Showing posts with label Sunless Tanning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunless Tanning. Show all posts

The Easiest Summer Glow Ever? St Tropez In-Shower Self Tanner Review

I Bought It Affiliate Links

St Tropez In Shower Sunless Tanner

I'm mostly English and Irish, which means that despite the smattering of Potawatomi Indian in my blood, I'm very fair complected. I gave up on laying out years ago, I don't seem to change color at all in the sun. I might burn a little, and I'll develop clumpy freckles that are unflattering (no, they are not the cute smatterings of freckles. These are big clumps that from more than a foot away look like melasma. It's not cute).

But a little bit of a tan? Heh, not so much.

So, I mostly follow my mom's lead, and wear a lot of sunscreen to avoid the blotches of freckles. My mom has stayed out of the sun and slathered us with sunscreen in the 1980's when everyone else had tanning beds in their basement. The results are obvious, she definitely looks younger than her friends who spent a lot of time achieving the perfect tan.


Michael Kors Spring 2014

Those images right there. They are 100% the reason why I can't give up the idea of having a tan. It is all the fault of Michael Kors. His ads always feature models with a jet set lifestyle, wearing clothes that I want, and just the right amount of tan.

So, while I'm usually pale, every now and then I decide to give self tanners a shot again. In the past I've done well with traditional self tanners like Beautisol and Clarins. They don't turn my skin orange, and I didn't have problems with streaking. But the products take a while to apply and then dry. I don't have time for that! I've also tried gradual tanning lotions like the Jergens lotion, but who wants to smell like self tanner every day? And I admit that these products have turned me orange and had a surprising number of streaks. Last year I was really excited about Josie Maran's Self Tanning Body Wash. It was something that only added a few minutes to my daily routine and did give me some color. But the difference was subtle and it took 4 uses (and half of an expensive bottle of product) before even I noticed anything.

I was still excited about the new St. Tropez In-Shower tanner, despite the less than stellar experience with Josie Maran. This product came out earlier this year in the UK and has been selling out, there were some advance online reviews that had good things to say... so when it finally came to stores in early June, I stalked ULTA until it was available. And then I bought 2.

This product is pretty easy to use. I use it at the very end of my shower, after I've shaved and washed everything. First I put a hair mask in my hair and clip it up and out of the way so it won't drip onto my body. Then I shut off the water and use my hands to remove most of the water from my body. I start at my ankles and start applying the product, using my hands to apply product in a circular motion. I use simply work my way up my body. I did the tops of my feet and the backs of my hands last, and then turned on the water briefly to rinse the product off of my palms. Then I stood here, a little cold, for 3 minutes. This would be a great time to have a song to listen to, or brush teeth (if you do that in the shower), etc. Personally, I just stood there and thought about things I needed to do. At the end of 3 minutes you rinse off the product, though I've read online that you can leave it on longer, so I've started waiting more like 5 minutes. Note that you do need to use your hands a bit to get all of it off, you don't want to leave any on as you'll get blotchy. I just patted myself dry. I wasn't sure if I could apply lotion or not, but the product is pretty hydrating so I just skipped that step.

After my shower I did feel like I had applied a light lotion. I didn't smell anything on my skin at all, and over the course of the day I noticed that my skin was slowly adding a bit of color. The color isn't orange at all, instead it is a very natural looking glow! I definitely had more glow in 1 use than after using most of a bottle of the Josie Maran body wash. Note, that I used about 1/4 of the bottle in my first use. Since that time I've used it twice more just on my legs, which I would like to be a little darker. That's taken much less product. My glow isn't streaky or blotchy at all. The hands and feet do seem to get a little darker than the rest of the body, so I apply less product there and apply to those areas last.

I do think that I'll be using this self tanner throughout the summer. It's a pretty easy to use and fast way to add some color! If you want a dark tan, it would probably be a good idea to start with a darker, more traditional self tanner and then use this product to keep the tan, rather than using up an entire bottle with many uses to get to your desired color.

What sunless tanner are you using? Have you found a great product?


You can buy the St Tropez In-Shower Self Tanner at ULTA, Sephora, QVC or St. Tropez.

I Bought It Affiliate Links
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Looking Tan for a Night: Beautisol's Tea Tan

Product Sent for Review
Review and swatches of Beautisol's Tea Tan Bronzer
I'm not even sure how many times I've mentioned the Beautisol Tea Tan Bronzer since they sent it to me for review. It's a lot. Most recently with a slew of other Beautisol products in my best ways to glow this summer post yesterday.

Beautisol's Tea Tan is a temporary bronzer. This stuff is basically bulletproof. Ok, maybe not, but it really doesn't budge, smear and it doesn't matter if I sweat a little. Best of all, it is very easy to apply and looks natural.

I really recommend using one of Beautisol's application mitts for an even (and mess free) application! You pump a little onto the mitt (the pump adds air to make a foam), and spread it around. You need to work fairly quickly, but the color spreads evenly and you can add more layers to build the color to something deeper. I only need to wait a minute or so for it to dry, though you might want to wait a little longer before really getting dressed just in case. Later on it washes off really easily with soap and water.

Beautisol Tea Tan and Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Swatch Comparison
Here's the real reason I love the Tea Tan so much. That Airbrush Legs? I always want it to work. I want it to work soooo bad. I buy a new spray, tube, whatever they're selling each summer. I plot using it for events (yeah for great legs and no hose!) but there's an issue and this image doesn't really do it justice. It makes me look like an oompa loompa. Really. In person the issue is much worse, but even with the lightest shade, and even with mixing it into a little lotion... That stuff is orange-golden, and it's the color of Willy Wonka's little friends on my skin.

So, my choice is definitely the Tea Tan.

Beautisol
Product Sent for Review
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A Quick & Easy Glow Without Adding Another Step To Your Routine? I Test Jergen's Natural Glow

I Bought it Myself

Jergen's Natural Glow Gradual Self Tanner Review

While I claim to have embraced my pale, in the summer months I do yearn for a little bit of a tan. Not a lot, just enough that wearing a dress or shorts isn't embarrassing due to how bright white my legs are. Also, any help covering up bruises (I'm a big klutz) and making the hair that is still under the surface of my skin (dark hair and white legs= not pretty) less noticeable is always a good thing.

I refuse to actually expose myself to UV radiation to get this tan. Honestly, in my younger years I tried, and it just didn't work. My skin doesn't like to make more melanin to get a little tan. Instead, it likes to get freckly, but not in the cute spread out freckle way. No, my skin likes them clumped together to look like I have a smear of dirt somewhere. That, my friends, is winning.

So, I like to experiment with sunless tanners. But, nothing that really requires a careful and real application. I don't have time for that. I usually resort to things like sunless tanning body washes or gradual self tanners that are built into your lotion. I've actually tried out the Jergen's Natural Glow many times in the past (in 2011 and in 2008), though they reformulate slightly pretty often.

This year I grabbed the only tube of light to medium skin tone lotion that I could find at my local store, and it happened to be in the Firming formulation. Looking at the ingredients, I see that there is hydrolyzed collagen, which forms a film on your skin (it is way too big to be absorbed) smoothing everything out. (Read more about this over in my Pevonia Spa Clinica Active Ingredients Review.) I see quite a few moisturizers, but I don't see other ingredients that really firm anything/affect tone of the skin.

The lotion itself is a light yellow/tan color and it feels a bit sticky. It doesn't have a DHA smell, instead it is a little floral and overly sweet to me. After application I don't smell anything for a while, but about 2 hours later I do smell that typical "I have on self tanner" smell. It's pretty faint and not even my husband can smell it, but I definitely pick it up!

The lotion is thick and feels a little sticky during application, I've found that it takes about 10 minutes to fully absorb into my skin, which is longer that I remember previous versions taking for absorption. Once it absorbs, I notice that color starts to develop about 2 hours later (right around the time that the scent appears).

I had a noticeable tan develop with just 1 use, and after 2 uses, I turned a little orange in some areas! Usually this takes at least 3 or 4 uses to happen. I wonder if the lotion has more active ingredients this year or something? Luckily I was able to exfoliate a little in those areas to tone it down and have spaced out my use already. I'm still on the lookout for the light to medium facial lotion, it seems to be sold out in my area so I'll probably resort to drugstore.com or something.

My tips for a nice even glow:
• Exfoliate! Use a scrub (non oil based) or exfoliating mitt first, especially in dry areas like around your nails, knees, ankles and elbows. I exfoliate every day once I start using the lotion. Your skin will naturally exfoliate, but it tends to do so unevenly, which means your tan will fade unevenly. Exfoliating also seems to keep me from turning orange.

• Apply sparingly to areas that are usually "lighter" such as the underside of your arms, your arm pits, etc. As well, areas that are drier and tend to suck up self tanner should get a lighter coat, like your knees and knuckles. I usually apply up to those areas and then go back when rubbing in the lotion to spread onto them rather than directly applying.

• Don't apply another moisturizer first. We've all heard that you should apply moisturizer to those trouble spots before applying a regular self tanner (not sure if that tip really works well for me), but doing so with the Natural Glow will just result in streaking. Apply this to your clean skin right after a shower.

• Wash your hands and scrub them with soap right after application. I wash front and back, really concentrating on my palms and around my fingernails. Then after I dry I'll rub the back of my hand against any areas that are still absorbing the lotion (and therefore have a little extra to give up to my hands). No one wants orange palms!

Do you use Jergen's Natural Glow? What tips do you have for application?

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30 Seconds to a Natural Tan? Josie Maran Self Tanning Body Wash Review

I Bought it Myself
Josie Maran Self Tanning Body Wash
If you're a fan of 15 Minute Beauty on Facebook, you may have noticed that I was excited about Josie Maran's Sunless Tanning Body Wash. I'm a pale girl, and I've embraced that, but really by default. I can spend a ton of time laying out, but the only thing that happens to my skin tone is that I get some random clumps of freckles, which look like dirt from more than 3 feet away. So, I get premature aging and look dirty instead of a nice glow. Winning.

So, I ordered the Josie Maran when it was the special deal of the day (though that 24 hour price was available before the date and now, weeks later, it's still there). QVC sent my product pretty fast, it was there a day or two before I expected it, so I was very happy.

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Ask a Beauty Blogger: Fighting Hyperpigmentation and Self-Tanning?

ask a beauty blogger
While I'm well acquainted with fighting areas of hyperpigmentation (remember that whole series I did on my melasma with weekly photo updates on how Kiehl's Clearly Corrective was working?), I'm not so good with the self-tanning. I embraced the pale long ago, and I fully admit that I'm not speedy enough at application to regularly self-tan.

self-tanning expert
So, as soon as I got Amy's question, I ran to my friend Sinead Norenius! Sinead is a total sweetheart, and she's probably the biggest expert on self tanning in the US. I kid you not. She started as a beauty blogger with Self-Tanning Queen, but soon formulated her own self-tanner line with Beautisol. More recently, she's a co-founder of iFabbo, an amazing organization pulling together beauty and fashion bloggers around the world.

She's definitely best known for Beautisol. I snagged the pic above from her Facebook page (I know, I totally stole it!), and it probably looks a little familiar to you. Beautisol is the self-tanner that is frequently on HSN, and when on air they'll tan half of their bodies so you can see the difference. It is amazing how natural this self tanner looks! Beautisol has been reviewed twice on 15 Minute Beauty (the first Beautisol review was by me, the second Beautisol review was by my cousin, Ellery). While I don't usually self-tan, I fully admit that I'm currently thinking that I'll do it in preparation for a vacation to Florida next month!

Anyways, now that you know why I immediately ran to Sinead with this question, here's what she had to say.

Yes, keeping a "faux glow" while using lightening ingredients / products can be a bit tricky for sure as they tend to exfoliate the skin and tan off a lot faster than usual!

I usually advise my readers to self-tan their face more often than they would their body. I also recommend that they use a self-tanner that is specifically design for the skin on their face vs. their body especially if they are going to be reapplying it more often. (Beautisol offers two formulas - one for Normal-Dry-Sensitive Skin and one for Normal-Oily-Acne prone skin) It is just the nature of the beast but I do it all the time. I self-tan my body every 4 / 5 days but tan my face every other night and put it on last so I still have color a day or two later!

I hope that helps!

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More Gradual Tanning: Ellery Checks Out Jergens Natural Glow As Well!

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer Review, Sunless Tanner
Yesterday I shared my opinion of the Jergens Natural Glow Revitalizing Daily Moisturizer, today my cousin Ellery is reviewing the Firming version. We both just happened to buy and review the product! I finished my review, opened my email, and there was her review! Funny that we were on the same wavelength. After reading her review I think I'll be picking up the firming formula rather than the revitalizing next time. Ellery describes a coconut scent, definitely not my experience! Note that Ellery's skin tone is olive and she purchased the medium to dark tone of this product.


Hi everyone! Ellery here from Mom's Life Made Easy with another sunless tanner review.  This time you can find this one right at your local drugstore for under $10.  Jergens Natural Glow Sunless Tanner With Firmer is a pretty thick lotion that has a slightly sunscreen smell to it with a hint of coconut (reminds me of Banana Boat sunscreen).  There really is no "tanner" smell, which is nice, you just smell like you spent the day at the beach.

This tanner is unique in that it gives you a gradual tan when you apply it daily.  I tried it everyday for two weeks and I could see that my skin did look more coppery and did not have an orange tint.  The change was very gradual and not something you would really notice after just a few days.

I also liked that the lotion did moisturize well, so I didn't feel that I needed to add my own moisturizer on top.  It also blended well into the areas I didn't tan, such as my face, hands, and feet.

Now on to the bad news...I didn't notice any firming!  I was all excited to see some slight toning on my thighs and belly, but didn't see a thing.  After two weeks I can't say that I felt or visual noticed any sort of "firming."  So my suggestion would be to just stick with the original and save a buck or two!


Today's post has been brought to us by my cousin Ellery from Mom's Life Made Easy. I've conned her into trying out all of the sunless tanners this year since I've embraced the pale. Ellery is a busy mommy of 3 little ones under the age of 5, but somehow manages to always look amazing!


Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizers
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Unembracing my Pale: Jergens Natural Glow Daily Revitalizing Moisturizer Review

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer Review, Sunless Tanner
One of my most popular posts is my review of Jergens Natural Glow Express, from 2008. 3 years is quite a while, and while I did like the formula back then, there have been a few minor tweakings of the formula since then. I also haven't really used sunless tanners in last couple of years. I've actually outsourced all of my sunless tanning reviews to my cousin Ellery from Moms Life Made Easy since I've really embraced the pale. Until this week.

I was wandering around Walmart (as much as one can wander in a quick corner store run for hamburger buns and decongestant), and when I saw the display of Jergen Natural Glow I started to feel super pale in my sundress. Maybe it was time for a retest of that popular review? So, I picked up Natural Glow Healthy Complexion Daily Facial Moisturizer and Natural Glow Daily Revitalizing Moisturizer, both products in Fair to Medium skin tone. I'm naturally a cool toned pale girl.

Both products are meant to be used as your daily moisturizer on freshly washed skin. The products promise the gradual development of a natural looking tan within several days. While they take the place of regular moisturizer, there's no denying that these products are sunless tanners. There is still a definite DHA smell and I felt it was just as strong as most sunless tanners. I couldn't hide it under my perfume.

While the lotion sinks in pretty quickly, and I couldn't feel it on myself if I touched my skin, I still just felt a little sticky. Not much, just a little, and it only lasts for a few hours (this is about how long the smell lasts as well). I'm not sure why this is, but there you go. The lotion is hydrating enough for my combination skin on my face and body.

I'm super pale, think about 1/2 shade darker than Nicole Kidman. That's super pale. It only takes me 2 days to have noticeable color and after 3 days I'm pretty much at my max color. 4 days and I start turning orange. So, after 3 days I space out my use.

The Facial Moisturizer is SPF 20




My cousin Ellery from Mom's Life Made Easy is my usual sunless tanner reviewer, and she recently bought the Natural Glow as well! Stay tuned for her review tomorrow.

Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizers
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Sunless Tanners & Sunscreen on The Pulse Network

On Friday I was once again on The Look on The Pulse Network, this time discussing Sunless Tanners and Sunscreen with host Maggie Rulli. Once again, I feel I was slightly awkward (and please, could someone teach me to not play with my hair all the time?? I don't even realize that I'm doing this when I'm so nervous)... Anyways, I thought I'd share the segments with you! I have some more info that we couldn't squeeze into the segments as well.


While I've largely embraced the pale, in the past I've somewhat discussed how to apply sunless tanner as well as a few of my favorites such as the Beautisol and Jergens Natural Glow we mentioned in the segment. My cousin Ellery (Mom's Life Made Easy) and I have both repurchased the Jergens in the last few weeks. Watch for my review on Tuesday and Ellery's on Wednesday.

Now that you have a great self tanner, you'll want to prepare your skin properly and get streak free application. I've been using Clean Logic's Bath and Shower Gloves to exfoliate and they are amazing! So fast to get a quick and even exfoliation. I've just been using them with shower gel. Beautisol's sunless tanner application videos are definitely my favorite. Sinead started with a sunless tanning site before she developed Beautisol's products. She knows her stuff!


There are so many links to share about sunscreens that I don't even know where to begin! I think the best place to start is with my post on how to pick the right sunscreen. I shocked the crew over at The Look by talking about how much sunscreen you need to use. The average size adult needs 1 ounce (the amount in a shot glass) to cover their entire body. Which means a tube of sunscreen does not last the entire summer! I was holding up a 3 ounce bottle of Aveeno in the video. Which is your first application, a reapplication after your dip in the pool and a second reapplication if you've been there for 2 hours. So, that bottle is one afternoon of being outdoors!


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Dear 16 Year Old Me.... Why Tanning is Bad and You Should Wear Sunscreen

Why Tanning is Bad and You Should Wear Sunscreen

You may have noticed that I'm a bit obsessed with avoiding the sun. I'm a pale Irish girl with a lot of red headed relatives. I freckle and burn, no tan in sight. I've tried to do the tanning thing in the past (I've never tanned in a bed, only outside), but with little success. By default I've embraced the pale, happy about the anti-aging benefits of my choice.

Not everyone is lucky with their sun exposure. My husband's uncle died of Melanoma at 41. A friend of the family was diagnosed at 18 (she's had Mohs surgery and is now fine). I watched an 8 year old die of Melanoma as a pediatrics resident.

In the last 24 hours I've had five family members post this video to their Facebook pages.

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Fake Bake Self-Tanning Lotion=Bronzed Glow By Morning



I have to say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this Fake Bake Self-Tanning Lotion better than any I have tried so far (and there is a long list)!  This lotion gives a color that is so authentic to a real suntan that none of my family and friends believed it was a self tanner.

There are so many features I love about this lotion:

  • No smell...seriously, it has NO tanner smell. Might smell slightly like maple syrup, but that's not a bad thing!

  • Applies very smoothly.  You can see it as you apply it (so you can rub away lines), and it soaks in rapidly without dark patches.

  • It can be layered for a gradual increase in intensity.

  • It should be applied overnight (suggested in directions) so you are glowing by morning.

  • It DOES NOT fade away in splotchy patches like others I have tried.  Instead, it fades away gradually.

  • Blends in well with areas I decided not to tan (face, hands, feet).


I highly recommend this tanner.  Would be great for the night before your wedding, or an impromptu trip to the beach.

Fake Bake also has other self-tanners such as tanning gels, airbrush sprays, and skinny tanner (which diminishes the look of cellulite while you tan).  Hopefully I'll get a chance to try these out too and give you the scoop!


Today's post has been brought to us by my cousin Ellery from Mom's Life Made Easy. I've conned her into trying out all of the sunless tanners this year since I've embraced the pale. Ellery is a busy mommy of 3 little ones under the age of 5, but somehow manages to always look amazing!

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Beautisol's Need I Glow More: A Facial Sunless Tanner That Works With Your Skin Type

Beautisol Need I Glow More, facial self tanner, sunless tanner, review
One of the reasons that I've been reluctant to use self tanners in the past (and have embraced the pale), is that the facial products don't seem different from the body products. After years of acne, I've fought hard for my clear (ish) skin, and don't want to give that up just to look a little bit tanner. Am I right?

Well, the people over at Beautisol knew that many people share my reluctance. They've released the first sunless tanner for the face that is skin type specific. So, if you have dry skin or are acne prone you won't be using the same product! This is likely enough to make me overcome my sunless tanner aversion. In the meantime, Ellery tried it out as part of our sunless tanner series.

Read on to see what Ellery thought!
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Bare Escentuals Beautifully Bronzed

Bare Escentuals Bronzed & Buff, review
Bare Escentuals has a new sunless tanner brush, and it is debuting today on QVC! This product duo is a little bit different from other sunless tanners for several reasons. First, you see the color as you apply it, making goofs such as missed spots or dark areas on your knees a thing of the past! It also goes on with a buffing brush, so you can avoid orange palms. The formula even contains Vitamins C & E as well as Sweet Almond Oil.

As with all of my sunless tanner reviews, my cousin Ellery tried it out and wrote the review for me. Read on to see what this sunless tanner guru thought of the Bare Escentuals formula!
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Smell-free Sunless Tanning: It Is Available!

smell free, unscented, sunless tanner, self tanner, tanning, discount code, review, antidote skincare, beautisol
Updated 4/28/2010: I'm republishing this post as an update! Antidote has changed their name to Beautisol and I have a new discount code to share with everyone. The product itself has not been changed, thank goodness! Just some pretty new packaging and a great new website! Check out the packages under weddings, they have amazing deals to get your whole wedding party tan, I was amazed.


I have to admit that I'm afraid of sunless tanning. As a pale, Irish girl, I tend to turn orange or an unnaturally dark color that just doesn't look right. I'm not patient enough to apply sunless tanner correctly and I usually don't wait long enough before I get dressed. Yes, most of these issues are my fault, but you can still see why it took about 6 weeks before I tried out this new sunless tanner that had been sent to me.

Beautisol was created by Sinead, the Self Tanning Queen (check out her site). She's a licensed aesthetician and had a big on-line presence already in Self Tanners before she decided to create her own line. They started with what most of use see as the worst part of self-tanners: the smell! They worked with a fragrance house in Europe who created a special ingredient to counteract the smell of DHA (the active ingredient in all self tanners). This special technology is called Smell Right, which you have to admit really gets the point across. They also created an amazing body scrub to go with it!

How did they do? Find out more after the jump.
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