Best Self Tanners/Bronzers For Summer!

I was born naturally white and I refuse to sun tan. I normally use a self tanner on my legs during the summer months in order to add a little bit of a glow to my skin. Now, when it comes to self tanners there are a few things I look for in a bottle in order to get the most realistic "fake" tan possible! 

First, the self tanner cannot make me look orange, green or burnt brown.  Second, it cannot leave me streaks anywhere where applied, and third it has to not stain my clothes.  I also like the option of either having a self tanner give me a one day glow or a one to two week glow.  After searching the net, I decided on two products that I use year around. 

Scott Barnes Body Bling - $8.99 / $43.00 CDN

If I want a one day glow that makes me look like a lovely (but toned down) disco ball, I go with my Scott Barnes Body Bling in the color Platinum.  Platinum works well for individuals who have a pale complexion and need a glow that won't make them look fake.  I wore this body bling last week on my legs for a friends wedding and it made my legs look awesome!  Not only did it give my legs a slight lovely tan that still seemed realistic to the rest of my body, but it also gave it this amazing shimmery effect that glisten with the rays of the sun. If you are transparent to fairly white skinned, then platinum is the color for you.  If you actually have color on your skin, then the original formula might work better as it blends lovely with darker skin tones.  This body bling was pretty moisturizing and left my legs with an even tone color. I was very surprised at the results, easiness and effectiveness of the product. This washes off easily from your hands after applying it to your body. I know some self tanners stain your hands and with this product I had NO issues whatsoever. 

However a word of caution, this body bling does at times rub off on clothes. So make sure to only use this on exposed skin and stay away from wearing white until this fully dries.  If not, you might be left with streaks on your clothes.  Lastly, this comes off easily in the shower with no big fuss and didn't stain my tub in anyway. If you are looking for a nice self tanner with a bit of a bling, then this product is for you. 

Vita Liberata Self Tanning - $30.00 / $65.00 CDN

My skin is very pale and thin. So that means you see the veins on my legs, arms and chest if I am not covered up. Normally in warm weather this tends to be a "problem" especially when wearing black clothing against my white veiny body. On one of my online Sephora shopping "trips", I had the option of checkout with a free sample of Vita Liberata's tanning mousse in the color medium that came with a free mitt in a generous size bottle!  I figured based on the reviews, this might work for someone like me who suffered from the "Caspar syndrome!"

In order to get the best results for this product, you need to follow a few simple steps. First, I exfoliated my legs in the shower with my puff. I dried off and applied the product to the mitt. It comes out like a very dark mousse from the bottle and leaves a nice stain on your skin letting you know which areas you have applied it to and which areas still needed application. I applied this product on my legs in circular massaging motions as stated on the box. I covered the tops of feet and toes (don't forget those toes) my legs, knees and thighs. I applied it on both the front and back of my legs.  This product dried right away with NO smell.  It did not stain my sheets at night and my skin didn't feel grease, gritty, or dirty.  I could immediately see the tan slightly forming. There was no greenish or orange look that many self tanners leave behind.  When I woke up the next morning my legs looked they were either tanned by the sun or if I was naturally born that way. I was amazed for the first time, my veins were not as visible as they usually are and my tan looked even, not blotchy or streaky.   I will admit I didn't reapply it 2-3 times more because I had the product in the color medium and being so fair skin, I didn't want my legs to look so tanned while the rest of me was still white.  I don't think that would looking convincing or natural.   Nonetheless, the slight glow this left my legs was just amazing and natural!

If you are looking for a good self tanner to make your color last one to two weeks, then this is it! It comes in three colors: Fair, Medium and Dark.  You can pick one of these great self tanners up at your nearest Sephora!

So there you have it!  My review on how to get a lovely either one day or two week tan without damaging your skin with the harmful rays of the sun!  Let me know what self tanners you have tried and worked!

Here's my Youtube video review!

 

Keep Smiling!

Dayana