Connect
Tag Archives: self tan
Most Popular Self Tanners Reviewed
It’s no lie that I love a good faux tan! It’s safer than a tanning bed and quicker than laying by the pool. A couple years ago, I shared exactly how to apply self tanning mousse. After I wrote that post, I thought it would be fun to try out some of the more popular brands and products on the market. I had always used the same product and wondered if something better existed out there. I found some hits and misses along the way.
If you are still looking for the perfect self tanner or are curious about trying out one of these brands, I’m sharing my results and honest opinions on each one.
MOST POPULAR SELF TANNERS REVIEWED
LOVING TAN 2HR EXPRESS DARK
The Loving Tan mousse is one of the higher priced on the list. It gives me a nice dark and natural looking color with little to no smell. I use the 2Hr Express, but I will sometimes sleep in it for 6-8 hours. I find it works fine for both time frames. When this one starts fading, it fades a little splotchy and uneven. I always struggled with applying this one on my hands and feet. It was often way darker or uneven. I applied lotion prior which did help. Overall Opinion: Great for a dark color and quick tan.
ISLE OF PARADISE GLOW CLEAR MOUSSE
If sitting around in self tanner for 2-6 hours is not your thing, this might be the self tanner for you. It contains no guide color, so you can apply and then go about your day. I use this one before work. I let it soak in for about 20 minutes before applying makeup and skincare products. You do have to be a little careful with washing your hands for the first couple hours. I tried both medium and dark, and prefer the dark shade. It’s also a clean beauty brand. Downside to this one, no guide color so you really have to pay attention when applying. It fades quicker than other products. I wrote a full review on this one, HERE. Overall Opinion: Great for a busy lifestyle with a stain free formula.
ST MORIZ TANNING MOUSSE DARK
The lowest price self tanner on the list. I’ve used this one for years. After trying more expensive tanners, this one still is my favorite. It gives me a natural dark tan that lasts the longest. It fades evenly like a natural tan with no splotchiness and little to no smell. It also has very little sheet staining when I sleep in it. It does have some, but it washes out. My downside to this one – I sleep with one of my elbows bent which causes slight discoloration. I’m probably the only one that notices it, but this was the only self tanner that didn’t fully develop in my inner elbow because of it. Overall Opinion: Great for a natural, dark tan for half the price of other self tan products.
ST TROPEZ EXPRESS BRONZING MOUSSE
As an express mousse, this one didn’t work out for me. I would wear it for a full 6 hours for the best results. I also noticed it develops more after you wash it off. The first couple of times I used this one, I was super disappointed in the color immediately after showering. After a few hours, I notice the color had deepened into a nice dark tan. I find the St Tropez self tanners to be the worst at sheet staining while you sleep. It washes out, but over time it started to not fully wash out. Overall Opinion: I’m glad I tried it to see if it lived up to the hype, but the results didn’t compare to others. Leaving this one on the shelf for future tans.
ST TROPEZ SELF TAN CLASSIC
The most disappointing self tanner of all the ones I tried out. I’m pretty sure this tanned my sheets more than it tanned me. I noticed zero difference in color after using this product. In addition, it stained my sheets the worst. I used this product a few more times, but ended up stopping because of the lack of tanning results. Overall Opinion: I would not recommend.
ST MORIZ FAST TAN EXPRESS MOUSSE
I love the regular St. Moriz, but I was not a fan of their express mousse. It had a little more orange tint to the end color and has the most noticeable smell. It did develop quickly. I accidentally fell asleep and wore for 4 hours once. It turned me way more orange than tan. It’s an affordable option with my most natural tan developing around the 2-2.5 hour mark. Overall Opinion: Not the best express option for a natural tan, but it is an affordable option for express. Just be careful not to go over the 3 hour limit.
After trying all of these self tanning mousses, I decided to stick with my St. Moriz Mousse for now. The price and results just can’t be beat. I do plan to keep the Isle of Paradise on hand for days when I need to tan and run. If you are wanting to give self tanning a try this spring or summer, be sure to check out my post on the best way to apply self tanner for a detailed how to plus a few dos and dont’s.
Hope ya’ll have a great weekend! Thanks for spending some time with me this week!
SHOP THE PRODUCTS
SHARE THE LOVE! PIN ME!
Beauty Trials: Isle of Paradise Glow Clear Self Tanning Mousse
Hello Hello! I’m so excited for this new Beauty Trials series!! I’m always trying out and playing with new beauty products, some I buy, some PR companies send over to me. For beauty products, I like to try them for a few days or weeks depending on the type of product before giving them my stamp of approval. I was trying to group like products and routines, but I find this can take months of trying out different products before a post comes together. I really wanted to share products I love with you immediately, and the idea of this series was born. The series will be a product review of one product I’m currently trying out and my thoughts on it. Hope you enjoy this new series!
My love affair with self tanner is no hidden secret. A few months back, I even wrote a post on how to apply self tanner. Since then, I have been trialing a few different products to share my thoughts on some of the best self tanners on the market. Isle of Paradise tanning products have become super popular! You may have heard of their drops which are on my to try list. When I went to check out the drops at the store, I stumbled upon the Isle of Paradise Clear Glow Self Tanning Mousse. In my quest to add more clean beauty products to my routine, I was excited to find a clean self-tanning product!
So what is a clear tanning mousse?
Most self tanners have some sort of guide color in the mixture that helps you see where you have applied the tanner and helps ensure you don’t miss a spot. When you shower off your tanner, this guide color washes off. The guide color is also what tends to stain your sheets and clothes. The clear mousse is the same tanning product minus the guide color.
Pros of No Guide Color
No staining! I wore this product to bed a couple nights and no stained sheets. I read reviews about people wearing this out and about in everyday happenings, so I decided to try it out. I applied the self tanning mousse on 3 different mornings before I started my hair and makeup routine for ample time to dry. I then proceeded to apply my face moisturizer and makeup like normal. I also wore different style outfits each day – a loose shift dress, flared jeans and skinny jeans. I also wore a white cami underneath tops on the two jeans days.
The results – No staining of my clothes! The white cami was fitted and both days I didn’t see even the smidge of self tanner. I do think my legs were a little darker from the dress day vs the skinny jeans day, but not by much. I didn’t see any uneven coloring from my clothes rubbing or from applying makeup over the product.
Cons of No Guide Color
You can’t see where you are applying the tanner. If you have never used self tanner before, I would start with a product with guide color. This will help you learn the areas you need to focus on when applying a clear mousse. I know I always miss under my arm, so I go slow when using the clear mousse and make sure I hit this spot. As a regular self tannner, this product would probably be pretty easy to use since you are used to applying tanner and know how to apply for full and even coverage.
What about my results?
I opted for the medium green shade. This mousse is supposed to have color correcting in it, and green helps cover red which is my color correcting issue. I do notice some color after using this tanner. It’s not as dark as I normally go. I did like the color and would use it in the winter when I don’t want that fresh off the beach look. After I run out, I plan to try the purple dark shade just to see how it works. The tan lasts about 3 days until I feel the need to reapply.
How long does the bottle last?
I have been using this for about 3 weeks, and I’m about halfway through my bottle. I would guess that I can get about 12-14 tans out of the bottle.
Overall Thoughts:
This self tanning mousse will be a staple in my line up for sure! I love that I can wear it to work and that you don’t need to shower after 6 hours to wash off guide color. When I sleep in it, it saves me precious morning (aka sleep) time before I go to the gym. For yearly use, I would like the color to be a little darker which is why I plan to try the dark shade. If you want to say goodbye to stained clothes and sheets, this is your product!
SHOP THE PRODUCTS
How to Self Tan at Home
I have always loved a good tan. In college, I could spend hours by the pool building the perfect tan every summer. These days I opt for a bit of a safer and less time consuming option with self tanners. I have been experimented with an array of self tanning methods. I tried the misting booths when they first came out, but I came out looking a little orangey and the tan faded weird. I hear they are much better now, but I haven’t tried them recently. I also tried the airbrushing method. You know stand naked in front of someone while they airbrush the tan on you. I loved this and it looked natural, but I found the tan to be very sensitive and expensive at $40-50 per tan. You had to be so careful in the shower or you could mess up the tan with your loofah.
A couple years ago, a friend introduced me to St. Moriz and it was a game changer. I have tried a couple other brands, but I always come back to St. Moriz for several reasons. One – it’s an affordable option, two- it has a very natural look, and three – no streaking or weird fading issues. Side Note- If you are at the end of the bottle, you may experience a spotty application. I recommend tossing the bottle and starting with a new one immediately.
I wear this self tanner in all my blog photos, so check around on my last post to see how it looks on me. I usually tan the night before I shoot, so my tan is fresh. I use the dark shade. I originally started with Medium, but I found it’s pretty light. Since I have been using this product for so long, I wanted to share some of my tips and steps on how to self tan at home based on what I have learned throughout the years of using this product.
Let’s start with the steps to self tan at home. The whole process is actually pretty quick and takes me about 15 minutes.
STEP ONE – Exfoliate – I use an exfoliating body wash in the shower to scrub off dry skin. Give a little extra attention to your elbows, knees, and heels. After my shower, I don’t apply anything on my skin and let it dry before moving on to the next step.
STEP TWO – Tan – I lay down a dark towel on the floor to prevent staining the floor or a bath mat. I use the large sunless tanning mitt to apply the mouse over my entire body. I start at my legs and move up. I do my face last and use the mini face mitt. Make sure to apply all the way into your hairline. I apply 1-2 pumps of the mousse on the mitt, swipe the area, and then smooth with circular motions. You immediately start seeing the guide color so you can see where you applied. I like these mitts because the color does not bleed through them and over stain your hands. I rinse them and reuse a few times before tossing them out.
STEP THREE – Wait – I mainly use the DEVELOP mousse which I find needs 8 hours to give me the color I want. I apply the mousse at night and then head to bed. You can’t get your tan wet while it sets, and sleeping is the best way to kill the 8 hour wait. If you are short on time, I recommend the FAST TAN mousse. I usually leave it on for 3 hours to achieve my normal dark tan results. I once fell asleep on accident and left it on for about 5 or 6 hours and it had a slightly orange tone.
STEP FOUR – Shower Off – Once your tan is set, head to the shower to rinse off the excess color. You will be much tanner before the shower. I always feel like I look dirty, and then everything looks perfect and even post shower. I rinse until the water runs clear and then pat dry.
STEP FIVE – Enjoy!
I typically apply my tan once a week. If I want a consistently dark tan, I will apply every 4 days. The tan fades very naturally for me, no spotting or splotchy issues.
With self tanning, you will come to learn a few thing through trial and error. Here are a few of my top tips for the perfect tan.
1 – Do not shave before you tan. I prefer to shave after I tan, sometimes right after I rinse off. I will also shave the day before I tan. If you shave right before, the color may set in the open hair follicles.
2 – Do not apply deodorant before you tan. Your skin needs to be 100% clean. Applying deodorant could affect the color of your tan at your underarms.
3 – You will sweat off the color. If you have a sweat heavy workout like spin class, do not tan the night before. Every time you wipe the sweat off your face, the tan will wipe off too. I have never had a major issue with clothes staining, but I did wear a white dress outdoors for several hours in 100 degree weather. I sweat a lot and the color came off at the underarm area. The color did wash out of the dress.
4 – Do not apply mousse directly to your hands and feet. These are the hardest parts to tan!!! I usually use the mouse built up in the mitt and wipe over my hands and feet for the most natural not crazy dark look. This one you just have to trial and error to see where you need to be more mindful. I tend to miss the inside arches of my feet and my fingers. I lightly rinse my hands when I’m done. I use a towel to wipe the insides of my hands and inner wrists where I tend to get accidental color.
5 – Do not get wet. Be careful to not splash water on you as the splashed area may streak.
6 – While I’m sitting or sleeping in my self tanner, I wear dark loose fitting clothing. I don’t want anything tight to rub off the color. Also, I have never had the guide color come off on my sheets.
7 – Post tan, keep your skin hydrated with lotion to lengthen the life of your tan.
8 – Nail Polish Remover will remove your tan. If you are wanting to change your color take your nail polish off before your tan to prevent some awkward looking toes and fingers.
9- GO SLOW! Do not rush applying your tanner. Going to fast could mean missing a spot. Go slow, pay attention, and make sure you hit every area.
I feel like I could go on and on about all my trial and error, but those are the BIG ones I have to pass on. Ya’ll I cannot say enough great things about this self tanner. If you are like me and love being tan, but do not have the time to sit in the sun all day, definitely consider the self tanning option. If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I will answer them!
| TANNING PRODUCTS |
St. Moriz Develop Tanning Mousse | St. Moriz Fast Tan Tanning Mousse | Ulta Tanning Mit | Ulta Face Tanning Mit | St. Ives Exfoliating Body Wash
SHOP THE PRODUCTS
