Best Self Tanners?

[divergrrl]

I searched for a thread to bump, but none of them have "reply" functionality, so I apologize if this is redundant.

BigDiamonds sunburn thread made me wonder...what is your fave self tanner & tips & tricks?

I'm a slave to sunscreen, but I love to look golden in the summer. I have dark hair & light eyes & pale skin. Love my coloring in the winter, but not in the summer. I refuse to risk skin cancer/wrinkles just to look tan (people say I don't look 36--whooohooo) and I've used Loreal Sublime Bronze, Clarins, Mystic Tans, Dove Energy Glow gradual, Sublime Glow by Loreal & they all streak & look orangey on me.

I even exfoliate in the shower prior & use a diluted version (with regular moisturizer) on my knees, elbows, ankles, and I still get the splotchies.

I also hate that smell......HELP! I still have 4 Mystic tans left in a package at the salon, but I hate how its orange & expensive & wears off funny.

Thank you!!!

Diver

 

[metro]

I have dark hair fair skin with olive undertones and green eyes. Every self-tanner, and I mean EVERY tanner looks orange on me. It''s just a matter of how orange. The worse by far has been the Mystic Tan. I will never do that again.

I use Jergen''s Natural Glow with good results.

 

[gailrmv]

I really like the ones that are part of your moisturizer and get darker over a few days. This keeps it from being streaky on me, and keeps up all summer! I just started with Jergens daily glow for medium complexion this week. Last year I used the one for fair skin and I liked it but it was very subtle. I need to be better about applying daily sunscreen. I have one for face by MD Formulations with a bit of tint in it which I really like (crazy expensive though, was a gift from my mom!)

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 6/4/2007 2:19:22 PM
Author: metro
I have dark hair fair skin with olive undertones and green eyes. Every self-tanner, and I mean EVERY tanner looks orange on me. It''s just a matter of how orange. The worse by far has been the Mystic Tan. I will never do that again.

I use Jergen''s Natural Glow with good results.

I missed this line in your post. Yes, this is the same one that I use. I like it a lot. Smells pretty good too. Unfortunately my dogs love licking it off of me!

 

[divergrrl]

I thought Jergens smelled funny so I couldn''t use it. I don''t like the gradual moisturizer ones (have tried Jergens, Dove, Olay), because its the self tanner smell I can''t stand, & you have to endure it daily, vs. once a week for the regular self tanners....sorry if I sound difficult.

I''ve also used DeCleor from Nordstrom...didn''t like...grr...

Anyone have any luck with Neutrogena?

Thanks!

Diver.

 

[Rosebud8506]

I used to use Neutrogena and I thought that smelled worse than Jergens. I also have a problem finding good tanners, because I find the smell over-powering.

Jergens isn''t too bad, I still find it smells, but after a few hours it wears off.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

I''m red headed with fair skin and I love Este Lauder. It is faboluous. They used to sell an aerosol, but the wipes and lotion is great too. Currently I am using neutrogena medium on my face twice a week and Lancome aerosol...not orange AT ALL!!

the trick is to shave and exfoliate, moisturize all over and let soak in for 15 mins then apply the tanner in quarter sized blobs and do one extremity at a time (wash your hands between each section). Finally get a towel and "buff" your knees, toes, heels etc and anywhere else you tend to streak...perfect!

 

[Kaleigh]

I bought the Neutrogena Micro Mist Tanning spray, but haven''t used it yet. I am so used to the moisturizers that darken over time. So am kinda scared to use this, LOL!!!

 

[suzi]

Banana Boat has a good one. It''s one of the more gradual ones, too. I''ve been using it for several weeks now, and it doesn''t look orangey NOR does it have that funky smell. It actually smells good, and it moisturizes well, too. And since it''s a gradual tan, it doesn''t wear off in splotches like some of the more "instant" tanning products do. It does take a few days of using it before you see a lot of difference, but if you are patient, it works well.

I had tried one last year that was more of a bronzer lotion, and didn''t like that one. It went on colored (brown) and didn''t look natural at all. I''d suggest avoiding one of those.

I''ve tried the Jergens and Dove gradual tanners, and while they worked OK, I thought they had the funky smell. And you can''t go by how it smells when you first put it on, either. They all smell pretty good at first. It''s not untl later on that there is a kind of "sour" smell associated with the lotions. Banana Boat is the only one that hasn''t had that smell so far.

I really only use this stuff on my legs. For some reason my legs just don''t seem to tan well at all. The rest of me (shoulders, arms, back, and face) seem to get a lot of color, despite the fact that I use sunscreen. But my legs are a different story. They always seem to tan much less than the rest of me does. Maybe it''s because my legs are always in the water at the pool?

 

[divergrrl]

Date: 6/4/2007 2:59:26 PM
Author: iwannaprettyone
I''m red headed with fair skin and I love Este Lauder. It is faboluous. They used to sell an aerosol, but the wipes and lotion is great too. Currently I am using neutrogena medium on my face twice a week and Lancome aerosol...not orange AT ALL!!

the trick is to shave and exfoliate, moisturize all over and let soak in for 15 mins then apply the tanner in quarter sized blobs and do one extremity at a time (wash your hands between each section). Finally get a towel and ''buff'' your knees, toes, heels etc and anywhere else you tend to streak...perfect!

Ooooh, you''ve got some other tricks I haven''t tried (moisturize first...buffing streaky spots...ok...I''ll try tomorrow!)

Diver

 

[divergrrl]

Date: 6/4/2007 3:12:34 PM
Author: sipper
Banana Boat has a good one. It''s one of the more gradual ones, too. I''ve been using it for several weeks now, and it doesn''t look orangey NOR does it have that funky smell. It actually smells good, and it moisturizes well, too. And since it''s a gradual tan, it doesn''t wear off in splotches like some of the more ''instant'' tanning products do. It does take a few days of using it before you see a lot of difference, but if you are patient, it works well.

I had tried one last year that was more of a bronzer lotion, and didn''t like that one. It went on colored (brown) and didn''t look natural at all. I''d suggest avoiding one of those.

I''ve tried the Jergens and Dove gradual tanners, and while they worked OK, I thought they had the funky smell. And you can''t go by how it smells when you first put it on, either. They all smell pretty good at first. It''s not untl later on that there is a kind of ''sour'' smell associated with the lotions. Banana Boat is the only one that hasn''t had that smell so far.

I really only use this stuff on my legs. For some reason my legs just don''t seem to tan well at all. The rest of me (shoulders, arms, back, and face) seem to get a lot of color, despite the fact that I use sunscreen. But my legs are a different story. They always seem to tan much less than the rest of me does. Maybe it''s because my legs are always in the water at the pool?

I''m going to buy some Banana Boat today...since its cheap its worth it, and i won''t be mad tossing it if it stinks...LOL

THANKS GUYS!

dIVER

 

[starryeyed]

Interesting thread!

I''m beside myself with this very thing because all of these tanning creams/sprays seem to rub off on the inside and edges of my clothing. I don''t want the inside and edges of my wedding dress to be stained by mid-reception. It''s especially bad if I sweat, which I probably will in July, when I''m getting married - it''s an outdoor wedding.

I''ve gone for a professional spray bronzer at a hoity-toity spa and it''s no better. Ugh.

I''m on the verge of signing up for skin cancer sessions just for a slight natural even tan....

 

[jcrow]

i use rubber gloves. start with my feet and move up, doing my tummy last- cause i read somewhere that you don''t want creases when you are bending to get your toes if you do your tummy first. and after tummy, i take off the gloves and carefully do the backs of my hands.

i tan at night, making sure NOT to have white sheets on the bed. in the morning i shower and i''m good to go.

 

[vespergirl]

My favorite self tanner by far is the Sublime Bronze line by Loreal, and I have tried many high-end brands as well. The tan always looks totally natural, never orange. I like the "any angle" aerolsol the best, tbut the sublime glow daily moisturizer is also great!

 

[NewShiny]

I just found "Glow and Steady" gradual self tanner ($15) at Bath and Body works. It isn''t on sale (their semi-annual sale is going on now), but it seems to be working well. I''ve only been using it for about a week. I''m not orange-y at all, and while it does have a slight smell once you''ve left it on for awhile, it isn''t anything like Jergens or Neutrogena, which I had to stop using b/c of the smell. Yesterday, I added a little bit of Bath & Body Works scented lotion in with my Glow and Steady and the lingering self-tanner scent is gone.

 

[Molly1024]

I have tried so many self tanners & gradual tanners, but my favorite is Bain de Soliel, followed by Clinique''s self tanner. Both have a bit of a smell, but I apply it in the evening and make the bed with darks sheets- the next morning, I rinse the bronzer portion off and have some lovely color. Bain de Soliel is a great tanner for "building" a tan.

 

[Rosebud8506]

diver: did you try the banana boat? do you like it? i think a few years ago i used to use BB and i have to agree that it doesn''t leave a weird smell like some others - and this was about 5 yrs ago, and I''m sure they have improved their formula even better since then!

 

[lovelylulu]

vespagirl: do you find getting an even "coat" is more difficult with an aerosol. for some reason the thought of self-spraying is scary...

 

[jcrow]

i just tried jergen''s natural glow FIRMING lotion. scent is so much nicer than the regular non-firming tanner.