offers different versions. Some you spray rather than pump on your body and you still rub on with a mit. There is another one that is just a mist spray. I personally haven’t tried those, so I don’t want to put my stamp of approval on it, but if you have tried or do try – please let me know what you think and how you like them!
Here are some screenshots of my tutorial! You can find all the videos with a step by step tutorial on my Instagram instagram.com/downtown_dani
(this is a comparison picture – right leg has one application on it, while the left has nothing – honestly much more noticeable in person)
Some notes to keep in mind when you’re using either of these tanning solutions:
• Make sure you take a shower and exfoliate first and wash your face. This will help the solution go on easier and more evenly.
• Don’t put any moisturizers or anything else on your skin before or after you put the tanning solution on.
• Using a latex glove underneath the mit is highly recommended (especially when using Fake Bake). The solution will definitely bleed through your mit and you don’t want super darks hands – that’s scary! Lol.
• Work quickly! Once you put the serum on your body, try to get it rubbed in as quickly as possible. If you let it sit too long, you could end up with a darker spot! Usually when you rinse it off, it’s not very noticeable, but better to be safe than sorry! Using your mit, go it upward circular motions to rub the serum in.
• You will need to rinse it off. Read the instruction labels to see how long you should let it stay on your skin before rinsing off. I usually leave my Fake Bake on for 8-10 hours because I do it at night, sleep and then rinse it off in the morning.
• When you are rinsing it off, don’t use a loofa or wash cloth. Water does the trick, but if you want to use soap, just put some in your hands.
• The more hydrated your skin stays (aka – the more lotion you keep on your body) and the less exfoliation you do, the longer your tan will stay. When I need my tan to stay dark longer than it normally does, I try to just stick with using my hands and soap to wash my body.
Now you can be tan goddesses all year long!!
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